Sector 5 was not heaven, but compared to Sector 4, it was at least Purgatory with better lighting.
Ren crossed the ravine, stepping over the dried mud where he had incinerated the Red Jackal assault force. He wore a hooded cloak scavenged from the Red Jackal Lieutenant. It was stained with soot, but the crimson fabric commanded a certain amount of fear in these parts.
As he climbed the ridge and entered the main settlement of Sector 5, the atmosphere shifted.
In Sector 4, the silence was the silence of exhaustion. Here, the air buzzed with commerce and violence.
Makeshift stalls made of corrugated iron lined the muddy streets. Lanterns powered by low-grade Lumina Stones cast a sickly yellow glow. There were food stalls selling actual rat-meat skewers (not just soup), weapon smiths sharpening scrap metal, and brothels with curtains drawn tight.
Ren walked with purpose. He kept his head down, his NPV Eye scanning everything.
[Object: Roasted Cave-Rat Skewer]
Cost: 0.5 Karma.
Value: 0.1 Karma.
Markup: 400%. (Inflation due to gang tax).
[Object: Rusted Iron Shield]
Cost: 5 Karma.
Durability: 12/100.
Note: Will shatter on first impact. scam.
"Inefficient markets everywhere," Ren muttered.
He wasn't here to shop. He was here to find the Sector 5 Warehouse. But he couldn't just ask for directions to the "illegal body-dumping site."
He needed a map. And in the underworld, maps were usually found in the pockets of Information Brokers.
Ren spotted a structure that stood out from the shacks. It was a tent made of heavy, stitched-together canvas, adorned with wind chimes made of monster bones. A sign hung out front:
"OLD WU'S CURIOS & PAWN"
Ren's eye flashed.
[Target: Old Wu's Shop]
Business Rating: C-
Inventory Value: Moderate.
Owner: Wu (Mortal - Retired Scavenger).
Note: Known fence for stolen goods.
Ren pushed aside the bone chimes and entered.
The interior smelled of incense and rust. Shelves were packed with junk—broken clocks, cracked jade slips, and unidentified animal skulls.
Behind the counter sat a withered old man with one eye and a mechanical wooden hand. He was polishing a copper coin.
"We're closed," Old Wu rasped, not looking up. "Unless you're selling Spirit Iron. Then we're open."
Ren walked to the counter. He didn't speak. He reached into his robe and pulled out a Red Jackal Badge—the iron insignia taken from the Centipede's corpse.
He slammed it onto the counter.
Clack.
Old Wu froze. He looked at the badge, then up at Ren's shadowed face.
"The Jackals," Wu muttered, his voice dropping an octave. "I paid my protection fee last week. Centipede said I was good for the month."
"Centipede is... undergoing a restructuring," Ren said, his voice distorted by the hood. "I am the new Auditor."
Wu swallowed. "Auditor? I didn't know gangs had auditors."
"They do when the books don't balance," Ren leaned in. "I'm looking for a specific asset. The Central Warehouse. The one Alchemist Mo uses."
Wu's mechanical hand twitched. "The Black Warehouse? You want to go there? That's strictly Jackal territory. Only the Lieutenant goes in."
"I am aware," Ren said coldly. "But I need to verify the delivery route. Where is it?"
Wu hesitated. Information was money, and fear was a currency, but survival was the reserve standard.
"It's on the North Ridge," Wu whispered. "Built into the side of the ventilation shaft. But look, friend... even if you're with the Jackals, that place is weird. I've seen things getting dragged in there that were still screaming."
Ren nodded. "North Ridge. Good."
He turned to leave, but stopped. His NPV Eye caught something on a shelf behind Wu.
It was a dusty, gray stone, shaped like a kidney. It was sitting in a basket labeled "Paperweights - 1 Karma."
[Object: Fossilized Spirit-Beast Gallstone]
Current State: Dormant/Petrified.
True Value: 500 Karma.
Hidden Trait: Contains concentrated Earth Essence. Can be used to reinforce 'Iron Skin' cultivation.
Ren paused. The Minting Art was hungry. He needed resources to reach Level 4.
"Wu," Ren said. "Since I'm in a good mood, I won't raise your protection fee this month."
Wu let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Lord Auditor."
"However," Ren pointed at the basket. "I need a paperweight. For the ledger."
Wu grabbed the gray stone and tossed it to Ren immediately. "Take it! Take two! Just don't burn my shop down."
Ren caught the stone. It felt heavy and warm to his touch.
[Asset Acquired: +499 Karma Profit.]
"Pleasure doing business," Ren said.
Ren moved to the North Ridge.
The crowds thinned out here. The buildings became larger, industrial bunkers built into the metal walls of the Spire.
The Warehouse was a fortress.
It was a squat, iron block welded directly over a massive ventilation intake fan. The constant thrum-thrum-thrum of the fan blades vibrated the ground.
There were no windows. Just a single, heavy blast door.
Two guards stood outside. But they weren't Red Jackals.
Ren crouched behind a pile of crates, fifty meters away. He narrowed his eyes.
These guards wore Green Robes. They held spears tipped with glowing jade.
[Target: Disciple of the Pale Fire Hall (Outer Sect)]
Cultivation: Qi Condensation Level 4.
Affiliation: Middle Realm.
Threat Level: High.
Ren cursed silently. "The Jackals were just the delivery boys. The Alchemist has his own security."
Level 4. Ren was a sturdy Level 3, but fighting two Level 4s simultaneously was a bad investment. The risk of death was 85%.
He fingered the Obsidian Key in his pocket. He needed to get inside, find Box 302, and get out without fighting.
He looked at the ventilation fan.
It was massive, twenty feet wide, spinning slowly. It pulled air into the warehouse.
Ren's eye traced the airflow.
[Structural Analysis: Ventilation Intake]
Grid: Rusted iron mesh.
Weakness: The bottom right hinge is corroded by acid rain.
Gap: Sufficient for human entry.
"A backdoor listing," Ren smiled.
He waited for the guards to turn during their patrol. He moved like a shadow—not using stealth techniques, but using simple geometry. He stayed in their blind spots.
He reached the giant fan. The wind suction was powerful, threatening to pull him into the spinning blades.
He gripped the rusted mesh.
Creak.
He pulled. His Level 3 strength—amplified by the Spirit Iron he had consumed—bent the metal like cardboard. He created a hole just big enough to squeeze through.
He slipped inside.
Inside the Warehouse.
The noise of the fan was deafening inside, which was good. It masked his footsteps.
Ren dropped down from the catwalk onto a stack of crates.
The warehouse was cavernous. It was filled with rows of deposit boxes, cages, and tanks of bubbling green liquid.
He scanned the room numbers. Row 100... Row 200...
"Row 300," Ren noted.
He moved silently through the aisles. The air smelled of formaldehyde and copper.
He found Box 302. It was a large, reinforced iron locker.
Ren checked the surroundings. Clear.
He inserted the Obsidian Key.
Click.
The lock disengaged. Ren opened the heavy door.
Inside, there was no gold. There were no Spirit Stones.
There was a single, small wooden chest... and a child.
Ren froze.
Curled up in the bottom of the locker, unconscious, was a girl. She couldn't be more than ten years old. She wore a ragged hospital gown. Her skin was translucent, and her veins glowed with a faint, unnatural blue light.
Ren's NPV Eye didn't give him a price. It gave him an error.
[Target: Test Subject 7-Alpha]
Status: Stable (Sedated).
Value: ERROR. Volatility Infinite.
Note: Carrier of the 'Void-Ice' Constitution (Artificially Induced).
Ren stared at her. "They aren't just dumping failed experiments," he realized. "They are stashing the successful ones until the heat dies down."
Next to the girl was the small wooden chest. Ren opened it with one hand.
Inside was the payment Alchemist Mo had promised the Jackals. [Item: Medium-Grade Spirit Stones (10)] [Value: 10,000 Karma.]
Ren grabbed the stones. That was his payday.
But then he looked at the girl.
If he left her, Alchemist Mo would come back for her. She would be dissected, weaponized, or sold.
If he took her... he was kidnapping a Middle Realm asset. The "Pale Fire Hall" would hunt him to the ends of the Spire.
Ren closed his eyes. He thought about the bottom line. He thought about risk vs. reward.
"The stones are liquid capital," Ren whispered. "The girl is a liability."
He reached for the stones.
[System Alert: New Investment Opportunity Detected.] [Target (Girl) has 'Infinite Growth Potential'. Current Market Value is suppressed due to political risk. Acquiring this asset is considered a 'Hostile Takeover' of a Future Grandmaster.]
Ren's hand paused.
"Infinite Growth Potential," he repeated.
He looked at the girl again. He didn't see a victim. He saw a Blue Chip Stock trading at pennies on the dollar.
Ren sighed deeply.
"I'm going to regret this audit."
He scooped the unconscious girl onto his shoulder. He grabbed the bag of Spirit Stones.
"System," Ren hissed. "I'm acquiring the asset. Calculate the fastest exit route."
[Route Calculated: Emergency Drainage Pipe (South Wall).]
Ren turned to run.
"HEY! WHO'S THERE?"
A flashlight beam cut through the dark. The two Green Robe guards were standing at the end of the aisle. They had heard the locker door creak.
"Intruder!" one shouted, leveling his jade spear. "He has the Subject!"
Ren gritted his teeth. He had a child on his shoulder and two Level 4 cultivators blocking the path.
"Iron Skin alone won't hold," Ren analyzed.
He reached into his pocket and grabbed the Fossilized Spirit-Beast Gallstone he had bought from Old Wu.
"Emergency Liquidity," Ren snarled.
[The Sovereign's Minting Art: Flash Consumption]
The stone disintegrated in his hand. The Earth Essence didn't go to his dantian; he channeled it directly to his skin.
[Temporary Buff: Granite Armor.]
Ren's skin turned a dark, rocky gray. He lowered his shoulder like a linebacker.
"Move," Ren roared, charging straight at the spears. "Or get liquidated!"