82: South Bay, a hotbed of crime

Why did I encounter such talkative taxi drivers twice in a row?

Under normal circumstances, Jia Gu Yi Yan would be very happy to talk about ideals, politics, and such with drivers like this.

But right now, Jia Gu Yi Yan only wanted to cultivate the Mian Yu Technique to recover from his injuries.

He had been fighting too frequently recently, and had too little time to rest.

Every time Jia Gu Yi Yan circulated the Mian Yu Technique and recovered a little from his injuries, he would go through another battle, making his injuries worse.

As a result, his body's injuries had not fully recovered until now.

The driver was still talking about mermaids and mermen stories.

By now, he had moved from ancient legends of mermaids to stories about foreigners searching for mermaids with military ships when they were stationed here over a hundred years ago.

He spoke with such detail that Jia Gu Yi Yan actually found himself somewhat interested.

It seemed that choosing this path here was indeed the right choice.

Looking at the endless, undulating, sparkling sea under the light, even the pain from his old injuries wasn't as noticeable.

"We're here, young man!"

"You must be careful; this place is no joke."

"You look like you're from Haizhou. If you encounter any danger you can't handle, remember to quickly take your ID card to the local police station."

"The police should protect you."

Jia Gu Yi Yan paid the fare, opened the car door, and waved to the driver.

The driver didn't linger, seemingly not intending to wait for a return customer from South Bay to the port city.

He quickly turned a corner and headed back the way he came.

He seemed afraid to stay here any longer.

With mountains high and the emperor far away, and a vast strait separating it, the mainland found it difficult to govern Wanzhou Island's affairs.

Furthermore, Wanzhou Island had various undocumented immigrants and criminals from all over the world.

This turned some parts of Wanzhou Island into a haven for crime and darkness.

Just like the South Bay port here.

Entering the South Bay area, the buildings here were noticeably different from those near the port.

There were only a few scattered large buildings; most were flat-roofed structures with peeling paint, looking like they were built in the last century.

The walls and utility poles along the sidewalks were also covered with all sorts of small advertisements.

Jia Gu Yi Yan took a rough look.

"Specializing in psoriasis, call..."

"Miss XX, appointment XX, call 1XX..."

"Traditional Chinese medicine for male health, to help you regain..."

"..."

It really had the characteristic feel of Wanzhou films from the last century, just like in the movies.

Jia Gu Yi Yan looked at the dim and dilapidated neon lights above his head and sighed inwardly.

Jia Gu Yi Yan tried to listen to what the people around him were saying.

However, the pedestrians passing by on both sides were all chattering in the Wanzhou Island dialect, making it difficult for Jia Gu Yi Yan to understand.

Jia Gu Yi Yan pulled down the brim of his hat and continued walking deeper into South Bay.

To hire a boat, one needed to reach the port on the other side of South Bay.

The entire South Bay was like a long, strip-shaped city clinging to the sea, looking like an earthworm stretching from east to west when viewed from above.

Jia Gu Yi Yan arrived at South Bay from the north and was heading south.

So, crossing the entire South Bay was not a long journey.

However, things did not go smoothly.

As he went deeper, people around him kept casting glances at Jia Gu Yi Yan.

A tail also began to appear behind him.

However, perhaps because of Jia Gu Yi Yan's large build, those tails did not act rashly.

Instead, they continued to trail behind Jia Gu Yi Yan, beckoning more people.

Jia Gu Yi Yan had already noticed that there were fewer and fewer people around him, and many more men with their arms crossed over their knees, leaning against walls, staring intently at Jia Gu Yi Yan.

It seemed they were all people summoned by the tails behind him.

"Am I dressed too conspicuously...?"

Jia Gu Yi Yan tugged at his clothes, muttering to himself.

Just then, a man walked towards him with his head down, about to collide with Jia Gu Yi Yan.

Jia Gu Yi Yan stepped aside, causing the man to miss, stumble a few steps, and almost fall to the ground.

He turned around angrily and looked at Jia Gu Yi Yan.

"Kid, aren't you looking where you're going!"

"Sorry, I didn't notice you."

Jia Gu Yi Yan said, while scanning his surroundings with his peripheral vision.

Sure enough, the gathered thugs, as if receiving a signal, stopped their movements and talking.

Their gazes were fixed on Jia Gu Yi Yan from all directions.

"Kid, if apologies worked, this old man wouldn't have been caught and locked up for over ten years!"

The thug approached Jia Gu Yi Yan, proudly recounting his past exploits to intimidate him.

"Now, kowtow and admit your mistake, and compensate this grandpa for my losses."

"Then this grandpa might let you walk out of South Bay in one piece."

As the thug spoke, he pulled out a dagger and aimed it at Jia Gu Yi Yan's face, starting to move closer.

"This is South Bay Port."

Jia Gu Yi Yan sighed and reached into his embrace.

'Big idiot, he looks big, but is he actually a coward?'

The thug had originally been a little nervous, as Jia Gu Yi Yan was very muscular. Seeing this now, he felt even more confident and even moved a few steps closer.

He began to get arrogant.

"Kid, this grandpa has changed his mind!"

"Hand over everything you have, and take off these brand-name clothes too!"

The thug said, looking up at Jia Gu Yi Yan, the dagger still approaching.

"Wait a moment, once you see what I'm about to pull out, you might not want anything else."

Jia Gu Yi Yan said, slowly pulling his hand out of his embrace.

The thug swallowed hard.

Sure enough, he was a big fat sheep, but...

No matter how precious it was, why wouldn't I want anything else!

Who the hell would complain about too much money? It's all mine!

Looking at the thug whose eyes were gleaming, Jia Gu Yi Yan slowly extended his hand from his embrace, clenching it tightly.

The thug stared intently at Jia Gu Yi Yan's hand.

He seemed to be imagining what was clasped inside.

A precious gem that could be held in one hand, or an extra-large carat diamond!

Or perhaps, some extremely valuable metal?

And Jia Gu Yi Yan, clenching his fist, looked at the thug whose face was almost pressed against his fist, and swung it out with force!

Instantly, the thug's nose bled profusely, his entire nasal bone was directly dislocated, and his nose, as the center, completely caved in.

His body also flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

"Bastard, he really got that close!"

"It's the first time someone has gotten this close to my fist!"

What a satisfying punch.

"Bastard, you, you, you!"

The thug clutched his profusely bleeding nose, swaying as he leaned against the wall to stand up.

His legs trembled, and he was almost unable to stand.

"What 'you'? Do you want another punch, you dead dog!"

"I, I, I'll kill you!"

Although the thug couldn't stand steadily, his tone was still full of arrogance, and he roared in anger.

The thugs gathered around also pulled out their daggers and approached Jia Gu Yi Yan from all directions.

The killing intent in their eyes was not hidden at all.

Although they wouldn't actually kill him, judging by their eyes, he knew.

They probably wanted to torture him, cripple him, and teach him a profound lesson.

Truly...

A bunch of scumbags.