From sailboats to star destroyers (Source: Web)

Chapter 40 The Market Turmoil

After seeing off the investigators who came with arms purchase lists and had various expressions, Miao Meng closed the courtyard gate with its brand-new doorbell, leaned against the door, and let out a long sigh.

The collaboration is considered complete. I'll get 50,000 yuan a month for free, and I can also unlock the official internal knowledge base. Sounds pretty good.

But the troubles that follow are also obvious—such as the batch of 'research materials' that are about to arrive.

He looked around at his rented old house.

A typical brick-and-mortar structure with soundproofing cotton and wall coverings is fine for dealing with everyday noise, but what about storing high-risk munitions or even conducting some noisy "alchemy experiments"?

That's like playing with a self-destructing truck right under the nose of the Liancheng Investigation Bureau.

Not to mention there are no cellars or basements here, no space suitable for doing "side jobs".

"We need to get started."

Miao Meng rubbed his temples, feeling the gears of his "mechanical thinking" start turning again.

He planned to dig down into the yard to create an underground space that met the required depth and strength standards.

Concrete, lead plates, rune reinforcement... Budget is not a problem, the key is to be fast and discreet.

Having made up his mind, he took out his phone, intending to first go to the market to buy some groceries to fill his stomach, and also to contact Old Zhang, the head of the renovation team who had fixed the soundproofing for his work last time.

Of course, you also need to let the landlord know.

Although the other party will most likely not agree to such a drastic modification, it doesn't matter.

Miao Meng weighed the string of numbers in the mobile banking app in his hand. If it didn't work, he'd just buy it. This amount of money was nothing to him now, having just plundered the city lord's mansion in Xixian City.

After locking the door, Miao Meng put his hands in his pockets and strolled towards the familiar suburban vegetable market.

The sun was shining brightly, and the air was filled with the earthy, vegetable, and slightly fishy smells of everyday life.

Having grown accustomed to the tumultuous waves and magical smoke of the dungeons, this ordinary, everyday atmosphere actually allowed his tense nerves to relax a tiny bit—of course, only a tiny bit.

His spiritual energy remained at a basic alert threshold, but he did not activate his sensory scanning at full power, as that would be too mentally taxing and could easily attract unnecessary attention.

As soon as I reached the market entrance, I saw Grandpa Liao standing with his hands behind his back, surrounded by several old friends in front of a stall selling fresh radishes, discussing with great enthusiasm the year's rainfall and the sweetness of the radishes.

"Master Liao!" Miao Meng greeted him with a smile.

"Hey, Xiao Meng, buying groceries?" Grandpa Liao turned around, his face beaming. "Come, come, look at Old Li's radishes, so crisp! Perfect for soup at lunchtime."

Just as Miao Meng was about to move closer, something unexpected happened.

"boom--"

A piercing, muffled sound, far from the explosion of firecrackers, ripped through the market's clamor. This was immediately followed by a burst of terrified screams from the crowd.

Miao Meng's pupils suddenly contracted, and his spiritual perception subconsciously increased.

A middle-aged man dressed in dusty, oil-stained work clothes had somehow squeezed into the open space in the center of the market, holding a crudely welded, crookedly made handgun in his hand.

The gun barrel was still emitting wisps of smoke, clearly indicating that the thunderous sound from earlier had come from it.

"All of you, get down the fucking spot, hands on your heads. Anyone who dares to move, I'll shoot them!"

The man's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared hoarsely. His face was a mixture of extreme fear and a desperate madness. Sweat soaked through his greasy hair and dripped down his neck.

He waved his pistol wildly, pointing the muzzle erratically, like a trapped beast caught in a snare.

The crowd crouched down like felled wheat, their terrified sobs and children's cries mingling together.

In the chaos, Miao Meng caught a glimpse of a blinding crimson red out of the corner of his eye.

"Ouch!" Liao cried out in pain, staggering and falling to the ground, clutching his left calf tightly with both hands.

Fresh blood was gushing out from between his fingers.

A stray bullet—or rather, some irregular iron pellet or lead fragment fired from a homemade gun—teared a bloody gash into his calf.

Fortunately, the artery was not hit. Judging from the location and the amount of bleeding, it was probably a penetrating muscle injury, but it was enough to make the elderly person lose the ability to move instantly and turn pale with pain.

A surge of icy rage shot from the soles of Miao Meng's feet straight to the top of his head. The psionic flames almost materialized and burned in his eyes.

Damn it! They've robbed people in the market? And they even hurt Master Liao?

Miao Meng lowered his body slightly, his muscles tensed, and his telekinetic power reached out like invisible tentacles, ready to disarm and subdue that damned madman in an instant.

He didn't want to reveal too much of his abilities, especially in public.

A simple mental shock combined with telekinetic restraint is enough to make an unprotected ordinary person instantly lose consciousness.

However, just as Miao Meng's mental energy had condensed and locked onto the target—

The man in overalls, who looked like a madman, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, or was driven by some extremely primal instinct for danger, and suddenly turned his head.

His crimson gaze, like the forked tongue of a venomous snake, swiftly and precisely fixed itself on Miao Meng.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't move, or I'll shoot!"

The man in overalls had a distorted voice due to extreme tension, and the muzzle of his gun trembled violently as he pointed it at Miao Meng without hesitation.

He wasn't targeting Miao Meng, but rather the sudden surge of a 'threat' emanating from Miao Meng that was imperceptible to ordinary people, which made him feel like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Miao Meng's movements froze instantly.

It wasn't because I was afraid of that broken gun, but because of the other party's strange, almost predictive "alertness".

This is absolutely not the kind of quality a normal robber should have!

Moreover, the other party was at least twenty meters away from him, with a group of people crouching in between.

With the precise control of telekinesis at such a distance and in such a chaotic environment, it's hard to guarantee that innocent people won't be affected or that the head of the other person won't be crushed—that would be a real disaster.

It seems that without resorting to some "out-of-the-box" methods, it's impossible to resolve this quietly.

But to expose the ship's equipment or unleash a dazzling crystal here in front of everyone? It would be better to just call the investigation bureau and turn myself in.

In that brief moment of hesitation, the sharp wail of a police siren could be heard in the distance. It approached rapidly, growing louder as it drew nearer.

The man in overalls had clearly heard the sirens as well, and his face grew even more frantic, but a sly glint of triumph flashed deep in his eyes.

He suddenly pulled a cube-shaped object, tightly wrapped in black electrical tape and with a makeshift fuse, from his pocket, and roared with all his might:

"Don't come any closer! Police, don't come any closer! I'll detonate this if anyone gets near, and we'll all die together!"

While shouting threats, he used the crowd as cover to retreat with remarkable agility towards another exit of the market, brandishing his gun and "explosive pack" in a bluffing manner to drive away anyone who tried to approach.

His goal didn't seem to be robbing property at all; it was purely to create chaos, attract everyone's attention, and buy time.

Miao Meng watched with icy eyes as he slid into the alleyway beside him like an eel and disappeared into the chaotic cluster of buildings.

He didn't chase after them immediately.

A stronger sense of unease gripped him—it seemed the other party's target was never this market in the first place; it was more like a diversionary tactic.