Chapter 66.1 – Tongwan Hospital (20)
◎ Let’s go to Sin City! (Ferrara + Tongwan Arc End) ◎
The New Asia Alliance has a total of 50 C districts, and each C-level city has its unique irreplaceability.
And Mu City (C55 District) is the Alliance’s arsenal.
The economic lifeline of Mu City is firmly controlled by the local large-scale arms dealers, who have absolute power and even collude with the magistrate to continuously channel money and resources for greater gains. The magistrate supported by armed forces is an absolute dictator, wielding an iron fist, bestowed with the title “Tyrant” by the outside world.
Unlike Ferrara’s democratic elections, the magistrate in Mu City has not changed for twenty-six consecutive years.
The admission criteria for C55 District were notoriously strict even before the apocalypse.
Mu City does not welcome refugees, rejects people from remote areas, and the entry approval process is complex and cumbersome. The backgrounds of newcomers, if even slightly ambiguous, would be ruthlessly turned away, even if they were completely innocent without any suspicion. Sometimes, applications submitted might have no progress for months.
This situation escalated after the apocalypse, gradually becoming extreme, and Mu City almost blocked all admission channels.
If Ferrara welcomed all incoming travelers, then Mu City welded its gates shut, refusing entry to anyone.
Zhuang Qingyan finished analyzing the information about Mu City. Song Ke counted on her fingers. Well, refugee (knowing that Fang Zhixu is currently missing, can only be considered a refugee), coming from the remote area (her and Xu Xing), and those with unclear backgrounds (Zhuang Qingyan and Su Cha), it seems they’ve all fallen into the trap. Lin Youyou still has a bit of hope, but she’s operating outside and can’t use her real name.
No wonder Fang Zhixu said that knowing was futile. If she were a household registration officer in Mu City, she wouldn’t let these “dangerous elements” in.
After Fang Zhixu listened, he stared at Zhuang Qingyan and asked, “How do you know so much?”
Song Ke immediately chimed in, “He knows all the information about the Alliance.”
While saying this, she proudly raised her chin, looking like she had some honor, as if Zhuang Qingyan had given her face.
Zhuang Qingyan caught a glimpse of her expression and silently curved his mouth.
“Sneak in and give it a try?” Su Cha, who had been listening quietly, suggested an idea that suited his personality.
Zhuang Qingyan quickly denied, “The border is heavily guarded, and there’s a specialized organization to combat intruders. I’m afraid that as soon as you step into Mu City, you’ll be greeted by thousands of particle cannons, reducing you to ashes in just three seconds.”
“Is there really no other way?” Lin Youyou asked. “Like coming up with a special reason, official business trip, or visiting relatives?”
Zhuang Qingyan shook his head, “It’s hard to deceive the registration department of the Alliance.”
The group sighed instantly. Xu Xing was a beat slower and, to fit in, sighed along, looking like a little adult.
Fang Zhixu’s expression remained calm, but the flames of hatred burned slowly in his heart, never extinguishing. He had long learned to face the reality of helplessness.
In the midst of silence, Zhuang Qingyan slowly spoke up, “Actually… there might be a way.”
Five pairs of eyes looked at him in unison.
Song Ke urged, “Speak quickly.” Pausing for a moment, she added, “Keep it simple, no b-beating around the bush.”
Zhuang Qingyan, whose old accounts were inadvertently brought up, cleared his throat, “Without admission permission, we could forge a fake one.
“All information about household registration is synchronized to personal terminals. Just tamper with it a bit, make it look real, change our household registration location to C55 district. That way, we won’t need to submit an admission application and can enter Mu City without anyone noticing.”
“You mean, hack the registration department system and alter the results?” Lin Youyou was surprised. This guy was really audacious.
Song Ke thought of Ilya; her ability level was modified by him. If not for Punk, she might have been kept in the dark.
It was a good idea, but achieving seamless perfection was lacking a crucial element.
Song Ke looked at Zhuang Qingyan with mixed feelings and said, “Can you… hack the system?”
“Can you hack the system?” Xu Xing, like a follower, furrowed his little brow and imitated Song Ke’s expression, asking.
“Yeah, speaking so casually, can you?” Lin Youyou crossed her hands and glanced at him skeptically.
The remaining two males gave Zhuang Qingyan a bit of face, just looking at him with a hint of suspicion.
“I can’t,” Zhuang Qingyan’s answer was quite straightforward.
Song Ke: “…” If you can’t, why boast about it?
Zhuang Qingyan said slowly, “I can’t do it, but someone else can.”
Song Ke, Xu Xing, and Lin Youyou asked in unison, “Who?”
Zhuang Qingyan mentioned a name, “Do you remember Lu Xinglan?”
Song Ke nodded, “I remember.”
“Lu Xinglan, due to impure eye color, wasn’t highly regarded in the Lu family. Even if he went missing, it wouldn’t attract much attention. However, as a genetic candidate, he awakened the Lu family’s exclusive hacker ability.”
“You want to find Lu Xinglan?” Song Ke reminded, “But he’s with Ilya.”
Zhuang Qingyan smiled slightly, “I’m not looking for him. He just reminded me of someone.
“Ten years ago, in the Lu family, there was an astonishingly talented and brilliant individual named Lu Xiaoyu. He was the top-notch hacker, whether within the Lu family or across the entire Alliance, as long as there was data, he could easily defy everyone.”
“I considered him… let’s say, a friend.”
Zhuang Qingyan’s eyelid twitched. Thinking of the glorious deeds this “friend” dragged him into, they were all extremely unpleasant memories.
“Where is he now? Erjia?” Song Ke asked.
Zhuang Qingyan said solemnly, “No, he’s in… the Death Prison.”
“Ah??”
Not only Song Ke, but everyone else looked extremely shocked.
Su Cha suddenly spoke, “By the Death Prison, do you mean the one in F180 District?”
“That’s right,” Zhuang Qingyan said, “the underground Death Prison of Sin City.”
The Alliance districts were not only classified by levels, but much information could be inferred from the numbering. For example, the lower the number, the stronger the overall strength, and the higher the status in the Alliance. F180 District, on the other hand, was the worst among the worst, completely abandoned by the Alliance, the kind they wished to discard immediately.
Although it didn’t have a name, it had a dread-inducing alias—City of Sin.
Song Ke couldn’t understand. If Lu Xiaoyu was as formidable as Zhuang Qingyan described, he should have been highly regarded within the Lu family. How could he have fallen to such a lightless place as the Death Prison?
Zhuang Qingyan sighed, “Because Lu Xiaoyu is not only a genius but also a complete madman.
“Five years ago, he almost destroyed Lu family’s supercomputer. After the Alliance trial, they decided to banish him to the Death Prison, with the sentence lasting until the end of his life, never to be reincarnated.”
Everyone fell silent.
The supercomputer was the cornerstone of the Lu family, so was this the “I’m ruthless enough to eliminate even myself”?
Lu Xiaoyu was indeed a lunatic.
“So, are you suggesting that we find your friend first, rescue him from the Death Prison, and then have him handle the registration system?”
Lin Youyou looked skeptical, “But why do I feel like the former is more difficult? Rescuing someone from the Death Prison? Has anyone ever succeeded?”
“District F is dangerous; it’s hard to get there,” Su Cha also questioned.
“At least District F has no admission restrictions.” Zhuang Qingyan remained unfazed and even in the mood for a joke.
Song Ke was concerned about another issue, “Are you sure he’s willing to help us?”
“That’s easy. Once we find him, I’ll handle it,” Zhuang Qingyan promised.
“But that’s the Death Prison, not a marketplace…”
“I said, brother, you are also quite crazy, aren’t you?”
“It’s impossible from the get-go…”
“Sister, what’s the Death Prison?”
Everyone discussed in a clamor, unable to convince one another.
“Stop!” Song Ke took a deep breath and shouted loudly, “One at a time.”
She paused, her gaze gradually becoming determined: “Rescuing people, I’ll handle it.”
“Snooping around, I’ll handle it,” Su Cha said, turning the dagger in his hand, his tone devoid of fluctuation.
Lin Youyou opened her terminal, “I can arrange transportation to F180 District.”
The division of labor was immediately clear.
Xu Xing looked left and then right, realizing he couldn’t help with anything.
Oh no, he had really become the kind that Zhuang Qingyan described, only capable of shouting ‘666’.
Xu Xing pouted in frustration and in the next moment, his eyes lit up, thinking of his value, “I have money, I’ll handle the spending!”
Fang Zhixu looked at the person in front of him, his palm clenched and then relaxed.
He knew that ultimately, the decisions they made were for him. These people sought his help, and came for his ability, but what did it matter? As long as he could seek revenge, he was willing to give everything.
“So, let’s give it a try.”
After sleeping for so long, it was time to open his eyes.
“We can’t stay in Ferrara, let’s go back to Tongwan for a few days to rest and discuss the specific plan,” Zhuang Qingyan concluded.
In the first collective meeting of the new V587 team, several parties preliminarily reached a consensus and achieved a successful conclusion.
**TN
“666” (in games or chat) is used to describe someone or something that is very powerful, cool, and impressive.
