Being forced to grow like a pig? But I'm immune to the consequences!

The room fell silent. Zhang Yong and Guo Hui exchanged a glance, their expressions filled with hesitation.

Having spent years mingling in this outer city, and as instructors for the Hyena Gang, they were well aware of the gray area's location. However, this matter was of great importance, and if handled poorly, it could lead to trouble.

Wu Sheng did not urge them, but simply sat quietly to the side, waiting calmly for their reply.

After a long silence, Zhang Yongcai slowly spoke, looking at Wu Sheng with unwavering eyes: "Wu Sheng, if anyone else had asked this question, we wouldn't have revealed a single word. But you, lad, we've watched you rise step by step from the outer city to where you are today. We know your character well, and I trust you."

After saying that, Zhang Yong no longer hesitated. He lowered his voice and told Wu Sheng in detail about the location of the gray area outside the city, the contact codes, and the precautions for contacting cult members.

After giving instructions on the address and details, Zhang Yong repeatedly and solemnly warned him, his tone full of concern: "Wu Sheng, whatever you want to do, remember never to get too involved with those people. Cult members are ruthless. Once you get involved, at best you won't be able to protect yourself, and at worst you will implicate your family and friends. You must always keep this in mind and be extremely careful!"

Wu Sheng felt a warmth in his heart, knowing that the two were genuinely concerned for him. He nodded solemnly, "Thank you for your instructions, Master Zhang and Master Guo. I understand and will be extremely careful."

After bowing to the two men again to express his gratitude, Wu Sheng did not linger any longer. He got up to take his leave, turned around and left the Hyena Gang's base, heading towards the gray area that Zhang Yong had mentioned.

……

Following the address given by Zhang Yong, Wu Sheng continued his journey towards the outermost edge of the city. The road became increasingly rugged, and the surrounding area gradually sparsely populated, with desolation as far as the eye could see.

Before long, he arrived at the very edge of the outer city—one step further and he would be in a desolate wasteland completely outside the city's control.

Wu Sheng stopped and took out a black mask from his pocket.

This was given to him by Zhang Yong before he left; it served as both a pass to enter the gray area and a protective shield to conceal his identity.

He had already changed out of his conspicuous martial arts academy uniform and put on a loose and rough linen shirt. His originally upright and sharp temperament instantly disappeared, and he looked no different from an ordinary refugee in the outer city.

Wu Sheng carefully put on the mask, covering most of his face, leaving only a pair of calm and cold eyes visible. He looked up at them.

At the edge of the field of vision, there were large areas of nearly weathered ruins.

The dilapidated building skeletons stand crookedly on the wasteland, faintly revealing traces of past prosperity, but have long been crushed into a desolate wasteland by time and calamity.

Beyond the city walls lies not only desolation, but also countless dangers—strange beasts, poisonous creatures, and a harsh environment, each capable of easily claiming a life.

This is why everyone would rather stay in Yangon than step out, even if it means barely surviving.

However, even in this area so close to the wilderness, some people still struggle to survive.

However, compared to the settlements near the inner city that still maintained some order, this outer city outskirts was the epitome of chaos and ruin.

The low, crooked shacks were haphazardly built, pieced together from broken sheet metal and rotten planks, and crammed together in a crooked manner.

The air was filled with an indescribable stench, garbage and filth were piled up everywhere, and uncollected feces could even be seen on the muddy ground, making it an extremely filthy place.

In this filthy corner lay a group of emaciated people. They were ragged, pale and thin, lying on the ground like starving corpses, their eyes numb and empty, driven only by the instinct to survive—unresponsive even to the filth around them.

This was the first time Wu Sheng had set foot in such a harsh environment.

Back in the days when they lived in the settlement, the elders repeatedly warned that they must never go near this area—it was a place where the law of the jungle prevailed, and human life was as cheap as grass. Once you stepped in, you might be kidnapped in the blink of an eye, and your body might never be found.

At this moment, Wu Sheng's arrival instantly attracted the attention of everyone around him.

Those numb eyes instantly sharpened, scrutinizing him from head to toe without any hesitation. Their gazes were greedy and sinister, as if they were appraising a commodity waiting to be sold—calculating how much he could exchange his flesh for and whether he had anything of value on him.

But they dared not make any rash moves.

Although Wu Sheng was dressed in coarse linen clothes, his muscular physique and steady gait exuded a powerful aura, making him no pushover.

People who constantly struggle on the edge of life and death have an innate and keen intuition for danger. They can feel a faint sense of oppression from Wu Sheng—this masked stranger is not to be trifled with.

For a moment, only heavy breathing could be heard around him. No one dared to step forward to stop him, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Wu Sheng steadily passed through a narrow and cramped passage that could barely be called a street.

After walking for a while, a relatively neat house came into view. Compared to the dilapidated shacks around it, this building was the most presentable one in the area.

Wu Sheng raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

Who is it?

A hoarse, aged voice came from inside the door. Immediately afterwards, the door was pulled open a crack, and an old man poked his head out, his cloudy eyes scanning the outside warily before his gaze immediately fixed on the black mask on Wu Sheng's face.

The moment he saw the mask clearly, the old man's wariness lessened somewhat. He silently opened the door and welcomed Wu Sheng inside.

As soon as he entered, the old man lowered his voice and asked in a stern tone, "You understand the rules, right?"

Without saying a word, Wu Sheng took out two hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to the old man. This was the entrance fee that Zhang Yong had arranged in advance, the first hurdle to overcome to enter this place.

The old man calmly stuffed the money into his pocket, his gaunt face expressionless. He stepped aside to make way, pointing to the depths of the room: "Go down. I hope you find what you're looking for down there."

Wu Sheng looked in the direction he pointed and discovered that the room was narrow and cramped, with a stone staircase leading to the underground at the end—dark and deep, with no bottom in sight.

He stepped onto the stone steps and walked deeper into the underground.

The stone steps were long and winding downwards, surrounded by darkness, with only fingertips able to touch the cold, damp walls.

Every so often, you could see guards standing in the middle of the passage—each with a fierce expression, weapons at their waists, and sinister eyes scrutinizing passersby, as if they were identifying something.

After passing through an extremely narrow tunnel, a faint light finally appeared ahead. Wu Sheng stepped out, and the scene before him made him slightly taken aback.

He had imagined the underground would be a dark, damp, and filthy place, like a sewer, but the underground space before him was surprisingly well-organized, resembling a hidden underground market.

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