Zhao Feng, dragging his exhausted body, slowly made his way back to the abandoned house. He was soaked, his clothes stained with blood, dirt, and weeds, looking utterly disheveled.
After a quick tidy-up, Zhao Feng released Charmander. Charmander let out a joyful cry and pounced on him, its bright little eyes full of anticipation.
Zhao Feng forced himself to cheer up and carefully took out the remaining regular milk from his backpack, feeding it to Charmander.
Charmander ate with relish, occasionally rubbing its head against Zhao Feng's hand, as if expressing affection and gratitude.
Watching Charmander's contented look, a warm current flowed through Zhao Feng's heart, and all his fatigue seemed to lessen.
When night fully descended, Zhao Feng knew it was time to set out to find the black market.
The black market was not under the jurisdiction of the Alliance; though it operated on the fringes of legality, it was a tacitly accepted unspoken rule of the Alliance.
Zhao Feng, under the cover of night, quietly left the abandoned house.
He moved through the city's streets and alleys, deliberately avoiding the brightly lit main roads, choosing only dark and secluded paths.
Based on the scattered information he had gathered from the library and pieced together from urban legends, Zhao Feng guessed that the black market was most likely hidden under a manhole cover in an abandoned factory on the city's outskirts.
That area was once an industrial hub of Sanjiang City, but with industrial upgrades, factories closed down one after another, gradually becoming a desolate place rarely visited by people, perfect for illicit dealings.
As he approached the abandoned factory area, the air was filled with a mix of decay and rust.
Weeds grew everywhere, and the dilapidated walls were on the verge of collapsing.
Zhao Feng cautiously went around to the back of the factory and found an inconspicuous manhole cover in a corner covered by weeds.
He looked around, confirmed no one was present, then laboriously moved the manhole cover, revealing a deep opening from which a damp, musty smell wafted out.
Zhao Feng took a deep breath, wrapped a black cloth around his face to conceal his appearance, and slowly climbed down the ladder into the opening.
At the bottom of the well was a tunnel, and at the end of the long passage, a faint yellow light flickered, accompanied by the clamor of human voices.
Seeing this, Zhao Feng knew he had found the right place.
As he stepped into the black market, it was as if he had instantly entered another world: on both sides of the narrow alleyways, stalls were densely packed, and vendors called out in various accents, selling a bewildering array of items, from rare Pokémon tools to mysterious herbs, everything imaginable.
Zhao Feng, clutching the peach fruits and Bug Silk, moved cautiously through the black market; his demeanor made it obvious to those around him that he was a newcomer.
Zhao Feng's gaze swept over each stall, trying to find a suitable buyer.
Finally, he stopped in front of a relatively spacious stall. The vendor was a hunched old man with cunning eyes, idly wiping a faintly glowing stone in his hand.
“Elder, I have some good stuff here, are you buying?” Zhao Feng asked, his voice trembling slightly from nervousness.
The old man looked up, his gaze sweeping over the items in Zhao Feng's hand, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips: “Hmph, just these few fruits, how much can they be worth? At most, I'll give you 200 alliance currency.”
Zhao Feng's heart tightened. Although he knew black market merchants were cunning, he didn't expect the other party to cut the price so drastically right away.
“Sir, please don't joke. peach fruits can fetch a good price in the outside market, at least 1500 alliance currency,” Zhao Feng tried to calm himself and argued reasonably.
The old man scoffed: “Kid, where do you think this is? This is the black market, money isn't that easy to earn. 300, no more.”
Zhao Feng frowned and made to leave: “Sir, if you're serious about buying, give me a fair price, otherwise, I'll ask elsewhere.”
Seeing this, the old man quickly reached out to stop him: “Hey, hey, don't leave. I see you're probably a newcomer, 500, this is the highest price I can give.”
Zhao Feng calculated in his mind; this price was still a bit off his expectation, but he also knew that dragging it out in this black market might not yield better results.
“800, not a single cent less,” Zhao Feng gritted his teeth and threw out his final bottom line.
A hint of hesitation flashed in the old man's eyes, then he clapped his hand: “Alright, 800 it is.” With that, the old man pulled out a stack of crumpled alliance currency from a box behind him and handed it to Zhao Feng.
Zhao Feng took the money, counted it carefully, and after confirming it was correct, handed the peach fruits to the old man.
Zhao Feng, clutching the stack of 800 alliance currency, still warm from the old man's hand, hurried through the black market, his gaze eagerly searching for a stall selling Poké Balls.
He stopped in front of a stall filled with Poké Balls. The vendor was a burly man with a ferocious scar stretching from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth, adding to his fierce demeanor.
The big man sat behind the stall, his gaze like an eagle's, scrutinizing Zhao Feng.
“Boss, how much are these Poké Balls?” Zhao Feng asked, trying to make his voice sound steady, but the slight tremor in his voice betrayed his inner nervousness.
The big man glanced at the Poké Balls in Zhao Feng's hand and said in a booming voice: “Regular Poké Balls, 200 each, no bargaining.”
Zhao Feng's heart sank. He had originally thought he could buy several, but at this price, 800 alliance currency would only be enough for four.
But he desperately needed these five Poké Balls; they were crucial for completing the system task.
“Boss, I genuinely want to buy five. Can you give me a discount? This is my first time here, and I'll definitely be a regular customer in the future,” Zhao Feng said with a plastered smile, his tone almost pleading.
The big man frowned, the scar on his face twisting with the movement, making him look even more terrifying: “Kid, my price is already very fair. There's no such good deal in this black market.”
Zhao Feng's heart sank, and he was about to leave helplessly when a sudden idea struck him.
“Boss, I have some Bug Silk just collected from the outer perimeter of the Ouyue Lake Nature Reserve. The quality is excellent, and it's hard to find outside. How about you take this to offset part of the cost?”
Saying this, Zhao Feng carefully took out the collected Bug Silk from his backpack and handed it to the big man.
The big man took the Bug Silk, examined it carefully, and a hint of imperceptible satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
“Alright, seeing that you're a bit sincere, I'll take this Bug Silk. Five Poké Balls, I'll sell them to you for 800,” the big man waved his hand, putting the Bug Silk into his pouch, then pushed the five Poké Balls toward Zhao Feng.
Zhao Feng's heart filled with joy. He quickly counted out 800 alliance currency and handed it to the big man, then picked up the Poké Balls as if they were priceless treasures, carefully placing them in his backpack.
Zhao Feng dared not linger in the black market. He tightly clutched his backpack containing the Poké Balls, moving like an agile mongoose, swiftly navigating the intricate alleys of the black market.
Under the dim light, his shadow stretched and shortened erratically. The shouts of vendors and the sounds of haggling from the stalls along the way gradually blurred in his ears. At this moment, he had only one thought: to quickly leave this dangerous place.
With great difficulty, he found the manhole cover he had used to enter and laboriously climbed out.
The moment he saw daylight again, the cool night breeze hit his face, dispelling the dense beads of sweat on his forehead and allowing his taut nerves to relax slightly.
He vigilantly looked around, confirmed that no suspicious individuals were following him, and then hurried towards the abandoned house.
Back in the house, Zhao Feng released Charmander.
Zhao Feng sat beside Charmander, carefully took out the five Poké Balls from his backpack, and gently rubbed them in his hand.
These Poké Balls gleamed with a cold, hard luster under the light.
“Charmander, with these, we can complete the system task,” Zhao Feng muttered, as if talking to Charmander, and also as if cheering himself on.
After a short rest, Zhao Feng decided to use the cover of night to plan his next actions thoroughly.
Capturing five Pokémon was no easy feat; it required considering their distribution and habits, as well as dealing with the dangers that could arise at any moment in the wild.
“There are quite a few relatively weaker Bug and Grass-type Pokémon in the nature reserve, not too far from here. We can try our luck there tomorrow,” Zhao Feng told Charmander. Charmander tilted its head, seemingly trying to understand his words.
After planning his route, Zhao Feng began to organize his belongings.
He picked up the Tetanus Blade again and diligently sharpened it on the whetstone; this was one of his few self-defense weapons in the wild.
Having done all this, Zhao Feng leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and began to enter a state of Calm Mind.
In the quiet night, only Charmander's soft breathing could be heard.