Xia Chujian followed Quan Yuxun into the South District, known for its "dirtiness, chaos, and poor conditions," with remarkable composure, showing no fear or panic.
Moreover, to ensure everything was documented, she even secretly activated the pinhole camera built into her Shao Siming Black Silver Mecha.
Originally, this camera was mounted on the mecha's helmet, but since she had modified the helmet into a neck brace, the camera became a dark black dot in the very center of the brace, still functioning the same way.
With this, Xia Chujian wasn't worried about Quan Yuxun going back on his word.
As the weaker party, cooperating with a behemoth like the Quan Family, Xia Chujian had her own trump cards.
Quan Yuxun, on the other hand, had to exert extreme control to avoid revealing any unusual expression.
Although he had researched a lot about Mulan City's South District on the Star Network before coming, only by being here in person did he realize that the terrible conditions described online didn't even scratch the surface of reality.
Stepping through the entrance was like entering another world.
Time seemed to have stopped thousands of years ago.
The cement road on the ground was cracked and sunken, and the heavy snow had been roughly shoveled aside, piled up in the roadside ditches.
There were no neat rows of skyscrapers here, only crooked houses pieced together from scrap steel and cheap cement, varying in height and shape.
Outside the houses were piles of various discarded industrial waste, and the sewage of indiscernible color flowed in front of the doors, making it almost impossible to find a place to step.
Even though it was a cold winter, the air here seemed to be filled with chemical toxins. Taking a breath, even filtered through a mask, made one's lungs burn.
Quan Yuxun thought that if he hadn't known there was a problem, he might have actually believed it was a chemical plant leak...
Xia Chujian was only focused on looking around, sighing inwardly.
This place really hadn't changed in over a decade, not one bit.
She could even see that relatively tall commercial building, exactly as she remembered it.
Xia Chujian followed Quan Yuxun all the way, and the narrow alleys were deserted, as if they had entered another world.
Suddenly, several young women wearing backless miniskirts in the freezing cold emerged from the low shacks by the roadside.
They were of average appearance, with rough skin, and all were gaunt, as if they had been hungry for a long time.
Seeing Quan Yuxun walk by, even though he looked like a bitter and resentful middle-aged loser, these women swarmed over him like bees to honey.
"Sir, would you like a massage?"
"Sir, I can do massage, for just the price of a pancake, I guarantee you'll want a second time after just one try!"
"Sir, have you had breakfast? Would you like to come to my place for a cup of hot tea to warm up?"
The woman in the backless dress almost pressed against him.
Quan Yuxun quickly took a few steps back, saying somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry, everyone, I'm here from Luo Xu Province to visit relatives. I'd like to ask, how do I get to 404 District Wuyou Alley?"
The women who had been smiling and soliciting business immediately changed their expressions.
"What 404 District Wuyou Alley, I've never heard of it!"
"Get lost, get lost, if you're not doing business, don't block the way!"
...
Only one woman said softly to Xia Chujian, "Are you here to visit relatives too?"
Xia Chujian used a voice changer, so she still sounded like a child.
She nodded and said, "Yes, my dad and I came from Luo Xu Province to visit relatives... We really couldn't make a living there anymore. Can you give me something to eat? I'm so hungry..."
The woman, still holding a cigarette in one hand, was stunned for a moment when she heard her call her that. She went back to the pigsty-like shack and took out a tube of Low-Level Nutrient Solution, saying, "This hasn't been opened yet. You can't even afford Low-Level Nutrient Solution, can you?"
This was the lowest expense, only ten cents a tube, but eating one tube could keep you from being hungry all day.
Xia Chujian shrank her neck, putting on a pitiful look, and said softly, "...We don't have any money."
The woman clicked her tongue and casually stuffed the nutrient solution into her hand, "Take it, it's rare to meet someone poorer than me. 404 District is ahead, about two more li, turn left and you'll be there."
Xia Chujian: "..."
Quan Yuxun: "..."
The woman sized them up, especially Quan Yuxun, from his face full of wind and frost to the cotton-padded coat on his body that looked like it had been worn for so long it had a layer of grease on it. After a long while, she said, "What are you going there for? It's been sealed off. There haven't been any normal humans there for a long time, nor any Humanoid Lowly People."
Quan Yuxun acted surprised. "Really?! My brother came here seven or eight years ago and wrote to me saying it was better than Luo Xu Province, that there wasn't so much wind and sand, and he didn't have to dig for food on the prairie all day long. He kept urging me to come and join him!"
The woman scoffed, took a puff of her cigarette, and blew out a smoke ring. "Seven or eight years ago, maybe. Although it wasn't good, it wasn't bad either. But now, there's really no one there."
"Auntie, can you tell us what happened? Why is no one there?" Xia Chujian said, giving an address. "My little uncle used to live there."
When the woman heard the address, she shook her head. "That's the central area of 404 District Wuyou Alley. Your relative's chances are slim."
Quan Yuxun and Xia Chujian exchanged glances, both wondering how to get information out of this woman.
Xia Chujian looked worried and muttered, "Could they have all moved out? Auntie, do you know how to contact those who moved out?"
The woman became even more sympathetic, flicking her frizzy, dry, yellow, curly hair with her hand. "If only they could move out..."
"I moved in later. I heard that one night at the end of last year, there was a major chemical plant leak here. Those people were all suffocated by the poisonous gas."
Xia Chujian frowned. "Ah?! Suffocated by poisonous gas?! Where's that chemical plant? Didn't the boss pay compensation?"
The woman found her cute and patted her face. "What are you dreaming about? Our Guiyuan Star is an agricultural star. Where did you hear that there was a chemical plant on Guiyuan Star? And a poisonous gas leak? These people blatantly lie in the media, just to fool us lower-class commoners, and those poor Humanoids."
"Not a chemical plant poisonous gas leak?! Then how did they die?!" Xia Chujian widened her eyes, not minding being "teased" by this woman.
The woman suddenly didn't want to talk anymore, pursed her lips, and twisted her skinny waist. "I'm really full and have nothing better to do. I haven't earned a penny today, and I've even lost a Low-Level Nutrient Solution! Go, go, go! Don't hinder my business!"
Xia Chujian and Quan Yuxun had pretended to be poor just now, so they were embarrassed to take out money to buy information. They had no choice but to bow to the woman, then turned around sharply and walked heavily into the depths of the alley.
The deeper they went into the alley, the sparser the population became. Even the thick-skinned Humanoids didn't appear in this place.
Occasionally, rats the size of puppies scurried past, dragging a cat that had been bitten to death.
Xia Chujian subconsciously raised her gun to shoot.
Quan Yuxun grabbed her hand, looked at her, and said gently, "Don't be afraid, I'll hold your hand."
Xia Chujian: "..."
Who's afraid?
She just wanted to shoot.
Of course, Quan Yuxun's intention was to stop her from shooting, not because he thought she would be afraid.
Xia Chujian didn't agree with Quan Yuxun's way of speaking, but she didn't dare to mock him.
She didn't insist anymore, and with a sullen face, she was pulled by Quan Yuxun's sleeve, walking forward step by step.
Xia Chujian looked around and, seeing that there was no one nearby, whispered, "Chief Quan..."
"Call me 'Father'."
"You're taking advantage of me!"
"Call me 'Father'."
"What's wrong with you!"
"Don't waste time."
Xia Chujian: "... Father, do you have to be so cautious? There are no surveillance cameras here."
She had lived here until she was six years old, and she had been told since she was a child that the South District had a high crime rate because there were no surveillance cameras here, making it a paradise for criminals.
Quan Yuxun said quietly, "There are no surveillance cameras, but there are people like us."
"... You mean, besides us, there are other people coming here?" Xia Chujian immediately restrained herself, not even glancing around.
Quan Yuxun didn't speak anymore.
The two kept their heads down and walked until they reached a place where they had to turn left, then they breathed a sigh of relief.
Quan Yuxun said, "This time, don't pretend to be so ridiculously poor."
Xia Chujian smiled sheepishly.
The alley they turned into was even narrower and more cramped. Among the haphazardly built houses, there was only a bluestone path wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
The road was covered with moss and newly melted Snow Water, making it very slippery.
If it hadn't been for Xia Chujian's alertness, Quan Yuxun would have stumbled several times.
"What a terrible road!" Even Quan Yuxun, with his good upbringing, couldn't help but complain at this moment.
Xia Chujian felt it was quite in line with his persona, and echoed, "Exactly! Is there really no one in this place?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw an old woman in a dark gray coat, hobbling out of a dark shanty.
She was so old that her back was almost bent at a ninety-degree angle.
Her completely white hair was wrapped in a headscarf full of holes.
Her face was as wrinkled as a dried persimmon, and she probably had no teeth left, her entire mouth sunken in.
She dragged a bamboo chair and sat down at the door with faltering steps.
Above her head was a dilapidated neon sign that read "End Point Home Inn".
The colors of the sign had peeled off in patches, and those variegated colors in the bleak sunlight looked like a beauty whose youth had faded, leaving only speechless embarrassment and endless regret.
The old woman looked up at them, her toothless mouth opening and closing: "You two are from out of town?"
Quan Yuxun quickly said, "Yes, we came from Luo Xu Province to visit relatives. My brother lives in 404 District Wuyou Alley, not far ahead."
The old woman squinted at them: "That place? When did they move there?"
"...They moved there seven or eight years ago, and they've been asking me to come and join them, but I found it too troublesome. Recently, Luo Xu Province has become unlivable, so I thought I'd come and rely on him."
"That's unfortunate. You should leave. That place is deserted. There are no people, and no humanoids, only monsters. If you go there, you won't come back..." The old woman took out a wine bottle from her dark gray cotton coat, opened the stopper, and gulped down the contents.
This is the second update, asking for monthly tickets!
There will be a new update at midnight.
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