Chapter 73 – Mechanical Head
The Ansa black market did not have access to the hover rail station. The train stopped in a small town five kilometers away from the Ansa black market.
More people got off at this stop than Tu Ran had imagined.
Tu Ran blended into the crowd, first going to a secluded corner to change into men’s clothing. She put on a hat, mask, and sunglasses, wrapping herself up tightly before heading in the direction of the black market.
Along the way, there were a few scattered shops selling food, water, and clothing for disguise.
Most people coming to the black market would have thought to prepare these things beforehand and wouldn’t buy them here, so the small shops were very quiet, with almost no one stopping by.
The closer she got to the black market, the more people there were, and the number of shops increased as well, with a wider variety of goods for sale.
Tu Ran estimated the distance. She should now be at the edge of the black market. She looked down at the time: 2:55.
Xie Xu had said someone would come to meet her, so she decided to wait there.
Tu Ran began to observe the shops on both sides of the street.
A rundown clinic, a rundown hardware store, a rundown casino, a rundown bar, a rundown small restaurant…
Everything was gray and dusty. The signs of each shop looked precarious. The people going in and out were all dressed in gray or black clothing, covering their entire bodies. The entire street lacked any bright color, making it very depressing.
Many people passing by were dressed similarly to her. Some were even more tightly wrapped, while others boldly exposed their entire faces, though their faces were covered with colorful tattoos, making it hard to discern their true appearances despite being eye-catching.
Everyone on the street carried weapons. The various guns and grenades amazed Tu Ran. Some people carried guns in the front and long knives on their backs, the knife’s tip sticking out from their back, causing others to deliberately avoid them.
What caught Tu Ran’s attention the most were the mechanical modified people.
Some had modified a leg, others an arm, with steel-like limbs exposed, showcasing their strength and ferocity. Besides modified limbs, Tu Ran also noticed someone with both eyes replaced by mechanical prosthetics, resembling two camera lenses.
There were also people who had replaced their entire heads with mechanical materials, such as the burly man walking towards her. His head was mechanical, but his exposed limbs appeared human, making it difficult for Tu Ran to determine if he was a robot resembling a human or a human resembling a robot.
Was his brain still human? Tu Ran couldn’t tell.
Tu Ran stepped aside, letting him pass. As they brushed past each other, she heard a low voice.
“Follow me.”
Tu Ran looked around. No one else seemed to have heard the voice. She turned back to the source of the voice, the man with the mechanical head.
He was already walking away.
Without his conspicuous silver metallic head, Tu Ran might have lost him.
She quickly started walking, keeping a moderate distance behind him.
Other pedestrians separated them, making it impossible for anyone to tell he was guiding her.
After several turns, Tu Ran followed him into a small clinic. From the outside, the clinic blended in with the other shops, nothing distinctive about it.
Inside, the cramped space was filled with the pungent smell of cheap medicinal solutions.
If Tu Ran had come to this clinic as a patient by chance, she would have quickly left, thinking the doctor here was a cheap quack, given the unpleasant smell.
