Weigen was also extremely surprised; he did not expect Su Changxing to agree to come to their Black Dog Gang’s territory.

Are they not afraid of catching the plague?

"Be careful then, there are quite a few who have caught the plague in the gang." Weigen kindly reminded.

Su Changxing retorted, "Aren’t you afraid?"

"I’m not afraid of death," Weigen said calmly.

Su Changxing didn’t believe that; he had seen many people claiming not to be afraid of death, but in reality?

The further they went into East City, the more they saw people lying motionless by the roadside.

"This is the heavily affected area; all those who have the plague have been driven here, left to fend for themselves," Weigen said solemnly.

Su Changxing looked around and asked, "Are those with the plague from West City also driven here?"

Weigen nodded, speaking angrily, "Those nobles don’t regard us as humans at all; our place is just a dump. The interaction between the East and West City has already been cut off, heavily guarded, and the Curtain has been activated."

"Curtain?" Su Changxing heard this strange term and asked, "What is that?"

Weigen explained, "The Curtain cuts off all the roads. That thing is terrifying; someone touched it before, and their entire hand exploded. They nearly died there."

Such a thing obviously doesn’t belong to this era.

"Sounds exaggerated," Su Changxing guessed, thinking it might also be Eric’s handiwork.

The Black Dog Gang’s territory was a building taller than those around it, circular, with seven or eight people armed with firearms standing guard at the entrance, preventing anyone from approaching.

On the other side of the building, a large number of people with the plague gathered; they sat in the open space inside the iron gate, not wearing masks, their skin visibly ulcerated and rotten.

The iron gate was closed, locking them inside, and two gang members with firearms stood guard at the entrance.

Weigen saw Su Changxing observing that side and explained, "These are all visibly infected with the plague and have been concentrated here to prevent infecting others."

Quite humane.

Su Changxing thought these gang members would kill all the infected, and asked, "Whose idea is this?"

Weigen replied, "Of course, it’s our boss’s idea. He heard that not all plague victims die, so he left them here to fend for themselves."

"Moreover, if we slaughter all the infected in the city, the city would surely be in chaos. Although the current situation is terrible, it’s still within control."

For a gang boss to come up with such an idea, it’s impressive.

"What about those managing this place? The nobles?" Su Changxing asked.

The gang is ultimately an underground force; the officials and nobles still manage the city. Generally, gangs work for the nobility, being vicious dogs to the common people but loyal dogs to the nobility.

Wodan was in a similar situation.

Weigen looked around and said quietly, "Those nobles have already fled to West City. Compared to our East City, West City’s situation is much better."

The building had an elevator, powered by a large tank of black whale oil. From the design, it was an old-fashioned elevator, screened, allowing scenes outside to be visible.

They followed Weigen and took the elevator directly to the top floor, where several people were on guard, some of them gang members, playing cards together.

The person guarding the elevator door saw Weigen and instinctively stepped back two steps, then saw Su Changxing and the others and questioned, "Who are they?"

It was clear they were wary of Weigen, only because Weigen was the only one who could meet the boss.

If the boss caught the plague, then he might have it too.

Weigen didn’t mind their attitude and said easily, "I have something important; I’m bringing them to meet the boss for a talk. If you’re worried, you can come up with me."

The person heard this, his heart skipped a beat, and he smiled, saying, "Why would we be? Of course, it’s fine. Take them up then; I heard the boss’s state is not bad today. The medicine has some effect."

"Oh? That’s good," Weigen smiled happily, then led Su Changxing and the others upwards.

At this moment, Su Changxing stopped and turned to Nobu, saying, "You wait here. No need to go up."

Nobu nodded, not saying much. He was different from Su Changxing; if he caught the plague, it would be certain death.

Weigen led the way, saying, "Actually, the plague isn’t so scary. As long as you keep a certain distance, nothing will happen. Although I often meet the boss, I haven’t caught the plague."

"Is that so?" Su Changxing didn’t think it was that simple. In the Empire’s south, millions died. If it were that easy to avoid, so many wouldn’t have died.

The nobles, with their more informed news, were more cautious about the plague than the common people.

Upon reaching the top floor, no one remained, and in a cage to the front left was a dead parrot, its feathers gone completely, seemingly having died not long ago.

"Did this bird die too?" Weigen saw the dead parrot and was taken aback, clearly not expecting the parrot to die here.

"It seems the plague poses a significant threat not just to humans but also to animals," Su Changxing analyzed.

Weigen frowned, puzzled, "Even at such a distance, why did this bird die?"

As they spoke, a voice came from inside.

"Weigen, who did you bring? Didn’t I say not to bring people up?"

A hoarse voice, yet full of energy.

Weigen immediately said, "They are merchants selling those special masks, saying they want to talk to you first before selling."

"You mean those masks the West City’s nobles wear?"

"Yes, you told me to keep an eye on it before."

"If they’re not afraid of death, let them in!"

Su Changxing pushed the door open and walked in, witnessing a terrifying scene: a half-naked middle-aged man sat cross-legged in the room’s center, stricken by the plague, his flesh decayed, even exposing chest bones, with half of his face covered in pus and blood.

Most people would have been frightened, but for him, it was merely a small matter.

"I’m the boss of the Black Dog Gang, Allen." The man looked up at Su Changxing, pausing, "I can feel you’re unusual; I’ve seen people like you before. You’re a Heretic, aren’t you?"

With one sentence, he revealed Su Changxing’s identity.

Beside him, Weigen was also taken aback, not expecting Su Changxing to be a Heretic, and he drew an ax from his waist, ready to act at any moment.

Su Changxing glanced at Weigen, smiling, "So what if I am?"

The person before him seemed different; although infected by the plague, it had freed him from worldly constraints, granting him liberty, allowing him to discern Su Changxing’s identity at a glance.

In other words, he was also a Heretic, just not a Player.

Allen coughed, extending a thin hand, "A Heretic, then a Heretic. It doesn’t matter now. That thing on your face is what I want. Name your price, I’ll buy however many there are."

Hearing Allen’s words, Weigen relaxed.

Su Changxing stared at him, saying, "You’ve already caught the plague; such masks would be pointless."

Allen’s lips curved into a smile, "I can’t use them, but why can’t others? I don’t want others to view me with narrow-mindedness."

Su Changxing nodded, "Since you can tell I’m a Heretic, I want information about other Heretics here."

Allen shook his head, saying, "I can discern your identity, but not necessarily others’."

"Those recognized as Heretics have either fled or died; how would I know about them."

Su Changxing smiled, "You seem to be a loyal person. Did you know a Heretic who caught the plague?"

Allen’s face suddenly turned grim, "Clever people are really annoying!"