Starting Cultivation in Wasteland

The two of them, having made their plan, soon sneaked into Central City.

Central City does not forbid gambling. Most of the luxurious casinos are within the city, but there are some outside the city too, and they gamble quite large sums.

The casinos outside mainly serve people who need to stay out of the spotlight, such as wealthy clients from the Gathering Area, or fugitives!

Another thing is, the casinos outside... are quite convenient for money laundering!

The two of them set their sights on the largest casino outside the city, which was just as luxurious as those inside, but the gamblers were a mixed crowd.

They arrived in the evening, observing from afar, when Qu Jianlei suddenly let out a soft "hmm" sound.

"Hold on, something's not right, I need to take a look."

"Hmm?" Xiao Moshan noticed keenly, "You seem a bit tense, do you want me to do something?"

Qu Jianlei took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "I found the secret code arranged with Terry... must have a look."

"He... can come to Central City?" Xiao Moshan was also a bit surprised, "The checks are pretty strict on the one-armed."

The two had been cultivating together for years, and aside from what's unspeakable, they've shared pretty much everything.

"We still have to take a look," Qu Jianlei answered placidly, "You cover me."

Xiao Moshan nodded without saying anything, after years they had developed quite a mutual understanding. He knew he couldn't dissuade him.

The only thing he could do was silently provide support.

Qu Jianlei originally wanted to disguise himself a bit more plainly, but after some thought, he didn't make any special changes and stealthily approached.

As he got closer, someone nearby noticed him but didn't react.

Qu Jianlei walked up to the mark Bentley had left and frowned as he stared at it.

Two people nearby saw this scene, exchanged a glance, and slowly approached.

Qu Jianlei glanced sideways, spoke faintly, "If you don't want to die, scram!"

The two's faces both changed, one of them hesitated and spoke, "Optimus told us to watch."

Qu Jianlei's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Who's Optimus?"

The man scratched his head, seemingly at a loss, and finally answered in a low voice, "Last year's Modified Warrior."

A new Modified Warrior? Qu Jianlei felt a bit dazed, yet a bit rueful, unnoticed, new faces had emerged again.

Youthful ventures age in the rivers and lakes.

He collected his thoughts and asked in a deep voice, "This Optimus, who's he following?"

The two men felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this — indeed someone with a significant background, even a Modified Warrior was not in their eyes.

Still, it was the previous man who answered, and this time his tone was even more respectful, "Optimus is following Black Panther."

"Black Panther..." Qu Jianlei seemed to understand a bit, "Can we contact Black Panther now?"

"Probably... something like that," the man hesitated and nodded, "But may I ask, sir, how should we address you?"

Qu Jianlei raised his hand and pointed at the mark of agreement, "Just say I saw this mark."

The two exchanged a look, one quietly left, and the other stood there.

You think you can guard against me? Qu Jianlei was quite unimpressed.

However, he didn't mention that, instead asking, "Are you two people from this casino?"

The one who stayed nodded, "Yes."

"Hmm?" Qu Jianlei's brows furrowed, "Andre Family... planning to cause trouble?"

He muttered the latter part lightly, but the other seemed to understand, and his face instantly turned pale.

About ten minutes later, a young man rode over on a motorcycle, very young indeed, and looked quite vigorous.

He parked the motorcycle in front of Qu Jianlei, one foot on the ground, cast a suspicious glance, "Did you personally recognize the mark?"

Qu Jianlei touched his chin, spoke faintly, "Black Panther now... seems to have put on airs."

He actually had a good impression of Black Panther, but having Andre Family people guard the mark... what was that about?

The young man glanced at him and felt a bit displeased, but thinking this person might be that esteemed person, dared not act out.

He raised his watch to make a call, and Black Panther answered, sounding a bit sleepy.

However, upon hearing that the mark had been recognized and the person was present, he immediately became alert, "Wait for me, I'll be right there."

Not long after, Black Panther arrived in his vehicle designed for people with disabilities.

He lowered the car window, looked Qu Jianlei up and down, and hesitantly spoke, "Are you... in disguise?"

"It's quite good, looks like you're close to advancement," Qu Jianlei spoke faintly, "Working hard, huh."

"So it is you!" Black Panther picked up the sound of his voice, instantly excited, and opened the car door with crutches.

Qu Jianlei saw that his joy didn't seem fake, and his heart softened a bit, "How did you end up getting involved with the Andre Family?"

"Their family asked me to apologize to you," Black Panther replied straightforwardly, "With Crystals!"

"Crystals... haha," Qu Jianlei chuckled indifferently, am I that easily bought?

However, considering both he and Xiao Moshan needed these for cultivation, he could only express, "If the quantity is small, that's insincere."

Indeed, the Andre Family had deep conflicts with him, and he didn't like the casino industry either.

But the Frost Wolf was taken out by him, and the Ultimate Warrior who attacked later also died unexpectedly.

For those who offended him, as long as the consequences were not too severe, Qu Jianlei did not mind letting them go.

However, for friends like Xiao Jing, Bentley, and Flower Scorpion, who were implicated because of him, such enmities must be accounted for.

Black Panther gave a signal with his eyes, and the others withdrew upon seeing it, then he spoke quietly.

"I was given five B-levels, compensating you thirty... and one A-level."

Huh? Qu Jianlei raised an eyebrow in surprise, the amount was quite unexpected to him, "Does running a casino make that much money?"

"Making money is one thing, but mainly it was scary," Black Panther smiled.

"They don't want to repeat the Douglas Clan's mistake... Heard that guy also became B-level?"

"Douglas Clan..." Qu Jianlei gave him a subtle look, thinking if you get involved in this, it won't be appropriate.

"I see this mark... have you met Terry?"

"I specifically got someone to find him," Black Panther stated plainly.

"I don't know where he is, but I thought... maybe in the Gathering Area of Zhou Six, I could hear something."

He genuinely wanted to help Jian Lei, but Jian Lei's origins were a mystery, and the two people who knew him in the Celestial District had disappeared.

The only place to find clues was with Cindy and her daughter in Zhou Six, people Jian Lei had shown concern for.

Black Panther and Ma Long had already had someone make contact, paying attention to their circumstances.

Half a year ago, when Black Panther and others from the Gorge left for a while, they specifically arranged for someone to visit Zhou Six to see the mother and daughter.

Initially, Cindy and Claire were very vigilant, but after clarifying the situation, they suggested that Terry might be Bentley.

When Qu Jianlei and Flower Scorpion left Zhou Six, Bentley also disappeared.

The disappearance of a mediocre Maintenance Master did not attract much attention, though he was the only one who disappeared that day.

As for his appearance, it basically matched.

The visitor was puzzled about why an electromagnetic-attribute Ultimate Warrior was mingling in Zhou Six daily, but didn't dare to ask much.

This person lingered in Zhou Six for seven or eight days, mostly outside the city, casually inquiring about Bentley.

Then one night, he was knocked out and taken to the wilderness, asked why he was inquiring about Bentley.

The other party was masked, but the severed arm was obvious, so he honestly explained his intention.

The relationship between Jian Lei and Terry was known to related people in Central City, so he was not afraid to speak.

Though concerned about others knowing his intention, when it could possibly be the right person, it did not matter.

First, he described Jian Lei's situation, then shared Jian Lei's concerns for Terry.

Then he explained that he was also entrusted by someone to find Terry's whereabouts because... Jian Lei also had friends.

In the end, to gain the other party's trust, he even mentioned how Ma Long and Black Panther were taking care of Cindy and her daughter.

As a result, that guy with the severed arm finally admitted that he was Terry and initially intended to silence him after the confession.

Terry stated that he was fine now and asked him to tell Jian Lei to protect himself, that's the most important.

He also expressed some dissatisfaction with the mother and daughter's loose tongues.

Fortunately, their looseness allowed both sides to connect, so he merely complained a bit.

In the end, the old man congratulated Jian Lei for advancing to B-level, hoping to see him advance to A-level soon to clear his name.

The visitor also relayed how Jian Lei wiped out the Bunker Clan, but Terry didn't seem to care much about it.

One would say he is an old hand, hiding as much as he can.

Qu Jianlei believed Black Panther's words because Bentley's mark showed, "I am safe, take care of yourself."

It wasn't surprising for Bentley to hide in Zhou Six, as he had originally planned to retire there.

But in the end, Qu Jianlei couldn't help but ask, "That Yellow Scorpion... any news?"

Black Panther pondered for a moment before answering, "Terry said... he's okay, life is not in danger."

"Tsk," Qu Jianlei clicked his tongue, muttering, "Okay... really makes you want to kill someone."

Black Panther remained silent for a while before saying, "As long as he's alive, it can't be worse than I am, right?"

Qu Jianlei looked at him, thought for a moment, and said, "There's Limb Regeneration Potion in the Gorge."

To his surprise, Black Panther nodded, "I know, but... I don't deserve it."

Qu Jianlei was rendered speechless by his words, and after some thought, he patted Black Panther on the shoulder.

"Everything will get better; once you reach B-level, at least you'll have a shot."

"B-level at least makes moving around easier," Black Panther hesitated before asking, "By the way, the Crystal from the Andre Family..."

"That's a gift from them, just accept it," Qu Jianlei replied without hesitation.

The other side coordinated his relationship with the Andre Clan, though they charged a fee, he wasn't personally worried about this feud.

The key was that they actively helped inquire about Bentley's whereabouts and put in a lot of effort; he must acknowledge that favor.

"By the way, what's the situation with the Douglas Clan now?"