Chapter 156

Surtr didn't want to talk to the other person any longer, so he carried Reine des Neiges out through the door on the left. Following the arrows on the wall, they arrived at the Entrance/Exit to the Lower City.

The Lower City used to be quite different from what it is now. If you compare the Core City to the urban area, the Lower City is like the suburbs or countryside, far from being as unbearable as it is now.

More than twenty years ago, a large-scale riot broke out in the Lower City, triggered by infected individuals. Lin Gerei's respected leader of the Cat Gang unfortunately contracted Originium-related illness during the battle.

The losses caused by this battle were incalculable. From then on, the Lower City and Upper City were governed separately.

When encountering out-of-towners who cannot pass entry approval but do not want to leave, they are Lower City. This has led to a mixed and increasingly complex social composition. Cliques have formed, creating fertile ground for violence and bloodshed.

Most residents of Lungmen city do not consider the residents of Lower City as their own. It is common for locals to bully outsiders.

Even when the Schwayer Group set up shop in the Lower City, they didn't just come anywhere. When they opened a factory, they would prioritize locations near the Lin family.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Surtr stepped onto the solid ground, making a very crisp sound.

She looked around, then turned her gaze north. In just one glance, she spotted the road leading to the Upper City.

The towering skyscrapers, resembling a steel forest, stand in stark contrast to the low-rise houses surrounding Surtr. You don't even need to ask for directions to know your general direction.

She had no intention of staying in the Lower City and carried Reine des Neiges through the crowd.

Yet this Sarkaz beauty, with her impressive bust and black stockings, was like a firefly in the night, impossible to ignore as she walked through the Slums.

Hey beautiful, where are you going?

"Hey beautiful, don't go yet! Let's chat for a bit."

Surtr heard a few thugs whistling at him from the roadside, but he ignored them.

This lack of resistance only emboldened them. Seeing the red-haired beauty leave quickly, they even tried to follow and block her path.

A Feline spat and cursed:

"**, someone so pretty would come to Slums? I think she's just a , what's with the pretense of being high and mighty!"

He was about to give chase when his companion stopped him:

"Little Tiger, don't cause trouble. Brother Qiang told us to behave ourselves for a few days and not to be too conspicuous."

"Xijun, what do you know? You can't find such top-quality goods in the entire Slums."

At this point, the thug named Little Tiger stared at Surtr's alluring back and grinned lewdly.

"Let's go, hurry up and catch up! Find a secluded place and take down this Sarkaz. I promise I won't cause any trouble outside, and I'll just stay home and have a good time every day."

"Don't be impulsive, Tiger. Didn't you see her greatsword? She might be a tough opponent."

"Tch, what era are we living in? Still using those cumbersome weapons. No matter how fast a sword is, can it be faster than a crossbow? Xijun, I know you've always been all talk and no action. How about we capture her and let you have your fun for a day?"

Xijun swallowed hard, seemingly quite tempted by the offer. Seeing Surtr walking further and further away, he still felt a little intimidated and tried to dissuade him:

"There are so many people in the Slums, what if we get seen? If they report me to the Lungmen Guard Department for kidnapping, Brother Qiang won't let me off the hook."

"Theirs."

Little Tiger doesn't like hearing such discouraging words:

"Sai Jun, you really have no ambition at all. It's only because all the major gangs have been wiped out that we have a chance to make something of ourselves. You're afraid of everything. If you're so cowardly, what kind of gangster are you? You should just go home and farm."

Seeing his hesitant look, Xiao Hu put his hand on Xi Jun's shoulder and pointed forward:

"Alright, if we keep talking, the beauties will all run away. I'll take a detour to catch up and block them from the front, you take care of the back. Don't let me down at a time like this."

Surtr walked several hundred meters, passing through several alleys of varying sizes. Suddenly, a panting Feline leaped out and blocked his path. The man leaned against the wall with his left hand and raised a short crossbow in his right, threateningly saying:

"Beautiful lady, put down your sword. If you do as I say, I will absolutely not hurt you, really."

"Put it down, put it down."

Surtr turned around at the sound and saw another accomplice blocking his way about twenty meters away. The other man's hand holding the crossbow was shaking violently, as if he had Parkinson's disease.

"Hey, didn't you hear me? I told you..."

Before Xiaohu could finish speaking, she suddenly drew her sword.

"Reine des Neiges!"

In an instant, Surtr's greatsword was engulfed in raging crimson flames. The intense heat made the air feel scorching.

Seeing that things were not going well, Xijun took off running.

Seeing that his accomplice had betrayed him, Xiao Hu cursed inwardly and turned to run away:

"Choose that star..."

He had only taken two or three steps when he was kicked to the ground by the red-haired Sarkaz. The terrifying fire sword was pointed directly at his nose.

Surtr, sword in hand, looked down at them with disdain, as if they were looking at trash.

She wasn't as reckless Lappland and didn't want to cause trouble in the Slums. A kick to the root of his woes served as a profound lesson.

"Don't let me see you again, get out!"

Xiao Hu clutched his groin, his face flushed red from the strain. He forced a deep breath and replied in a muffled voice, enduring the pain:

"Yes, yes, I'll leave right away."

He crawled away from the scene on his knees and is unlikely to return for some time.

This wasn't the first time Surtr had encountered lecherous men who coveted her beauty, but she had been relatively restrained today. She lightly swung Reine des Neiges, and the rolling flames on the blade quickly disappeared.

Suddenly, Surtr paused. She looked up to the west, as if she had sensed something.

Meanwhile, the original Mudrock stronghold.

It's the weekend, and Shi Lei, keeping his promise to Lisa, brought her to play with the infected children. They've been playing since 2 PM, and it's almost time to leave.

As the sun set, its rays painted the floating clouds with vibrant colors. He stood at the entrance of the stronghold, then suddenly turned to look eastward.

220 (3K) (See attached image)

Texas sat in the driver's seat, her hands casually resting on the steering wheel. She wasn't particularly close to the Sarkaz stationed at the outpost, and was only acting as Shi Lei and Lisa's driver today because she had nothing else to do.

Seeing him standing at the entrance of the stronghold, turning his head to look around, Texas leaned out of the car window and asked:

"What's wrong?"

For a fleeting moment, Shi Lei sensed what appeared to be the presence of the Immortal Realm. However, this feeling vanished in less than a second, leaving him uncertain.

All I could see were low-rise buildings and rampant vines; I noticed nothing unusual.

"Brother Shi!"

Just then, Lisa, who had just said goodbye to the infected children, skipped and hopped over:

"Let's go!"

"Um."

Shi Lei looked away and said nothing more. He opened the car door and got into the passenger seat.

Texas started the engine and drove away from there, heading back to the warehouse in the Upper City.

Now that we're neighbors, getting around is so convenient. Before, I had to drive back to my rented apartment after we parted ways, but now I can skip that step altogether.

She glanced at Shi Lei, and seeing that he didn't offer any explanation, she wisely refrained from pressing him further.

It's June 13th now, roughly mid-June. If Lisa's father isn't late, he'll pick her up within two weeks at most.

Today might be one of Lisa's last two or three visits to the outpost to play with the infected children. After that, she will return to the Higashi and begin a completely new life.

Lisa's family background and life trajectory are different from these Sarkaz children. Perhaps they will never meet again in their lifetime.

Staring at the receding scenery outside the window, Shi Lei frowned slightly. After pondering for a long time, he suddenly spoke:

"Pull over, I need to go back and take care of something."

"Okay, sure."

Texas didn't ask for the specific reason and parked the car on the side of the road with complete trust.

Shi Lei wasn't sure if the feeling he had sensed was real, but he wanted to go back and check it out.

If everyone at the stronghold is safe and sound, Shi Lei will only waste a few tens of minutes at most. If something happens to them after he leaves, he can go back now to save their lives.

"Stay in the car and don't move around. I'll be back soon."

After saying that, Shi Lei took advantage of the gradually darkening sky to rise into the sky and flew quickly towards the stronghold.

Looking across the entire Slums, besides Mudrock and Lin Gerei, he couldn't think of a third expert at the Immortal Realm. Moreover, Mudrock, as his dependent, had already resigned and moved to the Upper City.

If it is indeed Lin Gerei, there is absolutely no need to hide it.

For safety reasons, Shi Lei decided to go back and check. He floated above the base for five or six minutes and didn't notice anything unusual. Only then did he feel relieved and go back to meet up with Lisa and the others.

"Bang."

Shi Lei got into the passenger seat, closed the door, and said:

"That's all, let's go."

Texas didn't know why he suddenly wanted to fly back. Anyway, Shi Lei would tell her if he wanted to, and there was no point in her urging him if he didn't.

"Good."

The car drove along the road away from the Slums, heading towards the checkpoint at the border between the upper and lower areas. A graceful figure lurked in the shadows, quietly following behind.

Surtr traveled thousands of miles to Lungmen just to find the guy who could trigger energy fluctuations over extremely long distances. As for the Sarkaz at the outpost, she had absolutely no interest in talking to them.

Having chased them all the way to the outskirts of the checkpoint, Surtr knew she couldn't go any further. If she forced her way through now, it would inevitably cause a riot and a counterattack from the Lungmen Guard Department.

Surtr let the car drive away; knowing it was Penguin Logistics Messenger was enough. He could visit them later once they entered the Upper City.

Under the cover of darkness, she searched for over an hour along the border between the Lower City. Only when it was completely dark did she find a place where she could smuggle herself across.

There are elevation differences between the different plots of land. You can easily climb over them by simply building a ladder.

Without any aids, Surtr accelerated rapidly after creating some distance. At the same time, he pointed the blade of his Reine des Neiges sword backward, using the reaction force from the burst of flames and his momentum to leap steadily to the other side.

After entering the Upper City, she randomly asked a passerby for directions to Penguin Logistics. Once she had a general idea of the location, she disappeared into the night.

June 14, 1:04 pm

After lunch, Shi Lei called Texas and prepared to take Lisa to the base in the Lower City so she could play with the Sarkaz kids until sunset before returning.

"Let's go, get in the car."

"No need, Brother Shi. I already told them yesterday that I'm leaving Lungmen this month."

Lisa lowered her head, her tone tinged with regret:

"You don't need to go anymore. I feel really bad for taking up your time."

"Haha, don't feel guilty. This is something I promised you. If you don't want to go, then you're free to do whatever you want today."

Seeing that he and Texas weren't leaving, Exusiai raised her hands and shouted excitedly:

"Great! Let's play mahjong!"

The sun wasn't shining brightly today, and the weather was just average. Since everyone had nothing much to do, playing this game was a good way to pass the time. Croissant and Lin Yuxia weren't there, so we asked V to join us at a table.

Around 2 p. m., Lee, along with three employees, Hong, A, and Waai Fu, came to visit, bringing gifts.

"Mister Zhongli, did I disturb you?"

Some time ago, he accepted a commission from Mr. Blake Suiya to investigate a man who had previously built a car bomb in an attempt to murder his employer.

Lee not only made a fortune, but also made a name for himself in high society circles. He worked overtime for the next few days to complete several more commissions, earning a huge profit.

As the saying goes, one should not forget the well-digger when drinking water; he knew that the business was ultimately brought by Shi Lei. So whenever he had free time, he would buy gifts and come over specifically to thank him.

"Two Strips."

Shi Lei played a mahjong tile and looked at his opponent with a smile: