As always, Feng Xue remained oblivious, but to the locals, he stood out like a sore thumb.
He assumed that here in the residential blocks, his lack of obvious modifications made him unremarkable. To the locals, however, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Though outwardly he bore no visible difference from most of the district's residents, the wage slaves of these blocks didn't carry themselves with such leisure.
Johnny counted himself as a second-generation heir of no small standing in the Tower District. The first time he let slip a desire to go out and play, his father stuffed him into a virtual game and refused to let him out of the immersion pod until he could pick out ten people he couldn't afford to offend from a pool of one hundred thousand.
Worse, that damned game reset after a single wrong choice. The big shots had thousands upon tens of thousands of traits randomized, their appearances practically an exhaustive permutation. Memorizing patterns was impossible.
This awful game was practically a household staple in the Gelian Tower District; its updates alone were enough to sustain a megacorporation.
Because of this, while these second-generation heirs lacked other skills, their ability to read people was absolutely unmatched.
Almost the instant he laid eyes on Feng Xue, Johnny knew—this was definitely some big shot from Heaven down for a bit of fun. That bearing screamed a life of luxury. He might look completely unguarded, but who knew how many bodyguards were lurking in the shadows?
Generally speaking, common sense dictated avoiding Heaven's residents like the plague. But Tower District folk enjoyed certain privileges; they wouldn't end up like the rabble, beaten to death for exchanging a few words. Seeing Feng Xue traveling incognito in such humble attire, Johnny figured this was probably his first time down here. If they could chat for a bit, even without forming any real connection, the footage of the two of them conversing happily could bring him quite a few benefits—
After all, no one would dare ask the man himself about their relationship.
Feng Xue, on the other hand, wasn't thinking so hard. All he knew was that while these few dressed rather alternatively, they were definitely not the sort of street thugs one might expect. The fact that they used washable paint instead of tattoos suggested they might even come from fairly strict households, not to mention the costly high-end prosthetics they sported—definitely not from an ordinary family. He had no intention of currying favor, but he was worried they might be some A Zu-type rebellious youth group.
Considering it best not to offend such people, Feng Xue ultimately decided to play along.
And so, two men who each felt the other was not to be trifled with eagerly approached one another. Johnny even shot a mass text to his lackeys first before asking amicably,
"We're planning to head to Private Residence No. 77. Interested?"
"A private residence?"
The term made Feng Xue's heart skip a beat. So-called private residences were what people meant by the "Unlawful Zones."
Despite the name, it wasn't that there were no laws at all. Simply put, these places were an "extension" of the principle that private property was sacred and inviolable. By purchasing several floors and streets in an area and renovating them, one constructed a zone that was legally regarded as a "private residence."
Within such a zone, all laws were virtually meaningless; only the House Master reigned supreme. As for the purpose of such places? Naturally, it was to make money!
They say all the profitable ventures are written in the legal code. Bypass the law, and there were far more lucrative businesses to be had!
Of course, not just anyone could establish a private residence. Without sufficient strength, trying this with a few properties—forget whether you could afford a legal team to navigate all the nuances—the "intruders" would rob you blind first.
Feng Xue was naturally interested in private residences, but all of them operated on an invitation-only basis. It wasn't that you couldn't enter without an invitation; rather, without guest status, you were legally designated an "intruder," automatically forfeiting the rights of a law-abiding citizen and becoming a plaything for the guests' amusement.
Seeing the interested look on Feng Xue's face, Johnny knew he'd gambled correctly. What could the young masters of Heaven possibly lack? The only things that could interest a guy like this were thrills!
He immediately added,
"I heard a new batch of 'gladiators' arrived, all experts. Just don't know how many will survive until the Hunt..."
"What are we waiting for, then?" Feng Xue put on the eager expression of a kid being taken to an internet cafe by a classmate for the first time, his face brimming with anticipation. Still, he didn't forget to ask—
"I understand gladiator fights. What's this 'Hunt'?"
"It's wild! At the end of every year, the various private residences throw all the gladiators who survived that year into one area and let them tear each other apart. Interested guests can even enter the field themselves. All weapons and prosthetics have lock systems to guarantee no guest gets hurt. The spectacle is absolutely insane!"
Johnny talked as they walked, his lackeys chiming in constantly. Feng Xue more or less realized this young master had mistaken him for some big shot, so he maintained an appearance of keen interest and followed them to Private Residence No. 77, where he watched a few slave gladiator matches and several free black fist bouts where fighters competed to earn their standing. Fortunately, the Unlawful Zone's prosthetic shops carried an even wider selection than legitimate stores, so it hadn't been a waste of time.
After parting ways with Johnny's group—who were surely thinking, "He's not one of us after all, truly nobility from Heaven"—Feng Xue took a circuitous route, returning most of his consciousness to his main body. He prepared to contact the channels Old Man Jiang had left behind and purchase one of each of the trait-bearing prosthetics he'd seen today.
However, just as he opened his cheat interface and was about to swap out his chip, he suddenly noticed a red dot in the upper-right corner of the battlefield selection screen, one that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
The last time Feng Xue had seen this was when [Outer Domain] was unlocked.
"Another new battlefield? But nothing's changed for me!"
Perplexed, Feng Xue tapped the interface and immediately understood—two new battlefields had been unlocked: [Underground Black Fist] and [Automated Factory].
"[Underground Black Fist] undoubtedly came from unlocking the Unlawful Zone, but where did [Automated Factory] come from? The blocks are nothing but sweatshops!"
Feng Xue felt slightly puzzled, but not deeply so. After all, the [Outer Domain Battlefield] had arrived quite inexplicably as well. Perhaps this cheat interface only needed a tangential connection to activate?
Seeing that the Demonic Sword was about to reach the Trash Sector, Feng Xue simply gave up on going out and began considering which one to tackle first.
Based on their names, neither battlefield seemed as dangerous as [Outer Domain], but since one was a factory, Feng Xue didn't doubt its security forces for a second.
On the other hand, while [Underground Black Fist] was a death match, it was at least one-on-one, and firearms weren't allowed. For someone who possessed the Hell Sword, the advantage was significant.
The only downside was that black fist earnings were limited—probably not even matching the scrapyard. But the benefits were obvious.
Now that he had the Cybernetic Arm: Second Son, the drones Old Man Jiang had left behind could no longer keep up with his strength. Those carefully selected experts of the private residences were exactly the kind of opponents he needed to hone his combat experience!
"It's decided!" Feng Xue made up his mind and thought no further. He immediately transferred his consciousness into the Demonic Sword, switched its face back to his own, and walked toward the small shop barely three hundred meters from the prosthetic clinic.
"Hope they've got them in stock!"