“Huh?”

Liu Zheng stopped in his tracks.

“What’s up?”

Bullhorse asked.

“Sounds like someone is singing.”

He said.

The singing was faint, almost imperceptible. Without the vest’s enhancement, he probably wouldn’t have heard it.

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Bullhorse pricked up his ears.

“Je vois la vie en rose, il me dit des mots d'amour.”

Liu Zheng softly hummed the lyrics he caught, a smile slowly forming on his face.

“Oh, it’s Mr. Tree.”

“That tree? Yeah, who else would be singing on the street at this hour?”

Bullhorse scoffed.

“Is it far from here?”

He asked.

“Just over a kilometer.”

Bullhorse thought for a moment.

“That’s not bad. Boss, should I go say hi?”

Liu Zheng asked.

“Why? You wanna be its backup dancer or something?”

Bullhorse teased.

“Gotta be polite.”

He smiled.

“You humans are always so busy with nonsense. Go if you want, but I don’t wanna see it.”

Bullhorse said in annoyance.

“Alright.”

Liu Zheng headed in the direction Bullhorse pointed, while Bullhorse followed at a distance.

Before long, Liu Zheng spotted Delago.

No need for him to be a backup dancer—Delago was already rocking out on his own.

Thousands of roots burst from the dark soil, wildly dancing with his branches and leaves.

Countless bones and collectibles clashed, ringing out like a percussion ensemble.

Though it was an extremely gentle ballad, Delago somehow sang it with a heavy metal vibe.

“Mr. Tree!”

Liu Zheng called several times before Delago turned his face toward him.

“It’s you, annoying guy. Coming to me so late, what good stuff did you get this time?”

At first, he looked disdainful, then excitement quickly followed.

“Nothing like that. Just passing by. Heard your singing, so I came over to say hi.”

Liu Zheng said.

“Tch.”

Delago turned his face away, ready to keep singing.

“But actually, I did bring you something.”

He pulled out some sake and placed it on the ground.

“If you get tired of singing, have a sip to soothe your throat. I’m off.”

Liu Zheng waved his tentacles, then turned to leave.

“Hey, wait.”

Delago called after him.

“The city’s most talented rock singer, the esteemed French noble Delago, at your service.”

Liu Zheng turned back with a smile.

“This gentleman never freeloads. So, tell me, what do you want in exchange?”

Delago tried to keep calm, but his mouth stretched so wide it almost showed his inner bark layer.

“This is just a gift between friends. If you want to return the favor, just give me some info.”

Liu Zheng said helplessly.

The bottle of sake was ordinary quality, not worth trading for anything valuable.

Though generous, this tree was no fool.

“What kind of info?”

“Bullhorse plans to take me to the Black Market to make money. Got any advice for me?”

He asked.

“Bullhorse’s here too?”

Delago looked around and soon spotted Bullhorse hiding in a corner.

“Pfft!”

He spat a mouthful of tree sap onto the ground.

Almost at the same time, Liu Zheng heard a hiss from the corner.

“Do you two have a grudge?”

He asked curiously.

“That bastard tried to trade fake wine. I caught him and beat him up.”

Delago snorted.

Liu Zheng was instantly impressed.

To beat up Bullhorse, a three-time “Excellent Employee,” definitely made Delago the street boss here.

“You’ve already beaten him, so let’s just move past this.”

He tried to reason.

“Move past it my ass. That bastard mixed herbicide into the wine and made me sick for days.”

Delago said fiercely.

“You knew it was fake and still drank it?”

Liu Zheng was speechless.

“How else would I know how fake it was?”

Delago said righteously.

“You’re right.”

He admitted defeat.

“I haven’t been to the Black Market, so I have no info for you.”

Delago said.

“Fine then. Good night.”

“Wait.”

Delago called again.

“What?”

“Take this. I don’t like owing favors.”

A root hung down, holding a writhing chunk of meat.

“Name: Emergency Ration”

“Type: Item”

“Quality: Excellent”

“Effect: Automatically used after becoming a ‘shell,’ restoring some missing parts.”

“Note: Having more friends is always beneficial, especially when you’re hungry.”

“Can it be taken out of the dungeon: No”

A life-saving item, a good find.

Liu Zheng was about to step forward and take it but suddenly stopped.

He looked down. The moonlight was blocked by Delago’s dense branches, leaving the ground beneath in pitch darkness.

Liu Zheng bent over almost in half.

Then, he smelled the rank scent of soil.

“Impossible to guard against.”

Liu Zheng sighed.

“Eating a piece of meat is so hard.”

Delago sighed even deeper.

“Let’s run through the process again.”

He suggested.

“Sigh. I really want to trade with you, human. If the trade isn’t enough, you can make it up next time.”

Delago resigned himself.

“Alright, alright, come forward.”

Liu Zheng stretched out a tentacle and took the chunk of meat.

At some unknown time, the moonlight shone down again, illuminating the twisted human face on the meat.

“You keep going, I’m leaving first.”

He turned and left, leaving Delago sulking there.

“What did you trade for this time?”

Bullhorse asked.

“This.”

Liu Zheng showed the emergency ration.

“Oh, nice.”

Bullhorse’s eyes lit up.

“With this, maybe we can make a big score.”

It whispered.

“Boss, what did you say?”

“Nothing, let’s go. The Black Market closes soon.”

It hurried him.

Half an hour later, they finally arrived.

A deep alley, its entrance shrouded in a constantly shifting, slick black mist.

“Stick your hand in.”

Bullhorse told Liu Zheng.

“Why?”

“Rules of the Black Market. They check visitors’ identities to keep other things out.”

Bullhorse explained.

“What other things?”

“Enough with the questions. Are you here to make money or do research? Hurry up.”

Bullhorse said impatiently.

Liu Zheng rolled his eyes and stretched his hand into the black mist.

The touch was strange, like passing through a layer of cooled lard.

“Ouch!”

He suddenly bared his teeth.

Something inside bit him, not hard but painful.

On the other side, Bullhorse also stuck his hoof in.

Soon, it let out the same cry.

“I thought you were used to it by now.”

Liu Zheng teased.

“Moron, I’m not a masochist.”

Bullhorse rolled his eyes and rubbed his hoof, wincing.

“Besides, my hooves are so delicate.”

“Heh.”

Seconds later, the black mist turned red.

“Okay, we can go in.”

Bullhorse charged forward.

As it entered, Liu Zheng felt an intense sensation of being watched.

“Really picking on the weak.”

He sneered, stepping into the red mist.

In an instant, suffocation enveloped him.

Liu Zheng felt as if he had fallen into a giant block of butter that was constantly churning and squeezing him.

He held his breath and swam forward, waving his four tentacles.