Chapter 259: Market
The next day, Leo booked a cab. He ignored the cab driver that had given him his number, not wanting to add any greedy variables for now.
He simply booked a new cab through the hotel and waited outside.
The cab driver this time was much less talkative. He also didn’t look down on Leo since he was picking this youngster from a very expensive hotel.
In his eyes, Leo was probably a distinguished guest of the hotel. After all, people who could afford to stay at this place couldn’t be simple.
Moreover, this person was trying to go to the lawless zone, which made him think twice about Leo.
"Young Lord, the destination... Are you sure it’s where you want to go? You might not know it, but it’s-"
"It’s called the lawless zone. I know. That’s exactly why I want to go there. You don’t have to worry about me."
Leo didn’t give much explanation, only clarifying that he wasn’t a fool being lured without realisation.
The driver also didn’t ask anything else, only focusing on the flight path.
Even though the cab moved through the air, but the air traffic wasn’t low in such a popular city, which made the journey not much faster than simply taking the road.
Even at the fastest, it took over three hours before the cab left the city boundary, setting foot in the lawless zone.
The outskirts were definitely a stark contrast with the main city. Even if it was a high tier planet, there was still poverty and people outside the glittering city, living a worse life.
While the city was filled with lights, the lawless zone was mostly dark. There were only lights along the flight path, and in some residential areas on the ground.
"Is this the lawless zone?" Leo pondered, catching sight of a person being stabbed right under the lights in the distance.
A group snatched the person’s bag, and casually walked away, leaving the man bleeding on the ground.
It was as if they weren’t even worried about authorities since there were none here.
"Hmm? It’s a relatively peaceful day today. Everytime I take a trip to the lawless land, I see at least ten deaths on the way. That’s why, I don’t even try to land."
"If I wasn’t paid so much for this trip, I might have outright rejected it myself. Still, I do have some things to defend myself, so you don’t have to worry. As long as you’re in my cab, you won’t come to harm."
The man didn’t look like he was trying to scare. Instead, he was being genuine, and Leo couldn’t see much greed on his face.
Although he charged a high fare, that was informed from the beginning. There were no underhanded charges in the name of protection.
"Though we still have a chance. If you want, I can take you back. But once we reach the destination and you step out, I will not be able to protect you."
"Thank you for the offer, but I believe I will be fine. In fact, these chaotic places speak to me more than the cities..."
In the main city, there were cameras everywhere. Everything was being recorded, especially in public. So he didn’t feel much comfortable.
In the lawless land, he could literally do anything, and it wouldn’t reach the authorities since this entire place had basically been abandoned.
As for the cameras, he doubted there were any here in the first place. If there were any, they would’ve probably stopped working already.
In a place like this, he could truly feel like a fish in water. Even though he had lived a wealthy and protected life, recently he did have to kill quite a few people.
He also had enough things to protect himself. Compared to facing Necropolis, or the Lord of this Planet, what was a mere lawless zone filled with society rejects?
If anything, Leo did think that this was the perfect place to establish a business. Even though it would be legal, it would still be beyond the eyes in the city.
"We are here. You still have one last chance if we want to turn around..." The cab started descending from the flight path where it was the only car.
It soon landed before an abandoned factory.
Leo looked out the window and saw the abandoned factory that was spread as far as the eyes could see. The walls of the factory had already turned black after being abandoned for so long.
What was surprising was that this place wasn’t as abandoned as he had expected.
In fact, there appeared to be an entire market outside the abandoned factory with multiple temporary shops visible in line.
From such a distance, he couldn’t see what they were selling.
"You don’t have to wait for me. You can return."
"Hmm? How will you get back then? Are you worried that I’ll charge my waiting time from you? Don’t throw away your life for a little money, young man. If you don’t have money, then I can collect it later."
Leo glanced at the driver, slightly taken aback. So there were indeed a few decent people here.
He stepped out of the cab, and told the driver, "Don’t worry. I’m just meeting a few friends here. They will drop me back. You can return."
He waved his hand as he walked away.
A few seconds later, the driver received a few hundred thousand credits in his account from the same source that had booked this cab.
He looked at the man’s back which was growing distant, speaking to himself.
"What a strange man... Though it looks like he really wasn’t worried about money. So he must be telling the truth. That’s good..." The driver sighed in relief, and left.
Meanwhile, Leo walked over to the rows of stalls.
"What the..." The moment he came close enough, he was once again left at a loss of words.
Most of the stalls were selling advanced weapons, albeit not as advanced as the ones used by security forces.
What stunned him even more were that a few stalls had humans that were in chains, displayed as commodities.