Chapter 268
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Chapter 268: Black Market Senator
It seemed as though everyone in the city had a dual identity, with all sorts of bizarre events unfolding after sunset.
As the sun rose, the complexities of the night finally came to an end.
Some, after just a few hours of sleep, resumed their research on samples, while others had just emerged from the far end of the sewer.
Shi Jin, rubbing her slightly throbbing head, once again verified the details on the transfer orders.
First Commercial Street truly lived up to its reputation as the allowance recovery station; in just one night, it had significantly lightened the wallets of the five members of the Fresnel team.
Gazing at her depleted pockets, Shi Jin earnestly hoped that the mysterious transfer would bring her a more substantial salary. Otherwise, she feared she might become the poster child for those who squander their severance pay in a single night.
“You’re awake?”
A calm voice greeted Shi Jin from beside her. She turned to see the impassive face of Wang Xiao.
“I thought you weren’t…”
Shi Jin started but abruptly stopped, remembering that the man before her could regenerate from just half his body and wouldn’t be felled by a few bottles of alcohol.
“It’s nothing; having four livers makes handling this amount of alcohol quite manageable.”
“……”
Shi Jin was momentarily at a loss for words, thinking how oddly his abilities were being utilized.
With the thought of leaving the team on her mind, Shi Jin’s curiosity began to stir once more.
That perhaps accurate suspicion resurfaced in her thoughts.
Glancing back at the three people still deep in sleep, Shi Jin asked with a serious tone,
“Have you heard of the Holy Fire Meow Meow Cult?”
Wang Xiao paused for a half-second before shrugging,
“Who hasn’t heard of it?”
Shi Jin suddenly recalled the incident on the city wall, realizing that this peculiar and enchanting name would soon be on everyone’s lips across Hope City.
She gathered her thoughts, recalling the passphrase Fulan had shared about the Meow Meow Teach, and her expression turned serious once more:
“Holy fire shines brightly, holy fire glows with power!
“All my disciples…”
She intentionally left the last line hanging, her gaze fixed intently on Wang Xiao.
Wang Xiao, feeling bewildered, stared back at Shi Jin for a moment before tentatively asking,
“Are we checking your temperature?”
“……Never mind.”
The morning swiftly passed in the midst of everyone’s chatter. As time went on, one by one, they awoke from the sofa or chairs and joined in the reminiscing.
All necessary words had been exchanged the night before. By the time the Puppet Master was the last to wake, it was already noon.
After a quick lunch, Shi Jin said her goodbyes to everyone and set off alone for the Wager Chemical Factory.
During the day, the black market is quiet, with no signs of life except for the residents of Hope City strolling around.
If it weren’t for the lack of dust on the dilapidated factory building, Shi Jin would have doubted that she was in the right place.
Walking on the somewhat worn path, Shi Jin let her thoughts drift and suddenly realized that nearly all the significant changes in her life were related to this abandoned chemical factory.
To treat her mother’s illness, she first encountered the black market; she was caught here while trying to dispose of stolen goods.
Now, she had become a superpowered individual and was returning here to report.
The orders clearly stated that Shi Jin needed to go to the basement of the chemical factory, and even during the day, it was always shrouded in darkness.
“Tap, tap, tap.”
She cautiously stepped down the stairs exposed with rebar, vigilant about everything that could happen around her, her powers on the verge of activation.
As she descended the last step, Shi Jin spotted a figure in the shadow ahead.
The person seemed to have been waiting for some time, stepping out of the shadow to allow the angled sunlight to illuminate herself.
A black hood covered her entire face, and long red hair cascaded down from both sides of her neck. Her hands were clasped in front of her, continuously fiddling with a dark iron ring on her finger.
“Long time no see,”
the person spoke.
Looking at the black market merchant she had met a few times before, Shi Jin felt a bit surprised, but it didn’t seem all that hard to accept.
Thinking carefully, she realized that there were indeed too many doubts about the person in front of her; she simply hadn’t focused on those details before.
In hindsight, this person might be the deepest mystery in the black market.
In a place like the black market, where rules were almost nonexistent, robberies and similar acts were not rare. One might say that by coming here, you implicitly accepted its unique rule of survival of the fittest.
Yet, this special merchant before her seemed never to worry about her safety. Shi Jin suddenly understood where the feeling of dissonance came from—
The vast majority of people who came to the black market were wary of everyone around them, but she, coming here, felt as if she were on vacation, exuding an air of relaxation.
At the same time, she had never deceived Shi Jin regarding her dealings.
When she first bought the special medicine, the merchant had clearly stated that it couldn’t cure everything and later helped her identify fake gold…
It would be more accurate to say that this person disdained the act of lying rather than just being honest.
“Surprised? Unexpected?”
Seeing that Shi Jin hadn’t replied for a few seconds, the woman continued to tease her.
“Honestly, it is quite unexpected.”
Shi Jin nodded honestly. To be truthful, she thought the merchant was unusual, but the fact that she could use orders to summon her here…
She had a bold guess about the merchant’s true identity.
“Hmm, that’s the expression I wanted to see.”
Councilwoman Nia’s tone was gentle, laced with some sort of nostalgia for the past.
With her fingertips gently stroking the dark iron ring, a glimmer of light flashed.
At the top of the steps behind Shi Jin, a heavy iron plate began to slowly seal off the whole space, and the light that came in diminished further.
“Don’t be nervous, there’s no need to activate your powers.”
Seeming to sense Shi Jin’s thoughts, Nia predicted again just before she activated her power for self-defense.
The last glimmer of light was swallowed by the iron plate, plunging the basement of the Wager Chemical Factory into darkness.
Bright light strips gradually lit up, like guiding the way forward.
“Follow me.”
Nia casually instructed, then turned and walked towards the direction where the lights stretched.
Shi Jin anxiously followed behind her, moving deeper into the basement of the chemical factory.
“Let me introduce myself, my name is Nia, I am thirty years old, and I currently serve as a councilwoman in the Hope Council.
“You might have heard of me, or maybe not, but that doesn’t matter.”
At this point, Nia smiled, as if recalling something amusing:
“You just need to know that your pardon order was signed off by me.
“So, Shi Jin, or shall I say, Ms. Twin Clock, could you kindly explain how your powers awakened?”
