Cut off my way home? You'll sacrifice the entire other world in return!

The alleyway was dark and damp.

The walls were covered with dripping pipes, and the floor was covered in sticky grease.

The short man with four mechanical arms led the way like a crab.

"My friend, you have good taste."

The short man walked along, glancing back and rubbing his four hands together incessantly.

"Among all the black market goods in this area, Old Zhang's is the most comprehensive. Do you want military-grade power cores? Or civilian long-range batteries? I can even get you those prohibited high-energy polymers."

Li Fan didn't say anything, he just followed silently.

His gaze was constantly scanning his surroundings.

This is the underground black market in the lower city, where all sorts of shady transactions take place.

Most of the shops on both sides were just dilapidated iron sheds filled with all sorts of mechanical parts and prosthetics.

Some people were haggling over prices, some were inspecting the goods, and others were secretly injecting an unknown liquid in a corner.

Chaos and disorder.

"Sir... are we really going to buy from this guy?"

A trembling voice came from behind me.

It's Old Black.

The driver with the severed hand didn't actually get away.

He realized that in this cannibalistic world, following a monster that could tear apart mechs with its bare hands was dangerous, but it might also be the only way to survive.

Moreover, he was completely convinced by Li Fan's move just now.

"This old Zhang has a terrible reputation; he specializes in ripping off new customers and selling counterfeit goods," Lao Hei whispered to Li Fan.

"Fake goods?"

Li Fan raised an eyebrow.

"Fake goods are great."

"Perfect timing, let me taste what counterfeit goods are like."

As they spoke, they arrived at a tin-roofed house at the end of the alley.

A neon sign hanging on the roof flashed blue light and read "Old Zhang's Energy Shop".

"We're here! We're here!"

Old Zhang, the man with four hands, pushed open the rusty iron gate and gestured for them to enter.

"Please come in, both of you!"

The room was small but crammed with things.

The shelves were filled with batteries of various models, and the cores emitted a faint glow.

The air was filled with the smell of ozone.

Li Fan walked in and took a deep breath.

For him, this smelled like the aroma of rice.

"Boss, bring out your best products."

Li Fan found a reasonably clean chair, sat down, and crossed his legs.

Money is not a problem.

Upon hearing the words "money is not a problem," Old Zhang's four robotic arms twitched simultaneously, and his electronic eyes instantly lit up.

Fat sheep!

Big fat sheep!

"Okay! Please wait a moment!"

Old Zhang used both hands and feet to climb up and down, and quickly took a black metal box out of a safe.

He placed the box on the table, entered the password, and opened the lid.

Nourishing.

A blast of cold air escaped.

Inside the box lay three crystals emitting a pale blue light.

Each piece is about the size of a fist, with a smooth cut and a very refined appearance.

"Look at this!"

Old Zhang pointed at the crystals, spitting as he spoke.

"This is a Deep Blue Type III high-energy polymer core that just came from the Upper City! It's specially designed to power heavy mechs! One piece can keep an excavator running non-stop for three months!"

"It was originally a special supply for the military, and I only managed to get it by pulling a lot of strings."

"Since you're a new customer, I'll give you a fair price: one yuan for every 10,000 credits! Three yuan for a bundle, that'll be 28,000!"

Old Hei watched from the side, his eyes wide with amazement.

Deep Blue Type III?

That's a legendary high-end product!

Ordinary people would never see each other in their entire lives.

"Sir...this is a good thing..." Old Hei whispered.

Li Fan ignored Lao Hei's astonishment.

He reached into the box and picked up a crystal.

It feels cool to the touch.

Li Fan held the crystal up to his eyes and waved it around.

The flowing blue light inside looks beautiful.

but……...

"Um?"

Li Fan wrinkled his nose.

Why does it smell sour?

"Sour smell?" Old Zhang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled ingratiatingly, "How could that be! This is pure energy crystal, where would it smell? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"I have a very sensitive nose."

As Li Fan spoke, he brought the crystal to his lips.

Old Zhang's expression changed.

"Hey, hey, hey! Customer! You can't lick this! It's radioactive! And it's very fragile..."

Click.

A crisp sound interrupted Old Zhang's words.

Under the horrified gazes of Lao Zhang and Lao Hei.

Li Fan took a big bite out of the priceless "Deep Blue III" core, just like biting into an apple.

collapse!

The crystal shattered, and blue powder splattered out.

Li Fan chewed twice, his brows furrowing even more.

"Pooh!"

He spat the food residue from his mouth onto the ground.

"What a piece of junk."

"This is all industrial waste; the actual high-energy particle content is less than five percent."

"and…....…"

Li Fan looked at the fragments on the ground that were rapidly turning dull and lifeless.

"This batch of goods is at least thirty years past its expiration date, isn't it?"

"They've all gone bad; they taste sour and have a musty smell."

The entire room fell silent.

Old Zhang opened his mouth wide, his jaw almost dropping to the ground.

Did you chew it up?

Did you crush a high-energy crystal with your teeth?

And you can even taste the flavor?

Can you even find an expiration date on food?

What the hell are these teeth?!

"You...you..." Old Zhang pointed at Li Fan, speechless for a long time.

"What's wrong? Feeling sorry for him?"

Li Fan casually tossed the remaining half of the crystal back into the box.

"You dare sell this kind of garbage for ten thousand? Are you insulting me?"

Old Zhang's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

They've been exposed.

This is indeed a counterfeit product he made by repackaging discarded industrial batteries, specifically to deceive unsuspecting out-of-towners.

Normally, those people would take it back and install it on their mechs. Although the power was a bit low, it was still usable and no one would notice.

Who would have thought they'd encounter a pervert who'd just bite into it!

"Kid! You looking for trouble, aren't you?!"

Old Zhang was furious and embarrassed.

He slammed his hand on the table.

Click click click!

Suddenly, four automatic machine guns descended from the roof, their dark muzzles pointed at Li Fan's head.

"You ruined my goods and you still dare to make sarcastic remarks?"

"Don't even think about leaving this room today without leaving at least 50,000 credits!"

A laser dagger and a stun gun also popped out from Old Zhang's four mechanical hands.

"Old Black, are these the men you brought?"

Old Zhang stared at Old Hei, who was hiding in the corner, and said.

"If he doesn't know the rules, I'll teach him for you!"

Old Hei squatted on the ground, holding his head, secretly lamenting his misfortune.

It’s over.

Old Zhang is a tough nut to crack. He's been in the black market for so many years, and his success is all thanks to his ruthlessness.

But this Li Fan... he's not even human!

"Is this your way of treating guests?"

Li Fan remained seated in the chair, even shifting to a more comfortable position.

He looked up at the machine guns.

"Too slow."

"What's too slow?" Old Zhang was taken aback.

"I said you're too slow."

Before he could finish speaking...

Li Fan moved his hand.

He grabbed the heavy metal safe from the table and threw it away.

call.

The safe flew towards the roof like a cannonball.

boom!!!

A loud bang.

The automatic machine guns, which hadn't even had a chance to fire yet, along with half the roof, were smashed down by the safe.

Smoke and dust filled the air.

The electrical wires short-circuited, and sparks flew everywhere.

Old Zhang was dumbfounded.

Before he could react, Li Fan had already appeared in front of him.

A hand grabbed his neck and lifted him up.

"Cough cough... Let... let go..."

Old Zhang struggled desperately as four mechanical arms frantically swung laser daggers, aiming to stab Li Fan's arm.

Zizizi!

The laser cutting on Li Fan's skin emitted a burnt smell, but it only left a white mark.

"Don't move."

Li Fan applied a little force.

Click.

He snapped off one of Lao Zhang's mechanical arms.

"ah!!!"

"I'm asking you."

Li Fan pulled Lao Zhang in front of him, his eyes cold.

"Where are the real goods?"

"Don't try to fool me with that kind of garbage."

"I can smell it."

Li Fan sniffed.

"There's a really nice smell in this room."

"It's like... some kind of high-purity source energy."

Old Zhang trembled all over as he looked into Li Fan's red-glowing eyes, and his mental defenses completely collapsed.

monster!

This is absolutely a monster in human skin!

Even lasers can't cut through the skin, what kind of defense is that?!

"In...in the basement..."

Old Zhang pointed with difficulty to the floor.

"That's...that's the store's prized possession...an S-grade core..."

"You should have said so earlier."

Li Fan released his grip and threw Lao Zhang to the ground.

"lead the way."

Old Zhang covered his neck, not daring to disobey in any way.

He pressed a switch under the table.

Click click click.

The floor slowly slid away, revealing a staircase leading underground.

A dense energy surged up from below.

Li Fan took a deep breath.

This taste...that's it!

Pure, volatile, and full of power.

It's a hundred times better than that garbage we just saw.

Li Fan couldn't wait to go downstairs.

The basement is a sealed room made entirely of metal.

There is a levitation force field device in the center of the sealed room.

A purple sphere floats at the center of the force field.

It is only the size of an egg, crystal clear, with purple lightning crackling inside.

The surrounding air was distorted by its energy field.

"This is the S-class core Purple Lightning..."

Old Zhang followed behind, explaining with a pained expression.

"This was dug out from the body of a king-level mutated beast; it's a genuine source energy crystal."

"Its energy density is ten thousand times that of a regular battery."

"Just one of these is enough to power the defense system of a small city."

"I originally planned to keep it for my retirement..."

Li Fan ignored his nonsense.

He walked over and reached through the levitation field.

It's sizzling!

The force field releases high-voltage electricity in an attempt to block the intrusion.

But Li Fan ignored the electric current and grabbed the purple core.

It was piping hot to the touch.

"nice one."

Li Fan's eyes lit up.

High-purity energy source reaction detected.

[Quality Grade S]

[Contains fragments of lightning that represent laws.]

The system notification sounded.

Li Fan did not hesitate.

He opened his mouth.

"What are you doing?!" Old Zhang screamed. "That's a source energy crystal! You can't touch it directly! It'll explode! That's nuclear-level energy!!"

"Gulp."

Li Fan swallowed it in one gulp.

They didn't even chew it.

Swallow it whole.

Old Zhang and Old Hei, who had just followed him down, stood frozen in place as if petrified.

Swallowed?

Did they really swallow it?

That's an S-class core that could flatten half of Iron Fortress!

next second.

boom!

Li Fan's body trembled.

The purple light shone through his skin, revealing even the outlines of his blood vessels and bones.

Countless tiny purple lightning bolts crackled and popped as they traveled across his body.

The surrounding metal frames hummed and vibrated from the electromagnetic waves.

Li Fan closed his eyes and frowned slightly.

An ordinary person would have been reduced to ashes by now.

But he is a plane devourer.

His body was a furnace.

"Give me... to digest!"

Li Fan let out a low growl.

The body frantically circulated energy, forcibly tearing apart, absorbing, and transforming that violent mass of energy.

One minute later.

The purple light dissipated.

The electric current on Li Fan's body also disappeared.

He slowly opened his eyes.

A purple lightning flashed deep within his pupils.

"Phew~"

Li Fan exhaled a breath of stale air that crackled with electricity.

He felt that some of his strength had been restored.

Although it's only one-thousandth of its peak, it's enough to dominate in a beginner village like Ironforge.

Moreover, he seemed to have mastered some of the power of lightning.

"It tastes good."

Li Fan licked his lips and gave his evaluation.

"It has a slightly numbing texture and is very chewy."

"Much better than that expired product from before."

He turned his head and looked at Old Zhang, who was already paralyzed with fear on the ground.

"Is there anything else?"

"I'll be full if you give me two more."

Old Zhang shook his head frantically, tears streaming down his face.

"No...that's all..."

"It's really gone..."

"That's the store's prized possession... my entire fortune..."

"Tsk, poor bastard."

Li Fan pouted in disappointment.

He went out of the basement and back into the store.

Old Hei was hiding by the door, looking at him with an expression of admiration.

"Sir... are you... are you alright?"

"It's nothing, just a treat."

Li Fan stretched, and his bones cracked all over.

"Let's go, let's try another one."

"I've eaten everything in this restaurant."

Li Fan stepped out of the shop.

Looking at the mess in the shop and the empty basement, Old Zhang felt like crying.

This isn't a place to buy things.

This is practically a locust swarm!

Just as Li Fan stepped out of the alley.

A sudden, urgent alarm sounded in the sky.

Woo-woo-woo

Several drones whizzed by, their searchlight beams scanning the streets of the downtown area.

A cold, mechanical voice came from the loudspeaker.

"Announcement: A Level 1 high-energy reaction anomaly has been detected in the Xiacheng District."

"The executioner squad has been deployed."

"All residents must immediately return to their homes; those who disobey will be executed without exception."

Li Fan stopped and looked up at the drones.

"A high-energy reaction?"

He touched his stomach where he had just eaten the core.

"Are you looking for me?"

Li Fan smiled.

"Perfect timing, time for post-meal exercise."

"I hope you can get some large tin cans."

"I'm not full yet."

(Someone like Lao Hei, who lives in the wild, definitely has a way to get into the city.)