Chapter 249
Lin Hai Town was large, stretching over hundreds of kilometers from the town center to the seaside, with dozens of villages of various sizes scattered along the way.
Guanyu Village was relatively close to the town center. It could be reached by walking in one or two days, and by bike, it only took half a day.
At this moment, a shabby three-wheeled cart was traveling on the road.
The person sitting on the cart lit a homemade cigarette, inhaling and exhaling smoke in the sea breeze. The engine hummed and chugged along, making squeaky noises as it moved, threatening to break down at any moment due to the heavy load.
There were three people sitting in the cart, playing cards, while Hai Jing, bound by ropes, curled up in a corner, silently watching everything.
He had been betrayed.
Although the people who had previously left Guanyu Village were gone, they still had suspicions about him.
A few days ago, they had captured a villager, Liu Lao Qi, who had gone out. Liu Lao Qi had a daughter who married into a neighboring village. He had brought food he had traded with Hai Jing to visit her, only to be caught on the road.
The captors had threatened to kill his daughter’s entire family, and from that, they extracted Hai Jing’s secret.
Of course, Liu Lao Qi only knew that Hai Jing had connections with the “salt merchants,” but he wasn’t clear on the details of the transaction.
So these people came straight to Guanyu Village and tied Hai Jing up.
Since the last incident, Hai Jing had remained vigilant. When he noticed Liu Lao Qi had been gone for a long time, he sent his daughter to stay with another villager.
Thus, when these people came looking for him, Hai Jing managed to avoid the worst.
Fortunately, the ones who came this time were only small-time goons. When Hai Jing claimed his daughter had been dragged away by mutated crabs at the seaside, they didn’t suspect anything and just tied him up.
Since these people chose to take him away, it meant he was temporarily safe, so Hai Jing remained relatively calm.
In fact, during this time, he had been preparing. For example, he had made a deal with Chi Hao and traded for a gun.
The gun was now safely stored in his personal warehouse.
However, these people arrived too quickly, and there were too many of them. After quick consideration, Hai Jing decided against resisting.
The bullets in the gun were limited, and he wasn’t confident he could take out all four of them at once.
Even if he did manage to kill them, what about the seventy people left in the village? If he fled with his daughter, the villagers would suffer as well.
These people were ruthless. Hai Jing didn’t dare gamble on that.
Now, Hai Lan remained in the village, where she could still trade with the mysterious merchant in her dreams, so at least she didn’t have to worry about starving…
Hai Jing gazed at the message board in the void.
He hesitated. Should he ask for help from other employees?
“Greenish Blue”, in the fortress, was too far away—distant water couldn’t save a nearby fire. As for the others…
From their usual conversations, it was clear they weren’t in Lin Hai Town, so they were quite far away.
Hai Jing thought about the possible developments in his mind.
Lin Hai Town prohibited its residents from selling salt privately. Though they had previously declared that those caught would be killed without mercy, Hai Jing was still alive.
Therefore, the people from Lin Hai Town might want to obtain information about the “salt merchants” from him.
What if he traded something with them? At least his life would be safe, but he would likely lose his freedom.
Hai Jing didn’t want to make things easier for Lin Hai Town.
If the fishermen here could sell salt, their lives wouldn’t be so difficult. The ocean was a treasure trove, yet they lived from hand to mouth because Lin Hai Town controlled all the trade routes and prohibited them from selling salt!
If he sold goods to them, it would only strengthen their power, and the fishermen here might never have a chance at a better life.
Moreover, these people were ruthless, and doing business with them would violate the teachings of the God of Commerce!
The God of Commerce was a kind and just god. How could he take god’s goods and feed them to these heartless dogs?
Hai Jing appeared wooden on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil.
He stared at the message board and suddenly noticed a channel he had never paid attention to before.
[Nearby Channel]
Hai Jing froze. He remembered that the rule for the “Nearby Channel” was that all employees within 10 kilometers could see each other’s messages.
He wasn’t sure how far 10 kilometers was, but since it was “nearby,” it should be close to him, right?
With that in mind, Hai Jing cautiously sent a message.
[Message Board (Nearby Channel)]
[Cloud Eagle]: Is anyone here?
He had sent it just to try, but to his surprise, as soon as it went out, someone replied.
[Mysterious Merchant – Silver Light]: What’s the matter?
Hai Jing couldn’t help but widen his eyes, his heart pounding violently in an instant.
His reaction caught the attention of the kidnappers. One of them looked at him and then kicked him hard.
“Don’t try anything funny! If you dare run, we’ll slaughter Guanyu Village!”
You can run away from the monk, but not from the temple. These people had firmly trapped Hai Jing.
Hai Jing was filled with anger but could only lower his head.
Seeing that he wasn’t doing anything suspicious, the three of them resumed their card game.
Once they stopped paying attention to him, Hai Jing sighed in relief and looked back at the message board—
The Mysterious Merchant, Silver Light.
He wasn’t mistaken! It really was the divine messenger!
Could it be that the Silver Light he met in the dream was here in Linhai Town?
Hai Jing tried to suppress his emotions and then explained his situation on the nearby channel.
Peace Grocery Store, RV.
“Looks like something has happened!” Tang Yu’an said, looking at Hai Jing’s message on the nearby channel.
Hai Jing’s surroundings were filled with green dots. He felt something was off, and after discussing with Zhou Qi, he also felt that Hai Jing must have gotten into trouble.
Otherwise, Hai Jing would have tried to make a deal with those four potential customers. But now, this situation only confirmed that these four were strangers.
Since they were strangers, how could Hai Jing leave the village with them? It was highly likely something had gone wrong.
Now, his message on the nearby channel confirmed that.
[Message Board (Nearby Channel)]
[Hai Jing]: Silver Light, what should I do now? Can you give me some guidance?
Seeing Hai Jing’s reply, Tang Yu’an discussed it with Zhou Qi.
“Brother Qi, let’s go rescue him!”
“How do you plan to rescue him?” Zhou Qi didn’t immediately share his thoughts but asked instead.
Tang Yu’an said, “Hai Jing is not far from us. We’ll drive straight to rescue him!”
“What if we can’t get in?” Zhou Qi pointed to the distant town walls.
“Crash through them!” Tang Yu’an said resolutely.
While Hai Jing explained his situation, he also detailed the circumstances of Lin Hai Town, as well as why he didn’t want to aid these people.
He also mentioned how Little Hai Lan had almost been captured and harmed before.
Little Hai Lan hadn’t explained it in such detail in her dreams, probably because she was young and didn’t fully understand. It wasn’t until Hai Jing himself spoke about it that Tang Yu’an realized how close Little Hai Lan had come to a terrible fate.
He was undoubtedly very protective of her. Even though they hadn’t met, he already considered Hai Lan his sister.
Hearing this news, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but feel both angry and scared.
When they first arrived, he had intended to use the Shadow Umbrella, like before, to sneak into Lin Hai Town, observe the situation, and decide where to open a branch.
But after what happened with Hai Jing, Tang Yu’an couldn’t hold back anymore.
He didn’t want to be sneaky anymore, doing everything in secret as he had before.
“We already have the banner of the God of Commerce, and not only have we brought the RV, but we also have the Evil Guest Repelling Aura.”
“Our strength is much greater now. We can bring Black Pearl, Yuan Bao, Wang Cai, and Yin Bi, and even Green Gem can help make a scene.”
“With so many methods at our disposal, why can’t we just charge straight in?”
Tang Yu’an’s personality was actually much more reckless than Zhou Qi’s. It was only because Zhou Qi had kept him in check that he had learned to be cautious.
However, now that they had many methods at their disposal, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uncontrollable.
Zhou Qi thought about Tang Yu’an’s words. If it were up to him, caution would always be the priority. After all, there were several powerful ability users stationed in Lin Hai Town.
According to Hong Li’s intel, these ability users were all at least rank six, so even Hong Li wouldn’t dare offend them.
But…
Just as An An had said, did they really need to be afraid?
The people from Qingmu Fortress had been sent packing by the Evil Guest Repelling Aura, and they had no way to deal with the Desolate City Haven.
So why abandon their strongest methods and blend into Lin Hai Town’s old forces, taking their time to plot?
With Black Pearl, Yuan Bao, and Wang Cai, and after more than two years of training in the Giant Wood Forest, he could use a variety of abilities. Would they really be powerless against a few rank-six ability users?
Moreover, An An had the mysterious marbles, an absolutely unreasonable special tool.
Zhou Qi looked at Tang Yu’an, and his eyes slowly lit up.
Tang Yu’an could tell from his expression what he meant and couldn’t help but grin. He then proudly said, “Let’s go eliminate the old forces and establish a new order for the world!”
Hearing his somewhat overly dramatic words, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but chuckle.
After spending so much time in the forums, Tang Yu’an had certainly picked up the lingo.
But… he liked it.
Zhou Qi reached out and ruffled the boy’s head, then nodded. “Then get ready.”
“Okay!”
Tang Yu’an summoned all his pets, then set the RV to its “three times size” form.
After that, he and Zhou Qi put on their cloaks and donned the Silver Light and Black Moon masks.
Then, Tang Yu’an replied to Hai Jing on the message board.
[Message Board (Nearby Channel)]
[Mysterious Merchant – Silver Light]: Wait.
*
The town center of Linhai Town was the heart of the small town.
It was about five or six kilometers from the coastline but controlled the traffic routes of the area.
After decades of development, it had become a fortress with a permanent population of 20,000 to 30,000. Including the dozens of surrounding villages, the total population was around 40,000 to 50,000.
Anyone who wanted to go from this direction to the coast had to pass through this fortress.
Due to the long-term monopoly of the salt trade, the fortress’s administrators had made a fortune and maintained contact with the nearby fortresses.
The goods exchanged with the fortresses allowed the seaside town to retain some of its pre-disaster style.
However, the lower-class people living here were not happy.
In Lin Hai Town, only the administrator’s confidants and ability users could rise above the rest, but most of them became subordinates of the administrators, helping to manage and exploit the large population of the town.
To stop salt traders and defend against natural disasters, the town’s walls were very sturdy, and they were regularly maintained.
Today was the day for the earth-element ability user, Shi Pang, to maintain the walls.
He greeted the guards stationed outside the town, then placed his hands on the wall and began using his abilities to reinforce it.
Before he could finish, there was a loud noise.
“What is that?”
“Quick, look, there’s a person!”
Shi Pang turned to look and saw a person in a black cloak and black mask flying in the air. The person was holding a long scythe, looking quite frightening.
“This is Lin Hai Town! Unless permitted, no one is allowed to enter!”
The captain of the guards stepped forward and shouted, “Who are you? State your name!”
“God of Commerce, Black Moon.”
The person holding the scythe pointed it at the captain of the guards. “You’ve captured my person. Release them immediately, or else—there will be consequences!”
“What God of Commerce? I’ve never heard of it!”
Even the people from the fortresses who came here were polite to the guards. After all, Lin Hai Town was strong enough that no one dared to mess with them.
This had cultivated a rude attitude in the guards.
“Get down from there now, or don’t blame me for being impolite!”
The captain of the guards blew his whistle, and dozens of ability users appeared on the walls. Several gunports opened, and cannons were aimed at the mysterious person in the air.
“Looks like you’re unwilling to release him.”
The mysterious person waved his hand, and a steel behemoth appeared in front of the crowd, about 20 to 30 meters behind him.
The captain of the guards had never seen such a massive vehicle. His face changed, and he immediately ordered the cannons to fire. The long-range attackers on the wall also launched their attacks.
However, the moment their attacks were fired, the black-clad person vanished into thin air.
When the cannon fire and ability attacks subsided, the guards on the walls were left looking at the empty road, bewildered.
Had they imagined it? Where had it gone?
“Return! Close the gate!”
The captain of the guards made a quick decision and led the patrol inside the walls.
“Wait for me! I’m still here!”
Shi Pang, who had been watching the commotion, quickly ran toward the gate, but he was slow and fell behind.
Just as he was about to enter the gate, he suddenly felt dizzy.
When he steadied himself and looked around, he found himself several dozen meters back on the main road, now standing with a few other guards who had been slower.
In front of them, the steel behemoth that had disappeared earlier had reappeared! Despite the earlier attacks, the behemoth was completely unharmed!
Not only that, but the mysterious person was completely fine as well!
“I already gave you a chance, but unfortunately, you didn’t cherish it.”
The mysterious person’s voice sounded again.
The people on the wall wanted to say something, but as the steel behemoth approached the wall, everyone disappeared one by one.
Some appeared inside the town, while others appeared beside Shi Pang.
Just before the behemoth collided with the wall, it came to a halt.
Inside the RV.
“Warning! Warning! The road ahead is blocked. A new route has been plotted for you…”
Tang Yu’an sighed in frustration.
Because of the obstruction, the self-driving had stopped, and his plan to crash the vehicle through the wall had failed.
However, Zhou Qi had never been too supportive of this approach. He was very protective of the RV. Although it could be repaired afterward, the idea of ramming the vehicle into the wall still made him cringe.
So, naturally, they executed Plan B.
Zhou Qi placed his hand on the wall, and the palm of his hand glowed with a yellow-brown light.
The guards who had been sent outside to stop them found that every time they took a step forward, they would turn around and walk away as if they were walking into a wall.
Moreover, they were getting farther and farther from the RV—
Tang Yu’an upgraded the protective barrier and continuously expanded it outward until it stopped after two to three hundred meters.
At this distance, long-range attacks should no longer be able to reach, right?
With the release of Zhou Qi’s powers, one minute later, the wall that had just been reinforced with the solidifying technique shattered into gravel before everyone’s eyes, collapsing with a loud crash.
Several cannons fell to the ground, which Zhou Qi casually collected into the warehouse of the Wasteland Home—since Lin Hai Town was not more than ten thousand kilometers away from Wasteland, the remote item retrieval skill still worked.
At this moment, he finally felt the presence of several powerful auras.
[Message Board (Admin Channel)]
[Handsome Zhou]: The high-level ability users are here.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Understood!
Tang Yu’an hesitated for a moment but still didn’t expand the protective barrier any further.
Because the 270 meters just now had cost him 270,000 points and 27,000 shop popularity.
Points were secondary since his balance was sufficient, but the shop’s popularity was a different matter—it was accumulated little by little and couldn’t be wasted casually.
However, with the previous 30 meters, he had already reached 300 meters in total.
Even a level 6 ability user would not be able to reach them from such a distance, not to mention…
After Zhou Qi dismantled the city wall, Tang Yu’an continued to move the RV forward.
So, the few newly arrived level 6 ability users, who were just about to approach and assess the situation, entered the influence range of the Evil Guest Repelling Aura and were immediately sent away.
By the time they stabilized and tried to approach again, they entered the coverage range once more, and were once again sent away.
This continued, and soon they were disoriented, unable to form any combat effectiveness.
Zhou Qi, who had been standing ready for battle, couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed as he watched the scene unfold.
It turned out that, as An’an had said, with their “RV Shop + Evil Guest Repelling” as powerful tools, they could just steamroll through.
Moreover, because Lin Hai Town had its own vehicles, the roads were smooth with few obstacles.
Zhou Qi had already landed on the RV roof.
He observed everything around him, and since this was his first battle with human ability users, he didn’t relax his vigilance despite the favorable situation.
His spiritual sense scanned the surroundings, paying attention to every detail.
Then he noticed that, although some buildings were within the range of the protective barrier, the people inside hadn’t been sent away.
Were these people free from being sent due to having no ill intent, or… did the protective barrier automatically shrink away from buildings with owners?
Zhou Qi asked Tang Yu’an to test it out.
So, Tang Yu’an once again set the RV mode to “close shop.”
The RV disappeared from view.
Zhou Qi looked at the buildings and saw that, indeed, the people inside remained in their homes.
[Message Board (Admin Channel)]
[Handsome Zhou]: It looks like the protective barrier avoids buildings with owners.
Tang Yu’an quickly made a note of this new rule.
Then, he switched the RV to “open shop.”
Since they were going to cause a scene, why not make it a big one and let these people know that messing with the God of Commerce Sect would lead to bad consequences!
With Hai Jing’s location, the RV automatically drove towards Hai Jing.
Zhou Qi, holding his scythe, stood on the roof.
At this point, he sensed a much stronger aura approaching.
“Who are you? Why are you causing trouble in Lin Hai Town?!”
To the right of the RV’s direction, three hundred meters away, an elderly man with white hair and beard appeared.
He stood there and shouted loudly.
If Zhou Qi hadn’t covered his spiritual sense, they wouldn’t have heard him clearly.
“Brother Qi, what is he saying?”
Sitting in the driver’s cabin, Tang Yu’an hadn’t heard him very well—after all, 300 meters was quite a distance!
Had he not had wind-type abilities, allowing him to hear further sounds, he wouldn’t have even noticed someone calling out to them.
Back inside the RV, Zhou Qi smiled slightly.
“That should be the manager of Lin Hai Town. His strength is stronger than the other ability users.”
“Oh, I see…”
Tang Yu’an looked in that direction again.
Since the RV was still moving, the figure was not stationary, and he could only see a small figure jumping and running while chasing after the RV, but it was hard to make out the details.
He tried to release his spiritual sense like Zhou Qi did, and he finally saw what the person looked like.
“Can you sense what his ability is?” Tang Yu’an asked.
“Seems like water-type,” Zhou Qi replied.
“Wow, water-type!”
So far, the water-type ability users they had encountered were relatively weak—except for people like Lan Lin with ice-type abilities, of course.
Water manipulation typically only allowed for the condensation of pure water, at best generating a fine rain…
“I wonder what his ability is like?”
As soon as Tang Yu’an finished speaking, dark clouds gathered in the sky. In the blink of an eye, a torrential downpour began.
“Shua—shua—”
The rain heavily hit the RV, and with the automatic driving mode engaged, the AI system closed all the windows.
Due to the excellent soundproofing, the sound of the rain was completely blocked outside.
Black Pearl, who had been lying on the control panel, lazily flicked its tail.
It had responded to the call, preparing to join the action, but once it arrived, it realized it was of no use here.
Yuan Bao and Wang Cai were also sitting on their seats, yawning a little out of boredom.
If the windows had been opened at this moment, the sound of rain would have been accompanied by an irate voice roaring outside.
“Who are you?! I told you to stop! Stop, stop, stop!!”
The manager of Lin Hai Town angrily shouted, making everyone around him tremble, but they could only watch as the mysterious RV rampaged through his town, oblivious to all!
At this moment, the captain of the city wall guards, who had been brought over earlier, was now shaking as he said:
“That black-clad person said he is… he is from the God of Commerce Sect, and… said Lin Hai Town captured one of their people…”
