Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds: Duellists Beyond the Light 31

Chapter 31: Speed 31 Next Generation
2025-02-23

Jack?!

This guy already has a Duel Runner?!

The taillights in the rearview mirror gradually faded into the distance. You Qing refocused on the mountain-like, dark silhouette ahead—a massive pile of discarded shipping containers, a hallmark of the dockside black market.

According to his memory of the original story, Jack ultimately relied on a Duel Runner for his illegal immigration. Therefore, Jack shouldn’t have a Duel Runner at this point.

Recalling yesterday’s race, You Qing seemed to vaguely guess something.

Could it be…for that high-speed duel tournament?

Jack always longed for Neo Domino City, hoping to escape Satellite and become a true king.

So, to gain eligibility, he participated in the underground duel tournament as a “king,” and used his winnings to buy a Duel Runner?

The roar of the engine continued on the night street. You Qing felt this was the only possibility.

Besides the underground duel tournament, he might encounter that guy in the upcoming high-speed duel tournament as well.

Thinking this, You Qing’s desire for a new deck intensified.

Jack’s strength and deck were not to be underestimated; he couldn’t win easily with just a pile of random cards, like he did with others.

To defeat Jack, he absolutely needed a strong and powerful deck!!

You Qing pressed the accelerator deeper, the entire car making a “whooshing” sound. When a giant figure of a dragon, constructed from scrap metal, came into view, he finally arrived at this black market teeming with underground transactions—Zero Dock.

Parking outside the dock, You Qing put on his coat and walked behind the dragon sculpture. Getting closer, he realized it was apparently a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

In this day and age, Blue-Eyes White Dragon has become a myth of the past. Those three proud dragons only appear in the legends passed down among duelists, but this didn’t stop many from idolizing Seto Kaiba, the legendary duelist who rode the White Dragon.

Rounding the imposing yet somewhat dilapidated scrap metal sculpture, You Qing finally saw the full view of the dock. There were no bright incandescent lights; instead, there were dim neon strips, making the entire environment dark and damp. Both customers and vendors were extremely silent; even haggling was done in hushed whispers.

It really is a good place for underground dealings…

You Qing thought to himself.

The lighting was terrible; even if someone you knew passed you by, you might not recognize them.

But precisely because of this, anyone trading here didn’t have to worry too much about exposing their identity.

You Qing pulled up the hood of his coat, blending in with others on this tide-scented dock, his gaze sweeping across the stalls. He found they sold almost everything, but strangely, not seafood.

You Qing guessed it was due to the “Zero Reverse” incident (a fictional event likely involving radiation). Seafood in and around Domino City had been severely affected by radiation, so people in Satellite didn’t eat local seafood, while imported seafood was too expensive, therefore it was virtually non-existent here.

Suddenly, a hand gently rested on You Qing’s shoulder.

Already on edge, he spun around sharply, putting distance between himself and the person.

“What?!” You Qing lowered his voice, questioning coldly, ready to deploy the Duel Disk hidden under his coat.

In Satellite and Neo Domino City, due to regulations, Duel Runners were generally not allowed to project holograms outside of high-speed duels, but this restriction didn’t apply to Duel Disks.

If the other guy dared to make another move, You Qing could immediately slam down a “Mars” card onto his Duel Disk, using the simulated impact to buy himself time to escape.

“Relax, kiddo~” The person, also wearing a hooded coat, raised their gloved hands, indicating they meant no harm. “I saw you drive in, so I came to ask you…”

“That illegally assembled old car of yours has seen better days; it’s time for a new engine~”

“Want one? I’ve got some in stock~”

“I don’t need one.” You Qing responded coldly, striding back. He was worried that the guy’s accomplices were already tampering with his car.

“Don’t be nervous, really, buddy~” The person lit a cigarette, chuckling. “I asked because the exterior of your car uses parts from several different brands~”

“Don’t worry, this place is remote, but not that chaotic.”

“This is Zaga’s territory; who dares to cause trouble?”

Zaga?

You Qing remembered that name.

In the original story, he was an underground merchant who had been active in Neo Domino City for many years.

Zaga not only controlled the main channels for smuggling and illegal immigration between the two areas but also possessed extremely high hacking skills. If you had the money, there was almost nothing he couldn’t do.

You Qing slightly relaxed, but didn’t let his guard down entirely. Being recognized as a newbie right off the bat wasn’t a good feeling.

Returning to the entrance of the dockside black market, after confirming his car was fine, You Qing returned to the black market.

“You’re pretty alert; that’s a good thing~” The person was determined to make a sale. “What are you here for? Maybe I can help…”

You Qing glanced at the person, paused for a moment, and asked, “Where can I buy Duel Cards?”

The person’s tone was somewhat surprised. “You’re a duelist? We definitely wouldn’t dare mess with you! Duel Cards aren’t sold here. You have to go in from the west; I’ll take you there!”

The person led the way, rubbing their hands together. The night by the sea was much colder and damper than other places.

You Qing followed cautiously, asking, “What do you do here? A guide? Or a salesman?”

“There’s no such thing as a guide; Boss Zaga doesn’t pay for that…” The person coughed, laughing, “If you have to say it, I’m a middleman~”

You Qing nodded slightly.

A middleman…

So this person was probably responsible for bringing customers to the merchants and taking a cut.

He seemed very familiar with this area.

The person hadn’t lied; they eventually led You Qing to a place overflowing with Duel Cards. Along both sides of the street were rows upon rows of card shelves.

“So, what kind of cards are you looking for, brother? Let me introduce some?” The person still had that ingratiating smile.

You Qing simply said, “I’ll look for myself.”

“This…” This answer made the person somewhat awkward.

You Qing pulled out two moderately-sized banknotes from his pocket and slipped them into the person’s hand—partly as a tip for directions, partly to get rid of this pest and avoid trouble.

The person, upon seeing the money, stopped bothering him.

Although he hadn’t made a commission from a deal, earning money just for guiding someone was already good enough. He could find someone else to deal with in this time.

Under the colorful neon lights, You Qing slowly examined the cards lining the streets.

Soon, a striking label caught his attention.

It was the Synchro-based machine archetype—Next Generation.

(End of Chapter)

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