Chapter 514 - 353: Darknet Meeting, News of Jian Yi

Chapter 514: Chapter 353: Darknet Meeting, News of Jian Yi

"Somehow, the Dome Group managed to set a trap and surround this powerful expert. I heard the fight was incredibly brutal, but he still managed to carve a path out and escape deep into the underground tunnels."

"Now the Dome Group has gone completely nuts. They’ve put out a sky-high bounty, so the entire underworld of Zhongjing is in an uproar. From gangs to Bounty Hunters, everyone’s jacked up like they’re on stimulants, searching everywhere for that wounded beast of a man!"

"I figured you might be interested in this intel, so I rushed right over." As he spoke, Black Dog carefully watched Wu Liangchen’s expression.

Wu Liangchen was slightly startled.

’He didn’t need to ask. This powerful expert who’d suddenly appeared had to be Jian Yi, the man he’d met on the road.’

’He just hadn’t expected him to move so fast. It had only been a few days, yet he’d already caused such a massive stir in Zhongjing.’

After a moment of thought, Wu Liangchen saw Black Dog’s expectant gaze and gave a slight nod.

"Got it. This is good intel. Here, this is for you. If you hear anything else like this, feel free to come find me."

With that, Wu Liangchen pulled out an Alliance currency card and handed it to Black Dog.

Black Dog’s eyes went wide as he stared at the valuable Alliance card. He hurriedly took it, thanking Wu Liangchen profusely.

"Don’t you worry, boss. From now on, if I catch wind of anything, I’ll be here to tell you first thing."

After sending Black Dog on his way, Wu Liangchen turned and headed back to the inn.

Liangzi was still sitting on his "throne," but now he held a greasy rag, slowly and methodically polishing a pair of brass baubles.

He didn’t even look up at the sound of footsteps. "What’d that punk Black Dog want from you?"

As the local top dog in the West Ninth District, Liangzi knew characters like Black Dog like the back of his hand.

Wu Liangchen briefly recounted the news from Black Dog, as well as his own run-in with the man when he first arrived in the West Ninth District.

Liangzi chuckled. "No wonder those punks have been behaving lately. So you’re the one who beat them into submission."

Wu Liangchen sat down across from Liangzi. "So, what’s the deal with this Dome Group?"

At the mention of the "Dome Group," the smile vanished from Liangzi’s face, replaced by a rare, serious expression.

"Those guys are bad news. Their reach extends all the way to the Alliance’s top brass, even the military! Don’t let their public image as a major energy and tech conglomerate fool you. The stuff they do behind the scenes is filthy."

"They’re especially ruthless. Anyone who gets in their way meets a miserable end. Let me put it this way: in Zhongjing, you’d be better off pissing off a few district Night Patrol captains than crossing anyone from the Dome Group." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Wu Liangchen heard the undisguised warning in Liangzi’s voice. ’For a seasoned old fox like Liangzi to be this wary of them... it’s clear how powerful they are.’

"I see. Well, boss, do you happen to know anyone who’s an expert on the underground tunnels?"

"What? You want to get involved in this mess too?" Liangzi asked, surprised.

"Just want to see what all the fuss is about. Maybe make a little spending money while I’m at it," Wu Liangchen said with a faint smile.

The reason was impeccable, but Liangzi gave him a long, hard look before lowering his gaze.

"The sewer system here in the West Ninth District is relatively simple. For the truly complex, maze-like underworld, you’ll need to go to the West Fifth District."

"In the West Fifth District... there’s a guy who goes by the nickname ’Iron Rat’," Liangzi said slowly. "The man is like a real rat. He’s spent decades crawling through every nook and cranny of Zhongjing’s underground. He knows all about the abandoned pipelines, the air-raid shelters, even some of the secret tunnels no one else knows about. He’s also extremely well-informed and makes his living selling intel and guiding people."

"Go ask around near the Sunset Bar in the West Fifth District. You should be able to find him. When you do, you can mention my name. It might... earn you a bit of courtesy."

"But don’t get your hopes up," Liangzi added. "The man is paranoid by nature and extremely greedy. He has allegiance only to money, not people."

"Thanks." Wu Liangchen committed the name "Iron Rat" and the location to memory.

He was, in fact, planning to get involved.

It wasn’t just because he admired the spirit of Jian Yi’s revenge—a single man charging forward against thousands—but also because he had a feeling that the Dome Group was hiding a much deeper secret.

"Alright, I’m off to bed. Got to be up early to cook tomorrow." With a yawn, Liangzi leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and instantly let out a snore that shook the rafters.

Wu Liangchen went back upstairs, said a few quick words to Song Ling’Er, and then left again.

The situation was urgent, allowing for no delay, so he headed straight for the West Fifth District.

The West Fifth District was closer to the industrial ruins at the city’s edge than the West Ninth District. The air here was thick with a heavy, acidic fog and the stench of corroding metal, and the streets were narrower and filthier.

Following Liangzi’s directions, Wu Liangchen asked around the area near the Sunset Bar—an area that reeked of cheap alcohol and sour vomit. After a bit of asking around, and a "friendly" chat with a few street thugs, he finally found a dark corner piled high with discarded electronic components and garbage.

As he approached, a short, hunchbacked man poked his head out. His small eyes were filled with suspicion.

"What do you want?"

Wu Liangchen stopped in his tracks. "Liangzi from the Black Tile Inn sent me."

Hearing that Liangzi had sent him, the heavy suspicion in Iron Rat’s eyes faded slightly, but he didn’t lower his guard.

"Heh, so that fat bastard Liangzi isn’t dead yet! Fair warning: I’m not cheap."

Wu Liangchen nodded and got straight to the point. "About last night—the Dome Group hunting down an expert. You know about it?"

"Hah, another one here for the bounty!" A look of understanding dawned on Iron Rat’s face. He sized Wu Liangchen up, as if assessing his strength.

"With a pretty face like that, you shouldn’t be a Bounty Hunter. You should be a gigolo in the city. I bet the rich ladies would pay a fortune for a piece of that."

Iron Rat mumbled to himself, then held up two grimy fingers. "Two thousand points."

Without hesitation, Wu Liangchen tossed him an Alliance card.

’He’d confiscated a ton of these back in Black Stone Town; now they were finally coming in handy.’

Iron Rat took the card and casually checked it. Seeing that they were indeed untraceable credits, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Quick and clean!"

"Yesterday’s commotion was huge, alright. A massive fight broke out by the abandoned smelter not far from the West Fifth District. Afterward, the Dome Group’s security forces cordoned off the area and spent a long time cleaning up. I snuck over for a look after they left. Tsk, tsk... blood everywhere, chunks of flesh, too. You can tell it was a nasty fight."

He paused, then added, "Rumor is, the Swordsman was seriously wounded. They reckon he only got away by using some kind of Secret Technique, and that he slipped into the deeper tunnel system beneath the smelter. Down there... it’s a place that eats people alive. No one’s dared to venture too deep in decades."

With that, Iron Rat pulled a grimy data chip from his pocket and tossed it over.

"That’s a map of the underground entrance in the smelter area, plus the first few levels of the tunnel system. I drew it up myself a while back. Anything deeper... is uncharted territory. Could be mutated creatures, residual radiation, or just death traps from structural collapses. No one knows for sure. It’s your neck. You decide if it’s worth the risk."

Wu Liangchen caught the data chip.

Just then, Iron Rat hesitated for a moment before calling out to Wu Liangchen. "Hey. For that fat bastard Liangzi’s sake, I’ll give you a piece of advice. The Dome Group’s money isn’t easy to earn. Those guys... they’ll eat you alive and not even spit out the bones."

With that said, Iron Rat dove straight into the pile of garbage and vanished from sight.