Pollution throughout the territory

The wooden stairs creaked as they stepped on them. Except for the first floor, there were no lights in the rest of the place, so they had no choice but to walk forward in the dark.

But the good thing is that everyone can adapt to the dark environment, not to mention Niu Changshou. It would be a bit unreasonable if the steel body composed of the Superman Association's pollution technology does not even have night vision function.

"Have you lived here before?"

Xia Ren asked.

Niu Changshou sighed: "That was a long time ago. After so many years, Arkham still hasn't changed much."

As they passed the corner of the stairs on the second floor, Xia Ren suddenly heard crazy murmurs coming from a room in the corridor. It was like a severe paranoid patient whispering and quickly repeating some vague dream talk. These rants seemed to have no meaning. It's logical, but it contains some evil power, and it can easily arouse the deep fear in people's hearts.

He glanced at the dark and empty corridor and felt that behind the closed doors on both sides of the corridor, hideous-looking demons were lurking and sleeping soundly.

Qin Yun didn't feel anything. As long as Xia Ren was around, she wasn't afraid.

Lu Yi was timid and kept grabbing Xia Ren's clothes, like a child, extremely dependent on him.

Da Yuanjing actually wanted to take the opportunity to hug Qin Yun at this time, but after all, her body still belonged to Lu Yi, and she did not want to force him.

On the contrary, Lily was not afraid at all. The little guy even wiped the glistening saliva from the corner of his mouth and looked at one of the doors with a greedy look.

Xia Ren recalled that he had just seen a room on the second floor with a light on outside. He must have heard these confused murmurs coming from the owner of that room.

He withdrew his gaze and followed Niu Changshou up to the third floor.

There is also no light here, only the window at the end of the corridor is open, and the cold dim light barely reflects the outline of the surroundings.

Niu Changshou held the room keys. He was about to look at the house numbers one by one. Suddenly, Xia Ren noticed something approaching him from behind.

He looked back and saw an orange candle lighting up in the dark corridor.

It was an ugly and dirty humanoid creature like a beast. He was limping towards this side dragging his slender hind legs, but he didn't make any footsteps.

The monster's ape-like thin and shriveled arms held the candlestick, and the flickering candlelight illuminated his face. His yellowish and bloodshot eyes silently stared at everyone. No important features such as his nose and forehead could be seen on his face, but he could see it. There is an eerie resemblance to humans.

The other party's appearance was so sudden that Xia Ren felt a chill in his back. Fortunately, the other party was wearing a clean linen robe, which somewhat relieved some of the tension.

Niu Changshou turned around and saw the other party. He didn't look surprised at all. Instead, he waved hello.

"Hello, where are these two rooms?"

He took out the key and showed it to the other party.

The humanoid creature moved over quietly in his weird way, glanced at the house number on the key, stretched out his thin arm and pointed to the two doors next to him, and said in a cough-like voice: "This is it. .”

Apparently, he was actually a waiter in this hotel.

Niu Changshou smiled and said, "Thank you very much."

The other party nodded: "If necessary, just ring the bell in the room."

After he finished speaking, he turned around, dragged the lamp, and limped down the stairs to the second floor.

Looking at his back, Lu Yi's little heart was still beating fast, and Lily's saliva could hardly be wiped away.

"Those are demons. They are relatively rare outside. However, there are quite a few in Arkham. They are usually servants."

Niu Changshou explained, then stretched out his palm, which contained two keys, and asked, "How to allocate the two rooms?"

After saying that, he added with a deliberately evil smile: "It's okay for me to sleep in a room by myself."

Qin Yun glanced at Xia Ren.

The latter was unmoved. He picked up a key with a straight face and handed it to Qin Yun: "You sleep with Lu Yi and Lily, and I'll sleep with him."

After the assignments were made, they opened the door and took a look inside.

The room was also clean and the fragrance was strong, at least there was no strange smell. Different from the outside, the light bulbs in the room are not driven by electricity. According to Niu Changshou, only a small part of the entire city has electricity supply. The rest of the city basically relies on magic and special props sold by wizards. Come to lighting.

Xia Ren also recalled that along the way, he did not see any street lights even on both sides of the road.

He saw an exquisite copper bell on the table in the living room. After ringing it, he should be able to attract the demon just now.

In a random hotel, the owner is a human-faced rat, the waiter is a demon, and there is a guest on the second floor who is murmuring like crazy. Arkham City is indeed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

No wonder the barrier outside blocks the entry of ordinary people, because they simply cannot survive here.

Niu Changshou lay down on the bed for a while, looked at Xia Ren, and suddenly asked: "Is the little guy you brought with you okay?"

Xia Ren turned around: "What do you mean?"

Niu Changshou laughed a few times: "I have a suggestion..."

…

…

It was not time to sleep now. After looking at the room, they rejoined in the corridor, said hello to the boss, and left the hotel together.

The containment object that Xia Ren wanted to obtain during this trip will not be auctioned until tomorrow. They arrived a day early to prevent accidents and also to broaden their horizons.

Liu Fusheng had mentioned Arkham earlier when he was still in Jupiter City. Xia Ren had long been curious about this place, and of course he had to take a good look around during this trip.

"correct."

Xia Ren remembered what the hotel owner said just now and said, "What does meat supplement mean?"

Niu Changshou glanced at Lu Yi and said: "It literally means that people living in this city are not ordinary people. Whether they are alien races or wizards, they all need magic power. Normal people also have a small amount of magic power in their bodies. It's just that they don't know how to use it. Some humans who have been eroded by pollution need magic power to resist the evil mutations produced by themselves, but there is no other way to obtain magic power, so they can only drink the blood of humans or other animals.

There are also some alien races who simply want to drink blood. To them, human blood is like the fat house happy water in the eyes of normal people, a delicious drink.

Lu Yi's body contains rich magic power, which is of course a rare tonic in the eyes of these people. "

Xia Ren said: "But doesn't Arkham prohibit fighting and killing?"

Niu Changshou said matter-of-factly: "It's forbidden, but as long as no one discovers it, it'll be fine."

"..." Xia Ren.

It does make sense.

Niu Changshou took the trouble to tell the knowledge about this place: "In Arkham, staying in a hotel is actually a very luxurious behavior. Even if some people have gained taboo power due to pollution, they still have no way to obtain money. For ordinary people, Using power will attract the attention of the Foundation, so most of them are hiding here and sleeping on the streets, becoming homeless."

As they were talking, they saw several suspicious black figures huddled in the alley next to them.

"Vagrants have no human rights here. As long as they don't make too much noise, no one will care about them even if they die."

The alleys on both sides of the road seem to be another world, with sneaky figures dormant inside, like cruel beasts waiting for prey. In the windows of the street buildings and in the gaps between the thick curtains, there are occasionally a few malicious eyes. , cast a gaze.

No wonder this place is called the City of Chaos and Order.

After Niu Changshou finished speaking, he suggested: "We still have plenty of time, how about we go to the bar and have a look?"

No one objected.

They walked on the misty streets for half an hour. The closer they walked to the city center, the more pedestrians they met.

But most of them were in a hurry, some were muttering something in a low voice, looking around with vigilant eyes, and some suddenly laughed maniacally while walking, but then returned to normal, changing completely. Two people.

There were also some cloaked figures mixed into the crowd. Under the cloaks, there were twisted limbs that could not be seen. Niu Changshou told him that most of those wearing cloaks were of different races.

This is not to say that they are afraid of being discriminated against, but it is an unspoken rule that has been formed in Arkham for a long time. I heard that extremely bloody incidents have occurred because of this in the past. After all, these races believe in different old gods, and some are hostile to each other. If When they meet, they will probably inevitably fight instinctively.

Xia Ren remembered that the bloodline he inherited came from an old god named the great Cthulhu, and that another old god seemed to have a hostile relationship with Cthulhu, which directly led to him being accused of being a beast brother who believed in that old god. Will chase and kill.

During the chat, Niu Changshou stopped in front of a building.

On the neon signboard, there are four big characters "Lizzie Bar" in a crooked way. I don't know whether it is deliberately spelled like this to show its uniqueness, or whether the owner of the bar has a unique aesthetic.

The entrance to the bar was a bit dirty, with several trash cans piled aside, exuding a stench. On the ground next to the trash cans, there was a thick layer of oily dirt that had accumulated over the years, making it extremely sticky.

The door was finally made of glass, giving it a somewhat modern feel. Noisy voices and music came from the cracks in the door, and the gorgeous lights inside and the twisting limbs under the lights were vaguely visible.

It seems that this bar is what Niu Changshou said, one of the few places in Arkham City with power supply.

But what Xia Ren was more concerned about was the people gathered outside the bar.

Some of them squatted on the edge of the road, holding unbranded cigarettes in their mouths. They glanced at the surrounding passers-by with cold eyes, looking full of aggression.

The other group is leaning against the wall. They are basically women with colorful hairstyles and strange outfits. However, they all have one thing in common, that is, they are wearing revealing clothes. Some of them are not even wearing shirts, and their high breasts are always It's what attracts men's eyes to look over unconsciously.

There were also some people lying on the ground, smelling of alcohol like a puddle of mud. They had obviously slept to death after drinking too much.

Niu Changshou explained in a low voice: "Those squatting and smoking are all thugs in the bar. You have to know that these people here are not very rational. Once they are paralyzed by alcohol, they don't know what ridiculous things they can do.

And those women..."

Speaking of this, Niu Changshou had a "you know what" expression and smiled: "Some of them are not human. If you want to try the taste of a different race girl, you can give it a try. My friend said it is very exciting."

Xia Ren was speechless: "Is the friend you are talking about yourself?"

However, he still took another look at the scantily clad women and found that it was true as Niu Changshou said. Although some of them looked similar to humans, they had completely different physical characteristics from humans.

For example, there was a tall woman wearing only a black bra and hot pants. She had long brown hair and golden vertical pupils, and her whole personality was cold and arrogant. It doesn't look like much at first glance, but if you look closely, you can find that her skin is covered with a fine layer of substance that looks like snake scales, reflecting brilliance.

She has an unusually tight figure, with a slender but flexible waist, especially the supple muscle lines on her abdomen, which makes people's hearts burn. The waistband of her hot pants does not fit closely with the skin of her lower abdomen, and the narrow gap is like an abyss. , people can’t help but want to reach out and slide all the way down her supple belly...

"Ahem!"

Qin Yun suddenly coughed twice, and then pretended not to care and said: "We can't stand at the door all the time. Let's go in."

Niu Changshou clicked his tongue twice and glanced at Xia Ren.

The two of them walked in the front. Niu Changshou put his arm around Xia Ren's shoulders and whispered: "My dear, you have such good eyesight. They are from the Snake people. Their bodies are the most flexible. All difficult postures are child's play for them." , the best thing is the cool touch. And there are not only snake girls, but also spider girls, toad girls, tentacle girls... If you want to try it, we can sneak out at night. "

Xia Ren's heart beat twice, and then he said seriously: "This is not... good."

Suddenly, he felt his trouser legs being pulled twice by something. When he lowered his head, he found that it was Lily.

She blinked her big eyes and asked curiously: "What are you doing when you come out at night?"

Although his tone was childish and his expression looked innocent, Xia Ren felt chilled in his heart for no reason, feeling a slight threat.

He still remembered that Qin Yun mentioned to him that on the night when he went to Dreamland in Dongpu City, Qin Yun saw a woman with a cold face entering the passage.

Lily also has secrets that she doesn't know about.

"Hahaha……"

Xia Ren laughed a few times, picked up Lily, and scratched the bridge of her nose: "We won't go out at night. You probably heard wrong just now."

"Lily wants to sleep with her brother at night."

She hugged Xia Ren's neck and didn't let go.

Xia Ren responded a few times, not knowing whether Lily did it on purpose.

Just as he was talking, Niu Changshou opened the glass door of the bar. Behind the door were two humanoid creatures mating, making a dull sound of physical collision.

Opening lightning strike.

Xia Ren subconsciously covered Lily's eyes, then carried the little guy through the corridor and came to the seat inside.

He took a cursory glance and saw that most of the people sitting on the seats were relatively normal, but on the dance floor there was a complete chaos of demons dancing.

When he was hesitating whether to keep covering Lily's eyes, he found that his palms were a little moist, as if liquid was flowing out. When he lowered his head, he found that Lily also had several eyes growing on the back of her hands and the back of her head, and she was looking around curiously. The liquid in her palm is her saliva.

"..." Xia Ren.

Her worries were unnecessary. In Lily's eyes, these people were food.

Niu Changshou glanced at Lily. He had already noticed the little guy's reaction after coming to Arkham, but he didn't say anything.

Qin Yun frowned, a little disgusted by the turbulent temperature in the air. Lu Yi's reaction was basically the same as hers.

Before they could sit down, someone came up to chat with them.

A man wearing a decent suit and looking elegant walked up to Lu Yi, ignored the other people, and said, "I wonder if Miss, would you like me to have a drink with you?"

Lu Yi narrowed his eyes and said with a smile: "Okay, but I don't like the atmosphere here. Let's go to a quiet place and talk slowly."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Xia Ren and took Lily from his arms: "Let's go."

The man glanced at Lily, seemingly a little surprised, but then the smile on his face grew wider.

They walked shoulder to shoulder toward the corner of the bar.

Qin Yun asked doubtfully: "Why didn't you stop them?"

His tone was unworried.

Da Yuanjing was very precious to Lu Yi and would never allow her to be harmed. Moreover, they were nearby, so there was no need to worry about anything happening.

Niu Changshou was the first to explain: "It doesn't matter, I brought you to the bar basically just for this."

Qin Yun looked at Xia Ren to see his opinion. The latter just nodded without explaining in detail.

It was indeed Niu Changshou who told him when he was in the hotel room before.

Lily needs to replenish energy to grow, and the bar here is a mixed bag of good and bad people, and the bad guys can hardly conceal their malice. It is the most suitable place for Lily to replenish nutrition.

Qin Yun had a flexible mind. Looking at their attitudes, she could basically make a guess and sighed.

She is actually the closest to human beings among all the people, so she still finds it difficult to accept this kind of thing.

Niu Changshou ordered a few glasses of wine, took a sip and said, "What on earth is that painting that makes me care so much about it?"

What he was talking about was the items that would be on display at tomorrow's auction, which was also the purpose of their trip.

Xia Ren laughed at himself and said, "I said I don't know what the painting does. Do you believe it?"

It was just an oil painting hanging on the wall of Zhao Mingyue's house, and it disappeared along with six other contained objects the night he moved in. At that time, Xia Ren just thought it was a little special, and even covered it with a glass cover. After looking at it twice, I haven't seen it since. I just asked the foundation to help me look for it, but I didn't hold out much hope.

It wasn't until the doctor told him yesterday about the appearance of the painting that he remembered again that there was such a painting.

Niu Changshou pondered for a while and said: "The seller of that painting is relatively mysterious, and we don't have any specific information. It is best that there should be no surprises at tomorrow's auction."

Xia Ren wanted to cover his mouth, but it was too late: "I wasn't worried at first, but when you raised the flag like this, I suddenly felt a little less confident."

"Don't worry, we are fully prepared, and when necessary, I can come forward as a guarantee for you as the Superman Association. Money is definitely not a problem, I'm afraid..."

Xia Ren reacted in time this time and covered his mouth: "You can't hold back."

He felt that he couldn't continue talking about this, so he changed the topic: "When did you go to college in Arkham?"