Chapter 145: Black Market Scene
Ant Dwelling Ridge, located ten kilometers east of Qinghui Base.
Because countless caves in the mountains were interconnected like a nest built by ants, it was known to outsiders as Ant Dwelling Ridge.
This place was the underground Black Market of Qinghui Base, where all kinds of illicit items circulated.
As for who controlled the Black Market behind the scenes, very few people could say for certain.
The利益 involved were too great, with all factions having a hand in it, and only a handful of people knew how this piece of cake was divided.
However, there was one thing that required no concern, and that was safety inside the Black Market.
Because Professional Beast Tamers were stationed here long-term, no one dared to cause trouble.
Even those with extraordinary backgrounds did not dare provoke all the forces behind the Black Market.
Of course, once one left the Black Market, whatever happened afterward had nothing to do with it.
Because Professional Beast Tamers were present, this time Zhou Ming did not release the Ironthread Snake swarm on a large scale, but instead released several dozen ordinary Ironthread Snakes to scout the surroundings.
With Silver Scale’s help, Zhou Ming quickly arrived at the mountain ravine leading into Ant Dwelling Ridge.
Under the pitch-black night sky, a beam of light shone onto Zhou Ming, who was wearing a mask.
“Looking to pick up some goods.”
Zhou Ming slightly narrowed his eyes and stated his purpose to the two fully armed guards in the distance who were wearing face masks.
As his words fell, the beam of light shining directly on him immediately disappeared.
“Entering the Black Market costs thirty thousand.”
So black-hearted.
That was Zhou Ming’s thought at the moment.
Whether it was the Black Market of Qinshan Base or the private bases near Cloud Mist Basin, entry only cost ten thousand Alliance Coins.
Yet this underground Black Market directly doubled that price.
However, Zhou Ming had no intention of causing trouble over thirty thousand Alliance Coins, so he directly took out thirty thousand Alliance Coins from his clothes and handed them over.
“No summoning Beast Companions inside the Black Market, no use of firearms, no forced buying or selling, no stealing or robbing. As long as you don’t violate these four rules, no one will trouble you.”
The other party wore a face mask. Though the voice sounded somewhat muffled, the warning tone was extremely clear.
“Of course. I’m just here to buy a few things.”
Hearing the warning, Zhou Ming naturally did not treat it lightly.
Seeing this, the guards immediately stepped aside, as someone else arrived behind Zhou Ming to enter the Black Market.
Passing through the guard checkpoint, Zhou Ming followed the small path and quickly arrived at a cave entrance about three meters high, bright light spilling out from within.
Entering the cave, it was as if the stall plaza of the Hunter Guild appeared before Zhou Ming’s eyes.
Whether it was the stall owners setting up booths or the buyers coming to purchase stolen goods, every single one of them concealed their appearance.
In addition, fully armed squads carrying firearms patrolled everywhere, and snipers were on standby along the cave’s cliff walls.
Faced with such a scene, both buyers and sellers showed no concern, as if they were already accustomed to it.
After sweeping his gaze around, Zhou Ming did not linger at the cave entrance and began wandering about.
The Black Market of Ant Dwelling Ridge was very large. Besides an area similar to a stall plaza, there were several passages connecting to other caves.
The services provided were also diverse. For example, in Cave No. 3 where Zhou Ming was currently located, a group of people was preparing to watch a battle involving only Beast Companions.
The cave before him covered an area of two to three thousand square meters. In the very center was a sunken beast-fighting arena, its ground paved with alloy steel plates and covering nearly a thousand square meters.
The surrounding seats were already filled with spectators.
“Place your bets, place your bets, Black Vajra versus Ripper.”
“The odds are one-to-one for the former, one-to-one-point-five for the latter.”
At that moment, staff members carrying professional equipment shouted loudly among the crowd.
“Beast fighting?”
Seeing the numerous gamblers placing bets, Zhou Ming naturally understood what this cave was used for.
Within Alliance bases, beast-fighting arenas also existed, but the two sides could only determine victory or defeat, not fight to the death.
However, the beast-fighting arenas in the Black Market were different. One side’s Beast Companion had to die.
Although the Beast Tamer would not die, they would suffer mental backlash, and re-cultivating a Beast Companion would require even more resources.
Moreover, repeated mental backlash would cause permanent decline in Spiritual Power, almost completely cutting off any chance of advancing to Professional Beast Tamer.
This kind of blood-soaked beast fighting was clearly far more attractive.
Zhou Ming scanned the area and noticed well-dressed people bringing sexy female companions to watch.
There were even separate VIP private rooms carved into the surrounding rock walls, clearly meant for those with status.
“Clang, clang…”
Just as Zhou Ming was surveying the surroundings and examining the beast-fighting arena, the two participating fighters appeared in the arena along with two elevators.
Both wore ferocious masks, and amid the crowd’s shouts, each summoned their own Beast Companion.
A Giant Strength Gorilla standing two and a half meters tall, its body covered in black hair like steel needles. Its strength surpassed that of a Diamond Ape by several degrees, though its defense was comparatively weaker.
A Sabertooth Tiger over three meters long (body length excluding the tail), with hard and razor-sharp fangs capable of tearing apart most Ferocious Beasts.
“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s battle between Black Vajra and Ripper—let us witness this fierce slaughter.”
“Cheer for the Beast Companion you bet on.”
As the two Beast Companions appeared, the host wearing a White Swan mask raised the microphone and shouted loudly, igniting the atmosphere.
“Black Vajra—”
“Ripper—”
At this moment, all the gamblers were red-eyed, roaring for the side they had bet on like beasts that had lost their sanity.
“Roar—”
As the Giant Strength Gorilla let out a roar, it took the initiative and charged toward the Sabertooth Tiger.
The terrifying collision of their bodies caused the surrounding spectators to feel vibrations transmitted through the alloy steel plates underfoot.
Both sides were controlled by their respective Beast Tamers, relying on Spiritual Threads to respond at any moment. The slaughter was not mere physical collision.
Especially the Giant Strength Gorilla—watching its fighting style, Zhou Ming felt a trace of interest.
Because the way it fought carried elements of human martial arts.
With both hands clenched like hammers and power driven through its arms, it resembled Tongbei Fist passed down from before the Doomsday Era.
This boxing style was originally based on imitating apes, and the Giant Strength Gorilla’s execution could be called perfect, achieving two units of effect with one unit of strength.
However, the Sabertooth Tiger was also far from simple. Its sharp claws and fangs were not used recklessly, only revealing killing intent when the Gorilla exposed a flaw.
After watching for a short while, Zhou Ming did not continue to stay.
Unless the Sabertooth Tiger still had a hidden killing move, or some other factor interfered, this battle would most likely end with Black Vajra’s victory.
Afterward, Zhou Ming continued wandering through other caves, witnessing increasingly darker scenes.
Female slave auctions—scantily clad women were directly traded as commodities.
These female slaves all came from Wildfolk.
Although the Alliance had a dark side, it still provided relatively decent protection for ordinary citizens, after all with Legendary Saints suppressing matters above.
However, another synonym for Wildfolk was the absence of human rights.
The existence of Wildfolk could be said to indirectly protect lawful Alliance citizens, sparing them from many kinds of dark transactions.
At the same time, it also served as a warning of the consequences for ordinary citizens who violated Alliance laws.
Zhou Ming glanced at such auctions twice before walking away.
If it were human experimentation to enhance strength, he would not feel the slightest softness, but acts purely for venting desire instead made him feel somewhat disgusted.
Before long, he arrived at Cave No. 8, a place used to auction various treasures.