15: Chapter 15 Gene Agents

The official entrance to the camp was not far ahead.

Two people stood at the entrance, wearing mismatched clothes, but with weapons tucked into their waists and sharp gazes in their eyes; one look was enough to tell they were not to be trifled with.

They were neither Night Watchers nor members of the Twelve Zodiacs.

They were likely the camp's own guards, or perhaps personnel jointly provided by several organizations.

By the time Wang Lin approached, several people ahead were undergoing checks.

It was called a check, but it actually just meant raising one's wrist to let the guard glance at the symbol on the bracelet.

The guard would nod, and the person would enter.

It was Wang Lin's turn.

He raised his wrist, revealing the silver bracelet.

The guard swept a glance over it, his gaze lingering on Wang Lin's face for a second before he tilted his head to the side: "Enter."

Wang Lin didn't speak, simply lifting his foot to step through the gate.

He didn't take the main path through the center, instead choosing the alleys that most people would avoid.

Sometimes, the darkest corners reveal the true essence of a place.

After walking for about ten minutes, a cluster of low-rise buildings appeared before him.

They looked like abandoned factories or perhaps warehouses, with broken doors and windows.

Wang Lin stopped in his tracks.

He heard a sound.

It was coming from the third factory building on the left—suppressed gasps, the dull thud of bodies colliding, and the crisp sound of metal hitting the ground.

A fight.

Or rather, a robbery.

Wang Lin didn't approach; instead, he circled to the back of the building and looked inside through a broken window.

It wasn't very clear, but he could see a few dark figures moving.

Two people were ganging up on one; the victim had already fallen to the ground, curled up into a ball with their hands over their head.

"Hand it over!"

"The bracelet, the points, hand every damn thing over!"

The person curled on the ground didn't make a sound, only trembled.

"Damn it, if you won't drink the toast, you'll drink the forfeit!" another voice cursed, raising a foot to kick.

A scream rang out.

Wang Lin stood outside the window, watching the scene.

He saw the person being kicked finally unable to endure it, trembling as they reached out to expose the bracelet on their wrist.

One of the two took out their own bracelet and scanned it against the other—beep.

The number on the bracelet changed.

It went from [67] to [0].

The person let out a miserable cry: "You… you took everything?!"

"Obviously." The two laughed loudly.

"Leave the points so you can go out and report us? Idiot."

With that, they turned and walked away, leaving the person lying on the ground, shivering all over.

Wang Lin watched him for a few seconds, then continued walking forward.

He didn't intend to intervene.

This was Mist Camp, not a school.

There were no teachers, no rules, only…

No, that wasn't right; there were rules.

The young man who issued the bracelets had said: robbery and killing are prohibited in the camp.

But what was that scene just now?

Wang Lin recalled the expression on his face when he said those words—that meaningful smile.

He understood.

It was prohibited on the surface, but in reality?

As long as you weren't caught, or if it was ignored even when discovered, then it was permitted.

Wang Lin touched the bracelet on his wrist and continued walking.

More figures gradually appeared in the camp.

Some were alone, others were in groups of three or five, and some crouched by the roadside, waiting for something unknown.

As Wang Lin walked by, those gazes fell upon him, sizing him up and down as if weighing the value of prey.

He didn't dodge, nor did he speed up; he simply kept walking at the same pace.

Those gazes lingered for a few seconds before shifting away.

Perhaps it was because he looked too calm, or perhaps because he seemed too ordinary, with nothing worth taking.

But Wang Lin knew this was only temporary.

Sooner or later, someone would notice something, or perhaps they wouldn't care at all and would just want to try robbing him.

Wang Lin continued walking.

A faint, noisy sound came from ahead.

It sounded like many people were gathered together.

He followed the sound, and the view before him suddenly opened up.

It was a plaza.

At least a hundred people were gathered here; some were setting up stalls, some were haggling, and others were chatting in small groups.

At this moment, a voice reached Wang Lin's ears:

"Don't miss out as you pass by!"

"A fresh batch of genetic serum, produced by the Miracle Company—the real deal! Come and take a look..."

genetic serum?

Wang Lin's footsteps faltered.

He had seen this stuff in the news; it could strengthen the body, and some could even allow ordinary people to awaken.

But back then, he had just dismissed it as a novelty news story.

He hadn't expected to actually find it here.

He followed the sound and walked over.

The crowd formed a small circle, with a tall, thin man standing in the middle, flanked by a few figures who looked like bodyguards.

In front were several light blue vials.

Engraved on the walls of the vials was a line of small text and a logo: Miracle Company.

This was a company that specialized in genetic research—human genes, calamity genes, Mist Beast genes, they researched everything...

"genetic serum! genetic serum produced by the Miracle Company!" the tall, thin man shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Level 2 enhancement, only 5000 points! Limited quantity, first come, first served!"

There were plenty of onlookers, but few were actually paying.

Someone muttered: "5000 points? Is this robbery?"

"Exactly. I could kill Mist Beasts for a month and still not save up 5000."

"How much for Level 1?"

The tall, thin man waved his hand: "Level 1 sold out long ago.

1000 points a vial; we've been out of stock since last month."

"Don't even think about Level 3; that stuff doesn't flow down to our level at all."

Wang Lin stood on the periphery of the crowd, watching those vials engraved with the Miracle Company logo.

"Brother, interested?"

A voice came from the side.

Wang Lin turned his head to see a young man about his age, with a round face and squinting eyes, looking quite friendly.

"First time here?" the man asked.

Wang Lin nodded.

"No wonder." The round-faced young man smiled.

"This stuff is indeed good, but 5000 points is a total rip-off."

"The normal price for Level 2 is just over 4000."

He lowered his voice: "Besides, with goods from the Miracle Company, the effects vary depending on the batch."

"This batch looks average; it's not worth the price."

Wang Lin glanced at him: "You know a lot about this?"

"I wouldn't call it 'knowing a lot,' I just arrived a few days earlier than you." The round-faced young man said.

"Stalls like this have a lot of markups.

If you really want to buy, you can wait a bit; a new batch should be coming in a few days."

Wang Lin nodded thoughtfully.

"However, if you just arrived, you probably can't even afford Level 1, let alone Level 2."

"1000 points is not a small amount."

After saying this, he waved his hand and turned to disappear into the crowd.

Wang Lin watched his retreating figure without moving.

The tall, thin man was still shouting: "Level 2 for only 5000! You're making money just by buying it! Don't miss this chance..."

Finally, someone in the crowd moved.

A burly man with a ferocious face squeezed to the front and extended his arm: "Give me one."

The tall, thin man's eyes lit up.

He immediately picked up a vial and scanned the burly man's bracelet with a device.

Beep—[5000] disappeared from the burly man's bracelet and appeared on the tall, thin man's bracelet.

The burly man took the serum, turned, and walked away without even glancing back.