novelTele Chapter 25: The Three Giants: Trading, Settlement, and Enjoyment – Navigating the CBD!
Chapter 25: The Three Giants: Trading, Settlement, and Enjoyment – Navigating the CBD!
That phrase, "You're an eyesore," was like a resounding slap across the face of every member of the Flame Fleet.
The smile on Zhou Hai's face vanished completely, the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and the anger in his eyes almost solidified.
His large hand, pressed against the gunwale, had veins bulging and knuckles white from gripping too hard.
Given his past temper, this bastard named Li San would already be a charred corpse.
But he held back.
"Old Zhou." Zhao stepped forward and subtly pressed down on Zhou Hai's shoulder, the steady force causing his tense body to relax slightly.
Zhao turned his head, his amiable smile returning to his face, and said to Li San on the assault boat, "Brother, this is our first time here, we don't know the rules, please bear with us."
As he spoke, he winked at a crew member on the deck behind him.
The crew member understood, immediately turned around and ran into the cabin. A moment later, he came out carrying a box of unopened braised beef noodles and carefully handed it to the speedboat.
Li San glanced at the box of instant noodles, then let out a soft snort, his contempt undiminished.
He waved his hand behind him, and another team member on the assault boat immediately stepped forward and carried the instant noodles into the cabin.
"Come on aboard." Li San gestured with his chin to the empty space on the assault boat, his tone still condescending. "Leave all the weapons on the boat; that's the rule."
Zhou Hai took a deep breath, threw his ever-present fire axe onto the deck, and jumped onto the assault boat first.
Zhao Ze and Lu Sheng did as instructed, leaving behind the giant hammer and the Twin Fiend Spears.
Only Su Li, the moment she jumped onto the boat, still clutched her long, slender battle sword.
"Huh?" Li San's brows furrowed instantly, his gaze behind his sunglasses turning icy. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Su Li raised her eyelids, her clear, cold eyes looking at him quietly without saying a word.
But an invisible, chilling killing intent instantly enveloped Li San like a tidal wave!
The arrogance on Li San's face froze instantly, and his face turned deathly pale.
He felt like he was being stared at by a ferocious beast, and that he would be torn to pieces in the next second!
"Ahem!" Zhao Ze quickly smoothed things over, explaining with a smile, "Brother, this is our captain's sister. This knife is part of her sequence talent, and it's bound to her. She can't take it off, so please be lenient with her."
"Heavens... Talent binding?" Li San swallowed hard, and the terrifying feeling of being locked on slowly dissipated.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, not daring to look at Su Li again, and only gave a weak, menacing snort: "Don't let it happen again!"
After saying that, he immediately started the assault boat and sped off towards the three giant buildings.
As the speedboat cut through the water, the closer it got, the stronger the oppressive feeling from the three towering skyscrapers became.
Lu Sheng then saw clearly that the vast waters between the three giant buildings were filled with floating platforms welded from shipping containers and steel plates, connected by iron cable bridges, forming a massive steel city on the water.
Countless assault boats shuttled through the waterway, and without exception, all the people on board wore the same uniforms as Li San, were armed, and had vigilant eyes.
This place is more like a heavily disciplined military fortress.
The speedboat stopped at a dock converted from a shipping container. After another round of strict checks to confirm that the three men were not carrying any weapons, the four were allowed to step onto the entrance platform of the Shanghai Tower.
"Once inside, don't run around or make a move. Go to the second floor for the transaction. If you need anything, find the patrol team." Li San left with a few cold warnings and drove away in the speedboat without looking back.
The four of them stepped into the lobby on the first floor of the Shanghai Central Building.
The sight before him caused Lu Sheng's pupils to shrink slightly.
The spacious hall, large enough to accommodate thousands of people, was now bustling with noise and excitement.
At least several hundred survivors have gathered here. Judging from the faint spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from them, the vast majority are sequence transcendent beings!
They gathered in small groups, some arguing loudly, some exchanging information in hushed tones, and others simply spreading out a cloth on the ground, displaying the supplies they had plundered, and loudly hawking them.
"Freshly caught sea fish! In exchange, a pack of compressed biscuits!"
"A common-grade sea monster's corpse. Anyone recognize its value? Let's trade weapons!"
"Looking to buy antibiotics! I'll even trade my sister for them!"
Noisy and chaotic, yet it possesses a primal and savage vitality unique to the apocalypse.
The appearance of Lu Sheng and his group of four was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.
A level 4 Spirit Source user.
Three Level 3 Spirit Source Users.
This luxurious setup ensures you'll be the center of attention wherever you go.
Countless gazes, a mixture of surprise, suspicion, fear, and greed, fell upon them. The noisy discussions in the hall fell silent.
"Damn, who are these guys? Their aura... they don't seem like pushovers."
"That red-haired girl... I feel like if she just glances at me, I'm going to die..."
"Don't cause trouble. When did such a powerful team appear in this sea area?"
Despite the attention he was receiving, Zhou Hai showed no sign of pride; instead, his brows were furrowed.
The wood is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it.
He lowered his voice and said to the three of them, "Wait for me here, don't wander off. I'm going to find out what's going on."
"Okay." Zhao nodded.
Zhou Hai quickly squeezed into the crowd and disappeared.
Zhao Ze and Su Li stood on either side of each other, cautiously surveying their surroundings.
Lu Sheng, like a curious child, looked around this post-apocalyptic free market with great interest, while secretly complaining to himself.
Good heavens, the person in charge of the Golden Triangle is a real business genius.
They transformed three buildings submerged in water into a CBD for this seaside area.
Charging admission fees, creating a monopoly, maintaining order, collecting rent... With this combination of tactics, how can they not make a fortune?
Not long after, Zhou Hai returned, his expression somewhat grave.
He pulled the three of them to a relatively secluded corner and said in a deep voice, "We've found out the situation."
"This Golden Triangle is jointly controlled by three Level 5 Spirit Source Users, nicknamed the 'Three Giants.' No one knows their real names or sequence abilities; all that is known is that they were among the first batch of sequence superhumans to awaken in this sea area, and their strength is unfathomable."
"The central building we are in now is the trading hall, where all verbal agreements for bartering are reached."
He pointed to a steel suspension bridge not far away that connects to the Jin Mao Tower.
"After agreeing on the price, we went to the Jin Mao Tower next door for the actual transaction. The three giants were there to oversee things, so no one dared to play tricks."
"As for the furthest one, the Shanghai World Financial Center," Zhou Hai's tone took on a strange tinge, "that's a place for the captains of various fleets to... enjoy themselves. Accommodation, gourmet food, women... as long as you can afford the price, you can have anything."
Upon hearing this, Zhao couldn't help but exclaim, "What a skillful maneuver! They've clearly separated the transaction, the settlement, and the entertainment. These three people have a firm grasp on human nature."
"Yes." Zhou Hai nodded, his expression growing increasingly serious. "Most importantly, they've used this system to practically monopolize all the rare resources and intelligence in this area. If we want to survive here, we have to follow their rules."
Lu Sheng understood.
This is no longer just a survivor camp, but a well-structured and orderly miniature society.
"Let's go," Zhou Hai took a deep breath, his fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes. "Our purpose is clear: let's go to the trading area on the second floor and see if we can find any information about the map."
"Um."
The three followed Zhou Hai up the emergency staircase on one side of the hall to the second floor.
As soon as you step onto the second floor, a wave of noise even more deafening and enthusiastic than downstairs hits you.
This is the real core area for trading.
Rows of makeshift shops converted from shipping containers stand side by side, with all sorts of signs hanging at their entrances, and the sounds of hawking and bargaining filling the air.
"Top-quality sea monster meat! One pound for two packs of cigarettes!"
"Fifty rounds of rifle bullets from the West District can be exchanged for a bucket of purified water!"
"Homemade diesel fuel for sale! Bulk discounts available!"
Lu Sheng's gaze swept quickly over the dazzling array of goods, and he secretly marveled.
However, just as he was about to follow Zhou Hai further in, his steps suddenly stopped.
His gaze was drawn to an inconspicuous stall in the corner.
There was nothing on the stall except a wooden sign with a few words hastily written on it using charcoal.
"Latest version of the Dragon Kingdom map for sale, first come, first served!"