After he hung up the phone, the electronic busy tone seemed to linger in his ear for a moment.
A cold wind swept past, kicking up withered grass and dust that stung his face slightly.
Bai Wanyang held his phone and stood behind a dirt mound, looking at the blurred silhouette of Amber City on the horizon.
His hometown had refused his entry.
“Go stir up trouble somewhere else.”
Yue Shi's command was clear.
Bai Wanyang looked down at his hands. There were faint red marks on his palms from where he had gripped the short sword earlier, and the webs of his thumbs throbbed with a dull ache from the repeated hacking.
The blunt pain in his back also served as a constant reminder of the bizarre encounter he had just survived.
A sense of exhaustion after extreme tension surged through his body, like a string that had been stretched to its limit and then suddenly released, leaving only a numb tremor.
Going to another city meant re-planning his route, finding transportation, avoiding potential checkpoints, and then infiltrating another completely strange place to start causing chaos from scratch and frame the headquarters...
Just thinking about it made a heavy weariness weigh down on him until he could barely breathe.
From discovering he had lost everything to desperately contacting Yue Shi, obtaining the black feather, to today's ambush and pursuit, and then being inexplicably thrown out of the city...
In a short period, it felt as if he had been placed on a millstone and ground down countless times.
Hatred was the fuel that kept him burning, but after the fire, his body was truly exhausted.
He needed to rest.
Even if it was just for a short time, he needed to find a place where he could temporarily take shelter from the wind and rain, somewhere he didn't have to constantly worry about being stabbed in the back, just so he could catch his breath.
His gaze moved away from Amber City and toward the other side of the wilderness.
There, he could faintly see the silhouettes of some low, cluttered buildings. A few wisps of smoke and dust rose lazily into the air.
The Chaos Zone—a deformed settlement that sprouted in the cracks and ruins between major cities after the collapse of order.
A lawless land where the strong preyed on the weak, but it also meant fewer rules and inspections.
Most importantly, it was close enough.
His current physical strength wouldn't last for a long journey.
A name suddenly jumped into Bai Wanyang's mind.
Begonia Alley.
It used to be called Peace Alley.
Clear, happy images floated up in his memory.
The first time he had left the city to perform a mission in the Chaos Zone.
Back then, he and Yue Shi had teamed up to deal with the Queen Bee.
Peace Alley was just a gang at the time.
Later, the place was destroyed and changed to Begonia Alley, transforming overnight into a notorious “roast duck” shop known far and wide.
Those who had been there gave polarized reviews—either a perfect score or a zero.
Back then, Bai Wanyang was an investigator representing order; now, he was a fugitive exiled by that same order.
The person who had walked beside him had become an S-rank fugitive, while he himself was a vengeful ghost with nothing to his name.
The corner of Bai Wanyang's mouth twitched. He put away his phone and took one last look toward Amber City.
He turned and started walking toward the silhouettes of those low, cluttered buildings.
...
The Chaos Zone was the same as before—unplanned roads and buildings cobbled together from various materials.
The air was thick with a complex, foul stench.
A revisit to an old haunt.
The place remained, but the people had changed.
After casually taking out a few blind fools who tried to cross him, Bai Wanyang finally arrived at Begonia Alley.
The changes here were quite significant. A gate had been built at the entrance, painted in a pinkish-white color.
There was a sign on the gate that read “Begonia Alley,” decorated all around with begonia flowers.
When Bai Wanyang arrived, there were quite a few people coming and going, none of whom showed any curiosity toward his unfamiliar face.
The alley was much wider than he remembered, and much noisier.
Many good-looking people stood by the roadside, their smiles charming and seductive.
Some even used the sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed, surrounded by crowds of onlookers.
“In this cold weather, aren't they afraid of catching a cold?”
Bai Wanyang muttered to himself, not daring to look at those scenes of “grand harmony.”
The sounds of the “Ode to the Goose” echoed constantly in his ears, along with crude insults and mysterious laughter or whimpering.
All sorts of noises mixed together, creating a clamor that made his scalp tingle.
“You’re the one who won't follow the rules? You shameless slut!”
“This girl is just doing it for free~”
“You’re doing it for free? Then are you going to let me starve?!”
“Stealing Daddy’s Purple Mood to use? Shameless! Confiscated!”
“What are you looking at? Haven't I shocked you enough?!”
“Not taking money and even giving yourself away? In this business, the biggest taboo is falling in love with a customer! No dumplings for you this month as punishment!”
“I don't care if I’m a top or a bottom, because I have plenty of strength and tricks.”
Bai Wanyang kept his head down, pulling his collar high and restraining his aura as much as possible as he moved through the crowded throng.
For some reason, standing here gave him an inexplicable sense of intense shame.
He could feel countless gazes sweeping over him, filled with undisguised greed.
The people here were dressed in all sorts of ways, but overall they looked fairly neat, and the air carried a faint fragrance.
Following his blurred memory, Bai Wanyang walked toward the depths of Begonia Alley.
The further in he went, the fewer people there were. Those standing by the roadside were younger and more handsome, and the buildings looked more regular.
But it was only relative.
No matter how regular the buildings were, they couldn't compare to the city, and no matter how handsome the people were, they were only standouts within the Chaos Zone.
Truly beautiful people of any age could hardly escape the clutches of Boss Pi.
Finally, Bai Wanyang stopped in front of a small two-story building.
A wooden sign hung at the entrance. It was the madam's...
No, the Papa-san's...
Still felt awkward.
Fine... it was the Begonia Alley Technical Personnel Management Center!
Just as Bai Wanyang stood still at the door, it was pulled open from the inside.
A lean, fit man leaned out.
The man was about thirty years old, with a streak of white hair. He had a smile on his face, and his eyes were slightly curved.
Bai Wanyang noticed that the man's clothes were thin and tight, accentuating every muscle in his physique.
“Oh, a new face? Where are you from?”
“Do you want to be interviewed, or investigated?”
“Or perhaps you want to come here for some street business?”
The man spoke with a smile, his voice gentle.
“Huh???” The naive Bai Wanyang didn't understand the double meanings.
Then, a woman walked out from behind the man. Her jet-black hair fell long, and she was as exquisite and beautiful as a doll.
She looked Bai Wanyang over with a calm gaze, as if she were inspecting a piece of pork.
Jiang Cifei and Dr. Luo, the current managers of Begonia Alley.
“I’m from Amber City. Just passing through and looking for a place to rest,” Bai Wanyang said, his voice a bit raspy.
At the mention of “Amber City,” Jiang Cifei’s eyebrows shot up.
“Amber City? Now that’s a good place.”
“What a coincidence, I used to be from Amber City too.”
“Come in, come in. It’s messy outside. Have some water and tell us everything.”
His attitude was very warm. He led Bai Wanyang inside while giving Dr. Luo a meaningful look.
Dr. Luo said nothing, turning toward a long table inside covered with various bottles and jars.
The interior was more spacious than it looked from the outside. Half of it was a reception room with sofas and chairs.
The other half looked like a clinic or a laboratory, with a strange smell of disinfectant mixed with herbs and several suspicious containers covered with white cloths.
Jiang Cifei poured a glass of water for Bai Wanyang.
Bai Wanyang took it but didn't drink, just holding it in his hand.
“How should I address you, brother? What was your trade in Amber City?” Jiang Cifei sat opposite him, acting as if they were just chatting.
“My surname is Bai. I am a current investigator for the Amber City Investigation Bureau.”
“I’m out on a field mission and passing through here. I want to rest for a bit.”
Bai Wanyang gave a brief answer.
Although he could no longer be considered an investigator, he didn't mind borrowing that authority.
Upon hearing that Bai Wanyang was an investigator, Jiang Cifei’s expression didn't change at all as he slapped his thigh.
“Rest easy, Brother Bai. Begonia Alley is a famous good place.”
“Xiao Luo is my girlfriend. She’s a doctor. If you feel unwell anywhere, you can ask her.”
Dr. Luo, who was organizing the bottles and jars nearby, looked up at Bai Wanyang and gave a slight nod.
Their unexpected kindness and warmth made Bai Wanyang feel a bit at a loss.
After the ordeal with Zhang Songyun, he felt uneasy about any unprovoked friendliness.
How could people living in the Chaos Zone truly be so kind and warm?
Fortunately, he had used his investigator identity as a shield, and his strength wasn't weak. Though he was technically an ordinary human now, he could use the black feather to disguise himself as a transcendent.
He didn't plan on staying long.
He was just too tired. He needed a warm bed and a few hours of undisturbed sleep.
Once he caught his breath, he had to leave immediately. Otherwise, he feared his virtue might not remain intact.
“Thanks,” Bai Wanyang said stiffly, putting down the water cup.
“Find me a quiet room where I can stay for a while. I need to sleep.”
“There are guest rooms upstairs. They’re simple, but definitely quiet and private.”
Jiang Cifei stood up and led Bai Wanyang toward the stairs, casually adding, “Do you need any special services? We have everything here...”
“No!” Bai Wanyang clenched his buttocks and immediately refused.
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