The Black Market served as the world’s most extensive trading hub for all sorts of goods.
While it was not permitted on the surface, it remained active deep beneath the commercial streets of every city center.
Shen Ji watched the sun as it began to dip below the horizon.
The underground entrance to the Black Market would only open once the sun had completely set.
By the time he wandered over, the timing should be just right.
As Shen Ji walked, he observed the people rushing past him.
Everything seemed no different from his previous life.
If there was one unique factor, it was the existence of the Blood Race.
However, information regarding the Blood Race seemed to be deliberately suppressed by The Official.
Ordinary people had no way of accessing such details; they only knew that the creatures were dangerous and that they should call the police if they encountered one.
Even though he had now awakened the **[Vampire Hunter System]**, he still had only a superficial understanding of them.
The only thing to be thankful for at the moment was his progress.
The progress of one Simulated Evolution had reached 30%.
He suspected that once it reached 100%, some kind of significant change would occur.
Just as Shen Ji was contemplating how to subtly gather information about the Blood Race, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
**[Ding! Three members of the Blood Race detected near the Host]**
‘What?’
‘Did I just stumble into a nest? I usually can’t find a single one, and now three show up at once?’
Shen Ji snapped his head up and looked forward.
Two figures stood out prominently—a man and a woman.
Both wore navy blue uniforms, and their strides were sharp and efficient.
Every movement they made seemed completely out of sync with the crowd around them.
Even more bizarre was that, with the system’s assistance, he could see a faint red glow emanating from them.
It was exactly what he had seen when he first discovered Ye Xi’s identity.
It was undoubtedly these two.
‘Wait, are they going to the Black Market as well?’
‘And where is the third one?’
Shen Ji glanced around suspiciously.
He couldn’t find another suspicious figure.
Shaking his head, he decided to ignore it for now.
His intuition told him these two were up to something.
As members of the Blood Race, they had to know that people were trading their kind in the Black Market.
Going there directly… weren’t they just delivering themselves as fresh stock?
Seeing the two figures about to disappear around a corner, Shen Ji didn’t have time to overthink.
He quickened his pace and followed.
After several twists and turns, they finally arrived at the elevators in the underground parking lot of the Commercial Street.
This was the so-called underground entrance to the Black Market.
the mechanism was hidden inside the elevator.
One had to press the buttons in a specific sequence to make it descend to the Black Market.
Just then, the man glanced at his phone as if he had received a notification.
He left in a hurry, looking flustered.
The woman, however, showed no reaction.
She felt for something at her waist and entered the elevator alone.
Shen Ji lingered for a moment.
Once he was certain the man had walked far enough away, he approached the elevator door.
‘What is their background?’
‘Those clothes look like the uniforms of officials. Are they here to shut down the Black Market? But they’re members of the Blood Race!’
Shen Ji shook his head.
His curiosity outweighed his reason.
Besides, his sister was waiting for her fees to be paid tomorrow.
If he didn’t collect the money today, she would likely be kicked out of the hospital.
The moment Shen Ji pressed the call button, the elevator doors slowly slid open.
Usually, it took at least three minutes to get down to the Black Market.
‘What’s going on today?’
In an instant, Shen Ji realized the truth.
That woman hadn’t gone down at all; she was waiting for him to take the bait.
‘But when did they notice me…?’
“Don’t move. Put your hands up.”
Shen Ji stared blankly at the dark muzzle of the gun pointed at him.
A fear of death surged in his heart.
Whether in his past life or this one, lead and gunpowder were still the ultimate truth.
“Why are you following us?”
Shen Ji raised his hands and slowly backed away, offering a placating smile.
“Could you please put the gun down first? It would be terrible if it went off by mistake.”
A faint, almost imperceptible curl appeared at the corner of the woman’s cold lips.
She countered with a question, “Are you even human?”
Shen Ji felt like he couldn’t defend himself.
He really was human! If it weren’t for this damn system, would he even be in this mess?
“Listen to me, I just happened to be passing by. Please, have mercy. We’re the same kind, aren’t we?”
The woman tapped the gun against Shen Ji’s forehead a few times, her expression that of someone interrogating a criminal.
“The same kind? The words of our ‘kind’ are the ones least to be trusted in this world. Tell me, are you the one providing the Blood Race members being sold in the Black Market?”
“What?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
At this point, Shen Ji had a faint guess regarding the woman’s identity.
She was definitely with The Official; after all, guns weren’t exactly easy to get.
Her identity as a member of the Blood Race was also certain.
There was only one possibility: she was a member of a special department within The Official—one that wasn’t exposed to the public eye.
People would panic if they knew the government employed the Blood Race.
The woman watched Shen Ji’s eyes darting around.
She felt that the man in front of her was likely a dishonest character, and a wave of inexplicable anger rose in her heart.
“Don’t try any tricks. Start talking, or you’ll be staying here forever!”
“Wait, wait! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”
“I’m a drug trial participant for the Black Market. I’m just here to collect my pay.”
Rather than having a gun held to his head, he figured it was better to come clean.
If he used the original owner’s tragic experiences, he might even be able to win some sympathy.
“A drug trial participant? Where’s your proof?”
“Right here, right here.”
Shen Ji started to take off his backpack, but the pressure of the gun muzzle made him freeze.
“Open it yourself.”
‘Damn, this woman is cautious. Her chest isn’t big, but her temper sure is.’
Despite his inner grumbling, Shen Ji obediently opened the backpack, revealing the various jars and bottles inside.
“Do you have any idea that what you’re doing is illegal?”
There it was.
He had been waiting for this question.
It was time for his acting skills to shine.
Shen Ji lowered his eyes and let out a bitter laugh.
His voice was calm as he spoke.
“Officer, of course I know.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
“My parents abandoned me the day I was born. It was a freezing winter with heavy snow. My foster parents picked me up and took me home. I had a beautiful, adorable sister there. I thought I finally had a family, but…”
As Shen Ji spoke, tears began to well up in his eyes.
“But what happened?”
“Maybe I was born to bring misfortune. My foster parents passed away not long after, leaving only me and my sister.”
The woman looked slightly moved.
She knew all too well that children born between humans and the Blood Race were often abandoned due to their identity.
However, this also gave them the chance to disguise themselves as humans.
She should have been struggling to survive like the boy in front of her, but she had been lucky.
She had found a large family willing to take in people with her background.
“Even so, you shouldn’t be doing this. These unregulated drugs will ruin your body sooner or later.”
“I know. Of course I know. But my sister… she has leukemia. If I don’t work this hard, I won’t even be able to protect my last family member. My home would really be gone. I’d never be able to go home again.”
Whether he was remembering his experiences from his previous life or something else, Shen Ji actually felt a surge of genuine emotion.
He collapsed into the woman’s arms and began to sob loudly.
The woman stiffened as he lunged at her.
It wasn’t until she felt the damp warmth on her chest that she quietly tucked the gun back into her waistband.
She began to gently pat Shen Ji on the back, attempting to soothe him.
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