In an era of economic boom, the nightlife in the city was always full of noise and restlessness.
The small town of Xinqing Town was no different; rows of barbecue stalls on both sides of the street were packed with people, who drank and chatted, enjoying the earthly pleasures, making Lin Zhi, who was passing by, seem out of place.
After taking down the Beedrill nest, he dealt with the bodies he hadn't had time to clean up on the way back.
Leaving the outskirts and returning to his residence, he rode his electric scooter to town, ready to dispose of his night's haul. Regular Pokémon stores required Trainer identification, and the variety of goods he had to sell meant this route was not viable.
But as the saying goes, where there is light, there will be darkness.
This world was far more dangerous than before he transmigrated. Although the Great Xia's internal controls were strong, it only maintained a superficial calm.
Being a Trainer was a high-risk profession. Aside from the dangers of the wild, there were also many instances of murder, robbery, and betrayals driven by profit.
Due to illicit sources of goods, dangerous identities that needed to remain hidden, and various other reasons, there was often a chaotic place called the Black Market in populated towns.
It was a place where humanity's evil was unleashed, and also a hub where large amounts of profit converged.
But Lin Zhi knew that the Black Market was merely a transit station to legitimize transactions. Without the connivance of the official government, how could such a system have formed?
The scale of Black Markets varied; some high-end ones were in villas, luxury homes, or scenic areas, while lower-end ones could even be found in rural areas or the wild.
The rules were simple: once a deal was struck, there was no responsibility, and no fighting was allowed within the Black Market's boundaries.
Violators would, at best, be arrested, have their Pokémon and other valuable items confiscated, be brutally beaten, and thrown into the water. At worst, they would be killed!
The Luqing Black Market, Lin Zhi's destination, was located between Xinqing Town and a neighboring small town.
He looked into the distance with deep eyes. He had been to the Luqing Black Market hundreds of times in his previous life, and now it felt both familiar and strange. It was a mountain villa hidden in a rural area.
It was close to the town and had a highway passing nearby, making its location excellent.
Wearing his hat and mask, Lin Zhi entered the village. There was an unexpected amount of traffic on the roads. He knew that these people had the same purpose as him: to enter the Black Market.
He parked his car in the square, then walked into the corner department store, paying 300 for parking and the Black Market pass.
He could choose not to pay the parking fee, but then there would be no guarantee that his vehicle would still be there when he returned.
Silently, he followed a small path from the back door to the entrance of the villa. Man-made ponds carved into all sides of the entrance were filled with Carvanha. He crossed a small bridge, showed his pass, and successfully entered the Black Market under the guard's scrutiny.
As soon as he entered, a display of power immediately followed. On a large tree adorned with warning signs, countless red lights glowed—a swarm of greedy Zubat.
They would often take advantage of the night to quietly approach people's necks and suck blood until the person was on the verge of fainting, only then reluctantly leaving.
Lin Zhi dodged the ones in front of him and counterattacked a few of the attacking Zubat in the gaps. They immediately realized that this human was not to be trifled with and quickly flew back to the tree.
Other people accompanying him were in similar situations; some were flustered, others watched indifferently and left.
This challenge had quietly distinguished between newcomers and veterans. Lin Zhi could sense several gazes observing from the shadows. The Black Market was never a good place. Inside, personal safety would be temporarily guaranteed, but leaving was the beginning of a nightmare.
Newcomers were the easiest targets, like fat sheep.
"Hiss! Roar!..."
In the bustling pokémon trading area, Lin Zhi looked up and saw only pokémon imprisoned in cages. Most of them looked numb and lacked vitality.
A few, with various sized wounds on their bodies, roared and struggled, clearly having been caught recently and still maintaining a strong desire for freedom.
But unfortunately, becoming a commodity meant that the sellers' only requirement for them was not to starve to death. Over time, under oppression, they became physically and mentally exhausted, and their strength was greatly diminished.
Even if they managed to break free from their cages, they would be killed as a warning to others, intimidated by the fear of death!
The Black Market was a gathering place of negative energy, filled with an even heavier sense of oppression. Lin Zhi searched for a buyer and finally stopped at a pokémon store.
The buying and selling price of pokémon had to consider various factors: aptitude, strength, training potential, and so on. Typically, the general price was six or seven tenths of the market price.
Such was the market rule, and the Black Market would deduct another one or two tenths on top of that!
"We meet again." Seeing inside through the door, Lin Zhi murmured and walked in.
He had frequented this particular store for a long time in his previous life. The prices were relatively fair and reasonable. Lin Zhi had been overcharged before but had nothing to say, and besides, this time he planned to get it all back, with interest.
If he remembered correctly, it was during his first visit to the Black Market that he learned the news.
Not long after, someone gambled on an egg in this shop and hatched a Tyrogue with Green Talent, which sparked a small craze for egg gambling. It was precisely because of these new things, coupled with his recent status as a Trainer, that he paid close attention to events in recent years, especially egg gambling. Lin Zhi even knew the exact time and location where a Pseudo-Legendary was overlooked and hatched.
It was quite a sensation and made headlines; that lucky person even became an Elite decades later.
Later, he focused on improving his strength and didn't pay much attention to information, after all, who would have thought that life would offer an Encore?
The hall that came into view had the most prominent spot on the wall listing sales information for rare Psychic Type and Ghost-type pokémon, with clear and expensive price tags.
The owner was a middle-aged woman, still charming with a fiery figure and alluring face, often greeting people with a gentle, sweet smile, as if every movement carried a sense of allure.
Especially the click-clack sound of her high heels as she walked back and forth, striking directly at the heart.
Because of this, the long counter was always occupied by customers, mostly men.
As the saying goes, 'a vicious woman's heart, a femme fatale,' this proprietress could establish herself in the Black Market and was by no means an easy target. She possessed Elite Level strength, and was further supported by one of the Black Market's managers.
"Customer, have you seen anything you like?" The proprietress habitually winked at the customer.
Lin Zhi didn't care, placing his backpack on the counter: "I'm both selling and buying."
As he spoke, his Elite Level aura subtly emanated.
"It seems a big business is gracing our store," the proprietress smiled meaningfully, looking at the man before her.
The conversation and commotion also drew the attention of other customers in the store. The proprietress opened the backpack and took out the items one by one, various kinds, and began to appraise them individually.
Of course, there was some haggling, but seeing the strength Lin Zhi displayed, she didn't want to offend him and made many concessions until the price satisfied both parties.
During this time, Lin Zhi unhurriedly walked around the store, almost immediately Lock-On his target!