Cave Refuge

Mr. Thompson saw his son's expression suddenly turn so serious and felt somewhat surprised for a moment, especially since after experiencing that chaos, his trust in the Officials had already diminished significantly.

That was precisely why he had let himself be persuaded to go to the Black Market, otherwise, he wouldn't have wanted to have anything to do with it, especially considering that the Black Market, being located outside the base, could not guarantee safety.

Although the person who invited him into the Black Market had told him clearly that there were five Martial Artists at the Path Entry Realm present in the market, anyone causing trouble there would be controlled immediately.

But in reality, the Black Market was just a large ship wandering near the base, if someone caused trouble there and managed to leave the Black Market in time without being captured by those people inside, it would be very difficult for the victims to be compensated.

In addition, compared to the base which was tightly controlled by the Officials, the Black Market's large ship, although always lurking around the base, could still possibly be attacked by those visitors from Otherworldly realms, and therefore the safety wasn't as assured as they claimed.

Yet even so, because of the chaos last time, there were more and more people within the base willing to trade on that Black Market ship.

However, Dong Tianyu also knew that the emergence of the Black Market was actually inevitable, since with cameras everywhere, the Officials had strong control over everyone inside the base.

Therefore, whenever anything happened, the Officials could use the ubiquitous surveillance to find some clues, and then track down any target they wanted to find by following those leads.

For this reason, some survivors who had items that were difficult to dispose of publicly were unable to sell them directly within the base, as no matter how secretly they acted, if the Officials wished, they would be able to trace the seller through surveillance.

In plain terms, it was hard to get rid of stolen goods within the base due to pervasive surveillance, and this caused many grey areas to lose their habitat for survival.

As the base became increasingly prosperous, the cost of living there also grew more expensive, forcing many people to sell things that they couldn't openly advertise in order to maintain a decent standard of living.

Such transactions generally took place in secret, with both parties not wishing others to know, but due to the base's omnipresent cameras, though the Officials usually ignored these deals, if they decided to investigate, they could certainly trace both parties involved.

It was because of this that Dong Tianyu wasn't surprised by the appearance of the Black Market, and while he had no aversion to its emergence, he was certain that even if the Officials were unaware at the beginning, with time passing by, they would definitely become aware of the Black Market.

And just like the so-called dark net before the natural disaster, although it was a dark area at first, as more and more people learned of its existence over time, the Officials inevitably intervened.

In the end, the so-called dark net gradually became a fishing platform for various Zoos, with constables from these Zoos starting to post assignments on the dark net to fish for targets.

Dong Tianyu guessed that the situation of the Black Market outside the base right now might be quite similar to that of the dark net before the natural disaster. Compared to the lax situation on Eagle Sauce's side, Rabbit had a strong grip over its own Zoo.

The Officials were definitely aware of the Black Market's existence, and its formation might even have been led by the Officials, as throughout history, all Rabbits understood the principle that it was better to guide than to block, except for certain absolutely forbidden activities, many things required offering people an alternative choice.

Yet though Dong Tianyu thought it was likely that the Black Market was led by the Officials, Mr. Thompson couldn't blatantly become one of the crowd.

While it might be true that you can't prosecute the masses, when the Officials decided to make a move against the Black Market, most ordinary people visiting it might suffer minor reprimands, but for those like Mr. Thompson who had set up shop in the Black Market, the Officials would definitely make examples of them.

It was for this reason that Dong Tianyu was so angry at the person who had tempted Mr. Thompson to open a shop in the Black Market.

After calming himself, Dong Tianyu explained the problems to Mr. Thompson. At first, Mr. Thompson didn't take his son's warning seriously.

But when Mr. Thompson heard that he might already be marked by the Officials, he immediately lost his composure, for although he had been through a lot after the natural disaster, he had mostly walked the straight path, even though he occasionally got involved in some scheming, it was usually about issues, not personal attacks.

The only time Mr. Thompson had faced an event that threatened his life was during that last disturbance in the base, and it was because of that disturbance that he often felt a sense of unease.

After hearing Dong Tianyu's full analysis, Mr. Thompson, somewhat worriedly, asked, "I've already opened a shop there; if the Officials really do as you say, my name is probably already on their records. What should I do now?"