Chapter 200: Chapter 181: 2-World Mountain

"I’m going to tell Sister Ning’Er you took advantage of me!" Fang Tangtang shouted.

"What’s there to take advantage of?" Gao Neng retorted. Then he put Gao Xiaomeng into a pocket of his backpack and put on his motorcycle helmet.

The black, heavy-armored mecha motorcycle tore down the road.

Along the way, they naturally attracted the attention of some late-night street racers.

Soon, a few other heavy-armored motorcycles closed in, their riders whistling, while a sports car weaved back and forth on the road ahead of them.

"Gao Neng, get ’em!" Fang Tangtang’s eyes were filled with excitement, her expression showing she loved the drama.

"Isn’t it wrong to bully the weak?"

"They have more people. We’re the weak ones."

"Fair point." A smile tugged at the corner of Gao Neng’s mouth. He took out a black capsule and crushed it, and a black shadow shot out.

CRACK!

The black shadow leaped.

It smashed down onto the weaving sports car ahead.

Two scythes, already evolving toward refined steel, slashed out and tore a gash in the sports car’s hood. The car immediately slammed on its brakes.

"Energy materialization?!"

"Run!"

The street racers scattered in an instant.

Meanwhile, Gao Neng showed off his superb riding skills. He popped a wheelie, flying over the sports car, then hit the gas and continued to tear down the road.

"Hahaha, that was so thrilling! Gao Neng, after we get back from the battlefield, let’s go racing again, okay?" Fang Tangtang’s face was flushed with excitement.

"We’ll see when we get back," Gao Neng said noncommittally.

"Sister Ning’Er likes to race too, and she’s even better than me."

"I know." Gao Neng really did know. He had seen Shen Ning’Er race back in the Forgotten Land. She was even wilder than Fang Tangtang.

Fang Tangtang’s racing style was the reckless, straight-line-speed kind.

But Shen Ning’Er was different...

Shen Ning’Er loved to push the limits when she drove: high-speed cornering, high-speed alleyway runs, high-speed jumps... The thrill wasn’t something an ordinary person could handle.

RUMBLE!

The furious roar of the engine was incessant.

「Two hours later.」

They took a short break.

Then, they set off again.

Three and a half hours later, the black, heavy-armored mecha motorcycle finally reached the border of the Eastern District of the City of Hope.

When Gao Neng had arrived in the City of Hope, he had flown directly into the Eastern Capital Airport. This was his first time at the Eastern District’s border.

To his surprise...

The Eastern District border wasn’t desolate. On the contrary, it was quite prosperous.

"Each of the City of Hope’s four districts has a defensive fortress. This is the Eastern District Fortress. Once you pass through it, you’ve basically entered the battlefield!" Fang Tangtang explained.

"Is there an inspection at the fortress?"

"Of course, but I came prepared." Fang Tangtang waved the passbook in her hand, evidently well-prepared. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The black, heavy-armored mecha motorcycle drove into the Eastern District Fortress.

Gao Neng’s attention was drawn to the things inside. Though it was called a fortress, it was more like a supply base, filled with countless procurement shops.

"Once you’re on the battlefield, as long as you kill some of the alien races, you’ll always get some loot. You can turn this loot over to the Military Department or sell it directly to these merchants. Generally speaking, the merchants’ prices are higher than what the Military Department offers, but the Military Department gives out merit rewards," Fang Tangtang continued.

"What are the prices for weapons and equipment here?" Gao Neng asked.

"The weapons and equipment sold openly are definitely more expensive than market price. But there’s also a black market inside the Eastern District Fortress where prices are a bit lower. Not by much, though. It’s still definitely more expensive than what the military academies sell to us." Fang Tangtang was quite familiar with these matters.

"I see." Gao Neng understood after a moment’s thought.

The four major military academies were backed by the Military Department, so for their own students, the materials and equipment they sold were basically a perk.

But outside the four major military academies, that kind of subsidy didn’t exist.

In the City of Hope, aside from the four major military academies, there were many other schools, as well as some special, smaller factions and teams.

When these people bought materials and equipment, it was naturally more expensive.

The two of them continued forward.

Seeing that Gao Neng and Fang Tangtang were heading straight for the main gate of the Eastern District Fortress, the various merchants didn’t bother them.

The interior of the Eastern District Fortress was mostly built from bluestone.

The outer walls of the fortress, however, were forged from alloy. All over the fortress walls, one could see rows of heavy weaponry.

"I heard Grandpa Shen is stationed here at the Eastern District Fortress. Want to go say hello?" Fang Tangtang glanced at Gao Neng with a smile.

"Heh." Gao Neng returned the smile. "I think we could go see him. We could also mention that you’re heading to the battlefield. Maybe he’ll even get us some gear. What do you think?"

"The strong should be self-reliant! How can we covet handouts? Let’s not go see him after all!" Fang Tangtang immediately corrected Gao Neng’s erroneous thinking.

Gao Neng didn’t mind.

Soon, the two arrived at the fortress gate.

Fang Tangtang handed over two passes.

The guarding soldier checked them carefully, then opened the gate to let them pass.

Gao Neng stepped out of the gate.

He could feel the scent of blood hanging in the air—an odor that had accumulated over years and years, one that not even the cold night wind could blow away.

Gao Neng glanced at the fortress wall.

The wall was over a hundred feet tall.

It was covered in all sorts of marks. Even the alloy-forged exterior was battered and broken, stained with numerous deep red bloodstains.