Bang, bang, bang!
The urgent knocking jolted Wang Jixuan out of meditation.
He sprang up nimbly, and the tiny wisp of energy that had only just formed within him immediately retreated into the dantian in his abdomen.
Wang Jixuan glanced at the clock on the wall. He had cultivated for less than two shichen—three and a half hours by this world's reckoning. He had thought he could recover a little of his strength, but now he helplessly discovered...
The spiritual energy here was far too sparse.
Though he was brimming with insight, he had not even crossed the threshold of the Qi Refining Realm. All he had done was slightly enhance his five senses, increase his physical strength, and gain a wisp of basic inner breath.
Later, I still need to find some spirit stones and set up a Spirit Gathering Array.
Bang, bang!
The person outside knocked harder.
Wang Jixuan could vaguely sense that there were three people outside in total.
Gang retaliation?
He flashed behind the door and asked in a deliberately sleepy voice, "Are you knocking on my door?"
"13th Floor Security Brigade! Open up! Assist with an investigation!"
Wang Jixuan was skeptical, but he was skilled and bold. With the wisp of energy he had just acquired, plus the four-foot metal pipe behind the door that he had kept as a collectible, he was confident he could drive back any attackers.
So he raised a hand and pressed the electronic lock, holding his breath as he stood still against the wall.
A thick calf clad in a half boot kicked the door straight open.
Two men and one woman—three Security Team members in light-blue uniforms—squeezed into this standard room for a Level 3 Ordinary Citizen.
They really are officials.
Wang Jixuan casually put the metal pipe back in the corner and took the initiative to ask,
"What can I do for you?"
The three of them were clearly startled. The somewhat frail girl instinctively took two steps back.
The leader of the three was a middle-aged man. His side-parted, slicked-back hair gleamed with pomade, and his light-blue uniform was clean and crisp, utterly out of place amid the perpetually gloomy surroundings.
The man's features were proper enough. He was not especially striking, but he had a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes, giving him an air of righteousness.
Wang Jixuan noticed a tiny crape myrtle flower badge pinned to the man's chest.
It seemed to be proof of some official rank.
Behind the middle-aged man, the muscular Security Team member widened his eyes and cursed, "Why are you hiding back there? Come over and cooperate with the investigation!"
"Don't be so fierce," the middle-aged man said with a frown. "You two, go wait outside first."
"Yes, Captain!"
The two team members gave a synchronized salute, swinging one arm before pounding their chests. Before leaving, the sturdy young officer glared at Wang Jixuan again, seemingly warning him to behave himself. The female officer holding a folder cleverly shut the alloy door.
The room was dimly lit. The middle-aged man walked over to the side, found the lighting dial, and turned it all the way up.
The room immediately brightened.
"My name is Zhou Zhengde," he introduced himself. His hawk-like eyes swept over Wang Jixuan. "Wei Na's ex-boyfriend. She asked me to come find you."
Wang Jixuan remained against the wall, both hands tucked into his pockets.
He wanted to make himself look more nervous, since that would better fit Mu Liang's personality, but...
He truly could not bring himself to feel nervous.
"Do you need me to testify that it was self-defense?"
"You'll help, won't you?"
Zhou Zhengde's gaze softened somewhat, and he sighed.
"She is a good person. I mean, she's a good person. Though she isn't exactly a good woman, when we were in a relationship, she, as a sexual liberal, never betrayed me. That gave me quite a pleasant dating experience.
"You know, the pressure of our environment is too great. Sexual openness has become a way of life for half the population, though we officials do not encourage it.
"Back to the point.
"Later, you'll need to sign several documents. I'll also record the entire process as material for the law enforcer's judgment.
"Now, can you tell me... what exactly happened back then? The truth. This is a rather troublesome matter."
Troublesome?
Was that gang powerful enough to make even the officials wary?
Wang Jixuan nodded and spoke unhurriedly.
"At the time, Doctor Wei Na examined my mental state and determined that I had no self-destructive tendencies. I had merely gotten my neck caught on a strip of cloth by accident, so she issued that certificate for me.
"The three people who called themselves members of the Black Fire Gang were vicious. Their leader was a thug named Brother Hua. He grabbed Wei Na by the hair and dragged her to the ground. He wore hard leather shoes and viciously kicked Doctor Wei Na in the stomach. I was... frozen with fear at the time.
"They said I was Wei Na's boyfriend..."
"Um, ahem! Let me interrupt for a moment."
Zhou Zhengde pondered for a few seconds.
"Are you? Young man? Are you Wei Na's boyfriend?"
"I'm not," Wang Jixuan said. "We had only just met, in the clinic cubicle."
"Then have you slept with her?"
Wang Jixuan smiled. "No. I'm sexually conservative."
Zhou Zhengde's eyes immediately brightened. "That's wonderful. On your twenty-fifth birthday, you'll surely receive an excellent female companion as your genetically matched recommended spouse... Um, did she tell you about her premature menopause?"
"Hm?" Several question marks practically appeared over Wang Jixuan's head.
"I've gone off topic." Zhou Zhengde cleared his throat. His tone rose a little higher than before, and his posture became more relaxed. "Continue."
Wang Jixuan pointed to his crudely bandaged arm. "I was actually terrified at the time. That guy held a gun against me and told me to persuade Doctor Wei Na to accept their invitation to perform organ removal surgery. I don't know where I found the courage, but I turned around and snatched the gun away. He was obviously stunned by my sudden resistance. Then I used all my strength to punch him... People can unleash hidden potential when they are angry. My mind was completely blank then."
"Yes, I've had similar experiences.
"This Black Fire Gang controls one-third of the organ trade in the Lower City. They survive off this sort of business."
Barely concealed fury appeared in Zhou Zhengde's eyes.
"Those scumbags! Bastards! If it weren't for... forget it. There's no need to complain to you about this!
"I know Wei Na's personality very well. Though her views on the sexes make her easy to criticize, she aspired to become a doctor from childhood. I grew up with her. We were once the best of friends, but we crossed the line once when we couldn't restrain ourselves, and the nature of our relationship changed.
"You understand. She's a very feminine woman, and I had a little to drink.
"It's just a pity she was unwilling to become my wife and remain faithful to our marriage... She could only accept an open marriage."
Wang Jixuan rubbed his forehead. "Captain Zhou, how about we gather the evidence now?"
"Ha, of course! But later, you don't need to mention the part about punching them."
Zhou Zhengde narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You only need to say... the situation was chaotic. Those three men wanted to kill you. Doctor Wei Na jumped up beside you to fight for his firearm. During the fierce struggle, you heard seven or eight gunshots, and then you saw Wei Na clutching the pistol as she trembled and collapsed to her knees.
"That way, you won't have any legal trouble, and Wei Na will have more room to maneuver.
"Can you do that?"
Wang Jixuan nodded. "Yes."
"Excellent! What a clever young man!"
Zhou Zhengde rose to call for his subordinates.
"I'd like to ask something," Wang Jixuan said. "When you said there would be no legal trouble, did you mean I'll still have other troubles?"
"The one who died was the Black Fire Gang's thirteenth-ranked minor boss. A villain, scum, trash—but he was the Black Fire Gang boss's biological younger brother."
Zhou Zhengde clicked his tongue softly.
"The two men who escaped have already told the Black Fire Gang leader what they saw. Their leader sent someone to deliver me a letter, telling me not to interfere in this matter.
"The Black Fire Gang needs to establish its status and deterrence. They will definitely retaliate against Wei Na and you.
"I'll do my best to protect Wei Na. She's one of my best friends. The Black Fire Gang may have some backing, but they don't dare directly attack the Security Office.
"So they will likely vent their anger first on a Level 3 Ordinary Citizen with no power and no backing.
"As repayment for recording this evidence, I'll immediately arrange another residence for you. But that can only hide you from the Black Fire Gang for a while... Or I could fabricate a charge and lock you in the Security Office prison, but that would reduce you to a Level 1 Citizen and cost you your current relatively easy job."
Wang Jixuan immediately said, "The first option is enough. Thank you."
"We each get what we need. The defining traits of us Middle City Dwellers are order and principles."
Zhou Zhengde patted Wang Jixuan on the shoulder and smiled.
"Your mental fortitude is quite good.
"No wonder Wei Na's eyes lit up whenever she mentioned you. I rarely see her make that expression.
"You two really didn't sleep together? Really, I'm just curious. She's a sexy goddess, and things between us are already over."
Wang Jixuan put on a miserable expression.
The captain had a calm presence and spirit in his eyes. He did not seem like a villain. He was just... somewhat talkative, and overly concerned with Doctor Wei Na's private life.
Hmph, mortals have such strange emotions.
[Room 72, Passage 17, Zone D, Floor 13].
Having just packed his simple luggage, Wang Jixuan played with the blue card Captain Zhou had left behind and considered how likely it was that this was a trap.
He did not dare easily trust a stranger, even if, overall, his personal impression of the captain was fairly favorable.
Through Mu Liang's memories, Wang Jixuan had gained a suitably broad understanding of the fortress.
The fortress was divided into upper, middle, and lower sections. The Upper City encompassed Floors One through Six, serving as the permanent station for the fortress's combat personnel and its various military factories.
The Middle City referred to Floors Seven through Forty-Five.
Around four hundred and thirty thousand people lived here. Every floor had several factories and numerous indoor farms. Before losing their ability to work, every citizen had to perform various jobs in the factories and farms.
If the Upper City and Middle City were the foundation and pillars of Fortress 76, then the Lower City was synonymous with chaos.
Roughly two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand people lived in the Lower City. It originally had only six floors of space, but because of all kinds of "historical" issues, it had gradually evolved into another world.
The decrees established by the Fortress Governor could only be effectively implemented in the Upper City and Middle City, shut out from the Lower City.
The Lower City was filled with violence and depravity, while its people liked to use freedom as a slogan to conceal bloodshed and chaos.
The Underground Fortress numbers in the Ancient Basin had already reached "136," yet only eighteen fortresses still existed in this region. Most fortresses had not collapsed because of external Blade Beast attacks, but had instead been buried by so-called freedom uprisings.
Worst of all, after seventy or eighty years of downward expansion, the Lower City had already damaged Fortress 76's bottom defensive layer.
—All of this had once been written on the information boards along Middle City streets.
Under such circumstances, Black Fire Gang members running rampant through certain Lower City areas could carry firearms and openly appear on Floor Thirteen in the upper-middle section of the fortress...
If the Middle City Security Team had not been indulging them behind the scenes, Wang Jixuan would not have believed it even if Brother Hua had been beaten to death several more times.
From this perspective, Wang Jixuan did not dare completely trust Zhou Zhengde unless he could determine exactly which official moles were colluding with the Black Fire Gang.
Daoist Wang pondered in secret.
I need to find a place to hide for several months. Once this Dao body enters the Qi Cultivation Stage, I should be able to fight these mortal gangs head-on.
Those Hidden Weapons that are immensely powerful against mortals are now a major problem for me as well.
The mechanical arts of this world cannot be underestimated. According to the original body's memories, there are even Mecano-beasts here capable of shattering rocks and blasting apart mountains.
Bang, bang bang!
Knocking suddenly sounded again. Wang Jixuan leaped behind the door like a nimble cat and casually grabbed the metal pipe with a ring of screws tied around one end.
"Who is it?"
Before you continue