157: Zombie-generated electricity? The darkness of the cyber wasteland.

As No. 0819 slowly sailed into the steel gate,

a more intense, strange smell wafted towards them.

They had arrived at Blackgold Harbor.

The view suddenly opened up, yet it also became more bizarre and surreal.

There was no daytime here.

Densely packed pipes and steel plates overhead completely obscured the sky.

Countless neon signs crackled and flickered in the smog.

Red like blood, green like poison.

Giant holographic advertisements pulsed tirelessly in mid-air.

The fake, seductive smiles of women and exaggerated slogans intertwined:

【Tonight's Special: Fresh Type O Plasma Cocktail! Every sip tastes like first love!】

【Slave Market Year-End Sale, Buy Two Get One Free! Guaranteed training, obedient and durable!】

This intense cyber-wasteland style was like forcing the 1980s Kowloon Walled City into a high-tech meat grinder.

Both retro and mad.

“So noisy...”

An Nuonuo covered her ears and huddled behind Chen Du.

The surroundings were filled with deafening heavy metal rock.

Mixed with the hysterical screams of the crowd, it made one's heart pound.

As soon as Chen Du stepped onto the metal walkway, a rhythmic vibration came from beneath his feet.

Hum— Hum—

“What's that noise?”

Lin Keke curiously poked the ground with her wand, “It feels like something is having a rave underground?”

Beside them, Manager Liu Sheng immediately put on a professional, flattering smile and pointed at their feet with a look of pride.

“This is the heart of Blackgold Harbor—the Perpetual Motion Unit.”

As he spoke, he pressed a switch on the wall.

Click!

The originally opaque metal floor suddenly became transparent.

The view was clear.

There was no high-tech blue flow of light as one might imagine.

What met their eyes was a scalp-numbing wave of grayish-white flesh!

Beneath the walkway was actually a bottomless, giant circular abyss!

In that moment, even Chen Du, who was used to mountains of corpses and seas of blood, had his pupils contract slightly.

In the abyss, thousands of giant drum-shaped iron cages were densely arranged.

In every cage, a zombie was trapped.

They were barely clothed, their flesh rotting, yet they knew no fatigue or pain.

To reach the piece of rotting meat hanging in front of them that they could never eat, they ran and roared frantically inside the drums!

The frantic running of thousands of zombies drove the rotation of giant gears.

A steady stream of electricity flowed through cables into this city of sin.

“Ugh...”

An Nuonuo, having the sharpest sense of smell, covered her mouth and almost vomited.

“This is what you call... prosperity?”

Xia Mo looked at the living dead beneath her feet like ants, a hint of disgust flashing in her cold eyes.

“Using monsters as batteries? Truly sick.”

“Madam, you're being an amateur. This is the wisdom of survival.”

Manager Liu Sheng didn't think anything was wrong; instead, his smile grew even brighter.

The wrinkles on his face looked like a blooming chrysanthemum. “In this world, if you don't want to become the fuel below, you have to risk your life to climb to the top.”

He turned around.

He offered a pitch-black magnetic card with both hands.

“At the current exchange rate, your 500 barrels of fuel have all been converted into black gold coins, totaling five million.”

“Sir, this is a huge sum of money, enough to buy half of the Lower City District.”

Chen Du took the card.

His fingertips rubbed across the surface of the card.

Five million?

It sounded intimidating, but in a place where people were eaten alive without a second thought, it was probably just the cost of a few meals for those at the very top.

However, as starting capital, it was enough.

“Good work.”

Chen Du casually flipped a gold coin.

“Thank you, sir!”

Manager Liu Sheng immediately beamed with joy, his waist bending even lower.

Having dismissed this sycophant, Chen Du turned to look at the girls behind him.

“This place is a mixed bag, let's split up.”

“Xia Lai, you lead the team to restock supplies. Is the list ready?”

“Don't worry, Captain!”

Xia Lai patted her chest armor with a mischievous grin, her eyes darting slyly over Ye Qiu.

“As long as the Branch Secretary comes with me, forget parts, I'll even strip down an aircraft carrier for you.”

“After all... I need someone to care for me too~ I'm just a fragile technician now.”

Ye Qiu pushed up her glasses helplessly, her cheeks slightly flushed. “Be serious!”

After arranging everyone, Chen Du's gaze fell on Xia Mo.

To match the occasion, she had changed into a black high-slit velvet evening gown today.

Over it, she loosely wore Chen Du's leather jacket.

Cold, elegant, yet exuding a chilling murderous intent that warned others to stay away.

“Miss Xia, care to join me?”

Chen Du extended his arm, a cynical smirk playing on his lips. “In this place full of the stench of money, shall we go have some time alone together?”

Xia Mo rolled her eyes at him but naturally took his arm.

Her fingertips gave his forearm muscle a light pinch.

“If you dare take me somewhere weird, I'll freeze you into an ice sculpture.”

“How could I? I'm a civilized man.” Chen Du laughed, pulling her slender waist closer.

The two of them, like a real couple on vacation, moved through the crowded masses.

Blackgold Harbor was strictly divided into the Lower City District and the Upper City District.

The road leading to the Upper City District was practically a corridor of hell on earth.

Ragged beggars could be seen everywhere along the roadside, each with hollow eyes, like a group of ghosts waiting to die.

Some held up bare, severed stumps... some were even holding up emaciated infants for sale.

“Boss! Buy a child! He can work! Just one box of biscuits!”

“This is fresh human leg meat... just cut... still warm...”

The air here was so murky it was suffocating.

Xia Mo frowned slightly, but there wasn't much pity in her beautiful eyes.

In this world, pity was the most useless thing.

Her hand was already resting on the dagger at her outer thigh, her body tense.

“Such an inefficient way to survive. Rather than lingering on like this, it's better to just die and be done with it.”

She commented coldly.

Coincidentally.

A hand covered in pustules couldn't resist and suddenly reached out from the shadows, attempting to grab the hem of Xia Mo's dress.

“Scram!”

A cold light flashed in Chen Du's eyes.

The shadows on the ground instantly came to life, whipping the beggar several meters away.

“Babe! Don't look, don't listen, don't let it dirty your eyes.”

Chen Du's large hand gripped Xia Mo's waist tightly, dominantly pulling her into his embrace.

After passing through heavily guarded checkpoints and paying a toll of two black gold coins, the world before them changed completely.

Clean, tidy streets, soft and suggestive streetlights, and flower beds with greenery of uncertain authenticity.

A faint scent of lavender filled the air.

Though synthetic, it completely blocked out the stench from below.

The pedestrians here were well-dressed and elegant in manner, as if the purgatory from moments ago was just a distant nightmare.

Separated by a single iron gate, it was heaven and hell.

The place was a feast for the eyes; the two of them observed the shops along the street with curiosity.

Food, entertainment—everything was available!

Chen Du led Xia Mo into a high-end revolving restaurant named “Above the Clouds.”

As soon as they entered, a waiter came forward to greet them.

He wore a crisp tailcoat and white gloves, his hair combed meticulously.

“Good evening, you two. Do you have a reservation?”

The waiter bowed slightly, his gaze neither humble nor arrogant.

Chen Du didn't speak.

He casually grabbed a handful of black gold coins from his pocket and scattered them clattering onto the counter.

“Do I have one now?”