When Ruan Xing was carried off the vehicle, he carefully observed the surroundings. It seemed like they were in a warehouse. The interior of the makeshift building was dark, crowded with a variety of equipment that he couldn't identify.

He and Ming Rui weren't the first ones brought here. There were already over twenty people, some awake, some still unconscious.

Most of them were men, dressed quite ordinarily. Only one looked particularly strong, probably a mercenary who had somehow ended up here. The only "women" present were him and Ming Rui.

"Damn, just these few?"

"They are cracking down hard these days. Having even this many is already good enough. With two women, we already hit the jackpot."

One of the men let out a strange laugh that immediately disgusted Ruan Xing.

They were thrown into a large cage where several people were already collapsed inside, lying in disarray. It was hard to tell if they had fainted from hunger or something else, but their expressions looked dull and lifeless.

The arrival of new people stirred up a commotion.

"Women? How the hell did women end up here?"

"F***! These bastards are targeting women now?!"

Some people cursed angrily, others looked on with ill intent, and some simply stared. Among them, the muscular mercenary seemed unwilling to see things get out of hand and warned everyone around, "Calm down!"

The noise died down a bit, though whispers still lingered.

Chen Qiang noticed that the taller of the two women woke up first. She was very beautiful.

He asked kindly, "Miss, how did you get deceived by them?"

The woman looked pale, and her voice was hoarse, probably from just waking up. "I don't know. My sister and I were just shopping, and then I woke up here. Where is this place?"

Someone cut in, "We all woke up here. People just keep getting brought in. We're probably abducted to be sold."

Chen Qiang couldn't bear to see the fear on her face and tried to comfort her. "It's okay. We'll help each other out. They'll not harm us. We just need to find a chance to escape."

"Escape? Are you kidding me? None of us can get out of this cage!" someone shouted, agitated. "This damn thing is made of who-knows-what. It's impossible to break!"

Chen Qiang stayed calm and analyzed, "We're probably still within the base, just being passed around. If we find the right moment, we can get out. Otherwise, what, they plan to sell us to the pollutants or something?"

The long-haired woman glanced at him. That seemed to give Chen Qiang some encouragement. "As long as even one of us escapes, we can report this to the Investigration Corps and then rescue everyone."

"But I don't think any of you can escape."

Chen Qiang turned to see who dared say something like that, only to find a man walking in from outside the warehouse. A long scar ran across his face, stretching from his temple across his eye and down past his collarbone.

Half his face was deformed. The right side of his head caved inward, and one of his eyes was blind. The scar looked like it had nearly cut his head in half, yet the man was somehow still alive.

Chen Qiang was startled. This person didn't look human. He was more like a pollutant wearing human skin.

His voice was strange too, as if it was being squeezed out from deep in his chest. "I don't think any of you will return to the base."

Ruan Xing stared at the man, and the information from Li Yuan surfaced in his mind. He matched the description.

It was Scar-tail. The same man he had almost been sold to.

Scar-tail stepped forward and locked eyes with Chen Qiang. "You know nothing, yet you're here comforting others?"

Chen Qiang's face darkened with tension. He rushed forward and grabbed the bars with both hands. He was clearly not as calm as before. He pulled hard at the bars, but nothing happened. "Why did you capture us? Who are you selling us to?"

Behind him, the cage stirred. Others crowded forward and began cursing at Scar-tail. Some even threw things at him, but it was all useless.

Ruan Xing stood at the back of the cage, shielding Ming Rui while quietly observing both sides.

Scar-tail approached him, giving him a careful once-over, and a satisfied look flashed in his eyes. "You are really pretty. I've never handled a girl as beautiful as you."

Ruan Xing's gaze turned icy.

Scar-tail grinned, causing his facial scar to twist like a centipede. "Don't be scared. I'll send you to a good place. You'll live better there than in the base."

Ruan Xing asked flatly, "Is that so? Then why don't you go yourself?"

Scar-tail pointed at his face. "I already did."

Looking at the pair of "sisters" in front of him, Scar-tail was very pleased. They were quiet with perfect expressions. He was certain that they would be popular, especially among those with a strong desire to dominate.

As for the rest of the men…

Scar-tail looked a bit disappointed. "No ability users in this batch? What a waste."

Chen Qiang was shocked. The way Scar-tail said it made it sound like catching ability users were as easy as picking vegetables at the market. Did this man really have enough power to capture ability users?

People started emerging behind Scar-tail. They wore masks and were not particularly muscular, but they followed orders obediently.

Scar-tail ordered, "Move them out."

They put their hands on the cage and started pushing. Only then did the captives realize that the entire cage was on wheels.

But there shouldn't be any vehicles big enough to load such a large cage…

Unexpectedly, they were not loaded onto a truck, but instead pushed deeper into the warehouse. The equipment inside had been cleared out, and a strange symbol was drawn on the floor.

No one knew what was happening, except Ruan Xing. He stared silently at the symbol.

Scar-tail ordered everyone else to leave as he lingered alone inside the warehouse.

He slowly crouched and placed a strange object in the middle of the symbol. Then, something completely unexpected happened. The symbol began to glow.

Everyone in the cage was stunned. Was this some kind of special effect? The light grew stronger, and a blinding flash lit up the entire area.

Then, they found themselves in a different place. Their cage, along with the strange man, had been transported.

They were now in a vast, unfamiliar space.

Everyone looked around in confusion, except for the "sisters."

Ming Rui had already woken up and quietly leaned toward Ruan Xing. "This is probably the back end of the trading center. I've never been here, but all newcomers go through packaging before being sold."

Ruan Xing looked around. The space was dim, and he could vaguely make out many cages covered in cloth, with faint sounds emanating from inside.

Scar-tail moved skillfully out of the area. Noises and chatter echoed faintly from farther away.

Since arriving, Ming Rui had been on edge. He was visibly tense and highly vigilant.

Looking at the cages in the distance, he whispered, "Probably 'leftover goods' from before… or new arrivals."

Not long after, someone approached the cage. Chen Qiang immediately looked over, only to be stunned.

The one opening the door wasn't human. It was a large, heavily muscled, purplish monster. The creature grinned at Chen Qiang. "This batch looks promising."

Scar-tail chimed in beside him. "There are two females in the back too."

The purple-skinned monster began breathing heavily. "Females?"

Scar-tail rasped a laugh. "Yeah. Took us long enough to get two females. Look at how excited you are."

The monster laughed too. When it saw the pair of "sisters" cowering at the back of the cage, its eyes gleamed. "Very nice. Really nice. This batch is amazing. The quality is good enough for a top-tier price."

"You're making a fortune this time."

Scar-tail smirked. "Alright then. Pay up."

Chen Qiang had been right. They were really being sold to pollutants!

The people panicked. If they were being sold to humans, they still had a chance to escape, but once they were brought into a polluted zone, getting out would be nearly impossible.

Someone screamed in the cage, only to be silenced by a crushing punch from a purple-skinned monster that came out of nowhere.

Scar-tail sneered. "Once you're in here, no one gets out."

The monster glanced at him. "Not always. There was that pair of siblings before… but whatever."

Ruan Xing remained still inside the cage, watching as they completed the transaction. Once Scar-tail was done, he left, leaving behind a group of mentally broken people.

"What the hell is going on? Where are we?"

"Welcome to the Holy City, humans."

The purple-skinned monster turned his attention to the "sisters" and grinned. "Come on, the auction is about to begin. Let's get you ready."

The Lord's Trade was the only legal trafficking site in the Holy City. It had been in this business for decades. During the monthly auctions, wealthier residents would show up early with their pets in tow.

The auditorium had tiered seating and was quite spacious, with two to three meters between each row. A rough count suggested there were hundreds of seats.

Now, all the seats were filled with residents. While they retained some human features, most of their bodies were no longer human.

A jet-black pollutant with eight arms muttered to a lizard-faced being beside him, "Ever since Candy City went down, there are fewer and fewer outsiders. Not enough stock anymore. We used to hold auctions twice a month, offering better quality items. Now it's only once a month and still not much. Prices keep going up, and I worked hard to save up for this."

"Sigh. Business is tough these days. Can't those outsiders just reproduce more?" The lizard-faced being's hands were covered in fine scales. A thin chain was wrapped around his wrist, and on the other end was a white-haired human lying on the ground wearing only a rough gray sack and a collar around the neck.

The eight-armed one glanced at him. "Conditions outside are hard. Not like here in the Holy City, where you can pop out a whole litter. Out there, they can only have one kid at a time!"

"No wonder they are so pricey." The lizard sneered and tapped the white-haired human's head with his foot. "Unlike this cheap trash. Useless."

The human smiled flatteringly, his white lashes curling. "Yes, you are right."

The eight-armed one scoffed. "So boring."

Before they could keep chatting, the lights dimmed.

"It's starting!"

A spotlight shone on the stage. A bald man in a tuxedo appeared under the beam.

On the black stage, his shiny head gleamed like a lightbulb.

"Welcome to our trading center. It's time for this month's auction. I'm sure there will be something to your satisfaction. Let us not waste time! Please enjoy our first item for sale."

The light beside him lit up, revealing Chen Qiang in a small cage. He only wore black shorts, his upper body bare and oiled to shine. A strong beam lit up his figure like a freshly roasted duck.

The bald man pointed at him. "First item: mercenary, Chen Qiang."

No description was given. This auction house never offered details. Buyers had to judge for themselves. Some humans appeared strong, but they were actually weak back home. Tough luck.

But this one did look decent with solid muscles. Whether for breeding, fighting in arenas, or everyday service, he was a good pick.

"Starting price, 3,000 holy coins." The bald man struck the hammer, and the room erupted.

"5,000!"

"6,000!"

"7,000!"

The eight-armed creature was excited. "I've saved up so long to buy one for competitions. This guy is perfect."

He didn't have a pet yet!

"10,000!"

The room quieted. Many were surprised. That price could have gotten a woman at past auctions. Why spend so much on a big brute?

Still, the bidding climbed. The eight-armed being gritted its teeth and finally raised it to 15,000, finally winning the bid.

The lizard-faced creature cheered for him, and even his white-haired pet looked envious.

Backstage.

Ruan Xing listened to the hype outside and turned to see that Ming Rui had already changed into a dress, his face unreadable.

Fu Gui rubbed his paws together. [Is it time to change clothes?]

Ruan Xing stared at the dress in his hand, lips twitching. Cross-dressing? No way.

The purple-skinned monster peeked in and saw Ruan Xing and Ming Rui. He smiled. "You haven't changed yet?"

The black-haired, black-eyed beauty in front of him was the most popular type in the Holy City. If he changed into a dress, the auction price would surely skyrocket.

But the youth said, "I don't want to change... and tell the bidder to take both of us as a pair."

The monster thought the guy must be crazy. Still negotiating at this point? He was about to refuse, but as he looked into those eyes, his mind went blank. Before he knew it, he blurted out, "Alright."

Ruan Xing blinked, his dark eyes looking as dark as the darkest night.

Ming Rui had warned him earlier to change his eye color, stating that black hair with green eyes was taboo in this city.

"Lighter hair is more popular?"

Ruan Xing thought of the white-haired humans on chains.

"No. Black-haired and black-eyed outsiders are the most sought after. The white-haired locals are the cheapest and most useless," Ming Rui said coldly, like it was just a fact.

Onstage.

The bald man received a small note and looked slightly surprised.

"Well then."

"Ladies and gentlemen, our final item for today is here. For this transaction, we will be auctioning off a pair! Two female humans!"

The room went quiet for a moment, then exploded in discussion. All eyes locked on the two large cages being rolled out from behind the curtain.