Chapter 68 – Sin City (2)
◎ Who shares a room with whom? ◎
Beneath the desolate desert lay a bustling underground city.
Here, there was no sun. Artificial lighting simulated natural light sources. Giant electronic screens were installed overhead, replacing the presence of the sky. There were no seasonal winds, no various circulations, and no natural ecosystems. Insect chirps and bird calls, as well as cats and dogs, were all artificially maintained. The overall style was rough and bold, resembling an eternal urban night.
After exiting the elevator, they were greeted by a long trading street. The crowd surged, and the shouts from earlier echoed from both sides.
Apart from the entrance they came through, there were many elevators in all directions.
“Ding—”
The sound of the elevator arriving rang out. People continued to come and go, making Song Ke and her group appear even more ordinary. Passersby gave them a cursory glance and did not pay much attention to them.
In this unfamiliar city, amidst the noisy environment and indifferent residents, Song Ke felt a moment of difficulty fitting in.
Zhuang Qingyan suggested, “Let’s wander around nearby, see if we can gather any information and find a temporary place to stay.”
The six of them roamed aimlessly on the streets.
A young man wearing a duckbill cap rushed towards them. He was looking down, in a hurry to move forward, and didn’t notice, colliding into Su Cha’s firm chest.
“Sorry.” The man took two steps back, mumbled an apology, and then sidestepped past them.
The man brushed past Lin Youyou, a smirk slowly forming at the corner of his mouth.
Before he could fully break into a smile, a slender hand suddenly gripped his forearm and twisted it harshly backward!
“Ah!!” The man’s expression contorted as he screamed in pain—his arm was broken!
The dark-eyed girl stared at him expressionlessly, extending her hand toward him. “The item, give it back.”
“Ah?” Lin Youyou suddenly realized and reached for her wrist—her terminal was gone!
While everyone’s attention was on Su Cha, who had been collided into, they hadn’t noticed that this man was a skilled pickpocket. He had stealthily taken advantage of the moment their attention shifted and targeted her.
Song Ke applied a bit of pressure, making the pickpocket’s wails even more miserable. “Stop, stop! I’ll give it back to you!”
He reluctantly pulled out the rose gold ladies’ wristwatch. Song Ke took it and coldly said, “Scram.”
The pickpocket clutched his broken arm and fled in embarrassment.
“Be more careful; this place is different from other cities,” Zhuang Qingyan reminded.
After this incident, all six of them became extremely vigilant.
Song Ke’s group continued forward. They hadn’t gone far when someone called out to them from the side of the street, “Hey, you guys!”
Song Ke turned around, and a woman with a sharp gaze, half-shaved hair and half dyed purple hair, was looking at them with interest. “I’ve been observing you for a while. Are you interested in doing some business with me?”
Song Ke: “Business?”
The woman said, “Any kind of business works, as long as there’s money. I’m Cheng Yi, a crystal procurer on this street, also selling various information. You’re newcomers, and being clueless won’t do. How about buying some information from me?”
“How do you know we’re new here?” Zhuang Qingyan asked casually.
Cheng Yi pursed her lips and gestured to the place they had just passed. “That pickpocket you dealt with earlier has some notoriety in this area. You subdued him effortlessly, and your faces are still unfamiliar. It’s easy to tell.”
Song Ke was cautious now, staring at her with a skeptical gaze. “Why should we trust you?”
What if Cheng Yi was just like Mia, with ulterior motives, wanting to take advantage of them?
Cheng Yi smiled confidently. “You’re quite cautious, but no need to worry. You can ask around the trading street. I’ve always been honest in my dealings, never deceiving anyone. Money and goods are exchanged, and that’s it!”
Song Ke remained skeptical, turning to her companions for their opinion.
Zhuang Qingyan leaned back in his wheelchair and lazily said, “You’ve already identified us as newcomers. How can newcomers judge if what you’re saying is true or not? Moreover, to do business, this level of sincerity isn’t enough.”
Cheng Yi looked at the man in front of her. He appeared calm and composed, clearly a skilled negotiator.
If they didn’t gain some insight beforehand, this deal might fall through today.
“Alright, how about this? I’ll give you a few pieces of information for newcomers for free. You can listen and then decide whether or not to do business with me.”
“You may proceed.”
“Cough cough, next is a quick guide to integrating into Sin City. If you want to make money quickly, go to the casino or underground boxing matches. If you want to drink and have fun and hear gossip, go to Misty Summer Club. It’s one of the safer chain bars in the city with fewer shady activities.
When staying in a hotel, avoid those with room numbers containing ‘Red Willow’ in the name. They are shady businesses that exploit out-of-towners, unless you want to wake up in the middle of the night with your head chopped off. Also…” Cheng Yi pointed at Xu Xing, Lin Youyou, and Song Ke in turn, “Kids and girls, remember not to go out alone. There are many human traffickers here.”
Cheng Yi, a savvy merchant operating in District F, proved quite shrewd, honing in on the most pressing needs of Song Ke and her group.
At least these pieces of information were very useful to them.
“H-how do we make the trade?” Song Ke decided to trust her for the time being and asked, “And how much does it cost?”
“Not money,” Cheng Yi shook her head and casually knocked on the sign in front of her. “Money depreciates the fastest. Currently, the only accepted hard currency in Sin City is crystals.”
“With your skills, you must have a lot of good items, right?” Cheng Yi greedily rubbed her hands together, practically drooling.
Well, it turned out she had her eye on the crystals in their pockets from early on.
V587 had indeed accumulated quite a few crystals some time ago, such as the commissions Xu Xing took during special training, the zombie wave in Luo Jia, and the upheaval in Ferrara. Altogether, they had over a dozen.
Song Ke took out a Level 1 crystal from her space, and Cheng Yi reached out to grab it, but she pulled it back just in time.
“We need to ask some questions first,” Song Ke insisted.
“Ask away, I’ll answer everything,” Cheng Yi’s eyes were glued to the crystal, urging them repeatedly.
Zhuang Qingyan took out Mia’s badge. “What is this?”
Cheng Yi glanced at it briefly, then moved her gaze away, not very interested. “That’s a Crime Record, a special monitoring device for released convicts. The horizontal bars marked on it represent the owner’s criminal index. If it exceeds five bars, they will be arrested again.”
“But this is just a piece of metal. How does it monitor crimes?” Xu Xing asked, puzzled, holding Song Ke’s hand.
Cheng Yi shrugged. “The Crime Record is a technology brought from District B. Nobody knows the specific principle, but in any case, it has never made a mistake.”
“When we entered, what was the introducer mentioned at the entrance?” Zhuang Qingyan asked again.
“For newcomers entering Sin City for the first time, they need an introducer’s guidance to activate the elevator,” Cheng Yi explained.
As Cheng Yi spoke, she seemed to have a realization. These people could produce a Crime Record but didn’t know what it was. Did they eliminate their introducer directly?
“You guys are quite ruthless,” she exclaimed dramatically.
“Just survival of the fittest,” Zhuang Qingyan chuckled.
It was the style of Sin City, and Cheng Yi suddenly understood. She restrained her expression and extended her hand to Song Ke, saying, “Have you asked enough? It’s time to pay.”
Following the trading regulations, Song Ke placed the crystal in her palm.
Cheng Yi received the crystal and treasured it immensely, exhaling in appreciation. She took out a magnifying glass from her pocket, pinched the edge and carefully observed while complimenting, “Not bad, the quality is good.”
After saying that, she bit into it, confirming its hardness.
Song Ke and the others felt a chill. Oh no, that was dug out from a zombie’s head!
“We still want to ask about…”
“Wait,” Cheng Yi raised her hand to stop them, her expression serious and solemn. “This counts as the second question, one crystal per question.”
“You profiteer!” Xu Xing scolded.
Cheng Yi immediately retorted, “Nonsense, what profiteer! I told you in advance, this is called clear pricing.”
Song Ke endured the pain and pulled out another crystal.
“Regarding Death Prison, how much information do you have?”
“Death Prison?” Cheng Yi casually laughed, “Well, just keep going along this road without turning, after about five kilometers, you’ll see an underground sea, and that’s Death Prison.”
That simple? Song Ke was surprised. For a prison of this level, its location was widely known without any confidentiality measures?
“So, how do we get in?”
“Hahaha!” Cheng Yi burst into laughter, holding her stomach. “You guys are really newcomers, huh? Hahaha!”
“Why are you laughing?” Song Ke didn’t understand. Was the question she asked really that foolish?
Wiping away the tears of laughter, Cheng Yi said, “Come on, this is Sin City. Who hasn’t been to Death Prison a few times?”
“Don’t believe it? Just take a good look. Almost ninety-nine percent of the people coming and going on this trading street are released convicts!”
Indeed, with a glance, the surrounding pedestrians all wore bright red badges, with one, two, and even four bars.
Cheng Yi unceremoniously took the second crystal and admired it under the artificial light.
“It’s getting late. Although the underground city is perpetual night, I still recommend you rest early and not wander around.”
“In the future, if you have business, remember to come to me~”
…
After leaving the trading street, the six of them walked for another half hour. The hotels without the name containing ‘Red Willow’ were scarce. After a considerable effort, they managed to find one that was still open, though it appeared somewhat rundown. The second-floor walls had a large charred patch, and ashes were falling from it.
“Hello, checking in,” Song Ke said.
The receptionist glanced up and scanned them, saying, “Only three rooms left, want them?”
“How come there are only three? Aren’t the rooms behind you also available?” Lin Youyou pointed to the display screen behind the receptionist.
The receptionist sighed, “There was a fight on the second floor last night, and the whole floor got burnt. It’s under renovation now, so no one can stay.”
“Anyway, there are only three left. It’s up to you if you want to stay.”
Song Ke: “…stay.”
They had been searching for quite a while, and they might not find anything better if they continued. They decided to settle for a night.
“Here are the key cards.” After paying for the rooms, the receptionist efficiently opened the rooms, fearing they might change their minds.
Now, the question was, with three rooms and six people, how to allocate them?
Holding three key cards, Song Ke looked somewhat conflicted.
Xu Xing, the clever one, immediately hugged Song Ke’s thigh and pouted, “I want to stay with Sister~”
Song Ke looked at the others.
It turned out that Fang Zhixu was the most indifferent. As long as he had a bed, or even an empty space on the floor, it didn’t matter to him. With his vagabond style, he didn’t care who he shared the room with or where he slept. He could fall asleep instantly anywhere.
For the remaining people…
Song Ke handed one of the key cards to Lin Youyou, saying, “You and Su Cha can stay together.”
In this way, Zhuang Qingyan and Fang Zhixu would be together. That settled it.
Song Ke felt quite pleased with herself. She was indeed an astute captain.
However, the result was unexpected. Su Cha spoke softly, “Not convenient.”
Lin Youyou glanced at the key card in her hand but didn’t say anything.
Huh? Song Ke was stunned, looking back and forth between Lin Youyou and Su Cha.
Whenever they met, the two would act together. She had always thought they had that kind of relationship. Was she mistaken?
But if Su Cha didn’t stay with Lin Youyou, how would they divide the remaining rooms? Tricky.
Song Ke looked conflicted, considering various combinations in her mind, always feeling like none was quite suitable.
Lin Youyou chimed in, “I have a suggestion.”
She grabbed Xu Xing’s hat and pulled him off Song Ke’s leg, saying, “Why don’t you stay with me? I am also a big sister.”
Xu Xing flailed his arms and legs, his expression saying: What!!!
Lin Youyou smiled kindly, “Didn’t Mia regard me as your stepmother? Don’t worry, I can take care of children.”
Xu Xing’s eyes became teary, choking out, “Wuwu, bad woman!”
Lin Youyou ignored him and pointed at Su Cha and Fang Zhixu, “You two in one room.”
Finally, she turned to Song Ke and Zhuang Qingyan, “You both can stay in the remaining room. There’s no problem, right?”
Zhuang Qingyan said, “…” What did she mean by “no problem”?
His lips moved, about to speak.
Song Ke said, “Okay.”
Zhuang Qingyan, “???”
…
“Half an hour later, come to my room for a m-meeting,” Song Ke stood in the corridor, reminding the others.
Then she closed and locked the door. As she turned around, Zhuang Qingyan looked at her with a serious expression, “Song Ke, I think we need to have a serious talk.”
“About what?” Song Ke jumped into bed, stretched her limbs, and lazily yawned, showing no signs of self-awareness.
Zhuang Qingyan’s voice was hoarse, “I think your gender awareness is very unclear, and you don’t have a good understanding of boundaries with the opposite sex…”
For example, not knocking before entering his room, or sharing a room with him and sleeping soundly in front of him, and so on. The list was endless.
“You’re still a girl. This could be very dangerous if it continues.”
Song Ke hugged a pillow, lying on her back with a blank look, “Huh? I don’t understand. Can you s-speak in human language?”
Zhuang Qingyan took a deep breath, his wheelchair slid to the edge of the bed, and he lowered his head to lock eyes with her, who was lying upside down at the end of the bed.
“Do you not see me as a man? Or are you just overly confident in yourself?”
Even when turned upside down, Zhuang Qingyan’s face was still breathtakingly handsome. His features were clear and cold, his thin lips pressed tightly, and his deep black eyes seemed to want to pull people in.
Song Ke blinked slowly, then reached out and pushed Zhuang Qingyan’s face.
She rolled over, planning to sit up and speak. However, she sat up too abruptly, and the two of them, unprepared, bumped their foreheads together with a loud “thud,” and both fell backward.
Song Ke tumbled into the bed, while Zhuang Qingyan moved towards the back of the chair.
“Song…Ke…Ke,” Zhuang Qingyan gritted his teeth.
“I’m so so-sorry!” Song Ke frantically apologized, landing on all fours. Her knees rapidly moved forward, but she miscalculated and ended up stepping into thin air, causing her to fall off the bed with a “plop” and land between Zhuang Qingyan’s legs.
“…”
Silence spread.
Song Ke laughed awkwardly, her hand inadvertently resting on Zhuang Qingyan’s thigh.
She earnestly explained, “I know you won’t do anything, so sharing a room with you is not a problem.”
Zhuang Qingyan froze, suddenly saying in a deep voice, “Say it again.”
Huh? Song Ke was puzzled. She obediently repeated, “I know you won’t do anything…”
Zhuang Qingyan looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “Song Ke, have you noticed that your stuttering has improved a lot lately?”
Song Ke was stunned.
She hadn’t realized it herself, and it was only after Zhuang Qingyan pointed it out that she belatedly reacted.
Since the last time she was injured and unconscious on Manzoni Street, and woke up, she had indeed become more fluent in her speech. Though her pace of speaking was still slow, and there were occasional hesitations between sentences, her stuttering had noticeably improved.
But her stuttering was congenital; she had never managed to overcome it since childhood.
“How’s the wound in your heart?” Zhuang Qingyan asked.
“It’s much better,” Song Ke replied.
It had been less than a week since she was injured, and Song Ke’s strength had almost recovered to about fifty percent. The blood vessels and tissues in her body were self-healing at an incredibly fast pace.
“It should be due to your second ability…” Zhuang Qingyan mused.
Zhuang Qingyan fell into contemplation. What exactly was Song Ke’s second ability? Self-healing? But why was her language ability subtly improving?
A dense fog of confusion.
Zhuang Qingyan gave a serious admonition, “Regarding your second ability, it’s crucial to keep it secret. Keep a close eye on those two individuals.”
“Understood,” Song Ke nodded solemnly.
“…”
Another awkward and stifling silence.
“…So, can you release your hand now?” Zhuang Qingyan spoke expressionlessly.
