Ya Qiaoxi led Sun Hang and the other two on foot through a narrow alley, then passed right through a nearly completely collapsed stadium—between the ruins, there were many passages propped up by steel bars and beams. It was clear these passages weren't naturally formed during the collapse but were excavated by people in the aftermath.

The passages showed obvious signs of reinforcement; steel beams of vastly different ages were pieced together, and although the welding was unsightly, it was sturdy enough. Some cracks in the ground were covered with thick steel plates, while others were filled with cement. A hundred-yuan bill was stuck in a cracked brick seam; when Sun Hang pulled it out, he found it was a small advertisement card with a banknote pattern printed on the back.

"Xin Hong Free Hunter Agency, your best partner for creating a great business! For details, please call 137XXXXXXXX."

The last eight digits of the phone number on the card were indistinguishable, as was the face of the bikini model used as the background image—if not for the text, it looked exactly like those "improper little cards" often shoved into the doors of motels and small hotels.

"Xin Hong, huh?" Ya Qiaoxi glanced at the card in Sun Hang's hand, "They went bankrupt half a year ago. It's said the boss was dishonest in business, often quoting different prices to hunters and employers, making several times the mediator fee in the process. When discovered, the agency's boss was lured to Yumen and done away with... though some say he was forcibly taken there."

"I lean towards the latter," Sun Hang responded, "No one could be that dumb."

"You never know," Candle Dragon shook his head, "If he weren't dumb, he wouldn't have done such a thing... He couldn't afford to offend either the hunters or the wealthy patrons willing to pay big bucks to hire them."

"Since killing isn't illegal here in Yumen..." Sun Hang glanced at the goods on Ya Qiaoxi's pushcart, "Aren't you afraid of being killed and robbed delivering goods here?"

"Afraid, why wouldn't I be?" Ya Qiaoxi feigned a fearful expression, "I'm scared to death, but I have to make a living... A single trip to Yumen earns more than my shabby tavern's sales in half a year... Mind you, I said sales, not net profit."

"People generally won't bother her," Candle Dragon said, "Besides her, those who regularly deliver to Yumen can usually guarantee their personal safety..."

"Exactly, exactly. Guess what, if something happened to me, do you think anyone would still deliver booze to this godforsaken place?" Ya Qiaoxi's expression flipped into confidence, speaking boldly.

"Can't they kill someone and make it look like they died in a dust storm in the desert?"

"They could, but even if I really died in a dust storm out there, the businessmen in Dragon City would think someone broke the rules, and Yumen's supplies would halt for a long time, causing people here much discomfort... So those hunters and mercenaries not only won't touch me but will also go out of their way to ensure my safety," Ya Qiaoxi explained.

"Just afraid of those who value money over life, still sending supplies to Yumen after you're gone," Sun Hang shrugged, "Like those corporate workaholics in the inland cities—they accept jobs no one else wants, wrecking the entire 'market'."

"Not here," Ya Qiaoxi said firmly, "This is Dragon City, not the mainland—oh, we've arrived."

She stopped in front of a building that resembled a church.

"A church?" Sun Hang glanced at the curved steel frame dome left standing—it looked very similar to the veterans' sanatorium in Lake Baikal City.

"No, it's the waiting hall of Yumen Bus Station," Ya Qiaoxi shook her head, "The designer of the waiting hall was from the Former Siberia Federation, so it's designed like this."

The waiting hall's door was wide open; Sun Hang noticed many footprints scattered at the entrance, and along the wall on the right side, there was even a puddle of unknown urine, with a cigarette butt soaking in it.

Ya Qiaoxi pushed a cart of goods into the waiting hall, and Sun Hang, following her, instinctively looked upwards.

Half of the second-floor slab of the waiting hall had collapsed, and crouched at the edge of the collapse was a person in a sand-colored cloak, their hood obscuring glowing eyes that were fixated on the four walking into the hall.

This was a Hunter; Sun Hang felt a faint eerie memetic presence from him.

The person licked their lips, slipping a hand into the pocket.

Sun Hang caught a faint sound of metal clinking... not from a weapon, but from the coins in that Hunter's pocket.

"Mr. Ya, long time no see." The Hunter on the second floor greeted Ya Qiaoxi.

"Not that long," Ya Qiaoxi flashed a professional fake smile, "How's business?"

"Same old, not looking great... but the sand, it feels full," the Hunter replied in a hoarse, muddy voice, as if perpetually stuck with phlegm he couldn't swallow, "Any smokes among your goods, Mr. Ya?"

"Of course."

"How much per pack?"

"The usual price."

"..." The Hunter paused for a few seconds, then muttered, "Can you sell them by the stick?"

"Come back tonight; I need to unload first, can't open them up now anyway, right?"

"Right, right... I'll come back tonight, Mr. Ya, please save a few for me," the Hunter nodded eagerly.

Ya Qiaoxi pushed the cart to an open area in the center of the hall and nodded to the Hunter on the second floor, "Could you open the door?"

"Sure thing!" The Hunter stood up, moved to the nearby gate, and forcefully pushed the lever down.

With the sound of cables and pulleys rubbing, a heavy iron plate was hoisted down, revealing an entrance to an underground passage.

"Let's go." Ya Qiaoxi took the lead, pushing the cart down the slope.

The underground space below the waiting hall was quite spacious; the tunnel was wide enough for three off-road vehicles to pass side by side, with electric lights installed on either side—although only a third of the lights were still functioning, they were sufficient to illuminate the tunnel.

For a deserted city, being able to light up any electric lamps was enough to surprise people.

"Where is this?" Sun Hang asked, looking at the graffiti on the tunnel walls, "Yumen Metro."

"Yumen doesn't have a metro. When this city was abandoned, only metropolises like Chunming City and Shen City had them," Ya Qiaoxi shook her head, "This is Yumen's air-raid shelter... but it has a new name now."

"Spring Breeze."