Chapter 25: Friends Are Delicious

"Huh?"

Liu Zheng stopped in his tracks.

"What now?" Niu Ma asked.

"I think someone is singing," he said.

The singing was faint, almost imperceptible; had it not been for the enhancement provided by his vest, he likely wouldn't have heard it at all.

"I don't hear anything," Niu Ma said, pricking up its ears.

"Je vois la vie en rose, il me dit des mots d'amour."

Liu Zheng softly hummed the lyrics he had caught, a smile gradually spreading across his face. "It's Mr. Tree."

"That tree? Figures. At this hour, who else would be singing in the middle of the street?" Niu Ma curled its lip.

"Is it far from here?" he asked.

"A little over a kilometer, I suppose," Niu Ma mused.

"That's not bad. Boss, mind if I go over and say hello?" Liu Zheng inquired.

"Why? You want to be its backup dancer?" Niu Ma retorted.

"I should be polite," he replied with a smile.

"You humans and your endless fuss. Go if you want; I have no desire to see it," Niu Ma said grumpily.

"Fine."

Liu Zheng headed in the direction the creature had pointed, while Niu Ma followed at a distance. Before long, Liu Zheng reached De Gaulle.

He didn't need to provide backup dancing; the London plane tree was already having a blast on its own. Hundreds of roots erupted from the black soil, dancing wildly alongside its branches and leaves. Countless bones and collected trinkets clattered against each other—*ding, dang, dong*—sounding like an entire percussion ensemble. It was a song of extreme gentleness, yet the London plane tree performed it with the intensity of heavy metal.

"Mr. Tree!"

Liu Zheng called out several times before De Gaulle finally shifted its face toward him.

"It’s you, that annoying pest. Coming to see me so late—what good stuff have you scavenged this time?" It looked disgusted at first, but then grew excited.

"Nothing like that, I'm just passing through. I heard your singing and thought I'd come over to say hello," Liu Zheng said.

"Pfft." The London plane tree turned its face away, preparing to resume its performance.

"However, I did actually bring you something." He pulled out a bottle of sake and placed it on the ground. "Drink a couple of sips to soothe your throat when you're tired of singing. I'm off."

Liu Zheng waved a tentacle and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait a second." The London plane tree called him back.

"Does the most brilliant rock star in the city, the honorable French aristocrat Lord De Gaulle, have any instructions?" Liu Zheng turned back with a grin.

"This gentleman never takes things for nothing. Speak up, what do you want in exchange?" De Gaulle tried hard to maintain his composure, but his mouth stretched so wide the bark was nearly splitting.

"It's just a gift between friends. If you really feel the need to reciprocate, just give me some information," he said helplessly. The bottle of sake was only of average quality; it wouldn't fetch much in a trade anyway. This tree was generous, but it wasn't stupid.

"What kind of information?"

"Niu Ma is planning to take me to the black market to make money. Do you have any advice for me?" he asked.

"It came too?" The London plane tree peered around, quickly spotting Niu Ma hiding behind a street corner. "Tch!" It spat a glob of tree sap onto the ground.

At almost the same moment, Liu Zheng heard a hiss of disdain from the corner.

"Do you two have a history?" he asked curiously.

"That bastard tried to trade me fake booze, and I beat the living daylights out of it when I found out," the London plane tree growled.

Liu Zheng felt a sudden sense of respect. To be able to beat up Niu Ma, a three-time "Outstanding Employee," it truly deserved to be the king of this street.

"You've already beaten it up, so let bygones be bygones," he advised.

"Like hell I will. That jerk spiked the booze with herbicide; it made me feel sick for days," the London plane tree spat back.

"If you knew it was fake, why did you drink it?" Liu Zheng was speechless.

"How would I know how fake it was if I didn't drink it?" the London plane tree argued righteously.

"Fair point," he conceded.

"I've never been to the black market, so I have no information for you," the London plane tree said.

"Forget it, then. Goodnight."

"Wait." The London plane tree called him back again.

"Yes?"

"Take this. I don't like owing favors." A root hung down, a squirming lump of flesh attached to it.

*Name: Emergency Ration*
*Type: Item*
*Quality: Excellent*
*Effect: Automatically used after becoming an 'Empty Shell' to repair slight damage.*
*Note: Having more friends is always good, especially when you're hungry.*
*Can be brought out of the instance: No*

A life-saving item—a real treasure. Liu Zheng was about to step forward to take it when he suddenly stopped. He looked down at the ground. The moonlight was blocked by the dense canopy of the tree, leaving the area beneath it in pitch blackness.

Liu Zheng bent down, folding almost in half. Then, he smelled the stench of rot from the soil.

"You can never be too careful," Liu Zheng sighed.

"It’s so hard to get a bite of meat," the London plane tree sighed even more heavily.

"Let's go through the process again," he suggested.

"Sigh. I truly wanted to trade with you, human. You can make up for the rest of the transaction next time," the London plane tree said, resigning itself to fate.

"Easier said than done. Move a little closer," Liu Zheng said, extending a tentacle to take the lump of flesh.

The moonlight broke through again, illuminating the twisted human face on the meat. "You carry on, I'm heading out." He turned and left, leaving the London plane tree sulking in the dark.

"What did you trade for this time?" Niu Ma asked.

"This." Liu Zheng held up the Emergency Ration.

"Oh, nice stuff," Niu Ma's eyes lit up. "With this, we might be able to make a big score," it whispered.

"What was that, Boss?"

"Nothing, let's go. Any later and the black market will be closed," it urged.

Half an hour later, they finally arrived at their destination—a deep, narrow alleyway, the entrance shrouded in a layer of constantly shifting, smooth black mist.

"Stick your hand in," Niu Ma told Liu Zheng.

"Why?"

"It's the rules of the black market. It tests the visitor's identity to prevent other things from sneaking in."

"What kind of 'other things'?"

"Why so many questions? Are you here to make money or conduct research? Hurry up!" Niu Ma said impatiently.

Liu Zheng rolled his eyes and thrust his hand into the black mist. The sensation was strange, like passing through a layer of cold lard.

"Hiss!" He suddenly bared his teeth. Something inside had taken a bite of his hand—not hard, but it stung.

On the other side, Niu Ma stuck its hoof in. A moment later, it let out a similar cry.

"I thought you were used to this," Liu Zheng teased.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not a masochist," Niu Ma rolled its eyes, rubbing its hoof with a pained expression. "Besides, my hooves are quite delicate."

"Heh."

A few seconds later, the black mist turned red.

"That's it, let's go in." Niu Ma led the way. As soon as it entered, Liu Zheng felt the sensation of being watched intensify.

"Talk about bullying the weak and fearing the strong," he muttered, stepping into the red mist.

In an instant, a suffocating sensation enveloped him. Liu Zheng felt as if he had fallen into a giant vat of butter, and the butter was constantly churning and crushing him. He held his breath and paddled forward with his four tentacles.