Chapter 14: Something Worth Fighting For
Chapter 14: Something Worth Fighting For
“Sifang Transportation Company is one of the largest freight companies in the northern part of the city. Its main business is cargo transport between satellite cities, and sometimes it even handles shipments to and from the Main City and other Highwall Cities. Their boss is a woman surnamed Chen. It’s said her business is enormous; her operations cover not just the surrounding satellite cities, but she even has connections within the Main City!”
“Brother Lu, are we sure… we want to approach them?”
Surprisingly, after receiving Lu Xin’s permission to join the project, Lv Cheng seemed deeply grateful.
He knew his qualifications were thin. Even though he’d caught the eye of the Director’s daughter, without any achievements to his name, staying with the company would be very difficult. This was especially true after his failed attempt to usurp Lu Xin’s position had made him disliked by everyone in the office and severely damaged his reputation. Therefore, he was taking this assignment extremely seriously.
For the entire company, this was a very important project.
Their company was a small trading firm specializing in commerce between satellite cities. But this particular project, specifically assigned to Lu Xin, involved the Main City. Doing business with the Main City was the dream of every company.
So, not only did he swiftly help Lu Xin organize the materials, but he also decided early on to accompany Lu Xin on the site visit.
Though when they set off, there were suddenly three of them.
Princess Xiaoqing had come along too. She seemed worried that Lu Xin would intentionally marginalize her boyfriend during work.
Lu Xin didn’t mind. Princess Xiaoqing had a car, after all.
“Sifang Transportation Company probably isn’t as straightforward as it seems…”
Lu Xin thought to himself, listening to Lv Cheng’s briefing. In modern society, although the discovery of wild grain seeds and the partial revival of some industries had solved the basic food problem for most people, rebuilding the former industrial system was still a distant goal.
One significant challenge was transportation.
The roads Outside the City were severely damaged, riddled with obstacles, and plagued by countless Maniacs who couldn’t be cleared no matter how hard they tried. Vagrants and Knights Order who survived by looting wandered Outside the City. There were also countless unpredictable dangers. Therefore, those who dared to run transport Outside the City were all exceptionally tough, resourceful, and well-connected figures…
Especially considering the additional information Chen Jing had provided him, revealing many insider details impossible to uncover publicly.
For example, this woman surnamed Chen was actually just a front, a puppet for Sifang Transportation Company.
The real boss was a man who hailed from The Wilderness, named Qin Ran.
Because people from The Wilderness weren’t granted formal citizenship until they had lived within the Highwall City for three full years, nor were they allowed access to schools before then. Similarly, they weren’t permitted to register companies or hold positions in the administrative departments until they had resided for a full ten years. That’s why he pushed his mistress into the spotlight. And Sifang Transportation Company’s business probably wasn’t limited to transporting goods honestly!
People born in The Wilderness were absolutely not simple, nor were they likely to be honest!
…
“We’re going with them. After all, there aren’t many willing to take on transport jobs Outside the City right now.”
Lu Xin didn’t elaborate. For his company, this was indeed a business deal.
But as far as his other job was concerned, reaching out to Qin Ran to see if he was involved was the real goal.
Princess Xiaoqing, driving at the front, rolled her eyes at him in the rearview mirror.
She felt Lu Xin was putting on too many airs in front of her boyfriend.
But she had already faced a heap of complaints from the Director yesterday, so she didn’t dare say more now.
The car soon arrived at Sifang Transportation Company in the northern part of the city. They saw a vast area dominated by Factory Buildings. Most structures had been demolished, and neat cement roads were laid. In the large open yard stood a row of pickup trucks welded with thick iron plates and even metal spikes. Without exception, all the vehicles were filthy, looking like giant beasts smeared with moss and mud.
They had called ahead. As soon as Lu Xin and the others stepped out, a young man with half his head shaved, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, wearing flip-flops, sauntered over. Flinging an arm thin as a stick, he gestured with a jerk of his chin for them to follow him inside.
As they walked, cold, assessing gazes fell upon them repeatedly from people along the roadside.
Among them were cocky, swaggering youths with shirts hanging open, and men who looked exceptionally tough and capable.
“You two go inside to speak with the manager first.”
At the office door, Lu Xin said to Lv Cheng and Princess Xiaoqing with a smile, “I’ll stay out here and take a look at their Trucks.”
Lv Cheng and Princess Xiaoqing hesitated. Princess Xiaoqing then tugged Lv Cheng’s arm, and the two hurried inside.
Checking the vehicles designated for hauling cargo before finalizing the contract was naturally part of the process. Moreover, if Lv Cheng managed to negotiate specific terms, it would count as a significant achievement in his work. Princess Xiaoqing could understand what mattered most.
After the two entered, Lu Xin slowly walked around the yard.
The information Chen Jing had given him mentioned seven or eight murders linked to this company, but it wasn’t certain if they involved a Psychic Contamination Incident. After all, in their world of internal strife and shady dealings, deaths were fairly common. For the Highwall City, such cases were often minor incidents, not even worth much attention in some ways…
His job now was simply to determine the truth of the matter.
So he walked around the company first, checking if there were any strange signs like the bizarre phenomena encountered in the recent cafe incident.
“Those who operate Outside the City really are formidable…”
Lu Xin thought to himself as he wandered the company grounds several times, carefully examining several Trucks.
These Trucks bore numerous signs of wear and tear. Some marks looked like they came from rock impacts; others seemed like slashes from knives. He could also see dark reddish stains on the tires and undercarriages – impossible to tell if it was blood.
Lu Xin wasn’t exactly a professional in spotting this kind of thing.
But he felt he should try to appear professional.
So he scrutinized carefully, considering what aspects might warrant suspicion.
THUD!
“Ah! What are you doing?!”
“Stop hitting people…!”
“If you hit us again, I’ll really go to the Guard Bureau!”
“……”
While Lu Xin was watching, sudden cries and shouts erupted from a row of single-story offices ahead.
He hurried over and saw several street thugs kicking Lv Cheng in a circle while viciously cursing: “What kind of business is this? We run around outside, risking our necks every second, just so you can lower your price? Acting all cultured in front of us? I’ll throw you outside for the maniacs to devour!”
Lv Cheng curled up, protecti ng his head as he begged for mercy. Princess Xiaoqing shouted nearby but dared not intervene.
“What’s going on?”
Lu Xin walked quickly forward, pulling his backpack to his chest.
Princess Xiaoqing wept: “We just thought their quote was too high and tried to negotiate… Then they attacked us! Their accounts have too many issues—we can’t work with them! It’ll be nothing but trouble…”
Before she finished, a woman yanked her hair and slapped her fiercely.
“Stupid bitch, whose accounts have problems?”
“If you weren’t spouting nonsense, why would I hit you?”
“Huh? Tell me—why am I hitting you?”
Princess Xiaoqing’s face swelled from the blows, silencing her into choked sobs.
Seeing this, Lu Xin retracted his hand from the backpack and deliberately slowed his steps.
“Sorry everyone, terribly sorry…”
He finally shuffled over after a long delay, repeatedly apologizing. “Why did things turn violent all of a sudden?”
A shirtless man with a scarred face glanced sideways at him. “You’re the boss, huh? ‘Manager Lu’ from the call? Good—we’ll deal with you. You called for trucks. Vehicles prepped, drivers hired. Now this sudden change? Think you can jerk us around? These days, survival’s hard enough. One step from me, one step from you—everyone lives. But if you refuse to yield… Don’t blame what comes next.”
“… ”
“The boss is absolutely right,” Lu X in agreed with an awkward smile. “Let me discuss this with my team, alright?”
He found the fate of Lv Cheng and Princess Xiaoqing unsurprising.
Their company was a small Satellite City trading firm distributing non-strategic goods between cities. With their boss’s connections to the material management department granting a Special Passage Permit and minor leverage, they’d always been fawned over by logistics firms—even receiving hefty kickbacks.
They hadn’t expected Quad Logistics to operate differently.
Though unclear exactly how the fight started, such friction was inevitable when clashing attitudes collide.
“Discuss?” The scar-faced man spat contemptuously. “We scramble for survival—no time for your games.”
Lu Xin grimaced. “What do you want?”
“Sign the contract. Pay upfront. Quick and clean,” he answered.
After a pause, Lu Xin countered, “Can’t just sign like this.”
The scarred man smirked. “Seems your head’s tough enough, little manager…”
Others lazily closed in, smirking as they encircled Lu Xin.
Seeing their approach, Lu Xin flashed quick hesitation before abruptly pulling a gun from his backpack, leveling it at them.
“A gun?”
The crowd froze mid-motion.
Even the bruised Lv Cheng on the ground and the abused Princess Xiaoqing stared wide-eyed.
None anticipated Lu Xin would draw a weapon.
“He’s actually got a gun…”
“Hahaha…”
“… ”
But their shock splintered into cruel laughter.
Their expressions twisted into mockery; even the woman gripping Princess Xiaoqing sneered contemptuously. Some quietly pulled sharpened pipes from corners or hefted hammers and axes.
“Never thought anyone inside these walls packed heat…”
“Listen kid—is that toy even legit?”
Amid their taunt s, they crept closer. A wiry thug with a rusted blade saw his chance.
Surging from behind unnoticed, his eyes gleamed malice. In his street-honed instincts, seizing opportunities meant swift ferocity. By taking down this fool swiftly tonight, he’d eat like a king…
But before lunging, a seemingly unprepared Lu Xin spun around.
He fired without hesitation.
Bang!
A scream tore through the air as the youth crashed two meters away, clutching a gushing thigh wound.
Lu Xin’s first shot landed rough—but its echo scattered the encircling mob like startled birds.
Sudden silence swallowed all jeers and commotion, leaving only the gunshot victim writhing and wailing like a slaughtered pig—his cries escalating into sobs.
Every eye fixed on Lu Xin like he was a madman. A real gun?
He dared pull the trigger?
This was Highwall City, not the Wilderness—was the Guard Bureau blind?
Wilderness survivors might be tough, but death scared them—always had. City youths, however, turned reckless when provoked. That’s why Lu Xin shot him first.
Immediately after, Lu Xin swung his aim to a middle-aged woman behind the crowd.
“Don’t. Push. Me.”
His voice was steel cold.
“You all saw—this gun is very, very real…”