Chapter 293: Anthill

"Undocumented?"

"..."

Meeting the woman's expectant gaze, Yan Jing nodded.

"Yes."

"Nice!"

The woman clenched her fists, pumping herself up over her successful deduction.

"I knew it!"

Yan Jing took the initiative to ask, "Could you tell me what time it is?"

"Is your time module broken?"

The woman glanced at her wrist, where the time surfaced like a holographic projection:

08:48

"My night shift usually ends at nine," the woman said with a smile.

Yan Jing nodded.

Not bad. He still had enough time.

He hadn't forgotten his real body was still in the Dungeon. Based on his experiences in Minhu, Old Sin City, and the Surface World, time across the different Domains should be synchronized.

But it wasn't far from nine o'clock, when the Dungeon would end.

Yan Jing smiled at the woman.

"Beautiful miss, may I ask your name?"

'Wow, what a dedicated classicist. Just like out of a book.'

The woman gave a rare, bashful smile.

"Just call me Tianwei."

"Good name."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Is there anything you want?"

"Anything I want?"

The woman blanked.

'We're at the deep conversation stage already?'

'Is this the legendary street romance?'

'It feels pretty nice.'

Her eyes fluttered with interest, and she pointed toward a towering skyscraper that stood out from the rest. Its upper levels were surrounded on all four sides by giant electronic screens, currently playing continuous advertisements.

On one screen, a woman who looked like a literal dog stood in the center, holding a blue bottle that resembled shampoo. Reaching up with her front paws, she ran them through her golden hair and spoke: "Nuochen Biotech's latest product. You deserve a head of beautiful hair..."

"..."

Yan Jing understood.

"You want shampoo."

"What?" The woman was highly amused.

"I want to become a star and appear on the Modern Tower!"

"Besides, that's not shampoo. It's biological hair simulation technology, paired with vitality liquid."

"But nowadays, celebrity aesthetics heavily favor the bionic species. A pseudo-native species like us probably wouldn't even pass the initial screening at an entertainment company..."

The woman sighed, a flash of loneliness crossing her eyes, before she laughed again.

"But if I really became a star, I probably wouldn't be able to go on dates with handsome guys like you anymore."

She was clearly quite good at comforting herself, snapping out of her low spirits in no time.

Yan Jing nodded.

"Understood. Is there anything else you need? I can't fulfill that one."

"To be honest, I really did just get here. I don't know much about what's considered valuable around here."

"Valuable, huh..."

The woman tapped her chin with a finger.

"If it's for the bionic species, it would definitely be all sorts of bizarre biological blood and bone marrow... For a Smart Seed, it would definitely be various chips and ores... Since we pseudo-native species are technically a type of Smart Seed, those would count too, though I don't have anything I particularly like..."

The woman rambled on and on. Yan Jing looked at the time on her wrist; it was less than ten minutes to nine.

He didn't have time to keep listening, so he nodded and gave a gentle smile.

"Then close your eyes. I have a surprise for you."

"Really?!"

The woman's heart leapt with joy.

'In this day and age, who just walks up and gives gifts? I've struck gold!!!'

'How romantic!'

"Okay, I'm closing my eyes."

The woman closed her eyes, her face full of anticipation.

"Mm, count to five."

Yan Jing's voice was soft.

"Okay!"

The woman nodded excitedly and began to count down.

"Five, four, three..."

As she counted, she guessed what the gift might be.

'Is it a pseudo-biological cream cake? Preserved flowers? Perfume? Skincare products...?'

She drew on her own sparse gift-receiving experiences and those of her friends to make her guesses.

"...Two, one!"

"I'm opening them," she called out.

Receiving no response, she slowly opened her eyes.

Before her was an empty street.

'Where did he go?!'

Tianwei blinked, looking around.

But the area in front of her was completely deserted; there was no sign of Yan Jing anywhere.

"You've got to be kidding me,"

Tianwei muttered.

She hadn't even planned on asking for anything. She had even paid for half the room in advance, merely seeking a pure physical and mental connection.

How could he just run away?

To bolt in a situation like this, there could only be one possibility.

She wasn't his type, and had scared him off?

"I guess bionic species really are more popular these days..."

Tianwei felt a bit defeated.

To think that even a pseudo-native species like Yan Jing was starting to prefer the bionic species now. She had basically wasted 20 eerie points for nothing.

That was almost half a day's wages.

"Forget it. I'll just find a random bar and grab a drink."

Tianwei was quite open-minded; otherwise, she would have long since joined one of those entertainment clubs chasing extreme thrills.

Besides, she didn't really save money anyway. Whatever she earned, she spent.

Most young people in the Peace Heavenly Kingdom had long lost the habit of saving. Living paycheck to paycheck was the norm.

Suddenly, as her gaze dropped, she caught sight of a dark object by her feet.

"What is this?"

Confused, she crouched down and picked up the object that looked like a stone.

After studying it for a long while, she made a judgment.

It must be some kind of ore.

"I've just never seen ore like this before..."

After a moment's thought, Tianwei happily gripped the ore in her hand.

At least it meant the guy hadn't completely tricked her.

"I guess I did get a gift after all," she consoled herself.

Then, she headed toward the residential area.

The residential area of the Muke District was hidden right behind the vanity project zone.

Yes, the vanity project zone.

That was what they usually called those wide streets in private.

She couldn't remember which president had built it when they took office.

Those presidents were always being swapped out anyway; it was impossible for anyone to keep track.

Besides, Memory Chips were too expensive. There was no way she could afford to install one.

If she had that kind of money, she would have long since bought the lumbar support module she had been dreaming of.

Standing around mixing coconut water put a huge strain on her lower back, and the guys she usually dated were like ravenous wolves. She just couldn't handle that kind of punishment.

Soon, she arrived at a place that was worlds apart from where she had just been.

Closed-off, narrow, crowded, and smog-filled—these were the most prominent features of this slum-like area.

A narrow alley stretched lengthwise before branching out like a spiderweb. Short buildings were scattered chaotically across the web, and it looked as though a bloody, violent tragedy could break out in any of the dark corners at any moment.

It was as if the place were draped in a grayish-yellow filter. Just being here made one feel incredibly oppressed.

This was a breeding ground for madmen.

The people here always said that.

She had once heard an Enforcer mention this place, referring to it as the Anthill.

"It really does look like an Anthill," she murmured.

As she passed a recycling station, she was struck by a sudden impulse and inexplicably walked inside.

Looking at the man working in front of the pile of scrap, his face covered in grime, she naturally leaned on the glass display case and smiled.

"Uncle Pang, could you take a look at something for me?"

"..."

The man, who looked to be in his forties or fifties, raised his head. Seeing it was Tianwei, his ashen face softened a little.

"Where did you pick up something this time? Don't tell me it's another guy tricking you into thinking it's valuable."

"Hey now, don't make it sound like I get scammed all day long,"

Tianwei laughed.

"I just don't know what this is, and I want to find out."

The woman opened her palm, revealing a small fragment she had broken off from that large stone.

"How is it? Is it anything good?"

She looked at the man as he carefully scrutinized the fragment.

"..."

The man stared at the stone fragment for a long time before finally shaking his head.

"I can't tell. It's probably just a normal stone."

"Oh. Okay, then."

Tianwei sighed with considerable regret, then turned and walked toward the exit.

As she reached the door, the man's voice called out from behind her.

"Tianwei, who gave you this?"

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, the woman turned around and smiled.

"I just picked it up on the side of the road."

"I thought it might actually be something good."

"Looks like I was overthinking it."