...
Black City.
Su Zhan stepped off the high-speed train.
Looking around.
This city's train station had a unique character.
Brass pipes crisscrossed between the soaring dod ceilings.
High-pressure steam gushing out ford swirling mist among the gear assemblies.
Steampunk style?
Interesting.
Rusted containers were piled beside the tracks.
Several ragged porters were chanically loading and unloading goods.
Su Zhan followed the crowd slowly through the ticket checkpoint.
Exiting the station.
The city's true face began to reveal itself.
Jagged concrete buildings stacked together, their exteriors crawling with thick tal pipes that occasionally spewed murky steam.
On the streets.
Modified ghost fire electric scooters roared past.
Along with those brand-na sports cars, each accelerating recklessly, turning the streets into a racing arena.
Whether you had a cheap ghost fire.
Or an expensive sports car.
Everyone could randomly match up for competition here.
Su Zhan slightly frowned.
The information he'd searched said this city had no speed limits on roads.
He thought it was sowhat peculiar at the ti.
Looking at it now...
It seed to be true.
In the distance.
A massive billboard flashed with neon lights.
It showed an advertisent for so hospital—Cybernetic modifications, imdiate results, no paynt if unsatisfied!
Su Zhan raised an eyebrow.
The flesh is weak, chanical ascension?
This place... was interesting.
Su Zhan had just stepped out of the station.
A group of figures imdiately surrounded him from the shadows of the pillars.
"Young man! Need a hotel?"
"Our inn has the latest difference engine massage chairs that can calculate the fatigue level of every single bone!"
"Handso, where are you going? Take my car! Just filled up with gas, AC is super cool!"
"Take mine, new car, cos with free WiFi!"
"You're a student, right? Students get 20% off with , and I've got trunk space for luggage!"
The drivers behind weren't willing to be outdone:
"Going to the airport? Departing imdiately!"
"Long-distance carpool, just need one more person!"
"Direct to city center, absolutely no detours!"
"In this hot weather, you'll be waiting forever for the bus!"
"Exactly! Ride-hailing apps have all raised prices, ours are much more affordable!"
"Hop in young man, I'll get you there safely, ten years driving with zero accidents!"
Other drivers seeing this all opened their own car doors.
Su Zhan felt sowhat helpless.
Even in a place like Black City.
The train station exit was exactly the sa as everywhere else.
How did this achieve nationwide uniformity?
Su Zhan randomly chose a car that looked relatively clean.
The other drivers imdiately deflated, dispersing disgruntledly to wait for the next batch of passengers.
"Where to, handso?"
The driver asked while starting the car.
"Black Sky Grand Hotel."
Su Zhan gave the location.
"Black Sky Grand Hotel?"
The driver tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
He held an e-cigarette in his mouth, its tip glowing with an eerie blue light.
Exhaling a puff of mint-scented vapor: "Buddy, from out of town?"
Su Zhan leaned back in the seat, his gaze sweeping through the car interior.
The steering wheel was wrapped with glowing circuit wires.
The rearview mirror hung several oddly shaped tal pendants.
The car stereo was playing so kind of electronic music.
Su Zhan nodded: "Yeah, first ti here."
The driver grinned: "Then you've found the right person, I've been driving in this city for eight years, know everything.
Things have been uneasy in the city lately, sothing happened at the black market."
Su Zhan raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"
"Heard soone stole so goods."
The driver lowered his voice: "Not ordinary goods, the kind that... can't see the light."
"Several groups in the city are looking now, black market boss put up a five million bounty to catch the person."
The driver sneered: "If you ask , anyone daring to steal in a place like this is either crazy or truly capable."
Su Zhan asked: "Have they caught anyone?"
"Not yet."
The driver shook his head: "Buddy, are you here for business, or..."
Su Zhan replied: "Tourism."
"Ha!"
The driver sounded like he'd heard a joke: "Tourism in this place?"
He shook his head and didn't ask further.
Just stepped on the accelerator, the car speeding through the neon-flashing streets.
Seeing he wasn't talking, Su Zhan didn't press further.
Hmm, it seed the available clues were still quite limited.
But...
Who said he ca to complete the reception mission?
To be blunt, the reception mission was just sothing he picked up along the way.
Its use was that if he could complete it, he'd get additional rewards.
If not completed, it didn't matter either.
His real mission was only one—the Vermilion Bird Academy freshman first-year assessnt mission.
Kill three Aberrants of the sa realm and sa minor realm as him.
That would qualify as passing.
Su Zhan pushed open the glass door of Black Sky Grand Hotel.
A strong sll of weed assailed his nostrils.
The lobby lighting was dim, deep purple ambient lights making the entire space appear psychedelic and hazy.
At the front desk, several young people dressed in hip-hop style leaned against the counter, holding lit weed between their fingers, their low laughter coming through the smoky haze.
The front desk clerk wore dramatic smoky eye makeup, at least seven or eight rings in her ears, and glowing code tattooed on her neck.
She lazily glanced up at Su Zhan, fingers tapping on the keyboard: "Accommodation?"
Su Zhan nodded: "Single room."
The fashion here was truly avant-garde.
"ID."
The front desk clerk extended her hand, nails painted fluorescent green.
Su Zhan handed it over.
She casually scanned it, the machine beeped, and confirmation information popped up on the screen.
The front desk clerk didn't even look, directly tossing back a room key: "408, elevator on the left."
Su Zhan took the room key, his gaze sweeping over the glass display case beside the counter.
Inside were neatly arranged various types of weed, exquisitely packaged, even labeled with different flavors and concentrations, alongside matching smoking paraphernalia and electronic vaporizers, all clearly priced.
"Want to try? New blueberry flavor, top-notch relaxation effects."
The front desk clerk noticed his gaze, casually asking.
"No thanks."
Su Zhan withdrew his gaze.
Damn.
No wonder there was such a strong weed sll as soon as he entered the lobby.
Turns out this stuff was legal here.
Even sold in hotel lobbies.
Incredible, truly incredible.
Really opened my eyes today.
The front desk clerk shrugged, said nothing more, lowering her head to continue fiddling with the holographic projection bracelet on her wrist.
In the lobby, all sorts of people ca and went.
Several business-suited rchants sat on corner sofas, smoking weed while discussing business in low voices.
Leather-clad, fully tattooed burly n swaggered through the hall.
Even several young people who looked like college students, laughing and joking, bought weed at the front desk and headed straight for the elevator.
No one managed it, no one cared.
But Su Zhan felt sowhat strange.
Amidst the chaos here, there was a bizarre sense of order.
You could openly buy weed, but absolutely couldn't cause trouble in the lobby.
You could disregard outside laws, but had to follow the local "rules."
Su Zhan walked toward the elevator.
His ears caught the front desk clerk's lazy voice: "Don't go out after midnight, the streets have been uneasy lately."
Su Zhan glanced back at her.
The front desk clerk was lowering her head playing with her bracelet, as if her words were just casually ntioned.
The elevator door slowly closed.
Shutting out that strong sll of weed.
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