232: Chapter 232 A World Where the Strong Prey on the Weak

The matter is settled. Shall we go replenish some energy?

Liliya tilted her head, her hair swaying slightly with the movement. 'I know a very good chain restaurant.'

Song Yang carefully put away the warm, black badge and nodded.

The so-called restaurant was a massive crystal garden suspended in mid-air above the city.

It had no fixed flight path, merely drifting slowly with the high-altitude air currents. Through the semi-transparent crystal dome, one could look down upon the ceaseless flow of hovercars and the forest of towering skyscrapers below.

Liliya, familiar with the place, led Song Yang to a window-side seat.

Without glancing at the menu, her fingertips danced lightly a few times on the luminous screen embedded in the tabletop.

'The Molten Rock Grilled Giant Lizard Ribs' and 'Heart of the Icy Marsh' are the signature dishes of this chain. Let's also get a 'Starlight Mushroom Soup'... Hmm, that should be enough.'

Moments later, a server robot presented a dazzling array of dishes.

The ribs were half a meter long, the skin roasted to a fragrant crisp, yet the interior glowed with a dark red, lava-like sheen.

The so-called 'Heart of the Icy Marsh' was a piece of crystal-clear blue gel, exuding a refreshing, bone-chilling coolness.

The soup was even more peculiar; in the pitch-black broth floated countless mushroom caps, each the size of a grain of rice, shimmering with starlight.

The meal cost nearly three thousand star coins.

Song Yang was using a knife and fork to cut into the enormous rib when his movements suddenly halted.

He felt a gaze, devoid of goodwill, sharp like a poison-tipped needle, stabbing towards him from a corner of the restaurant.

His muscles tensed instantly—an instinct honed through hundreds of life-and-death situations in the apocalypse.

He acted as if nothing was wrong, lifting the soup bowl and, under the guise of taking a sip, subtly scanned the direction from which the gaze originated.

There sat several aliens of various forms, laughing and talking loudly. None seemed to be paying particular attention to them.

That gaze vanished without a trace the moment he looked over, as if it had never existed.

After the meal, Liliya suggested visiting the planet's largest trading market.

'It's called the Shattered Star Bazaar. They have all sorts of random things there. You might find something useful.'

Stepping out from the elegant, tranquil crystal garden into the Shattered Star Bazaar felt like falling from heaven into hell.

The shops here were no longer pristine, gleaming structures, but crude stalls cobbled together from massive metal shipping containers or the bones of monstrous creatures.

The goods on display were bizarre and varied. Some stalls sold still-twitching severed limbs of giant beasts; others showcased gleaming energy weapons. Many stalls, however, dealt in the trade of sentient beings.

Song Yang's steps halted before a stall enclosed by a crude iron cage.

Inside the cage, seven or eight beautiful female humanoids huddled together.

They had pointed ears and pale purple skin. Each wore a metal collar crackling with electric arcs around her neck, all linked together by a thick chain.

Their eyes were vacant and numb, enduring as potential buyers outside the cage pointed and commented on them as if selecting livestock.

A portly merchant with octopus-like tentacles was roughly pinching one of the women's chin, forcing her mouth open to inspect her teeth.

'People of the Ziyun Star. A civilization raided by a Star Pirate fleet tens of thousands of years ago. Their homeworld was destroyed. The survivors became one of the best-selling commodities in the interstellar black market,'

Liliya explained from beside him.

The octopus-faced merchant, evidently satisfied with his inspection, released his grip. His slimy tentacle left a wet streak on the smooth chin of the Ziyun Star woman.

He turned, his murky compound eyes noticing Song Yang and Liliya who had stopped to watch.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed, jagged teeth, and emitted a gurgling sound like bursting bubbles:

'Interested, you two? Ziyun Star people. Top-tier works of art. They can sing, dance, and have exceptional physical flexibility. Whether you buy them as maidservants or collectibles, they'll definitely bring you prestige.'

His gaze lingered on Liliya for a moment, carrying an unmistakable air of appraisal.

'This young lady here is the best proof. Beauty itself is a scarce resource. This batch is first-class goods I acquired from the bone crusher. Guaranteed clean.'

Song Yang's gaze moved past the merchant, back to the iron cage.

Most of the women inside the cage kept their heads bowed, long eyelashes concealing any emotion.

Only one, leaning in a corner of the cage, lifted her head and met his gaze with those same empty eyes.

No plea, no resentment, nothing.

Like a stone discarded by the roadside.

In the apocalypse, he had seen too many eyes like that.

In the collapsed order of the Shelter, on the faces of those who would sell everything for a piece of bread.

It wasn't despair, but something deeper than despair—the death of the soul.

'How much?' Song Yang spoke.

The octopus-faced merchant's compound eyes lit up, several tentacles waving excitedly:

'Straight to the point! This guest has good taste! Clear pricing, eight thousand star coins each. If you take the whole lot, I'll give you a discount. Sixty thousand star coins, and all eight of these exquisite specimens are yours!'

'I was just asking,' Song Yang responded flatly.

His words cooled the merchant's excitement, who gurgled a complaint:

'Just asking? Wasting my time if you're not buying.'

He twisted his corpulent body, ignoring them now, turning to hawk his wares at another group of passersby.

'Let's go.'

Song Yang withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.

Just as they rounded a stall selling energy ores, Song Yang's steps halted once more.

That feeling of being watched, of eyes on his back, had returned.

Clearer and more brazen than in the restaurant.

This time, he didn't glance subtly. He whirled around abruptly.

His gaze sharp as a blade, precisely locking onto a direction.

At the end of his line of sight were three figures wrapped in voluminous black robes. The robe material was strange, seeming to absorb light, making them appear blurred amidst the patchy shadows and light.

Their features were completely hidden within the shadows of their hoods.

The moment Song Yang's gaze landed on them, without any communication among themselves, the three moved in perfect unison. Like three shadows merging with the environment, they silently retreated into the crowded flow of people and vanished in an instant.

They continued walking, passing by a massive arena. Inside, two ferocious alien beasts were tearing into each other savagely. Splattering blood and flying chunks of flesh elicited waves of frenzied howls from the surrounding spectators.

Liliya watched with keen interest, but Song Yang's attention was drawn to a cage beside the arena.

It wasn't an iron cage, but a prison constructed from a dark red crystal, exceptionally sturdy.

Inside, only one man was imprisoned.

He was bare-chested, his bronze skin crisscrossed with scars, each scar like a savage medal.

His muscles weren't exaggeratedly bulging, but resembled tempered steel, every inch containing explosive power.

He sat there casually, eyes closed, as if all the clamor of the outside world had nothing to do with him.

Song Yang's breathing unconsciously slowed.

From this man, he sensed an aura as still as a dormant volcano, yet terrifyingly potent.

It was a pure, powerful force stemming from the essence of life itself, far surpassing his own.

Yet, such a powerful being wore a silver-grey metal collar around his neck.

The collar was densely inscribed with blue runes. A faint energy glow circulated between the symbols, emitting a barely perceptible hum.

'That's a 'Slave Collar,'' Liliya noted, following Song Yang's gaze. 'The moment a thought of rebellion arises, the collar detonates immediately, reducing even the soul to dust.'

She paused, as if trying to recognize the man's face. 'This person seems to be the gladiatorial champion from the 'Terra' star system, codenamed 'Mad Bone'.

'I heard before that he accidentally killed the son of a powerful figure and was sentenced to lifelong servitude.

'I never expected him to end up here, becoming a toy for others' amusement.'

Song Yang's gaze slowly shifted from the man to the collar.

In the apocalypse, power was everything.

Someone possessing such power was enough to establish a massive survivor base, to become a regional overlord.

Yet here, he was like a commodity for sale, locked in a cage, priced and displayed.

The man called 'Mad Bone' seemed to sense his scrutiny and slowly opened his eyes.

What kind of eyes were they?

Not the numbness of the Ziyun Star woman earlier, nor any rage or resentment.

Those deep-set eyes held only the dead ashes of something long burnt out.

He glanced at Song Yang, then indifferently looked away, as if merely noticing a pebble by the roadside.

This indifference was more chilling than any intense emotion.

For the first time, Song Yang understood so clearly: in this vast interstellar world, the law of the jungle had been developed to its extreme.