Chapter 9: Yan Xu

Thirty minutes later, Malu stopped the car at the entrance of Bee Island. "Bro, the electromagnetic field here is unstable, causing too much interference. Even if we drive in with such a flashy car, we'll encounter problems halfway. To go further, we need to switch to the special source-powered vehicles unique to this place."

When Chen Wu sought approval from Feiying, Lin Yi curiously glanced out the window at the surroundings. The place appeared desolate and cold, devoid of any greenery, resembling an abandoned zone. The massive industrial steel structures, abandoned for years, stood dimly, most of their exteriors corroded into a cold gray by the elements, resembling monsters looming in the distance.

A thin mist seemed to shroud the area, and soon droplets of water condensed on the car windows.

Feiying didn't accompany them into Bee Island, only instructing Chen Wu to carry the signal booster with him. However, due to the unstable magnetic field, the device's effectiveness would be limited. Feiying's team was busy searching for signals on Bee Island. Despite the factories being abandoned, many surveillance cameras remained, and as long as the signal could connect, those cameras could be activated.

When Lin Yi stepped out of the car, she felt a much colder atmosphere compared to the city, making the air uncomfortable.

At the entrance of Bee Island, there was a rental shop for powered vehicles. Outside the shop hung a large billboard, slightly askew, with five big words written in graffiti-like font: "DayDay Rental."

The shop owner, a man in his forties with a robust physique, seemed indifferent, still glued to his seat despite the approaching customers.

Although Chen Wu hadn't been to this place before, he had been in the underworld for over a decade, mingling with all sorts of people, and had heard about the ways of this place. Despite its outward appearance, it wasn't as desolate as it seemed. The vast area of several thousand square kilometers was divided into several territories, each ruled by a local boss. Anyone coming in or out had to pay tribute voluntarily, known as the toll fee, or risk encountering trouble.

However, paying tribute also had its rules; one couldn't go around looking for the collector everywhere in such a vast area.

Chen Wu looked at Malu, then glanced at Lin Yi, and reluctantly walked into the shop. "Boss, we need to rent a car."

The shop owner was engrossed in a game and didn't bother to look up, just gesturing towards the side. Chen Wu followed his gaze and saw the rental procedures and prices displayed on the wall screen. The process was straightforward—choose a vehicle, swipe one's personal terminal, and then drive off. However, seeing the prices displayed, Chen Wu felt a pang of regret. Moreover, there was only one vehicle left in the shop, and it looked rather run-down. He wasn't sure if it could make it to the destination smoothly. Spending so much money, he wished he could choose a better car.

Chen Wu glanced at Lin Yi again, but thinking of her eyes, he dismissed the idea of asking her to pay.

Damn it, would this expense be reimbursed? If not, this trip would be a huge loss!

After reluctantly paying the money, Chen Wu called out to Lin Yi and Malu to get into the car.

"This car seems a bit old, and the power system is not great. The shock absorption system is also subpar, and the energy accuracy hasn't reached the passing grade yet. I'm afraid I won't be able to drive it well, bro," Malu said, having just touched that flashy low-altitude high-speed motorcycle and now suddenly switching to such a broken-down car. He felt uncomfortable having to manually coordinate while driving, perfectly illustrating the principle of going from luxury to frugality being easy, but the reverse being difficult.

"I'll drive. Shut up!" Chen Wu slapped Malu on the back of his head and then looked at Lin Yi, hesitating for a moment before plucking up the courage to speak, "Uh... this place isn't as simple as outsiders imagine. Everyone who comes in has to pay a toll fee. Do you have any money? Not much, just enough for the two of us to share..."

Before he could finish, Lin Yi shook her head decisively. "I have no money."

Chen Wu: "..."

Damn, why does a minor girl value money so much? Was she possessed by a miser since childhood?

Chen Wu silently cursed the ancestors of Feiying and the others, then turned to walk to the shop owner. "Boss, we're going to the central area. What's the most convenient way?"

This was code language.

But the shop owner didn't treat him differently because he knew the rules; he just said indifferently without raising his head, "One thousand."

Chen Wu's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch, and he went from feeling the pain of spending money to feeling the pain in his eggs. Renting a broken car cost a thousand star coins, and even a toll fee cost a thousand star coins. If this continued, he'd be penniless by the time he left Bee Island! Moreover, Feiying would only pay him the reward after the "meat ticket" was safely delivered to the client's side. Clearly, this trip wasn't for delivering the "meat ticket" to the client. Once this matter was over, he would be lucky if he didn't lose money.

Chen Wu gritted his teeth and squeezed out a smile. "Boss, it's a bit expensive. Can you give us a discount? We're just going to meet someone, not doing business."

The shop owner remained firm. "One thousand, not a penny less."

Chen Wu couldn't help but take a deep breath and turned to look at Lin Yi, but at this moment, Lin Yi wasn't looking at him; instead, her eyes drifted to someone outside the shop, as if she had spotted someone.

Then, Chen Wu heard a slightly deep male voice coming from behind him: "I'm also going to the central area. I'll pay the one thousand star coins, and you give me a ride."

Chen Wu's heart suddenly jumped. The area around here was very open, yet he hadn't noticed someone approaching. Judging from Malu's expression, Malu hadn't noticed either, but Lin Yi had.

Chen Wu pretended to be calm as he turned around and saw the owner of the voice, a young man in his twenties with gray-green eyes but an oriental face. He had clear facial features but not too harsh, very handsome, tall, slender, and upright, wearing a light beige trench coat with the collar raised, giving off a casual vibe. His hair was slightly messy, but he exuded an air of strictness and sophistication, typical of someone from that class.

However, in Lin Yi's eyes, this suddenly appearing man showed lifelines even brighter than Cao Dong's.

Chen Wu looked at the man silently, not immediately agreeing.

The young man had already transferred one thousand star coins to the shop owner. The shop owner received it and tapped on his personal terminal. Then, the powered car Chen Wu rented displayed a special symbol on the roof, indicating that the toll had been paid.

"Thank you." The young man nodded slightly towards Chen Wu. His manners were polite, but there was an obvious arrogance and superiority in his demeanor.

This feeling was all too familiar to Chen Wu. Now, with one such person already in his car, self-contained with an inexplicable sense of superiority.

Approaching the source-powered car, the man said, "I just need you to drop me off near the Black Tower in the central area."

Chen Wu dared not risk taking him along, unsure if the man genuinely happened to be heading the same way or had ulterior motives. However, with a genetic patient like himself and Malu being inadequate, and with Lin Yi's robot... well, including her might complicate matters even more.

So, Chen Wu remained silent, silently opening the driver's door and getting into the driver's seat.

Beside the driver's seat, Malu had already occupied the spot, so the man opened the rear door instead. Although the backseat could accommodate three people, it was now occupied by Lin Yi and Ah Yuan. The man glanced at them, gesturing with his eyes for them to make room, but Lin Yi simply lifted an eyebrow and said, "No space left."

The man remained silent.

Malu turned around, feeling the atmosphere, and surprisingly, the missing piece in his brain seemed to have reconnected. He didn't rashly interject.

Lin Yi's words and actions over the past six months were recorded by Ah Yuan. Hence, based on this understanding, he confidently supplemented, "Miss meant that if you pay extra, there's still room inside the car."

Ah Yuan had a human appearance, and when he remained silent, others couldn't tell he was a robot. However, once he spoke, anyone knowledgeable could immediately identify him as such because his voice and tone lacked fluctuations, and his face showed no expressions.

Chen Wu silently praised Ah Yuan's keen observation.

After a moment of silence, the man asked, "How much extra?"

Lin Yi replied, "One thousand."

Chen Wu: "!"

Damn, she's got guts, actually speaking up.

The man's hand rested on the car door, his face slightly lowered, a few strands of hair dampened by the mist fell gently. This added a hint of sensuality to his appearance. "That's expensive."

"Not expensive," Lin Yi observed him. "The danger level is too high."

To Malu, their conversation sounded like a cryptic puzzle, but Chen Wu understood. Lin Yi meant that accompanying a powerful stranger on the journey could be beneficial or disastrous.

The man's gaze swept back and forth between Lin Yi and Ah Yuan, then he opened his personal terminal and transferred one thousand star coins.

Lin Yi received the payment and saw the man's name on her personal terminal—Yan Xu.