94: Cloud City

Lunch was truly a whole roasted lamb; a full plate of cumin lamb chops and a whole lamb leg had Li Xiao shouting with satisfaction.

However, compared to him slicing it piece by piece with a knife, Wang Si and the several leaders were just grabbing it and gnawing away.

Even Li Le, who looked slightly more refined, was holding a lamb leg and tearing off large chunks to chew.

Sigh, I guess I still have a bit of an idol burden.

After finishing the roast lamb, Li Xiao began to increase the durability value of the dozens of pickup trucks for Dark Soul.

Originally, to repay Wang Si for the rocket launcher support, he had promised forty.

But now that Wang Si had provided him with an opportunity to make a fortune, he naturally couldn't be too stingy.

With five million invested, the durability of these pickup trucks all exceeded 100,000 points, equivalent to the health points of infantry fighting vehicles.

After finishing, Li Xiao immediately bid farewell to Wang Si and then rushed non-stop toward Yun City.

Following the highway signs, Li Xiao, Zhao Feipeng, and Li Le drove the meng hu off-road vehicle all the way north.

After spending a day and a night driving nearly 1,100 kilometers, they finally arrived at their destination.

As the capital of the Yun City region, the scale of Yun City was massive; from the outer ring highway, one could see skyscrapers towering into the clouds and intricate urban roads.

However, because the previous war between the Black Hawk Empire and the Tianyu Republic had caused significant damage to the city, with many hundred-story buildings destroyed by heavy missiles and collapsing to the ground, it looked somewhat desolate.

However, there were a great many civilians in Yun City, which was evident from the dense traffic on the highway.

Because their meng hu off-road vehicle was standard equipment for Outsiders, and the toll station was guarded by the Black Hawk Unit, they naturally dared not drive in directly.

So, they used their guns to hijack a sedan on the highway and blended into the city.

The area they entered was the Jinniu District in the southern part of Yun City. Black Hawk Unit personnel and police were patrolling and enforcing martial law at street intersections everywhere, though there were even more civilians shuttling back and forth.

The shops along the roadside did not seem to be affected by the war and were all open for business.

Tsk tsk... look at this population, this economy... If we could occupy this place, how much in resources and tax revenue would that be in a single day?

Li Xiao looked out the car window. This place was much larger than Rong City, where he had lived on Blue Star. By comparison, the Rong City they had just occupied was not even one-third the size of this Jinniu District, yet everyone was still feeling complacent.

Boss, Yun City has so many people in the garrison alone, and the Black Hawk Unit stationed in the surrounding areas is probably even larger. Let's not think about these things that we can't handle. Zhao Feipeng said while driving, staring at the Black Hawk police forces on the side of the road.

That's right, Boss, my stomach is growling with hunger.

Alright! Then let's think about something we can eat. Stop at that noodle shop up ahead; let's take care of our hunger first.

The sign on this shop read Chunji Noodle Shop. Li Xiao noticed that there were quite a lot of people inside, and the rich scent of sauced meat and various seasonings lingered in the restaurant.

Finding a table by the window, Li Xiao picked up the menu and started reading.

Yo, there's actually dry mixed rice noodles! Li Xiao was a little surprised, not expecting to see Blue Star delicacies here.

I'll have this. What about you two?

I want beef noodles.

I want wontons!

The waiter quickly took the menu and left. After about ten minutes, three bowls of steaming noodles were served.

Li Xiao's dry mixed rice noodles consisted of smooth rice noodles—neither too soft nor too hard—topped with carefully fried meat sauce and chili oil, and sprinkled with some fried peas, green onions, and coriander.

After mixing it well, Li Xiao couldn't wait to slurp it down. Li Xiao finished the three-tael plate of dry mixed rice noodles in three minutes, then drank half a bowl of lamb offal soup. It was incredibly satisfying.

Zhao Feipeng and Li Le ate even faster, finishing in a few bites, and still seemed unsatisfied, so Li Xiao bought them each a scallion pancake.

When paying, Li Xiao took out a chip card and swiped it on a scanner at the counter. 4 Star Coins were gone.

Calculated this way, the prices on Hanhai Star don't seem expensive, even during wartime.

The three of them only spent 4 Star Coins on breakfast, which gave Li Xiao a basic concept of the purchasing power of Star Coins. It was no wonder that Wang Si, a mercenary leader with two thousand brothers, had trouble even scraping together 100,000 Star Coins.

As they were leaving, Li Xiao stopped the waiter, casually gave him a 10 Star Coin tip, and asked, Brother, may I ask how to get to Tianma Casino?

The waiter saw the ten Star Coins in the card Li Xiao handed over and immediately beamed; this was equivalent to his daily salary.

Thank you, Boss. Tianma Casino is not on this side. You have to go north to the Lanyun District. Once you get there, head to Tianchi Avenue, and anyone you ask will know.

Many thanks!

After the three got into the car, Zhao Feipeng made a few turns and found the direct overpass to the Lanyun District.

Sure enough, a Scout by birth; your observation skills are amazing!

Li Xiao praised from the back seat. If it had been him looking for it, he would probably have been spinning around here for a week.

After about an hour's drive, they entered the Lanyun District.

It turned out that the Lanyun District was a tourist area in Yun City. There was a very large freshwater lake here called Tianchi.

Tianchi Avenue encircled Tianchi Lake. The shoreline was full of various scenic homestays, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment areas.

Among them, Tianma Casino was a famous money pit in the Yun City region. Every day, millionaires were born here. Of course, there were also big bosses who lost everything.

The car sped along Tianchi Avenue. At nine or ten o'clock, the breeze from the lake, mixed with the warm sun, blew over, and Li Xiao felt refreshed.

What a good place. If I have a chance in the future, I must get a villa on this shore, the kind with an open-air rooftop pool.

Boss, keep it up. Whether the brothers can marry and have children here in the future depends on you, Zhao Feipeng said, seemingly very serious.

Get lost! I haven't even settled down myself!

Li Xiao laughed and slapped Zhao Feipeng on the back of the head.

Sure enough, as the waiter said, Tianma Casino was really easy to find. They didn't even need to ask. Driving along, they could see the oversized billboard for Tianma Entertainment City from a long distance away.

However, what made them embarrassed was that because their car was too shabby, the security guards at Tianma Entertainment City actually forbade the car from entering.

With no other choice, the three of them had to get out of the car and walk in.

At this time, Zhao Feipeng quietly reminded Li Xiao, Boss, this Tianma Casino really has powerful backing. The Black Hawk Empire's police riot armored vehicles are patrolling on both sides. It's obvious they're ensuring that nothing goes wrong here.

Li Xiao said lightly, You could figure that out with your toes. Those who enter and exit here are all wealthy or prestigious. They are all big shots in the Yun City region and even the entire Tianyu Republic. It concerns the vital interests of the Black Hawk Empire. After all, they are all the Empire's money bags.