Earth and Moon

Luo Di stood at the intersection below the City Investigation Bureau building, quietly waiting for the traffic lights to change.

But when the green light for pedestrians came on across the street and everyone started crossing in an orderly fashion, he stood still, letting people walk past him.

He had a very strange feeling.

Clearly, there is a fairly clear goal at present.

It also led to a completely new hobby.

But looking at the passersby, he always felt something was missing, and he felt like he had returned to a familiar state, a state of being alone.

When the second green light came on, Luo Di crossed the street and headed towards the Youth Apartment.

His suitcase was already packed; he just needed to go back and grab his things before he could leave.

Considering that Yu Ze had a week off, Luo Di didn't plan to bother him. After all, Yu Ze had already helped enough; he could go to the capital alone, and he could ask Mercury Group for help with anything he didn't understand.

Bite!

The elevator stopped on the eleventh floor.

When Luo Di was about to return to his bachelor apartment for the last time, he was surprised to find two people standing at the door.

Yu Ze, wearing round sunglasses and with his hair in a bun, and Miss Yun, who looks even younger than Luo Di, are currently cosplaying as a pink-haired nun with a cross on her chest.

Yu Ze had already looked towards the elevator and waved his arm high, "Hey fellow villager, wanna go together?"

"You can figure out everything, right?"

"You can only see the effect if you have a cause."

What about your holidays?

Yu Ze shrugged. "Because of the Island Incident, all sea trips have been suspended. There's nothing fun to do here. Why don't we go back to the capital and spend some time in the library, or watch your assessment, Luo Di? That should be interesting."

"OK."

The pink sports car sped along the highway. After all, it was already nighttime, and even at a speed of 200 km/h, it would take until the early hours of the morning to reach the capital.

Yun continued watching her favorite anime program.

The two boys were chatting in the back row.

"Hey buddy, how's it feeling after the pituitary injection? Or rather, how does it feel to officially acquire the Corner System?"

"It's alright, so far the only impact is that it has messed up my sleep schedule."

Yu Ze's eyes lit up. "That's great! Changes in sleep patterns like this are very normal. After all, the Corner System is also known as the Fear System, and many things related to fear happen at night."

I'm guessing you most likely chose the assassin role, something related to serial killers, as this type of person is naturally active at night.

However, we don't have many night owls in our department, so if you join us, you'll be able to fill the gaps in our night shifts. From now on, if there's an emergency in the early hours of the morning, you won't need to call me anymore.

"My friend, you'd better pass the test quickly!"

"My pituitary gland is still in its early stages. Can I start working right away?"

"Just like us, you can join as a trainee investigator."

Ultimately, it depends on the specific performance evaluation. Your department assignment will be based on the evaluation results. Of course, your personal preferences will also play a role in the allocation.

So please try to choose our department when the time comes.

Luo Di continued, "Is there anything different about the work of an investigator in the capital?"

"You'll see when the time comes. For now, the priority is passing the assessment. After all, you're a key person we're paying attention to. If you report before the end of tonight, the assessment should be scheduled for tomorrow."

Maybe we can arrange it tonight.

I have no worries about your abilities, my fellow villager.

My only concern is your temperament.

Although you were the main contributor to the Island Incident, the 'problems' you exhibited were also reported by me. This includes the matter of using 'me' to escape.

The requirements for one's character are very high, because anyone qualified to go to the Capital Investigation Bureau may end up in the shadows.

If even the most basic moral character is flawed, then one will inevitably lose one's way under the Corner's Whisper and become an enemy of humanity.

We wouldn't be foolish enough to cultivate our own enemies, would we?

"Of course, my fellow villager, you'll definitely be fine."

Thank you.

"I'm going to take a nap~ You can watch anime with Yun."

Yu Ze placed a calming talisman on his forehead and fell asleep immediately.

Luo Di didn't press for any more questions. Although he could get the answers to many questions directly from Yu Ze, he figured it would be more interesting to explore those answers himself.

Night fell,

Luo Di wasn't sleepy at all and started watching the so-called anime with Yun.

Having never been exposed to anime before, he quickly became engrossed in it. Unexpectedly, the storyline presented through animation was actually quite good, and before he knew it, he had watched ten episodes.

Just then.

In front of the car window,

At the end of the highway came into view a city, a unique city that relied solely on moonlight for illumination, devoid of any natural light.

It's important to know that the Corner Law contains very strict regulations on urban construction.

Every city in Federated States must have a sufficient light source system and be equipped with two completely different power supply modes, so that even if the power is cut off, bioenergy can still support the light.

Light is the best way to avoid Physical Corner, and all cities must be under adequate light 24 hours a day.

But no light seeped out of the city before us.

In a normal city, even the light from the walls would be enough to radiate within a five-kilometer radius, illuminating the countryside and forests.

Just as Luo Di was about to ask, Yun, who had been watching anime, removed Yu Ze's talisman.

"Senior brother, should we take a detour?"

Yu Ze stretched and stood up, looking at the City of No Light ahead. "We're on the moon already? I haven't had enough sleep yet~ Oh dear, I'll go back and continue sleeping."

Taking a detour—crossing the moon—might waste more time than taking a detour, and could potentially lead to trouble.

"Does 'the moon' refer to the Moon City?"

Luo Di had learned about geography in high school; Moon City was different from other cities, being a satellite city belonging exclusively to the Capital-Earth City.

But that's all I know.

Yu Ze could see Luo Di's confusion at a glance and gave him the answer he wanted directly:

"Moon City is currently the only satellite city in the country. It is a city that expanded from the capital. The two cities are 30 kilometers apart and connected by a special railway."

The Moon City was designated as an "Experiment City".

The Corner Law is not strictly applied here.

The most obvious manifestation of this is the Day-Night Cycle. At night, only some basic streetlights are kept on in the Moon City, while most of the lighting equipment in the buildings and the lights on the city walls are turned off.

These lights will only be turned on at full capacity unless there is a large-scale corner effect inside.

Furthermore, if you go to the moon, you'll see many more different and interesting places—albeit also dangerous. The control over Pseudo-Human is relatively relaxed within the Moon City; it's best to find out the specific reasons later.

"Um."

The vehicle sped along the ring road. The size of Moon City was almost the same as that of Pluto City and Jupiter City, and it could be considered an independent city.

However, the obvious Day-Night Cycle and the city management that was independent of Corner Law also intrigued Luo Di.

"Will I be carrying out a killing... mission in Moon City later?"

"If Luo Di wants to complete his pituitary gland repair as soon as possible, Moon City is indeed a good choice, but the specifics depend on the attitude and arrangements from above."

The Moon City isn't a place you can just go to whenever you want.

"OK."

Almost the instant the vehicle rounded Moon City, a warm and intense light spread out.

What was originally an ordinary highway has been transformed here into a self-illuminating highway, resembling a star belt.

The car stereo also started playing sound at the same time, receiving a forced audio signal from the capital.

[Welcome to Earth orbit. License plate "Earth A-██████ -██████" has been confirmed. One more person has been detected in the vehicle than when it left the city. Please proceed to the checkpoint along track two for temporary passenger registration.]

Luo Di's gaze followed the road, known as Earth's orbit, toward the front.

The outline of a city of unimaginable size appeared in the distance.

Hundred-meter-tall buildings are common in this city, and there are even five buildings that reach the height of a thousand meters, soaring into the clouds. One of the buildings seems to have a logo that Luo Di is familiar with, and upon closer inspection, it should be the Mercury Group.

Numerous aircraft float between cities.

From the smallest drones to large, high-tech airships.

Some of the giant airships appear to have been completely commercialized, with various commercial advertisements or company profiles projected onto their surfaces.

Before even entering the city, Luo Di was astonished by the scale and sophistication of the capital.

Then, his gaze turned to the city's heights, to the tops of the thousand-meter-tall buildings, and to the depths of the clouds.

There appears to be some kind of giant object floating above it, a ring-shaped object resembling a UFO.

"What is that...?"

"Fellow villager, you have a good eye! That's the place where you'll be having your interview later."

The center of the country,

[EIA World Bureau]