Liu Sen was led in by A-Qing.
He was dressed in plain clothes, wearing an old felt hat and a fake beard, looking like a merchant doing small business in the Outer City.
If one didn't look closely, it was impossible to recognize him as the Adjutant of the City Defense Force.
“Iron Bone?” Liu Sen froze for a moment when he saw Iron Bone.
He hadn't expected to see someone from the City Defense Force here, so he asked casually, “What are you doing here?”
Iron Bone didn't answer his question but asked directly, “What happened?”
Liu Sen’s expression turned grim in an instant.
He glanced back to ensure no one was following him before lowering his voice. “Something happened to Lei Lie and Scarface.”
Iron Bone’s pupils constricted slightly.
Liu Sen took a deep breath and recounted the events in detail.
“I arranged the Short-term Employment Permits for Lei Lie and Scarface. The employer was a department under the City Defense Force.”
“This department is specifically responsible for the daily maintenance and repair of public facilities in the Inner City.”
“Clearing sewers, repairing pipes, hauling trash, patching roads... it’s all dirty and exhausting work. No one in the Inner City wants to do it, so they hire people from the Outer City.”
“I seized this opportunity to get Lei Lie and Scarface their permits and sent them into the Inner City.”
“On paper, they were temporary workers for the Facilities Maintenance Office, reporting to a low-level supervisor.”
Iron Bone nodded, not interrupting.
Liu Sen continued, his voice dropping even lower.
“That supervisor is named Ma Guoliang, a shrewd old-timer in his forties. He’s spent most of his life in the Inner City. He doesn't have much talent, just seniority.”
“Last night, Ma Guoliang was sleeping in the dormitory when he was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night by his direct superior, Zhao Desheng, the Deputy Director of the Facilities Maintenance Office.”
“Without a word, Zhao Desheng slapped Ma Guoliang twice.”
“Ma Guoliang was dazed, having no idea what was happening.”
“Zhao Desheng told him that those two temporary workers recruited from the Outer City—Lei Lie and Scarface—had been careless during their break. They wandered near the Deep Blue Research Institute and offended the people there. They were seized on the spot to be used as experimental subjects!”
Iron Bone’s brow furrowed even deeper.
Liu Sen continued, “Zhao Desheng said the Research Institute sent people to the City Defense Force in the middle of the night to investigate their backgrounds—checking their employment records, identity information, and social connections.”
“They even asked the City Defense Force if these two were intentionally planted by them, or if they had been instructed to approach the Deep Blue Research Institute on purpose...”
“Zhao Desheng was terrified that this would implicate the City Defense Force. He immediately ordered Lei Lie and Scarface’s files to be rewritten, erasing every trace that could be erased and changing every piece of information that could be modified.”
“From their start dates to their work logs, from their family backgrounds to their social connections, everything was made seamless.”
“The people from the Research Institute investigated for a long time but found no anomalies. In the end, they had no choice but to believe these two were just pariahs hired by the Facilities Maintenance Office by chance and had nothing to do with the City Defense Force.”
“The Research Institute agents gave Zhao Desheng a warning to keep a tighter leash on his subordinates before they left.”
Hearing this, Iron Bone understood most of the situation.
“Zhao Desheng had been scared out of his wits for nothing, so naturally, he was furious. He called Ma Guoliang into his office and gave him a savage verbal lashing, telling him to be much stricter when managing these pariahs from the Outer City to avoid causing him any more trouble.”
“Ma Guoliang was cursed out thoroughly and had nowhere to vent his rage, so he contacted me.”
Liu Sen gave a bitter smile at this point.
“Ma Guoliang screamed at me over the communicator, saying the people I sent were unreliable and caused him to be berated by his boss...”
“I had to apologize repeatedly to finally calm him down.”
Liu Sen sighed. “Ma Guoliang cursed me a few more times before hanging up.”
Iron Bone remained silent for a moment after listening, then asked, “Ma Guoliang didn't suspect anything?”
Liu Sen shook his head. “No. He’s just a low-level supervisor; he doesn't have that much foresight.”
“He thinks Lei Lie and Scarface are just two ignorant pariahs who wandered off, got into trouble, and got him scolded.”
“He doesn't know these two entered the Inner City with a specific mission...”
“Most importantly, he doesn't know that I... have actually betrayed the City Defense Force.”
Iron Bone nodded and said solemnly, “You did the right thing. We can't let him get suspicious.”
Liu Sen smiled bitterly. “I know, but Lei Lie and Scarface were taken into the Deep Blue Research Institute. We can't just let this go.”
Iron Bone certainly knew they couldn't let it go.
Lei Lie was sent into the Inner City by the Landlord herself, and Scarface was a veteran of Night Owl; both were working for the Terminal Station.
Now that they were captured and their fates were unknown, a way to rescue them had to be found.
Iron Bone stood up and said deeply, “I will handle it.”
“Go back, and don't contact us for a while.”
“Wait until the heat dies down.”
Liu Sen nodded and left the base.
Iron Bone stood in the yard for a moment of silence, then contacted Su Wan through the contract link in his mind.
“Landlord, something has happened.”
“Lei Lie and Scarface have been taken by the Deep Blue Research Institute.”
...
When Su Wan received the message from Iron Bone, she had just finished a round of expansion.
After the Winter Summons Order was issued, the results were even better than she had anticipated.
Those commoners who rushed from the Outer City with their families became the most enthusiastic promoters after signing the contracts, moving into warm rooms, and eating healthy food.
They used every method they could think of to contact their friends and relatives still in the Outer City.
“You can really survive here! No taxes! You don't have to deal with the City Defense Force’s attitude! The rooms are warm! The food isn't much, but you won't starve!”
“Come quickly before the Cold Wave hits! It'll be too late once the space is gone!”
“It’s okay if you don't have money for now; they offer labor-for-rent! As long as you're willing to work, there’s a way to live!”
The news spread through the slums of the Outer City as if it had grown wings.
Those commoners who couldn't afford the shelter fees or heating supplies and were on the verge of freezing to death in the Cold Wave treated this as their last lifeline, racing toward the Terminal Station with all their might.
Some were families of several people, carrying tattered bags as they trudged through the ruins.
Some were alone, carrying nothing but a heart determined to survive.
From last night until now, in just over ten hours, the number of new tenants had exceeded a thousand.
The hallways, the lobby, and the stairwells were crowded with people everywhere.
Some tenants who truly had no place to stay simply laid cardboard in the corners and curled up in their old quilts brought from the Outer City to sleep through the night.
Su Wan knew things couldn't continue like this.
She pulled up the system panel and opened the Infrastructure Expansion interface.
Rate on N.U.
