Chapter 130: No Need for a Plan
Chapter 130: No Need for a Plan
Lu Xin, along with Gecko, Mother, and Little Sister, arrived at the bustling street in the center of the town.
At first glance, this place seemed livelier than the lifeless streets of Satellite City. Stalls lined both sides, displaying a variety of goods—unknown types of meat, various live creatures confined in cages or tied directly with ropes. There were even a few stalls piled high with firearms; their owners had belts of bullets wrapped around them and cradled guns while touting.
“Our guns are good, our guns are great,”
“Our guns don’t jam, perfect for highway robbery…”
“…”
Along both sides of the muddy street, many stalls had erected large canopies beside exaggerated promotional posters.
A host wearing bizarre attire held a microphone, dancing exaggerated, peculiar dances to rhythmic music.
Beside him stood a cage containing a thin, small humanoid figure covered in black feathers. It huddled in a corner of the cage, motionless until a kick thudded against the bars; only then did it flinch slightly.
The host, while dancing, grabbed the microphone and shouted loudly: “Come take a look! Tickets just ten dollars! Children in jars, feathered Hen-people, post-Cataclyysm aberrant strains, Woman-Serpents with human heads… every kind of monster you can imagine! Ten dollars and you won’t be cheated, you won’t be fooled! For just ten dollars, broaden your horizons!”
“…”
The people walking on the street were also a motley bunch. Most wore clothes that were shabby yet sturdy. Though the temperature Outside the City in the town was quite cold, many deliberately left their coats open, revealing guns holstered at their waists.
Beside doors wrapped with neon lights, several heavily made-up women smoked.
Their small eyes, underlined by dark circles, constantly scanned the people passing by on the street.
Whenever eye contact was made, they’d call out hoarsely: “Wanna try? Good service!”
There were also some thin, frail-looking men leaning against pillars who would call out to anyone passing: “Wanna try? Comes with fruit!”
Lu Xin felt uncomfortable under their gazes. He asked Gecko, “What are they doing?”
Gecko glanced briefly, shook his head with exaggerated concern, and said, “Legit business… selling copies…”
“…”
“Is this the world Outside the City?”
Lu Xin knew Gecko was messing with him, of course. He’d seen such things before; Satellite City had them too.
His question stemmed more from surprise that men did this line of work in Blackwater Town.
Walking quietly down the street, taking in the surrounding hustle and bustle, he sighed inwardly.
This was a world completely different from inside the walls. The city inside had similar streets too, but they sold more vegetables and small trinkets, and street soliciting was far less brazen. Overall, inside the walls felt somewhat stifling, while out here, it was vibrant.
This was how the world was after the Crimson Moon. Order and chaos ran like parallel lines, developing side-by-side both within and beyond the walls.
The world Outside the City was dangerous, of course. Brutal. Yet it offered a wild feeling, bordering on utter freedom.
Perhaps it was precisely this feeling that attracted some people.
So, despite the comparatively comfortable material life within the High Walls, many chose to stay outside.
……
……
“Brother, where do we find the people we’re after?”
Gecko, by now, had donned his oversized sunglasses.
It was nighttime. The street was brightly lit, but with those sunglasses on, he should barely be able to see. Lu Xin couldn’t guess his logic.
Hearing Gecko’s question, Lu Xin looked up as well.
Having finally reached such a lively place, Little Sister had already run off and vanished.
Mother was no longer beside him either. However, whenever Lu Xin looked up, he could always catch glimpses of her Shadow.
Sometimes she stood before a small stall, seemingly admiring piles of little trinkets.
Other times, she stood at a quiet corner, pointing towards a specific location.
Following Mother’s guidance closely, Lu Xin navigated through the crowded masses one step at a time.
“What should we do once we find those people?”
As they gradually drew near, Lu Xin asked Gecko.
Gecko frowned, looked around, and felt a bit nervous himself.
He too knew the purpose of this trip Outside the City with Lu Xin was to track the Knights Order.
They were likely armed with heavy weaponry and had three Ability Users among them.
“In theory, we should first notify the local boss here. Rumor is he’s called Elder Snake, with a sizable private militia under him. He does a lot of business with our Qinggang, acting sort of like a vassal. Normally, he’d cooperate,” Gecko muttered thoughtfully, frowning.
“But, after all, we’re not all that close to Qinggang City now. And these assholes? They see nothing but money. I can’t be sure the Ability Users holed up here haven’t already struck a deal with him. If we go announcing ourselves, it might just tip them off. We could end up giving those guys an advantage.”
“Normally, tackling them within this town should be easier than out in the wilds.”
“After all, once inside the town limits, you’d generally only be carrying a Handgun…”
“…”
Lu Xin nodded. “Right, let’s track them down first.”
He understood Gecko’s analysis. Forces like Blackwater Town often pretended to obey places like Qinggang, the Highwall City, while secretly defying them. If they intended to shield someone, they might pull some shady tricks. However, if those people were found first and then Blackwater Town was informed, they would behave. By that point, any further scheming would be an open challenge to Qinggang.
As they spoke, they had passed through a bustling street and arrived in front of a row of converted, three-story townhouses. Lu Xin saw Mother standing at the entrance of a gaming parlor. She turned her head, smiling as she looked at him.
Knowing what needed to be done, he said to Gecko, “Let’s go in and have a look!”
“Are you here for gambling? Or…?”
Gecko’s expression stiffened slightly when he saw the gaming parlor, but he hurried to catch up.
“What are you here for?”
As Lu Xin and Gecko approached the parlor, two large men with rough, scowling faces stood up.
Lu Xin walked straight inside. Gecko tilted his head up and cursed, “The fuck you think we’re here for, huh?”
He pulled out a wad of bills, flashed it momentarily, and stuffed it back into his pocket.
Seeing this, the two thugs stopped talking. They shook their heads and sat back down.
Lu Xin walked directly into the hall of the gaming parlor. Instantly, a powerful wave of odor hit him.
It was a heavyweight stink bomb: a pungent cocktail of smoke, alcohol, body odor, and sweat. A young woman in a bikini, wearing white rabbit ears on her head, came towards them. She carried an assortment of cigarettes and liquors in her arms.
The noise battered his ears. Shouts filled the air: “Big!”, “Small!”, “I say big!”, “I say small!”, “Fuck you!”, “Fuck you!”, “Ptooey!”, “Pthooey!”, “You dare spit?!”, “Bam!”, “Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!”
…
This was the kind of place Gecko usually loved the most, yet now his face was void of its usual playful grin.
No matter how laid-back he usually was, he knew exactly why they were here.
They weren’t just chasing the Knights Order. Among their targets were three Ability Users. Crucially, they weren’t within Qinggang City anymore, where the Special Contaminant Cleanup Division had their backs. While Qinggang held significant influence in the surrounding areas, it wasn’t uncommon for personnel from Qinggang, dispatched for official business, to vanish abruptly or for their bodies to turn up in the Wilderness.
A single misstep could turn him into one of those casualties.
His expression tense, he glanced at Lu Xin and whispered, “Here?”
Lu Xin gave a slight nod. His gaze cut through the chaotic crowd, landing on a closed room at the back.
Gecko pressed a hand against the gun at his waist, his face cautious. “What’s the plan?”
Lu Xin’s eyes flickered slightly as he reflexively started to consider Gecko’s question.
Little Sister was beside him, perched on a nearby card table, utterly engrossed in watching the game, seemingly itching to join in. Mother stood beside the innermost room door, holding her delicate small handbag, watching him with a gentle smile.
Behind this door might be the Knights Order responsible for so many deaths back in Qinggang…
He shook his head. “No need for a plan.”
With that, he walked straight to the door of the room and kicked it fiercely.
BANG!
The door slammed open with tremendous force.
The people inside, gathered around an improvised long table playing cards, all snapped their heads towards the entrance.
Lu Xin calmly scanned the room. Seven people: five seated at the table playing, two girls wearing rabbit ears serving them. His eyes swept across the group – he didn’t see anyone resembling Qin Ran. Yet, his gaze stopped and lingered on the man seated directly opposite him, near the window, wearing a red suit. Gradually, certainty settled in.
The man currently held three cards raised high, as if about to slam them down.
Seeing Lu Xin enter, his expression also froze.
…
…
Lu Xin looked at him, a slow smile spreading across his own face.
“You finish playing that card first,” he said. “I’m not in a hurry.”