Seemingly worried that their identities would alert the enemy, all the hunters present dressed casually and tried to hide their identities. Only Yi Heye had "I'm not someone to mess with" written all over his face, making his arrogance even more intense.
The current target has been designated as a Class B bounty. Although it is not very dangerous, it is already a rare big fish in terms of rarity.
Everyone around was eyeing Yi Heye with predatory intent, their eyes glued to him, afraid that someone else would get the kill first and hand over their hard-earned points. Only Yi Heye leisurely smoked a cigarette, even yawning boredly.
Today happens to be a weekend, and Wanxiangli is bustling with people—adults, children, and young students—all taking advantage of the rare holiday to relax here.
The hunters stared intently at each face, and despite the not-so-hot weather, they were all sweating profusely with tension. Yi Heye found their comical appearance amusing, but the next second, his smile vanished, and his sharp gaze locked onto a burly man at the crossroads who was nearly two meters tall and had a muscular build.
The moment his gaze locked on someone, a hunter beside him shot off like an arrow.
Clearly, he wasn't staring at anyone, but rather at Yi Heye's eyes. This behavior was like peeking at a top student's exam paper in an exam hall, a despicable act of cheating.
Yi Heye, who was being spied on, started a little later. The next second, he roared off and flew away. By then, the other competitors who hadn't reacted yet had already lost their eligibility to compete. They stared dumbfounded at the two figures that had suddenly taken off, unable to move in time.
It was a tense and exciting race. Even the big man himself seemed to be caught off guard, standing there watching the two incoming shells. But the other side had started earlier and faster, leaving Yi Heye far behind.
"Bang!" "Bang!"
Two muffled thuds echoed in the alleyway—the hunter who had been spying shoved a punch into the burly man's face. The man covered his face and took a step back, not falling down, but his nose started bleeding.
Another muffled thud came from behind him. Yi Heye leaped off the car and pinned a seemingly well-mannered male college student to the ground.
Just as the hunter was congratulating himself on defeating the cheetah, he belatedly realized that something seemed amiss.
Yi Heye didn't even glance at him, but directly grabbed the male college student by the arm and restrained him, coldly saying, "Admit it yourself."
The male college student was in excruciating pain, crying out as the mechanical cover on his head slowly opened, waving a small white flag: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pretended to be human! I confess!"
The hunter, who was about to control the burly man in his hand, was so shocked by the scene before him that he lost his mind – the cheetah had caught an AI, so what about his own…?
Looking back, he was faced with a living hell. Seeing the burly man, his nose bleeding and raging, charging towards him, the hunter, pale-faced, pointed at Yi Heye: "It's...it's him...it's him who saw you...so..."
The burly man looked at Yi Heye, who was busy at the time. After being suddenly called out, Yi Heye smiled brightly and innocently: "Yes, big brother's muscles are too eye-catching. I couldn't help but take another look. I also want to ask big brother how he trained."
After saying that, he even exaggeratedly praised, "Big brother is really awesome. He took such a heavy punch and only staggered."
Upon hearing his reminder, the older brother remembered the beating he had received, his face turned cold, and he rolled up his sleeves and swung them at the hunter.
After that, Yi Heye couldn't be bothered with the personal feud between the two. He happily tied the male college student up and carried him back to his car, then opened the bounty website and submitted the mission photos.
The B-level bounty points meant nothing to this wealthy man, but they made the others green with envy. Yi Heye didn't want to hear them say bad things about him, nor was he bothered to beat them up one by one, so he simply drove away quickly.
Having won the first battle in the reconstruction journey, Yi Heye felt he had to do something to celebrate.
He first handed the person over to the recycling center, and then drove Xiaoming around to the most famous trend culture center in District C.
The place is frequented by fashionable and trendy young people. Compared to those bright red and green outfits, the few black studs on Yi Heye's body are extremely low-key.
The first few nails in his ear were all put in this area. This time, he had a clear goal and headed straight for a shop without looking back, obviously also to get nails put in there.
Seeing his excited expression, Xiaoming asked somewhat fearfully, "Baby, have you decided where you want to go?"
Yi Heye hesitated for a moment, then hastily made a decision the instant he got out of the car:
"Collarbone, it's beautiful."
Author's Note:
Jian Yunxian: Red alert! Someone is trying to cause trouble on my turf!
Chapter 130, number 130
The idea of getting a collarbone implant was something Yi Heye came up with on a whim. Although the idea came quickly, once it was finalized, Yi Heye thought it was absolutely brilliant.
He raised his invisible leopard tail, parked Xiaoming properly, and then strode confidently into the store.
Yi Heye is a regular customer of this store. Their simple style, superb skills, and excellent hygiene conditions have won Yi Heye's heart.
As soon as he entered, the piercing technician greeted him: "Hey buddy, you're here again?"
The piercing technician was a cool woman with super short, slender hair dyed a muted green, eyebrow and lip piercings, tattoos all over her body, androgynous clothing.
What's most eye-catching is the black tattoo around her neck, like a semi-permanent collar she's manually wearing, making her look very striking and unconventional.
This type of fashion hovers at the very edge of Yi Heye's appreciation range. He often feels that this woman is so cool that he envies her, but he also often feels that this kind of art is still a bit too advanced for humankind.
The piercing technician turned around and asked loudly across the entire corridor, "How about trying the R-ring this time?"
This master always recommended this project to him, and Yi Heye often couldn't suppress his curiosity and wanted to try it, but this guy was shouting it way too loudly!
Under the spotlight of those around him, his overwhelming sense of shame completely overwhelmed any lingering curiosity: "No!!"
The piercing technician chuckled: "Judging from your physique, you must exercise frequently. In that case, I don't recommend you do this. It's easy to get scratches, friction, and inflammation, and it's quite inconvenient."
Yi Heye finally found a legitimate reason to refuse, saying seriously, "I never intended to do this in the first place!"
The piercing technician gestured with his chin towards him and pointed to the girl lying in front of him: "I'm inserting a piercing for my girlfriend right now. It'll be over soon. You can choose the style first."
Yi Heye immediately walked to the display machine and selected the types of products.
Although he liked to add some strange things to his clothes, he didn't like anything too flashy or gaudy, so he quickly ruled out the glittering little stars and flowers and went straight for the solid-color studs.
His five earrings were all pure black, so he wanted to get a pair too. He was just about to pick out a random black stud when he saw a pair next to him—
The material of this nail is black jadeite. Under normal circumstances, it appears as a solid black color, but when viewed under transmitted light, it reveals a pure jade green color.
Yi Heye clicked on the preview as if possessed. The image showed an ordinary black nail, a simple design that he liked. Then, the next second, a beam of light passed through the middle, the dark black faded away, and a pure emerald green flowed out along with the light.
Yi Heye stared blankly at the pure color, as if he could see Jian Yunxian's eyes—those clear emerald eyes were quietly gazing at him through the screen.
When Yi Heye came to his senses, he realized that he had pressed the confirmation button without anyone noticing. Although he could have canceled it, he did not.
What does this have to do with Jian Yunxian? I chose this purely because it looks good! Just because it looks good!
Just as he finished choosing the style, the piercing technician, with her arm around her beautiful girlfriend, leaned over to look at his selection: "You have great taste."
Just as Yi Heye was about to feel smug, the piercing expert explained, "This kind of jade is called 'Lover's Shadow' in its place of origin, which means the love hidden in your heart."
Upon hearing this, Yi Heye's smile froze on his lips—heaven knows if he really got it by accident, but perhaps his motives for choosing it were impure to begin with, and after being told this, he actually felt a little guilty.
The piercing technician ignored his explanation and, while seeing off his beautiful girlfriend, pushed Yi Heye into the room.
At this point in the conversation, she decided to get straight to the point and ask, "You seem different today. Do you have a boyfriend?"
Yi Heye was completely absorbed in the 'shadow of his lover' when he was suddenly asked this question, and his mind went blank: "...Damn, how did you know?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong and quickly slapped himself in the face mentally: "No, I meant..."
"You look radiant, whereas you always had a sullen face when you came before," the piercing technician explained. "As for sexual orientation, temperament is innate, and I've never been wrong about it."
Yi Heye suddenly felt as if he had been seen through, and the feeling of having nowhere to hide made him shudder, but he still explained weakly, "...but we didn't talk about it."
The piercing technician patted him on the shoulder: "That means you slept together. Even a one-night stand is still a relationship."
"Alright, stop talking." Yi Heye's heart was about to stop because of what she said, and he wished he could make the sign of the cross and beg her to shut up.
The topic of the piercing technician came and went quickly, and they immediately started helping Yi Heye get the nails to prepare for the procedure.
Yi Heye lay down on the control panel, then looked up uneasily before remembering, "I haven't decided where to nail it yet."
There are many places where clavicle nails can be placed, on both sides of the clavicle, or in the middle of the bones on both sides. Yi Heye was a little afraid of choosing, and even after lying down, he still couldn't make up his mind.
The puncture technician glanced at it and said, "My idea is, why don't you try pinning two nails side by side on the left collarbone?"
Yi Heye clapped his hands, about to say "Great, wherever you say it is," when he saw the piercing technician's fingers sweep across the patch of skin on his body and then point to his heart: "Like a lover's eyes, looking at your heart with love."
When the piercing technician held the nail to Yi Heye's chest, Yi Heye's heart skipped a beat with his movement.
He dared not think too much about it, yet he was captivated by her brilliant wording, and could only blush and feign annoyance, saying, "Fine, fine, whatever!"
It must be said, these two nails were really good-looking. When the piercing master brought them to Yi Heye's eyes, he knew he had made the right choice.
She was right. It was like a pair of eyes full of love, just like that night when Jian Yunxian put her arms around his waist and looked at him with such tenderness.
While he was lost in thought, the piercing technician had already picked up his tools and made a hole in his collarbone.
Contrary to his expectations, although the process of getting the clavicle nail implanted did not require anesthesia, he experienced almost no pain whatsoever.
Yi Heye, who originally came seeking thrills, felt a slight sense of regret, but once the process was complete, that regret was completely overwhelmed.
"It really looks quite nice," Yi Heye thought, standing in front of the mirror, looking at the two small, inconspicuous black nails with immense satisfaction.
The piercing technician was also satisfied. She examined Yi Heye's nail for a long time and said, "A good-looking collarbone piercing really makes a difference."
Yi Heye received praise, which made him not only satisfied but also happy. He then lowered his head to button his clothes.
The puncture technician instructed, "During this period, please avoid certain foods, including alcohol, spicy foods, and seafood. During the recovery period, pay close attention to hygiene; avoid bathing or swimming, and do not touch the area with your hands to prevent infection. Finally, be careful to avoid any scrapes or abrasions..."
Yi Heye was a professional at digging tunnels and was very familiar with these things. He nodded and prepared to leave when his phone rang.
Yi Heye glanced at the number; the caller was the head of the recycling center in Zone C.
The other party wouldn't normally call me randomly—could it be that the male college student I just collected on the street has run into trouble?
In an instant, all sorts of possibilities flashed through Yi Heye's mind. After ruling out the possibility of his own operational error, the other party's voice came through:
"Hello? Is this Mr. Yi?"
"Yes." Yi Heye frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
“Since you, Mr. Yi, work at the AI Administration Bureau, I feel it’s necessary to report this matter to you,” the person in charge said. “It’s like this: we just inspected the C-9762 item you retrieved. During the inspection, we found that the item to be retrieved had an E-zone identification mark on it. We suspect that it is highly likely to be an illegal immigrant from the E-zone.”
Upon hearing this, Yi Heye's expression also tensed up: "Sector E?"
“Yes,” the person in charge said. “I will now send you a photo of the tag on his body so you can confirm it.”
As Yi Heye answered the call, he hung up. He then opened the photo sent by the other end, his expression becoming even more serious—the photo showed a close-up of a male college student from behind.
When Yi Heye grabbed him, the guy had his collar turned up high, so at first glance, nothing seemed amiss. But now that he's been stripped naked, you can see a very obvious brand mark on the back of his neck.
It was a large black E, with very messy strokes, enclosed by a circle, and a diagonal line in the middle.
The person in charge was not mistaken; this was a unique identifier for Zone E. People with such an identifier should not appear so openly outside Zone E.
Similar to the high wall in Area A, Area E was also physically isolated from the other areas. However, the former was because of its own high aspirations and unwillingness to associate with the "inferior people" outside the wall, while the latter was because the other areas actively stayed away from it.
Following the rule that "the closer to the bullseye, the higher the economic level", Zone E, the outermost zone of the target, is the worst-developed zone in terms of all aspects.
Rather than calling this a "living area," it's more accurate to describe it as a large-scale prison for one person.
Due to its unpleasant geographical environment, most normal people are unwilling to approach it voluntarily, so this area has always been used for isolation.
Besides the local indigenous residents, some serious criminals who survived due to the abolition of the death penalty, as well as those who are unsuitable for living in normal human society for various reasons, will be marked and sent directly to Area E for exile, where they will fend for themselves.