The Black Market.
It wasn’t a place you could walk into. It was a hidden layer, buried beneath crimes and criminals, masked from the public. The hub of illegal cyberware, unregistered implants, banned AIs, mutated drugs, even alien species being auctioned off like pets—or slaves.
Most veterans didn’t dare go there unless they had no other choice.
Jason handed Xavier a pair of glasses. They were bulky and had a rough matte finish, like a prototype never meant to leave the lab.
"Let’s go."
Xavier held them up, frowning. "What’s this? I’ll wear them, but these things are ugly. Not my type."
Jason already had his on. He scratched the back of his head. "Ugly?"
"Wait," Xavier narrowed his eyes, "you have the same pair? Is this some sort of passcode for entry?"
Angel stepped in with a half-pitying smile. "The black market isn’t real—not physically. You need these to enter the virtual space. It’s dangerous there. Not because of what you see, but because of who’s watching. Hackers can fry your brain if you’re careless."
"Oh," Xavier blinked. "I didn’t know."
"These glasses aren’t easy to get," Angel continued. "They’re coded for access to high-risk servers—black markets, underground auctions, rogue forums. Jason had to kill someone for those."
"Will it put a strain on my body or brain?" Xavier asked with a curious and thoughtful look on his face. "As you know, my disorder will make me unconscious."
"There is no risk in wearing them. As long as you don’t interact with anyone in the back market, or run into someone who wants to kill you, you are safe. If possible, avoid crowded places and head to the place you are looking for." Angel explained everything for the next five minutes.
"I understand."
"One more thing, let Jason handle everything. If there is something, just let Jason know."
"Got it."
Xavier put the glasses on. His breathing slowed. He did exactly as Angel instructed—emptying his thoughts.
A second later, his mind felt like it was being yanked out, not violently, but firm. Dragged through static.
’Why does this feel familiar?’ he thought. His memories didn’t respond, but his body... it knew.
"Xavier?" Jason waved in front of him. "You in? Synced?"
Xavier looked down at his hands—digital reflections of his real ones. "Yeah... but I feel off. Everything’s delayed. I speak, and it echoes a second later."
"That’s normal," Jason said. "It’s your first time. As long as you can walk and talk, it’s fine. We’re not in a war zone. Now, let’s go." Jason began walking, but then stopped and turned to Xavier. "Where are we heading again?"
"A pawn shop."
"Hmm..." Jason pondered for a few seconds. "I think I know some. Let’s go."
The Black Market was chaos wrapped in neon.
The streets curved like a maze, never straight, never stable. Shops floated in the air. Holograms glitched across building walls. Some structures pulsed like they were alive, built with organic tech.
Species from galaxies Xavier had never heard of wandered freely. Some looked human. Others had scales, tusks, wings, extra limbs. One had no head, but its eyes floated above its body, blinking in all directions.
Cyber-monsters patrolled rooftops—part AI, part alien. Vendors shouted out deals, but their voices sounded distorted, stretched.
Above, the sky was cracked. Literally cracked—fractured code bleeding through like black lightning.
’It’s been like five minutes since I got here, and I already feel like leaving. This place feels like I could die at any moment.’
"Stay close," Jason said.
They walked past a shop that sold weapons made from void energy. Another that had limbs in jars. One stall was auctioning off a tentacled creature that kept trying to speak telepathically.
[I am horny. Send some dicks.]
Xavier changed his side and let Jason walk forward.
Xavier stared at it. The sign buzzed with static. The door hung crooked. Inside, he saw old tech, rusty parts, nothing valuable.
"No," he said. "Doesn’t feel right."
Jason nodded. "Next one, then."
They kept walking. The crowd thinned the deeper they went. Lights dimmed. Everything felt colder, less chaotic. That’s when Xavier saw it.
Another pawn shop—smaller than the last, almost hidden between two larger buildings. No signboard. No ads. But it felt... right.
"This one," Xavier said. "Let’s go in."
They stepped inside. The shop was quiet. Dust floated in the air, but the shelves were full—strange tools, broken relics, chips in cases, weapons that had long lost their glow.
The owner didn’t greet them. Just sat behind the counter, face hidden under a hood, fingers tapping against a floating screen.
They passed him without a word and walked through the narrow aisles.
Xavier scanned everything carefully.
Then he saw it.
A small black box sitting between two rusted helmets. No label. No price tag. It looked ordinary—too ordinary for a place like this.
He picked it up.
"Jason," he said. "This is it."
He turned and walked up to the counter.
"How much for this?" he asked.
"Hmm~" the owner hummed in amusement as he inspected the box. It was clear after seeing his face that he had no idea where the box came from.
"Best I can do is $500,000. I already have a buyer for it, but if you are paying more, then I can give it to you."
Jason glanced at Xavier to ask him if he was okay with that price.
Xavier shook his head and gestured his price.
Jason was surprised, but he nodded and turned to the owner.
"How about $50,000?"
The owner took the black box and placed it under the counter. "Go away."
"$500,000 is too much for a mere box, and you know it. Lower your price so we can have a deal." Jason leaned on the counter and stared down the owner, seemingly trying to intimidate him.
"No, no. No deal for you. You reduced the price by 90%! Who does that? Seriously!" The owner shouted. He wasn’t intimidated by Jason at all.
"Just like you said your price, we said ours. Of course, as long as we both agree on a price, we can’t have a deal. So why don’t we keep everything aside and set a price that suffices both of us, eh?"
"Hmph!" The owner placed the black box on the counter again. "If you ask for a ridiculous price, I am kicking you out!"