“Hey, you.” Yue Shi pointed at a relatively young, burly man at the back of the crowd. “Do you know the exact location of the Qingshan Sanatorium?”
The man was taken aback, his mind a bit dazed. He pointed toward a certain direction deep within the Chaos Zone.
However, that path was blocked by a roadblock. Although he could take a detour, it would undoubtedly cost a lot of time.
The man's companions were surprised to see him giving Yue Shi directions—and correct ones at that.
There were no laws in the Chaos Zone. They controlled and exploited the lowest-tier drifters, frequently robbing people on the road. They never spoke a word of truth, especially to strangers like Yue Shi, whom they usually tried to screw over as much as possible.
Before they could figure out what was happening, they heard Yue Shi command, “Clear the roadblock!”
In the next moment, the crowd immediately put his words into action. They went to the roadblock and began removing the mound of earth and bricks with their bare hands. Soon, the path was clear enough for the motorcycle to pass through.
Yue Shi holstered his gun, then lightly twisted the throttle. He pulled several bags of bread from his backpack and tossed them toward the crowd.
The burly men had just regained their senses and hadn't yet reacted when they saw the drifters they controlled swarm forward to snatch the bread.
The scene instantly became extremely chaotic, and Yue Shi left, satisfied.
After continuing for about another kilometer, the streets became slightly tidier and cleaner. The houses were no longer crooked, illegal shacks; instead, some old buildings and rows of bungalows appeared.
The crooked utility poles were covered in colorful little advertisements, though it was a mystery where the electricity in the Chaos Zone actually came from.
There were also more young faces on the street, and their clothes were relatively neat.
Several women with heavy makeup and men with slicked-back hair and powdered faces stood by the roadside smoking, not forgetting to wink at passersby.
Every so often, someone would approach them for a brief conversation, their eyes shamelessly scanning their bodies.
Some were rejected when they couldn't agree on a price, while others were led into the houses behind them by their belts. Occasionally, strange sounds of men and women would drift out from the half-open doors.
It was clear that Yue Shi had accidentally wandered into some sort of adult-oriented district.
He slowed down and drove forward slowly until he saw a hair salon. A large sign over the storefront read: 【Bright and Beautiful Flagship Store】.
Although it was a place for hair, the shop seemed to double as a convenience store. The shelves inside were stocked with snacks, low-quality cigarettes and alcohol, condoms, and small bags of white powder.
The salon owner was a middle-aged man with a gold chain around his neck and an exaggerated tattoo covering half his face.
To be able to do business in a chaotic place like this, the owner likely had some extraordinary qualities.
Yue Shi's appearance drew many eyes. Compared to the dirty and dilapidated environment, his clothes were far too clean, and he even wore a mask. People who lived here long-term weren't usually so fastidious.
As he passed a corner, someone whistled at him. “A distinguished guest has arrived! Let's see who can bag him first!”
It was unclear if this was said to the street workers or to someone lurking in the shadows.
On the second-floor balcony of a nearby old building, a glamorous woman leaned against a rusted railing with one hand, playing with her long hair with the other. She called out to Yue Shi in a flirtatious voice, “Hey, little brother, why don't you come up and sit with big sister for a while?~”
Yue Shi ignored her.
Next, from behind a rolling shutter door by the road, a dark-skinned athletic type with strong pectoral muscles walked out. He gave a fawning smile and a seductive look, sucking on his right index finger as he called out teasingly, “Hey handsome, come play for a bit~”
Yue Shi automatically filtered out this eye-searing information pollution.
The motorcycle turned a corner at a three-way intersection, and before long, he was forced to stop again.
The road was blocked once more.
A delinquent-looking youth who looked like a high schooler stood in the middle of the road. He wore messy, dirty clothes, and a lock of his greasy, medium-length hair was dyed white. He stood with his arms crossed next to a sign: 【Standing here, purely for blocking the road. 5 yuan to move once.】
Looking at that familiar face, Yue Shi’s brain started to process, then his CPU began to overheat, and eventually, spaghetti and concrete started mixing in his head.
The other party clearly noticed Yue Shi as well. Despite the glasses and mask, he quickly recognized his acquaintance.
“Jiang Cifei? Why are you here?” Yue Shi lowered his voice, asking his colleague—who had been reported missing—in surprise.
Jiang Cifei scratched his neck awkwardly, a slight smile appearing on his face. “I’m really lucky to run into you in a place like this.”
He took a step forward, grabbed Yue Shi’s sleeve, and led him toward a nearby house.
Yue Shi thought for a moment and didn't resist.
As soon as he stepped through the door, a stream of foul language and crude remarks reached his ears—
“Daddy, stop hitting me! I’ll sell! I’ll sell!”
“I haven't had a customer in two weeks. Maybe next time I'll try unblocking the furry fursuit service.”
“Ah... that old man looking for a freebie is here again!!!”
“Who are you calling an old man looking for a freebie? How rude! I’m still a minor!” Jiang Cifei yelled, and the surroundings went silent instantly.
Yue Shi’s expression became incredibly amused.
Jiang Cifei explained calmly, “This isn't a hair salon or a nail parlor. It's a place for selling roast ducks.”
Yue Shi indicated that he understood perfectly.
The two walked into a small inner room. Ignoring the strange, musty smell, Yue Shi got straight to the point. “Tell me, what exactly happened?”
Jiang Cifei asked in return, “What did the company say? Did they announce my death, or just that I’m missing?”
Yue Shi replied, “Missing. To find you, the entire company got dragged into a massive supernatural incident. The losses were heavy, and they can't operate normally right now.”
Jiang Cifei snorted coldly. “Serves them right! Tulip Security Company isn't anything good. I was ambushed and almost died. It took everything I had to escape here.”
“Ambushed?” Yue Shi was full of confusion. “Who ambushed you?”
A flash of malice crossed Jiang Cifei’s eyes as he spat out two words: “Pei Yue.”
Seeing that Yue Shi’s expression showed no surprise, Jiang Cifei said, “You don't seem surprised at all?”
Yue Shi tilted his chin up slightly. “Pei Yue showed a flaw. In that supernatural incident, everyone else was either dead or injured, yet he was completely unharmed. I suspect he’s a transcendent or possesses a supernatural item.”
“Since you were attacked, logically you should have reported it to the Investigation Bureau to get justice. Why did you run to the Chaos Zone outside the city?”
Jiang Cifei fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly. “The Investigation Bureau... isn't worth trusting.”
“Huh?” Yue Shi expressed his confusion with a simple sound.
Jiang Cifei hesitated, appearing somewhat reluctant to speak...
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