Chapter Twenty-Nine: Bazaar Black

"Take a close look—what is that?"

"It should be a puppet. We've all seen them before, but this one can fly."

"Then why doesn't he come down and meet us?"

"Probably still in the experimental stage, but man, that thing is fast!"

"Wang Sheng, get in touch with him. No matter the cost, get us a couple of those."

"Come on, teach, brother—it's not that I don't want to help, but I only have one Vulture vehicle myself."

"Are we even brothers? Don't give me excuses. If you don't get us one, we're done." Jicheng feigned anger and walked away.

"Think it over. I'm rooting for you," Dianlu added before flying back into the city.

"They're going to be the death of me. Can't a guy catch a break?" Wang Sheng sighed, pulling out his phone, hesitant about asking for the price.

By the time he returned to his quarters, he hadn't made the call. After much deliberation, he decided to gather some ore first. Just then, Jicheng called him.

"Vice Dean Wang, I hear the emissary from the Great Xia Kingdom has set off for Youge City. What’s your take?"

"So they can't sit still anymore? They’ve allied with the dwarves, yet they’re still targeting the Commander? This isn't good news," Wang Sheng said, sounding indignant.

"There are plenty of ways to make them disappear."

"That might be too much, after all..." Wang Sheng hesitated.

"Enough. Leave this to me. Don't worry, nothing will go wrong. Just pretend you know nothing," Jicheng said, hanging up.

"Sigh, I hope nothing happens," Wang Sheng muttered to himself. Trust is hard to come by between people, let alone nations.

Hu Yu returned to Youge City and readily handed over twenty units of ore, successfully obtaining twenty mobile phones and their manuals. She tried to wheedle and coax Shen Yi on the phone, hoping to get a price for guns or Wraith Fighters, but Shen Yi wouldn't budge. Finally, Hu Yu transformed into a stunning beauty and started a video chat with him. Shen Yi’s nose began to bleed profusely, and he had to endure the urge to keep watching before hanging up. *A joke, really? Someone as powerful as you—who would date you? Do I have a death wish?* Resigned, Hu Yu boarded a Wraith Fighter the next day and reluctantly returned to the Monster Mountain Range.

After Hu Yu left, Youge City became the subject of legendary tales among the residents. Those who had benefited called on their friends, and every day, crowds flowed in and out of the city gates, turning the entrance into a bustling hub. With more people came more problems. Shen Yi looked at the mass of mounts gathered at the gate—creatures with bizarre appearances he couldn't even name. *Two deer heads? A two-headed deer? A cow's body with a flat head? What is this, a failed evolution?*

In short, the mounts couldn't enter the city, and they were leaving droppings everywhere. If this kept up, it shouldn't be called Youge City, but "Youge Restroom." Shen Yi was stumped. The mounts weren't rare breeds, and the people entering didn't care much—if they weren't allowed in, they just left them outside. But it was an eyesore for Shen Yi. A modern city surrounded by a herd of "freaks"—and besides, they had to eat and poop. *No, no, I have to find a way.* If he didn't deal with these things, it would be a hassle for residents to get around. Plus, these people were just sitting idle all day; if this continued, would they all turn into lazy freeloaders?

The problem was that technology was too advanced; there was nothing to worry about. Shen Yi pondered for a long time and decided the solution was to provide another round of benefits. Thinking of the transport from his past life—trains, cars, motorcycles—Shen Yi slapped his forehead. "Why am I so stupid? With the Human Race's advanced technology, why not build cars? We have the tech and the capability."

He acted immediately, calling in the researchers and explaining his ideas. It went smoothly; for the heavy industry plants that manufactured war machines and the researchers at the institute, this was child's play. The gap between military and civilian grade was immense. Military equipment had to be the best, while civilian gear only needed comfort and stability, making them very cheap to produce. With Shen Yi's order, the Gravity Hovercar was born. These cars were perfect for long-distance travel; since they hovered, they were suitable for most terrain in this world, utilizing the same technology as the Vulture vehicles.

Next was getting the residents to learn how to drive. The city was already crowded, and though they mostly stayed in the residential zones, it brought a lot of life to the steel city. These past few days, the residents had been busy practicing martial arts. Even though there was no immediate threat and they were fed and clothed, people in this world always had a sense of impending crisis.

Bazhahei had also arrived in Youge City from Saint Heart City. Like everyone else, he was fascinated by all the strange gadgets and had made a fool of himself a few times, but to someone as thick-skinned as him, that didn't matter. It was infinitely better here than in Saint Heart City. However, as a mercenary, Bazhahei knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. The Commander might not demand anything of them now, but that was just because the city was newly built and needed people. With various factions eyeing them, joining Youge City was a gamble.

So, Bazhahei didn't stay idle. As a peak Level 3 martial artist, he organized the children in the city every day to practice martial arts and build a foundation. Even if he didn't know how the Commander planned to defend against the coming danger, he knew what he was doing couldn't be wrong. He taught the poor children with extreme dedication. Before dawn, he would gather the volunteers, adults and children alike, to train their bones and hone their skills. Gradually, the numbers grew. What young man didn't dream of being a powerful warrior wandering the world with a sword? Eventually, it reached a massive scale, with ten thousand young men and women training in the residential area every morning, shouting and sweating. Leading them, Bazhahei felt a surge of heroic spirit.

During breaks, Bazhahei would look with envy at the original villagers who were clumsily practicing while wearing puppet armor. To him, they were just messing around with no technique. The villagers knew their own limits and often tried to cozy up to him.

"Brother Hei, what are we practicing today? Teach me a set of punches."

"Brother, I have a set of ancestral boxing techniques—truly capable of killing gods. Want to learn?" Bazhahei wore a smile that looked worse than a cry.

"Of course I want to learn, but you can't touch my puppet. This was given to me by the Commander..."

Bazhahei lost interest immediately and rolled his eyes. "Well, that's that. This is my ancestral technique."

The young man in the puppet armor ran off without a second thought. Bazhahei hadn't expected to succeed anyway. Watching the puppet retreat, his eyes glazed over, imagining himself wearing that beautiful armor, wielding a greatsword, and slaughtering his way through a horde of beasts. How majestic! Perhaps this was the romance of a man.

"Hello," a voice rang out. Perhaps it was the noise of the crowd, or maybe Bazhahei was too lost in thought, but he didn't hear it.

"Hello, Mr. Bazhahei," the person said louder.

Hearing his name, Bazhahei snapped back to reality and turned to see a man in an administrator's uniform standing before him. He quickly stood straight, looking at the man with some restraint.

"I am Bazhahei. Does the official have any orders?"

Shen Yi had long noticed this big, dark-skinned man. With peak Level 3 strength, he was among the best of the residents, and he was the first to actively work on improving the strength of Youge City's people. He said, "Come with me."

Bazhahei was confused—why him? But he didn't overthink it; if he had done something wrong, he wouldn't be able to run anyway. He followed the administrator out of the residential gate.

The two arrived in front of a steel building with the words "Martial Arts Hall" written on it. The administrator swiped a pass, the iron doors slid open, and he walked in, looking back at the stunned Bazhahei. "Come in. This is your martial arts hall from now on."

"Oh, oh," Bazhahei stammered, then added, "This is mine now?" His tone was uncertain and he felt a bit insecure.

"Yes, you will manage this place. I won't interfere. As for the name of the hall, if you have a better idea, tell me and we can change it later."

Coming from a mercenary background, Bazhahei had never dreamed of such treatment. He hurriedly said, "If the official doesn't mind, I, Bazhahei, swear to follow you to the death." He knelt on one knee to pledge his loyalty. Bazhahei wasn't stupid; the Commander was clearly looking to promote him based on his performance. This was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

"Alright, get up. In Youge City, we promote equality. Don't do that kneeling stuff anymore, remember that."

"Understood, Bazhahei acknowledges the decree!" He stood up.

Shen Yi, watching from the base, was speechless. *I'm not an emperor, what decree?* "You're something else!"

The administrator continued to lead Bazhahei inside, introducing him to the equipment. "This is a punching bag, that's a wooden dummy, that room is the gravity chamber, and that row is treadmills..."

Bazhahei silently memorized the names, though he didn't know what they were for. Seeing his confused look, Shen Yi demonstrated them. Under Bazhahei's gaze, the administrator hit the bag, lifted weights, and showed him how to run on the treadmill. Then, they went to the gravity chamber to adjust the pressure. Bazhahei immediately felt his body grow heavy. With the administrator's explanation, his eyes lit up. Many people were stuck at peak Level 3 because the external pressure wasn't enough to break through, but this chamber could meet that requirement.

"Official, turn up the gravity more."

"Alright, that was one-times gravity. How much do you want?"

Bazhahei sensed it and said, "Let's try ten times."

Suddenly, the gravity increased tenfold. It wasn't just a simple addition; the ten-fold pressure slammed Bazhahei to the ground. He felt like his heart was about to burst. As he lay there, his muscles began to twitch uncontrollably, and bright red blood leaked from his eyes, nose, and ears. The grimace on his face showed he was in immense pain.

Shen Yi watched the feed and thought, *This big guy isn't going to kill himself, is he?* He quickly dispatched two combat medics.