This assassin is upright

Chapter 452 City of Floating Ash
"That's right, we're going to enter the City of Floating Ash."

The mouse nodded, confirming Yu Zhun's guess.

Do you know anything about that place?

Yu Zhun shook his head blankly.

He had heard others mention the city a few times in the settlements outside the city, but he had only been here a short time and hadn't had time to learn about it yet.

"Then let me tell you about it." The rat chuckled. "Everything from the old era was destroyed in that terrible catastrophe."

"But a lucky few who survived the catastrophe survived in this chaotic new era by digging up things left over from the old era."

At this point, the mouse paused slightly, "Among those who dug, a few lucky ones unearthed something incredible."

"And they thus gained a greater advantage than others, enabling them to get a share of the pie in this new order where everything was overturned and rebuilt."

"The City of Floating Ashes is one such existence."

"During their excavation, the first lord of Floating Ash City unexpectedly discovered a complete land combat unit." The rat paused slightly, "You might not know what this thing is."

"To put it bluntly, even a current fourth-tier evolved being could be instantly blasted into nothingness by that thing."

"When the cataclysm just ended, the mutated beasts and polluted beasts were not nearly as strong as they are now, so you can understand what happened next."

"Relying on that land combat unit, the first city lord of Floating Ash City sheltered some people, made them work for him, and eventually built a post-apocalyptic city, which is the current Floating Ash City."

“Unlike the area outside the city, the City of Ashes had a better start and has become very prosperous in the hundreds of years since the cataclysm.”

At this point, the mouse shrugged, "Although it can't compare to the old days, it's not much inferior in some aspects."

"You'll understand this once you get into the city."

"Understood." Yu Zhun nodded.

After spending some time getting to know their respective powers, the Black Hawk team set off again.

Having abandoned their previous cautious approach, their greatly increased strength has made them the strongest excavation team in the area, allowing them to act more boldly.

After trading everything except the refined plutonium on the black market, Black Hawk distributed the proceeds to the team.

“Although you can buy Tier 3 gene drugs on the black market, such gene drugs are also sold in the city, and the quality may be better,” Black Hawk said slowly. “We’re going into the city next, so we won’t buy them on the black market.”

"No problem!" Wolf Fang grinned. "I never thought I'd have such a lucky day. The money I got this time is almost enough to buy a Tier 3 evolution potion."

Not long ago, he was still a first-tier evolver.

He is now close to becoming a third-tier evolver.

"Don't rush into using the evolution potion." Although Iron Tower was also excited, he still reminded him, "We've only just reached the second tier. If we rashly use the third-tier evolution potion, the probability of failure will be even greater."

"Don't worry, I understand." Wolf Fang nodded.

"Hehe, we cybernetic modifiers don't have this kind of trouble." The rat next to him laughed and tossed his money bag. "Just wait, once we enter the city, I, Rat Lord, will have third-tier combat power and leave you all behind!"

"I'll share my money with everyone too." Yu Zhun took out his share. "I've already taken advantage of everyone by drinking the mutation inducer. You all need resources more than I do."

“What’s yours is yours,” Black Hawk insisted. “Without you, we would never have discovered these things.”

“Besides, even if you don’t need gene therapy, you have other places to spend money.” As he spoke, Black Hawk glanced at the scabbard at Yu Zhun’s waist.

"For example, your weapon needs a new one."

arms…

Yu Zhun paused for a moment, then drew the alloy dagger from his waist.

At this moment, the blade of the dagger has developed obvious curling, and it is no longer as sharp as it used to be.

Unlike the gamified equipment in the world of Divine Revelation, the weapons in this world are more realistic. Yu Zhun had already noticed the unsuitability of the weapon when he fought against another powerful member of the excavation team.

"Are there better weapons in the City of Floating Ash?"

"Hey, what are you saying?" The rat beside him couldn't help but grin. "Compared to firepower, most evolved beings believe more in the power of melee weapons, so weapons suitable for evolved beings not only exist, but are also in short supply."

“In a place like the City of Floating Ash, you can find weapons made of high-strength alloys that meet the needs of second-, third-, and even fourth-tier evolvers.”

"Some high-value cold weapons are even more expensive than firearms."

At this point, the mouse crossed his arms, glanced at the money in Yu Zhun's hand, and said, "The captain is right, you do have quite a few places where you need money."

"Alright." Yu Zhun nodded slightly and readily put the money away.

The group traveled at full speed through the sandstorm, and Black Hawk's eyes were enough to see through all the obstruction of the sandstorm, ensuring that everyone was always moving in the right direction.

After a day and a night of trekking, the outline of a magnificent and enormous city came into view.

Looking at the distant city, Yu Zhun clicked his tongue in amazement.

The city was larger than most of the cities he had ever seen. The walls were covered with the cold glint of high-tech firearms, but the walls themselves were relatively primitive brick walls, painted gray, giving them a heavy and desolate feel.

“We’ve arrived at the City of Floating Ash.” Black Hawk slowed his pace slightly, turned to look at Yu Zhun, and said slowly, “Everyone else has been here before, but you haven’t, so you need to be careful about a few things later.”

"What?" Yu Zhun asked.

"Anyone entering the City of Floating Ashes must undergo a search." Black Hawk paused slightly. "During the search, the guards might be very rude to us, but we must be patient."

"Don't easily get into arguments with those guys."

"In addition, if you have any questions after entering the City of Ashes, ask me or other teammates as soon as possible."

"I understand." Yu Zhun nodded slightly.

Soon, the five members of the Black Hawk team arrived at the massive city gate of Floating Ash City.

At the city gate, two men wearing full-body metal exoskeletons were checking everyone who entered.

"A single-soldier combat exoskeleton." The rat's tone carried a hint of envy. "It's a single-soldier combat weapon from the old era. The one they're wearing is the R13 type. An ordinary person wearing it can have the strength to fight against a third or fourth-tier opponent."

"How does it compare to a modified prosthetic body?" Yu Zhun asked in a low voice.

“They’re not the same concept.” The rat shook its head. “Our kind of modified prosthetic body, no matter how good it is, is still a product of the new era, and the key elements are still some remnants from the old era that were ultimately used to form it.”

"As for the technology of individual combat exoskeletons, the new era simply cannot master it. I'll just say one thing and you'll understand." "The energy source for individual combat exoskeletons is a miniature nuclear reactor."

“When you charge this thing, its energy is almost limitless.”

"Our modified prosthetic bodies only use high-energy batteries, which need to be replaced and recharged regularly, making them inferior to the other side in every aspect."

Yu Zhun nodded thoughtfully, "In the future, I'll get you a single-soldier combat exoskeleton to try out."

"Haha!" The mouse laughed immediately upon hearing this. "Then I'll thank you in advance. If such a thing really exists, I'll call you godfather."

The two chatted and laughed quietly. The gatekeeper had finished checking the previous group that entered the city and was walking towards the Black Hawk Squad.

One of them glanced at the five people and immediately showed displeasure. "Are those guys who scavenge for trash outside again?"

“We are the Black Hawk team from the excavation crew,” Black Hawk said calmly. “We’re here in the city to do some trading, and we hope you can be accommodating.”

As he spoke, he quietly slipped a few silver coins into the other person's hand.

These silver coins were worth 100 toula each, representing the currency of the new era.

"Hmph!" The guard who had spoken earlier snorted, refusing to take Black Hawk's money, but his eyes gleamed with greed. "There's a black market outside the city where you can trade."

"There are always some greedy fellows who, for petty gains, circulate the good stuff that belongs in the city to outside the city. If you want to trade, you can go there."

“I’m sorry.” Black Hawk shook his head helplessly. “What we need is rather obscure and not available on the black market. I’ve heard that Floating Ash City is incredibly prosperous and has all kinds of goods. We should be able to find what I need here.”

Another guard looked at Black Hawk and suddenly asked, "What is it that you need?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhun couldn't help but frown.

The first guard implied that he did not want the Black Hawk team to enter the city, while the second guard went even further and asked directly what they needed.

Such questioning has crossed the line and is quite rude.

No wonder Black Hawk had warned him beforehand not to cause any trouble; it seems these guys from Floating Ash City do indeed have a lot of prejudice against the excavation team.

Upon hearing this question, Black Hawk smiled slightly, "A fourth-tier gene drug."

The two guards' expressions changed slightly.

Only third-tier evolved beings are capable of using fourth-tier gene drugs.

Clearly, the people in front of us or their team have more than one Tier 3 Evolver, which means this is no ordinary excavation team.

If it were a weak excavation team, they thought they could use their status and individual combat exoskeleton to put pressure on them, but even they couldn't easily offend such a powerful excavation team.

The two exchanged a silent glance, and then the first guard to speak subtly accepted the silver coin that Black Hawk had given him, muttering under his breath as he stepped aside.

"Go in, but remember your area of ​​activity."

"The inner city is not a place you can enter."

"Thank you for the reminder, gentlemen." Black Hawk nodded with a smile, then led Yu Zhun and the other three through the city gate quickly.

After walking a bit further away, the rat chuckled, "Boss, that trick of yours really worked! When you said 'fourth-tier gene drug,' the expressions on those two guys' faces were priceless. I almost wanted to take a picture!"

"Alright." Black Hawk shook his head slightly. "We're not weak now, so they'll naturally give us some face."

"When I came here last time, I was only at the second level. It took me a lot of effort to get into the City of Floating Ashes," he couldn't help but sigh.

"Captain, what is the inner city?" Yu Zhun asked curiously. "Is there an inner and outer distinction inside the City of Floating Ash?"

“Of course there is.” Black Hawk pointed in the direction of the city. “Do you see that high wall?”

Following the instructions, Yu Zhun looked up and immediately saw a high, circular wall. The wall was even taller and more solid than the walls of the City of Floating Ash, and inside the wall, even in broad daylight, countless lights could be seen.

“That’s the inner city,” Black Hawk said slowly. “It’s where the high-ranking officials of Floating Ash City, their families, servants, and a number of other people of high status can live. It’s also known as the Pure Zone.”

"There, mutations and disasters cannot reach, and neither evolved beings nor cyborgs are allowed to appear in the inner city."

At this point, Black Hawk glanced at Rat and added, "The same goes for cybernetic cyborgs."

"So, the inner city is full of ordinary people?" Yu Zhun looked surprised. "Won't the more powerful evolved beings complain about being managed by a group of ordinary people?"

“Of course not.” The rat shook its head. “Although they are ordinary people, they control almost 90% of the top-notch old-era technological products in Floating Ash City. They have everything from more powerful individual combat exoskeletons to various high-powered weapons.”

"No matter how strong an evolved being is, they are still an individual. How could they possibly face such terrifying firepower?" The rat curled its lip. "So even for ordinary people, those guys in the inner city are enough to control the entire city."

Yu Zhun nodded thoughtfully, then thought of an even more crucial question, "So why are they so resistant to the mutation?"

"Isn't becoming an evolved being a means and method to become stronger?"

“That’s how it seems to us who have chosen to embrace evolution, but it’s not the same for another group of people,” Black Hawk said in a deep voice. “In this world, many people believe that there is no difference between cyborgs and evolved beings.”

"The so-called controllable mutation is nothing more than a disordered mutation that has not yet collapsed. In the end, all mutations will lead to collapse."

"Because of genetic evolution, it is indeed difficult for us evolved beings to reproduce with ordinary people, which has become their theoretical basis."

"They call themselves 'purists' and believe that only by maintaining the purity of their own genes can they be called human."

"The inner city is full of guys who think like that."

"And influenced by them, even some people in the outer city gradually began to harbor resentment towards the evolved beings."

As Black Hawk spoke, many passersby looked in their direction. After noticing that their attire was clearly out of character for Floating Ash City, their faces showed resistance and fear, and they all distanced themselves from them.

“The Pure Ones…” Yu Zhun stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming.

For some reason, hearing this word made him feel inexplicably irritated, as if he had a strong aversion to it.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. If we encounter any guys who are hostile to us, we don't need to pay them any attention," Black Hawk said in a deep voice. "They'll usually stay away on their own anyway."

"After all, it's common knowledge that evolved beings are powerful."

"More important than these things is exchanging for what we need."

"We need to sell our purified plutonium as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)