Chapter 5: Black Gold, Section 7

Nature is a truly wonderful world. Without the guidance of the “spirit of all things,” all living beings exist in a delicate balance, seeking their place within the rules set by nature and going through the entire process from birth to death there.
Undoubtedly, in this vast and orderly chain of life, there are always some creatures that occupy the highest positions, using their innate strength to recklessly acquire whatever they need.
Lions, tigers, leopards, bears… the list is endless.
In Hei Fa’s view, the tiger is indeed an extremely powerful creature—its formidable strength, sharp claws, swift speed, and bloodthirsty nature have made it highly revered by humans throughout history. There have been many imitators, organizations named after it, and countless nicknames for it.
Yet sadly, in the face of the “spirit of all things,” this mighty beast is as weak as a baby. Its actual chances of survival are even lower than those of another creature that appears far weaker than it.
The leopard!
It lacks the strength and power of the tiger, but in terms of hunting, this feline also holds its own, sometimes even exceeding it in ferocity and bloodthirst. It all stems from a simple principle deeply rooted in its instincts: plan before acting.
Hei Fa greatly admired the leopard’s habits and deeply understood this ancient Chinese adage. This return to Beilin, with its seemingly crazy plan, actually concealed countless possibilities. But he never expected that as soon as he returned, he would already be under the watchful eye of the leader of Black Gold.
A simple encounter, a few seemingly trivial exchanges—yet they gave Hei Fa a clear hint and forced him into a tight corner he had to confront immediately.
Hei Fa knew well that by now, all the information about him since his arrival in this world must have been laid out in detail on Kare’s desk. And within the next thirty minutes, Black Gold’s overwhelming financial power would once again demonstrate its infinite strength, gathering the mercenaries and armed forces in Beilin City to set up a trap that would shatter anyone’s spirit.
But then again, wasn’t such a straightforward face-to-face meeting exactly what he needed?
So Hei Fa wasn’t nervous at all. After sending Sulei to handle matters at the counter, he and Xue Tong began their first meaningful shopping trip since arriving in Beilin.

What kind of individual armor—shrapnel grenades similar to hand grenades, a variety of twenty or so firearms of different lengths, combat knives, and so on. In the end, not much money was spent, yet both of them were fully armed to the teeth. Given their combat skills and emphasis on firepower, the strength of these weapons was enough to destroy a squad of a hundred mercenaries dozens of times over.

Unfortunately, Black Hair was still not satisfied. In his mind, even these weapons, which seemed extremely formidable in the eyes of others, did not give him a sense of reliability. Subconsciously, he still trusted his own body more.

“It’s a shame. Although the goods here are comprehensive, I can never get what I really need,” Black Hair sighed, finally stopping his search through the market.

“What?” Blood Eyes was stunned, fiddling with the large-caliber pistol he had just bought, his face showing confusion.

“Boss, these weapons are already sufficient. You can’t compare what’s here to the interstellar market. I know you’re good at selecting weapons. But even if you’re capable, you can’t take away a heavy combat vehicle, right? Besides, how could such a weapon be used inside Berlin City?”

“Did I say I needed weapons?” Black Hair turned around, a mocking expression on his face. “What I need are toothpaste, face wash, and cigarettes—daily necessities. I haven’t shaved in a long time. Don’t you see I almost look like a barbarian?”

“…” Blood Eyes was completely speechless. Faced with Black Hair’s erratic thinking, he suddenly felt like an idiot—or perhaps he was seeing one.

“Boss, although I don’t know what toothpaste and face wash are, if they’re daily necessities, I think they can’t be sold on the black market. There are no cigarettes either, though maybe you mean ancient tobacco. That can be found on the black market, but at a high price.”

“Oh?” Black Hair became interested. “That’s good. Lead the way.”

After another hour of shopping, when Suley finally finished her tasks and found Black Hair and the other man, she saw the two of them smoking heavily, while the poor Blood Eyes had quickly transformed from a warrior into a mere laborer. Packages of various sizes and various firearms hung from his shoulders and body. From a distance, he even resembled a hedgehog.

Poor Blood Eyes… Suley gently lowered her head, pressing her lips together to suppress a smile. But secretly, her stomach was twisting in pain.

It hurts so much… really hurts so much…
I feel like laughing.
But no matter what happens, it can’t change the reality they’re about to face. Although Sulei still maintains that pitiful strength on the surface, deep inside, she has asked herself more than once whether following such a strange man can truly free her from the fate controlled by Heijin.
This thought persisted until they saw Karei again.
Heijin’s headquarters wasn’t actually in Belin’s underground black market, but in a 130-story skyscraper on the surface. In fact, even this massive building was just their facade. The first 50 floors underground were their true lair.
Perhaps calling a huge merchant guild’s headquarters a lair is a bit harsh. But when Heibai saw it with his own eyes, he really couldn’t think of any other words to describe it.
It was a vast space—over 20 meters high and covering thousands of square meters, making it resemble an arena. The walls and ceiling on both sides had no decorations at all, still showing their hard rock surface. Several bright fireballs, like tiny suns, hung abruptly above the lair, illuminating everything in sharp detail. More than 30 giant magic mechs stood like loyal guards along a magnificent throne area, stretching all the way to the entrance of the elevator, exuding a powerful sense of pressure toward Heibai and the others.
“Welcome to our world, Mr. Heibai. To welcome a distinguished guest like you, I prepared this scene carefully. I wonder if you like it?”
Standing up from the throne, dressed in fine clothes, Karei spoke softly.