This assassin is upright

Chapter 464 Area 37

"District 37 is just ahead."

Black Hawk stopped, and the other four people following behind him quickly stopped as well.

Not far ahead of them was a rusty road sign. The middle section of the sign seemed to be crooked due to some kind of impact. On it, one could vaguely make out a shoulder pointing forward and the words "District 37".

"If we walk a few hundred meters further, we'll reach the outskirts of District 37," Iron Tower said slowly. Of the group, he was the one most familiar with this place.

"Everyone here, please remember one thing."

"That means you shouldn't provoke even a small, unassuming excavation team." At this point, Iron Tower paused and explained, "Although District 37 doesn't have a true ruler, it has seven powerful excavation teams that are equally matched, and they are recognized as the strongest teams here."

“There are nearly a thousand excavation teams of all sizes in the entire 37th district. Over the years, they have formed a complex network of relationships around these seven strongest excavation teams. As outsiders, we should not rashly intervene.”

The group nodded slightly.

Although they are not afraid of trouble, they have no need to provoke it.

They're just passing through and won't be leaving for long.

"Don't worry," Black Hawk patted Iron Tower on the shoulder. "I understand."

Black Hawk raised the long sword at his waist and waved his hand, "Let's go!"

The group set off again and soon saw some simple shacks ahead.

At the entrance to the shantytown, several men and women who looked quite skilled were chatting casually. When they saw the Black Hawk team approaching, they looked at them with scrutiny. Then, one of them shouted.

"A stranger here. Are you here to seek refuge or to make a deal?"

“Let’s make a deal,” Black Hawk replied calmly.

Before they arrived, the Iron Tower had already introduced them to some of the local conditions. Whenever a new excavation team came to District 37, it would inevitably attract the attention of the old man.

If someone tries to join a team in District 37, the older members will ostracize and target them, since there is competition between different teams.

However, the attitude of the excavation teams here is much better towards those who come to trade goods and do not stay for long.

After all, the other party came to exchange something.

Upon hearing Black Hawk's words, the eyes of the people present lit up, and a clear sense of goodwill appeared in their eyes. The man who had spoken first laughed heartily and strode towards them, saying, "Welcome, friends who have come from afar."

"Are you looking to buy or sell something?"

“I’m very familiar with this place, so I might be able to help you.”

“No need,” the iron tower suddenly spoke up.

“Mori, I’m familiar with this place.”

Hearing Eiffel Tower call out his name directly, the man raised an eyebrow, showing a surprised expression, but after seeing Eiffel Tower's appearance, he immediately understood.

“It’s you. I remember you, big guy.” Morrie looked surprised. “I remember you used to be with Higgins and the others, how come…”

“We lost the bid for the excavation rights to the Roland mining ruins and were kicked out,” Eiffel Tower said calmly. “After that, the others all died.”

“I see.” Mori looked enlightened. “I’ve heard about that incident too… I don’t know whether to say you were lucky or unlucky.”

"So, you've joined this team now?" Morrie turned to the other four members of Black Hawk Squad. "Are you sure you're here to make a deal?"

“Yes,” Eiffel Tower said in a deep voice, “Now that I have left, I will not rejoin this place, and the others in the team do not intend to join District 37 either.”

"As for what the transaction will involve..."

“We were lucky before, we dug up a batch of stuff and traded it for some money.” Iron Tower paused for a moment, “Now we’re here to buy some things.”

Morrie's smile deepened again. "Since you've said so, I naturally believe you."

"Since you are our guide, I will not overstep my bounds and do it for us."

As he spoke, Mori stepped aside to make way for the Black Hawk team.

The Iron Tower retreated back behind Black Hawk and nodded to him.

Black Hawk understood immediately and quickly led the other four into Sector 37.

Watching the five-man team's departing figures, another person in the crowd couldn't help but ask, "Mori, was that guy from Higgins' team before?"

“Didn’t you hear it all, Buck?” Mori shrugged. “I heard before that the Rebella team snatched the mining rights from another team from the Roland Mine ruins, forced them to leave, and ended up being wiped out as soon as they entered the ruins.”

"I didn't expect that it would be Higgins' squad that was forced to leave."

At this point, Morrie sighed, "If the Rebella team hadn't taken that ruin, the entire Higgins team would have been dead."

"But judging from what this big guy said, it seems that Higgins was the only one who survived in his team."

“This matter is probably not simple,” the man named Buck said in a deep voice. “I’ve heard some rumors about the accident at the Roland mine ruins.”

"Some say that the reason why Rebella's team was wiped out in the ruins of the Roland mine was because someone had set a trap in the ruins beforehand."

"Before the Rebella team, the only people who had come into contact with the Roland Mine Ruins were the Higgins team."

"So, this is very likely retaliation from Higgins' squad."

Upon hearing this, the others were all taken aback.

“Buck, what do you want to say?” Mori frowned slightly, as if he vaguely guessed what Buck wanted to say.

“You’ve all probably heard more or less about the situation at the Roland mining site ruins,” Buck said in a deep voice. “After the accident, some things inside were exposed, and it’s said that even one of the seven excavation teams was alerted.”

"Several important figures have expressed their deep regret over the damage to the interior of the ruins after the accident."

Buck paused for a moment, then said, "Although we don't know exactly what's in there, it's clearly something of great value."

“If Higgins’ team did indeed enter the ruins prematurely and set traps there,” Buck said with a strange look in his eyes, “is it possible that they obtained something from those ruins beforehand?”

"That big guy claims to be the only survivor of Higgins' squad, and his new squad has just acquired a fortune and is here to make a deal..."

After hearing Buck's pointed remark, the expressions of the others changed slightly.

"I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

One of them suddenly spoke up and then hurriedly left. The others present also left, and eventually the place was completely empty.

Completely unaware of the conversations and subsequent changes that took place after they left, the Black Hawk team, guided by the Iron Tower, arrived at an empty shantytown.

“This is a temporary accommodation area in District 37 specifically prepared for traders.” Eiffel Tower paused for a moment. “Living here shows that we are here to trade, not to join this place, which can reduce hostility.”

"Moreover, other excavation teams will take the initiative to come to us to trade."

Although their goal was to get through here, there are indeed some good things to trade in a place like District 37.

“Very good.” Black Hawk looked around and quickly chose a well-located area as the temporary camp for the Black Hawk team. “We’ll settle in here tonight.”

After quickly tidying up the camp and taking various precautions and warnings, the five of them sat down together in the camp and started eating dried meat.

"Iron Tower, that guy named Mori mentioned the Roland mining ruins..." Yu Zhun ate a few bites of jerky and suddenly spoke up. "Could you tell me more about the situation?"

"I'm a little curious."

“Of course.” Eiffel Tower nodded.

"The reason why District 37 became a heavy industrial area is because it has a large reserve of various minerals and a favorable geographical environment," Iron Tower explained. "So in addition to various industrial areas, the most abundant thing here is the mining area."

“The Roland Mine was one of the medium-sized mines in District 37 of the old era.” Iron Tower paused for a moment. “Given the overall strength of my squad at the time, it would have been extremely difficult to take over the ruins of this mine.”

"But this mining area has abundant cobalt resources. Just mining and selling the ore can recoup the team's entire investment. If there are other things inside, then it's a huge profit. So it's a stable ruin."

"Moreover, my captain at the time, Higgins, heard some rumors that back in the old days, mining in the Roland mines had been suspended due to some accidents."

At this point, Iron Tower's tone became more uncertain, "Rumor has it that some very special things have been unearthed in the Roland mining area."

"Digging for something special?" Yu Zhun's eyes flickered slightly. "What is it?"

"I don't know." Eita shook her head. "It's just a rumor, and we can't even be sure if it's true or not. It's very likely just a way to drive up the price."

"But we decided to take the gamble anyway."

"If these special items really exist and have been preserved to this day, they might be very valuable."

At this point, Iron Tower sighed, "No one expected that another team would interfere at this time."

"That is, the Rebella Squad that Mori mentioned."

"The other side also had their eye on this mining ruins, and their financial resources were far greater than ours, giving them a significant advantage in the competition. Ultimately, they seized the mining ruins and used some means to force us out."

"Then, an accident occurred in the mine ruins."

Yu Zhun nodded slightly.

The tower had mentioned what happened next before.

Since the entire Rebella squad has been wiped out, there shouldn't be anyone in District 37 targeting the Tower because of past events.

But he always felt that the "things dug out" mentioned by the tower might not be so simple.

"Is it still possible to enter that ruin now?"

Upon hearing Yu Zhun's words, the group of people were all taken aback.

"You're planning to go in?" Eiffel Tower couldn't help but ask. "But there probably isn't anything valuable left there."

"After the accident, the entire Rebella team that held the mining rights was killed. According to the rules of District 37, the ruins became public ruins that anyone could dig."

“The excavation teams in District 37 each have their own methods. They leave almost nothing of value in the places they go. It’s no exaggeration to say that they dig three feet into the ground.”

"After so much time, it's probably all empty inside by now."

"It's nothing, I just want to go in and take a look." Yu Zhun chuckled. "Besides, from another perspective, with so many teams having entered, all the dangers in that mining ruins should have been eliminated."

"Going in there might not yield any results, but there's no risk either!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the others immediately turned strange.

What kind of perverse logic is this?
No danger, no gain...

That would be a wasted trip!

Only the Iron Tower seemed somewhat tempted after hearing this.

“Actually… I also want to go and see.” The Iron Tower’s voice was a bit lower. “Although Higgins and the others didn’t die there, they ultimately died outside of District 37 because of the competition for that mining ruins, right?”

“I was once a member of that team, so I’m just doing this on their behalf to see what the ruins we never got to be in are really like.”

“Then go.” Hearing this, Black Hawk slowly spoke, “Consider it a farewell to your former teammates.”

"Hmm!" Iron Tower gave Black Hawk a grateful look.

"When do we leave? I'm free to go anytime." Wolf Fang stood up, looking ready to depart at any moment.

"Me too." The mouse crossed its arms and chuckled.

“It’s getting late.” Iron Tower smiled. “The mining ruins are quite far from here. Let’s get some rest for the night.”

"Let's go take a look together tomorrow."
-
"what?"

Meanwhile, in the camp of an excavation team, a burly man suddenly stood up and looked at Mori, who was giving a report, with some surprise.

"You're saying that survivors from Higgins' squad have returned?"

“Yes.” Morrie nodded, then looked curious.

"Captain, your reaction is so strong. Could it be that there was a hidden story behind the complete annihilation of Rebella's squad back then?"

"I guess so," the muscular man said somewhat vaguely. "After all, I'm not sure. I just heard some rumors after the accident."

"Unlike other mines that continued until the moment before the catastrophe, the Roland Mine was forced to shut down in the old days because some special things were found."

At this point, the man glanced at Mori.

Do you know what those special things are?

"I don't know." Mori shook his head blankly.

"Hey, I knew you didn't know." The man revealed a smug look, glanced around, and then lowered his voice.

"It is said that the things that were dug up are related to the origin of evolution."

The origin of evolution?!

Morrie's pupils constricted sharply, as if he had just realized something, and his expression instantly turned fanatical. "That... that big guy who survived Higgins' squad..."

"He most likely knows something about this," the man chuckled. "You were right to come back and tell me immediately. Right now, the other excavation teams are probably already eyeing that newcomer..."

"By the way, what's their strength?"

Morrie paused for a moment, "I didn't notice."

"Tsk..." The man clicked his tongue lightly, slightly dissatisfied. "Fine."

"Let's hold back for now and let the other teams probe."

“But they are traders,” Morrie couldn’t help but say.

"A deal?" the man scoffed.

"Believe it or not, they will definitely go to the ruins of the Roland mining area!"

(End of this chapter)