Normally, when Zhu Yuan and Qingyi arrived in the Lion's Tooth Gang's territory, they should've been spotted and questioned by the gang members.
But oddly enough, while a crowd of townspeople gathered, not a single gang member appeared.
Zhu Yuan was deep in thought, wondering what to do next.
Qingyi sat sipping tea while casually tending to the townspeople who came to buy goods.
Jane lounged in the driver's seat, seemingly resting, but in reality, keeping a close watch on her surroundings.
Only Seth, ever the earnest one, was wholeheartedly helping the locals.
One moment, he was climbing onto the truck to fetch goods…
The next, he was asking Qingyi for small change to give back to customers…
When someone tried to haggle, Seth couldn't bring himself to say no after seeing their tattered clothes.
As a result, he sold almost everything.
Because of that, the customers who had been crowding around Zhu Yuan and Qingyi all flocked to Seth instead, keeping him busier than ever.
Seeing the townspeople smiling made Seth genuinely happy.
At that point, Zhu Yuan began casually asking about the Lion's Tooth Gang.
Having scored some great deals, the townsfolk were no longer wary of Zhu Yuan and the others.
"You're looking for the gang boss? Then you've come at the worst time. Try again in a few days..."
"A while back, a gang made up of Bangboo popped up nearby. They've been pretty arrogant, and the boss is figuring out how to wipe them out…"
"You're lucky. Normally, gang members would've come to collect protection money the moment you arrived in Lion's Tooth Town. But today, most of them are off dealing with the Bangboo Gang…"
"Don't worry, they probably won't be back today. You can sell for one more day and head out tomorrow…"
...
Hearing the townspeople talk, Zhu Yuan finally understood—no wonder there hadn't been any sign of the Lion's Tooth Gang. They'd gone to deal with the Bangboo Gang.
Before arriving in the Outer Ring, Zhu Yuan had heard of that odd gang.
But she hadn't expected a gang of Bangboo to actually pose a threat to the Lion's Tooth Gang.
After all, the Lion's Tooth Gang wasn't just any gang.
According to intel, they had four or five members with elemental powers—far stronger than the Mountain Lion Gang that had been arrested a while ago.
After thinking for a bit, Zhu Yuan brought up Perlman.
The townspeople looked surprised.
"You've heard of our new strategist? He's incredible. I heard he's the one who came up with the whole plan to deal with the Bangboo Gang…"
Zhu Yuan's heart leapt—finally, she'd gotten another lead on Perlman.
She said seriously, "I've got a shipment I want to move. Could you introduce me to the Lion's Tooth Gang's boss?"
The townsfolk waved her off impatiently.
"Told you already, the boss is busy with the Bangboo Gang. I don't even know if he's still in town."
Zhu Yuan pressed, "Mr. Perlman is fine too. Could you help arrange a meeting?"
Seeing how polite she was, one of the townspeople chuckled.
"Ha! You folks are way too polite—nothing like the usual black market traders. But I can't help you. Everyone's busy fighting the Bangboo Gang. Best come back in a few days… Or head over to where the Bangboo Gang is. For all we know, the boss is already in the middle of a fight with them. Perlman's probably there too."
Zhu Yuan could only sigh. "Alright, thanks."
It seemed Perlman wasn't in town—he'd likely gone with the Lion's Tooth Gang's boss to fight the Bangboo Gang.
After a moment's thought, Zhu Yuan made up her mind—she was going to check it out herself.
If she got the chance, she'd arrest Perlman on the spot.
"Seth, pack it up."
"On it!"
"Hey, don't go! We haven't finished shopping! Wait a sec, are you guys even serious about selling? You just got here and now you're leaving?"
As Zhu Yuan and the others started packing up, the townspeople grew visibly upset.
It had been ages since they'd seen such fair black market traders, and they were hoping to buy more.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuan quickly explained, "We've got to pick up another shipment. Don't worry—we'll be back tomorrow."
After finally peeling themselves away from the crowd, the group set off again, heading toward the Bangboo Gang's turf using the intel they'd just received.
On the road, Seth couldn't stop thinking about the townspeople they'd just served.
He turned to look out the window—everything in sight was rubble and desolation.
It was only then that he truly understood what the Outer Ring meant.
Despite being just a four or five-hour drive from New Eridu, it felt like a completely different world.
Seeing Seth deep in thought, Qingyi spoke gently.
"Once you visit the Outer Ring a few more times, you'll get it. The biggest threat here isn't the lack of supplies or the harsh conditions."
Seth looked up, surprised. "Then what is it?"
He had seen it for himself—the townspeople were dressed in rags, living in ruins, surviving on scraps from the city...
Qingyi took a slow breath.
"One—gangs. They're always fighting. When one gang wins, they sometimes wipe out an entire town. Two—the Hollows. They're more active in the Outer Ring, and there's no warning. Sometimes you go to sleep and never wake up again…"
Seth fell silent.
At that moment, his understanding of the Outer Ring deepened, and he realized how powerless he was.
With his current strength, he had no way of protecting anyone.
The truck rolled on.
By evening, they were almost there.
"The next town belongs to the Bangboo Gang. Stay sharp, everyone."
Seth nodded. "Got it, Captain."
...
While Zhu Yuan and the others made their way toward Bangboo territory...
In the town controlled by the Bangboo Gang...
The Lion's Tooth Gang boss had already led a group of elites and a horde of gang members into the town.
This town had originally been under the Lion's Tooth Gang's control, so they knew the terrain well. It only took an hour to push back the ragtag Bangboo gang in a swift assault.
The Lion's Tooth Gang boss laughed arrogantly.
"Bangboo Gang? Don't make me laugh! Just a bunch of trash wrapped in rocks! Think you can steal my turf? I'll toss you into the trash myself!"
There was something strange about these Bangboo—they weren't like others.
Their bodies were covered in a layer of rock, like armor protecting them.
But in the end, they were still Bangboo—no match for the Lion's Tooth Gang elites.
Soon, one of the underlings ran over.
"Boss, we captured a Bangboo alive!"
...