Pierce drove for over forty minutes, starting from the Queen's District, cruising down main roads and winding through alleys, up the overpass, and across a river so wide it could rival the Yellow River. Druglord One rolled out of the Queen's District. "Queen's District is big, but it's only one-eighth of Steelbull City," Pierce explained to Jill Young, dropping some basic city knowledge. "There are seven other districts. We're heading to the 'Wu Luan District.'"
"Wu Luan District?"
"Yep. It's called 'Wu Luan,' but honestly, it's the wildest district out there. Too many small gangs, not a single big boss running the show. It's packed with docks, airports, train stations—the transportation hub of Steelbull City and the biggest free-trade market. It's so chaotic, none of the big bosses from the other seven districts can get a grip on it, so it ends up being a safe zone for anyone who's pissed off the big shots elsewhere. The best arms dealers, human traffickers, drug dealers—they're all here. Honestly, all my stuff comes from here, too."
Jill Young nodded, getting the gist—order in chaos, balance in danger. "Steelbull City is huge. Does it really take that long to get from Queen's District to Wu Luan District?"
"That's actually quick. Queen's District is right next to Wu Luan, so we got lucky." Pierce grinned, showing his teeth. "If we were coming from farther out, plus traffic jams, you'd need to pack snacks for the trip."
Traffic jams? Jill Young suddenly thought of something she'd never paid attention to before: "Why doesn't Steelbull City have a subway? For a city this big, underground transit should be a no-brainer, right? But I've never heard anyone mention the subway."
"There used to be one. Back in the last overlord's reign, Steelbull City had a super convenient, high-tech underground system. Nowadays, as long as the sewage flows down the pipes like it's supposed to, we're already counting our blessings."
"Why's that?" Jill Young frowned. Steelbull City looked as rich as New York, maybe even more advanced in some ways. How did it end up like this?
"Because there are mutant creatures underground." Pierce turned to look at Jill Young, face dead serious. "Terrifying, tons of them, and vicious—mutant creatures."
"Hmm—" Jill Young dragged out the sound, squinting. She could almost see a bunch of XP potions waving at her. She'd thought this world might not have much going for it in terms of leveling up, but now it seemed like there was plenty of good stuff lurking under the city. "How do you get your hands on mutant creatures? I'm very interested."
"Huh?" Pierce shot her a surprised look, then nodded. "Oh." Even in the madness of Steelbull City, his own gang leader was a special kind of person. Special people have special interests—being interested in mutant creatures was nothing weird. "That’s tough, though. They sealed off all the underground world passages seventy or eighty years ago, so it’s rare for anyone to get their hands on mutant creatures now."
"No way at all?"
"Well, not totally impossible, just really hard. I’ll keep an eye out for you, but don’t get your hopes up." Pierce’s car turned into the docks area and stopped in front of a shop that looked more like a country convenience store than anything fancy. But Pierce was all excited as he hopped out and opened the door for Jill Young: "Please, madam, step out. This is the best gun retailer in town—Friendly Firearms."
The three of them walked in. The shop was set up like a regular supermarket, shelves everywhere. Only, instead of snacks and drinks, the shelves were stacked with some seriously fierce-looking guns. It was broad daylight, in Day City, officially still under the law’s rule, but Friendly Firearms was bold enough to put their wares right out in the open. Clearly, their connections were next-level.
The shopkeeper looked like a Mexican with a big beard and a cowboy hat. When he saw Pierce, he called out in an exaggerated accent, "Oh, Pierce, my friend! You showed up right on time! The stuff you wanted is ready—got the cash?" By the end, his warm smile had turned downright sinister and sly.
After a bit of haggling with Pierce, the shopkeeper pulled a big box out from under the counter. As soon as he opened it, all eyes were glued to it. Inside were two handguns, looking pretty much like the usual suspects, but bigger and shinier. Jill Young picked one up and gave it a try—it was surprisingly hefty.
"These two look like handguns, but they could double as machine guns." The bearded boss was proud as he pulled out the other pistol. "Specially modified magazine—holds twenty-six rounds, but looks like it only takes sixteen. When your enemy thinks you’re out, you can give them a real surprise."
He snapped the magazine into the grip, aimed at a trash can outside the door. "The firepower’s wild—one shot and those pretty but useless submachine guns are just spare parts. Six hundred meters, point and shoot, and mainstream body armor might as well be made of paper." Bang! The rough, thunderous sound echoed as the trash can got a hole in the front and garbage exploded out the back.
"Super fast rate of fire. If your trigger finger’s strong enough, you can empty the whole magazine in five seconds. Safe, stable—if it jams, it auto-ejects and reloads." The boss shook out his numb wrist, grumbling, "A regular person fires once and their hand’s busted—bones shattered. I can’t even shoot twice. But honestly, even if you don’t fire it, with how solid and heavy it is, cracking a skull would be a breeze."
Jill Young took the gun and fired three shots at the trash can outside. The poor thing looked like it’d been struck by lightning, its guts spilled everywhere. For Jill Young, the weight—like a bodybuilder’s dumbbell—was just right. "Not bad, boss. Didn’t think you could squeeze so much magic out of a plain old handgun."
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"As long as you've got cash, I can work even more magic." The bearded guy’s grin got sly again. "Pierce, five grand. Don’t even think about skipping out."
"Money’s no problem." Pierce swaggered out his phone. "I’ll transfer it right now." He was clearly dipping into his savings, since in just seven days, neither No One Under Heaven’s turf profits nor drug sales had hit five grand. Two handguns cost more than Druglord One’s upgrades—Friendly Firearms’ stuff was definitely not your everyday gear.
Once the money was in hand, the boss’s smile was back to full blast. "So, miss, happy with the twin pistols?"
"Not bad..." Jill Young thought for a second, then threw her arm around Pierce’s neck and whispered outside, "Is this shop legit? I mean, they’re not gonna turn around and sell us out to the Syndicate or something, right?"
"Should be solid. Friendly Firearms has been around forever—nobody knows who’s really behind it, but it’s tough as nails." Pierce gave it a thumbs-up like he was doing an ad. "Totally neutral, fair to everyone, and nobody can push them around."
"Alright then." Jill Young spun around and, with a flourish, pulled a monster of a gun out of thin air. Thud—it landed on the counter, a massive, over-the-top cannon. "This gun—give it a tune-up, trick it out, upgrade whatever you can, and throw in some ammo. Until it’s ready, find me something I can use as a stand-in."
"Uh..." The boss stared at the big gun for ages. Even in Steelbull City, folks who treat vehicle weapons like personal arms are rare. But he was a pro, so after a quick mental reboot, he shot Jill Young a deep look and hauled another big box out from under the counter.
Thud. The box was just as huge and heavy. Jill Young opened it and grinned...
That night, Bloody Throat Channel 3 aired a piece that got everyone talking: The special guest for this round of The Reliable Adventure—the white-haired woman who once attacked Mr. Reliable—had publicly announced she’d join the event in two days. This time, Jill Young appeared on camera, bantered with the reporter, and confidently declared she was going for a clean sweep. There was a bunch of other random info, like the event being held in Queen's District.
In front of the TV, the Syndicate snorted, tossed his cigar, and sprang up. He turned to the two vixens at his side: "We’re going to find Cake Dog. Since it’s in Queen’s District, the Paparazzi Gang will get it done for sure."