Walking towards the center of the gathering place, there were more and more people, forming a small marketplace. Some had laid out stalls with all sorts of things, but there was neither food nor water.
Points were considered currency here, so water and food were like gold.
The Monk already appeared fatigued.
Su Changxing cautioned, "That thing you ate before is best not consumed again. It will damage your body functions. Once or twice is fine, but too many times and your body will be ruined."
The Monk had earlier taken a drug similar to coincidence pills, which came from the Mysterious Shop, with significant healing effects but also clear side effects.
The Monk, however, didnât mind and said,
"Itâs better than dying. Besides, that thing is relatively common now. Many Mysterious Shops have it, so itâs not expensive, and you can buy it here."
"So youâre saying a lot of things here come from the Mysterious Shop," Su Changxing asked.
The Monk nodded, "Yes, but most are useless things."
The Monk led Su Changxing to the outside of a gate where three torches were affixed. As they entered, an old man sitting on a chair at the entrance looked surprised, seemingly recognizing the Monk.
Maintaining his composure, the Monk said, "Looking for a place to stay."
The old man nodded, quickly approached, and exclaimed, "Well, come with me. I should tell you, staying here for a night costs at least eighty points."
The Monk glared at the old man, nodding, "Understood."
As Su Changxing and the Monk entered, people around them only spared a glance before losing interest. Those who could enter here had some strength, were not short of points, and this place wasnât short of rooms either.
The old man sternly warned, "Do not step into other peopleâs rooms, or no one will care even if you die."
Su Changxing chuckled and asked, "What if others enter our room?"
The old man glanced at Su Changxing, saying, "Thatâs also not allowed. Which floor do you want to stay on? The higher the floor, the cheaper it is."
Su Changxing thought and said, "The third floor, preferably at the edge."
The old man nodded with a smile, "Alright, thereâs space."
Carrying an oil lamp, the old man led the two upstairs, saying, "We protect those staying here, but canât manage the higher floors. Well, itâs still better than being on the streets, wouldnât you say?"
Su Changxing nodded, smiling, "Indeed, itâs quite a bargain."
The old manâs face stiffened briefly, casually saying, "In any case, you should be careful at night. If something happens, thereâs nothing we can do."
Some protection indeed.
Su Changxing immediately saw a man dragging a corpse down the stairs. The air was filled with the smell of blood. He asked, "How did he die?"
The old man shrugged, "Not sure, he was already dead from blood loss when found. Probably someone on the same floor did it, and his stuff is gone too."
Su Changxing mused, "Is this why the top floors are cheaper than the bottom ones?"
The old man nodded, "Yes, paying more does have its benefits. We donât deceive anyone."
Not deceiving anyone... Su Changxing was speechless, even suspecting that the old man and his people did it themselves.
It made sense.
He felt like the Monk had led him into a trap.
The room was relatively clean, with two mattresses on the floor and nothing else.
After entering the room, the old manâs expression changed suddenly. He whispered, "Weihuo, you didnât say you were coming. Whereâs your senior brother? Did you come out alone?"
The Monk nodded and said quietly, "Yes, they likely all died inside. Chenxiâs people betrayed us and specially targeted us for slaughter."
The old man looked enlightened, saying, "No wonder. I was wondering why I couldnât contact any of you. I thought you were still in the No-Manâs Land."
"Those from Chenxi are truly despicable. I told your senior brother not to trust them, yet he still went in with you. Sigh, perhaps it was fate."
Su Changxing leaned against the wall, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Weihuo, who is he?"
The old man looked at Su Changxing coldly, "I am his martial uncle, Chen Hui, now secular. I canât help you much, just stay here and decide after the Doomsday Game ends."
Su Changxing smiled and asked, "Still asking for money?"
The old man nodded matter-of-factly, "Of course, youâre not short of points, right?"
He could also see that Su Changxing wasnât an ordinary person; an ordinary person couldnât have Weihuo backing him, as Weihuo was an Extraordinary.
The old man turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Su Changxing yawned and asked, "Is he trustworthy?"
The Monk said blankly, "I donât know. We came here last time, so I came straight here again."
Su Changxing wiped his face and grumbled, "Are you sure these people have nothing to do with Chenxi?"
The Monk confidently replied, "Of course, if anything, they are somewhat related to the Security Bureau, which is why I brought you here."
Su Changxing nodded, feeling the Monk wasnât entirely unreliable. Either way, he felt a bit relieved and said,
"You better rest first. Iâll keep watch at night, so donât worry."
The Monk trusted Su Changxing and soon snored. The soundproofing there wasnât great, likely audible in the adjacent rooms.
In the darkness, Su Changxing fell into deep thought, recalling the dayâs events. Something felt off, but he couldnât pinpoint what.
About an hour later, faint footsteps sounded outside the door.
Su Changxing quietly placed a hand on his gun.
"Creak~"
The door opened.
It was the old man.
Su Changxing opened his eyes and asked, "Whatâs going on?"
The Monk also stopped snoring, apparently awake.
The old man shook his head, "Nothing much. Someone on this floor died just now. I wanted to see if youâre okay."
Someone died?
Su Changxingâs expression shifted slightly. He hadnât noticed any disturbance earlier, yet someone ended up dead.
This astonished him.
Su Changxing pondered and asked, "Did no one notice any noise?"
The old man sighed, "I wanted to ask if you heard anything too. It was in the third room to your left. Sigh, people have been mysteriously dying these past few days; itâs really puzzling."
With that, the old man turned and left, closing the door behind him.
The Monk quickly opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "Did we come to the wrong place? Suddenly, this place feels gloomy and cold."
Su Changxing yawned again, "Weâll talk about it tomorrow. Letâs sleep first."
The Monk quietly mentioned, "But someone just died, didnât they?"
Su Changxing chuckled, "You killed over ten people in the day, didnât you? Was it a hundred?"
"No, just a little over thirty."
The Monk showed a bitter smile, vividly recalling every person he killed and their expressions in death.