As Tinghai's newest "celebrity."
Bai Zhou was staring into Teacher Ya's eyes with a clear, innocent gaze.
Under the moonlight, their shadows pressed close together.
"You mean that while waiting for me here, you happened to dig a book out of a tree hollow..."
"The Forbidden Canon?!"
Ya's voice rose despite himself.
"You didn't already know the Dead Sea Scrolls were here, did you? Is that why you chose Dongxing Road?"
She had been wondering why, out of so many places, Bai Zhou had picked such a remote corner of the map.
So he had come prepared after all.
Bai Zhou, clutching the Forbidden Canon, gave a light cough and cleared his throat.
"Actually, I heard a story like this in Evening City."
Bai Zhou was about to tell another one of his little Evening City stories:
"There was a little boy who sold lighters. During the New Year, he was shivering from the cold, curled up in a street corner."
"So he used his lighters to keep warm, and saw warm illusions in the firelight..."
Ya raised an eyebrow slightly. "And then?"
Bai Zhou continued:
"At that moment, a passing Black Robe saw the poor little boy and kindly reminded him—"
"'People who have violated the rules are being burned at Civic Square. The fire over there is much bigger. If you're really cold, you can go warm yourself by it.'"
This story described the Black Robe's deep concern for the lower classes.
Through contrast, it created a sharp juxtaposition between their cruelty toward enemies and their kindness toward their own people.
Ya: "..."
"But what does that have to do with the Dead Sea Scrolls?"
"In this story, the place where the little boy stayed was beneath a tree outside Yongning Convenience Store on Dongxing Road."
Bai Zhou spoke with a perfectly straight face.
"So when I saw Dongxing Road on the map, it immediately seemed familiar."
"I never expected..."
Bai Zhou shook the Dead Sea Scrolls in his hand.
"That it would really be here!"
Ya's expression turned solemn.
This was not the first time Ya had heard one of Bai Zhou's bizarre little Evening City stories.
As usual, it was packed with questionable details.
But throughout the history of the Transcendents, many unknown truths really had been hidden in inconspicuous stories and nursery rhymes.
Perhaps something had happened to the previous owner, and he had been trying to pass a message to his companions.
Or perhaps, to avoid inspection, he had used a Ritual to erase his memories of the Forbidden Canon, while leaving this story behind in advance...
"The specific reason doesn't matter anymore."
Ya looked at Bai Zhou, his expression extremely strange.
"What matters is that the Dead Sea Scrolls are now in your hands."
"Fortunately, neither the Blood Worship Cult nor the Special Management Department knows about this."
Otherwise, someone really would go mad!
"Mm-hm."
Bai Zhou nodded repeatedly.
That story he had just told—
Of course, it had never existed.
He had made the whole thing up.
More precisely, the first half of the story really did exist in Evening City, which was why he had been able to improvise it so smoothly.
Back in the Youth Training Corps, he had always scored full marks on reading comprehension. Even the Black Robes had praised him, saying he ought to join the propaganda department in the future.
...but Dongxing Road and the rest definitely did not exist.
"So the Special Management Department's intelligence was true..."
"The Dead Sea Scrolls really did escape."
"Looks like something really has gone wrong inside the Blood Worship Cult... and it's not a small problem!"
Ya studied the "big brick" in Bai Zhou's hands, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Ya, you know what this is?"
Bai Zhou asked in surprise.
But Ya merely shook his head.
"I know a little, but not much."
"In Tinghai, anyone who knows about the Blood Worship Cult knows at least something about it."
"All I know is that it's one of the Blood Worship Cult's three great Forbidden Canons, and the only one classified as a 'Dead Sea Scrolls'-level Forbidden Canon."
"According to legend, it was a copy written by one of the Blood Worship Cult's founders after reading the legendary Ancient Book of the Dead Sea."
"However."
Ya's voice paused briefly.
"I heard that this Forbidden Canon hadn't acknowledged anyone for a very long time."
"Even the Blood Worship Cult's upper ranks themselves don't really know what's inside."
"The Blood Worship Cultist who stole it must have been pretty desperate in the end."
He really had been desperate.
When he stole the Forbidden Canon, he had probably already prepared himself to lie low in an obscure corner of Evening City, study bitterly for ten years, and emerge invincible.
Unfortunately, the Mystic World was not a legendary novel.
There was no lucky hero who rose to the heavens after stealing a secret manual, and the Blood Worship Cult was not Shaolin Temple, with Huogong Tuotuo beating people senseless with his fists.
Although no one knew how many methods he had tried on the Dead Sea Scrolls, or how much effort he had expended,
he had not merely failed to make the Dead Sea Scrolls enjoy themselves—
he had exhausted every trick in his arsenal and still failed to satisfy even
0.1% of it...
—Useless Black Robe!
In the end, this incompetent big brother could only bury it outside the Funeral Home.
His final thought before being beheaded sounded, no matter how one savored it, very much like: "If I can't have it, none of you can have it either."
—He had already twisted into something pathological.
Then Bai Zhou happened to pass by and got lucky.
When Bai Zhou told Ya the unlocking requirements, Ya's expression became one of sudden understanding mixed with indescribable helplessness.
"With requirements that harsh, it's no wonder."
"The Authorities' suppression and the arrival of peaceful times have both turned this condition into a complete fantasy."
"A Dead Sea Scrolls that cannot be unlocked has greater symbolic significance to the Blood Worship Cult than practical value."
"There's nothing I can do with it either."
In the end, Ya gave this assessment:
"Rather than saying you obtained a Forbidden Canon, it would be more accurate to say you're carrying the Blood Worship Cult's ancestor's Ash Urn around with you."
"—Whatever you do, don't let them find out."
Bai Zhou lowered his head and glanced at the Ancient Book in his hands, as well as the chains wrapped around its thick spine.
...There was really nothing he could do?
What use was an ununlockable Forbidden Canon?
Could he use it to knock someone unconscious?
It seemed—
he really had to go to the Deep Ruins Realm.
He still had to go.
At 3:10 a.m., Bai Zhou and Ya strolled through the streets.
The streetlights were off, and mist billowed through the air.
The moonlight over the long street flowed like water, clear and transparent.
Coral and seaweed seemed to crisscross beneath the water, but they were actually shadows cast by the trees and flowers along the roadside.
"Branch 36 won't let you off."
"With that outfit, and at this hour, walking around the streets makes you far too conspicuous."
Ya studied Bai Zhou, who was wearing a filthy suit and carrying a large Briefcase, and offered some advice.
"Perhaps you need to find a stable, hidden place to stay—a temporary Stronghold."
For a homeless wanderer like Bai Zhou, where would be a good place to sleep?
A park bench? Too easy for strange people to harass him.
Under a bridge? It seemed workable, but still wasn't hidden enough.
"So."
"You need a free property."
—Ya put it that way.
Bai Zhou was so startled that he bashfully waved both hands again and again.
"That would be too much trouble..."
The surprise was simply too great.
He had already learned so much from Teacher Ya. Was he really going to stay at his place too?
Giving him secret manuals and weapons was one thing, but why was he giving him property as well?
He was far too generous.
Bai Zhou felt as if his teeth had inexplicably softened, while the moonlight made his face look three shades fairer.
If this continued, what could Bai Zhou possibly give Teacher Ya in return?
Offer himself to him? It wasn't as though he couldn't reluctantly consider it...
Then Ya led Bai Zhou across three blocks...
—and brought him to a group of unfinished buildings.
"This is the property?"
Bai Zhou blinked.
Beyond the debris-strewn path, several abrupt buildings stood at the end of an untended stretch of trees, resembling the skeletons of enormous gray monsters.
The rough concrete outer walls were dull and gray. Rust-covered steel rebar jutted out in patches, whining mournfully whenever the wind blew past.
Row after row of hollow windows had no glass, like the eyes of blind men, coldly overlooking the weed-choked wasteland below.
Everywhere he looked was broken and black. The moonlight was the only source of illumination, while the sounds of cicadas and crickets filled his ears—peaceful, yet somehow carrying a hint of horror.
—It was nothing like the urban prosperity they had seen along the way.
Even compared with Dongxing Road, this place was far more remote.
This was the true edge of the city, forgotten by everyone.
—Here, even if he raised his head and looked around, he could not see the landmark sign that read "Tinghai Welcome You."
"A free property."
Ya nodded, placing particular emphasis on the words "free."
"When we passed by just now, I happened to glimpse this place from a distance. It felt surprisingly suitable."
Her expression was utterly serious. She genuinely believed that an unfinished building was a genius idea for a hiding place.
—Her idea.
"No need for an intermediary, no troublesome landlord, and no inexplicable roommates."
"Few people ever come here. It's located on the edge of the city, in an abandoned development zone—a blank stretch of unclaimed land."
"Not only are there plenty of discarded materials that can be used to set traps and obstruct any pursuers..."
"But the layout is complicated, with many unfinished rooms and stairwells. The multiple levels provide room to hide and relocate."
"Look—"
As she spoke, Ya raised a hand and pointed toward the dark windows on the roof of a nearby building.
"That is the best tactical high ground in the area. Easy to defend and difficult to attack, with a commanding view of everything."
"If you set up a 'Queen Bee-200' heavy machine gun there, you could control this entire road below!"
"—It would be even better if we had artillery."
Ya shook his head regretfully.
"But it's fine. You can set up some simple Demolition Rituals nearby to serve as land mines."
"Oh, right. Be careful... I suspect that after they learned you had mastered the miniature Rituals used for demolition, they'll bring countermeasures this time."
Watching Ya speak at length with such confidence, Bai Zhou took a deep breath.
—He was so practiced.
He sounded like a frequent victim of assassination by the Chou Family.
He had the bearing of a veteran fugitive from a major manhunt.
Bai Zhou grew increasingly curious about Ya's past.
But as Ya told him the story, Bai Zhou looked over the few dilapidated, unfinished buildings standing silently beneath the moonlight like haunted houses...
For some reason, a familiar warmth and hazy anticipation rose in his heart.
This kind of original "simplicity" actually had something in common with Evening City.
The place he lived in Evening City might not even be as good as Tinghai's unfinished buildings...
A free, secluded corner where he could stay for the time being.
This was the place.
At four in the morning, even the moon in the sky had dimmed considerably.
Bai Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He had "come home."
With curiosity in his heart, Bai Zhou entered one of the unfinished buildings to explore.
The place was pitch-black. The air was filled with the moldy smell of wall dust, and broken steel rebar and bricks were scattered all over the floor. Bai Zhou couldn't help feeling somewhat sentimental.
--Back when he had reluctantly trained with Bench Legs at the stronghold,
if he'd had a steel rebar to use, how happy would he have been?
Unfortunately, steel rebar that arrived late was worth less than grass...
He carefully felt his way up to the next floor.
Bai Zhou was considering whether to find a relatively intact little room to sleep in or settle down on the upper-floor platform overlooking the entrance,
when an indescribably foul smell suddenly reached his nose. It smelled like a dog kennel, mixed with some kind of urine stench.
--Urine stench?
Bai Zhou shuddered and immediately stopped. He retreated to the platform at the stairway landing and stood there.
"Clang--"
The sound of an empty can being kicked over rang beside his ear.
But it hadn't come from Bai Zhou.
As if this sound were some kind of signal, a large group of people suddenly came rushing out before him, flashlights swinging wildly across his face.
The disheveled "savages" appeared at the end of the stairs, carrying steel rebar. They ran down and surrounded him completely.
"Oi! Oi--"
The "savages" shouted, their noisy voices echoing through the stairwell. They seemed to think that shouting like this looked especially imposing and could frighten Bai Zhou.
"What are you doing here?"
A naked, long-haired Bearded Man came before Bai Zhou. The fermented stench of someone who hadn't bathed in at least a month rushed into his face as he sized Bai Zhou up with an unfriendly expression.
"Just passing through, just passing through!"
"I'm only passing by."
Bai Zhou raised his hands to show that he meant no harm,
"I didn't know you were here. I just wanted to find somewhere to sleep."
He understood what these people did.
Scavengers.
Vagrants.
You could only say that great minds thought alike. Everyone had taken a liking to this building.
By accident, he had wandered into their stronghold.
--A scavengers' camp.
Bearded Man looked Bai Zhou's dirty suit up and down, then glanced at the way he carried his Briefcase. His expression gradually softened.
In the end, he exchanged a look with Bai Zhou:
"Looks like you're one of us."
Homeless vagrants often formed groups of their own accord.
"But we don't want someone as young as you who ran away from home."
He shook his head and had no intention of listening to Bai Zhou's explanation.
It was obvious from Bai Zhou's outfit... He must have come from a decent family.
Just a willful child. He wasn't one of them.
And he wasn't safe.
"You're not welcome here."
"Get lost--"
"Go home!"
He pointed toward the stairs leading down.
His words were vulgar, but Bai Zhou didn't find him unpleasant.
Having grown up an orphan, Bai Zhou could keenly distinguish the ways of human relationships.
For example, right now, he knew what the attitude of this apparent scavenger leader meant.
"..."
Standing in a dark corner, Bai Zhou looked up and calmly glanced behind Bearded Man.
Those pairs of flickering eyes held curiosity, while some contained nothing but sleepiness.
But some were greedy, and some were malicious.
Only...
Go home?
Where was his home, exactly?
...As Bai Zhou's figure gradually disappeared at the end of the stairs,
someone called out to Bearded Man with some emotion, "Boss!"
"What? What do you want?"
Bearded Man turned and glared at him, his beard bristling and his expression fierce,
"He's just a child!"
"If your child ran away from home at this hour, wouldn't you be anxious? Wouldn't you be worried?"
"Fine..." The man lowered his head and muttered.
"All right, all right, disperse!"
Bearded Man waved everyone away,
"Go back to sleep. We still have to go to the Garbage Station first thing tomorrow morning!"
"Whoosh--"
Everyone scattered in a commotion.
But two people used going to the bathroom as an excuse to secretly meet up and slip out of the unfinished building.
"Did you notice that kid just now?"
The two followed Bai Zhou's back with their eyes and crouched behind some bushes.
One was a withered Skinny Man. His arms swayed like toothpicks, and his shrewd little eyes gleamed.
"That suit doesn't look cheap."
"Yeah."
The Thick-Browed Strongman, wearing a sleeveless white undershirt, smiled maliciously. "There's definitely something in his Briefcase!"
Skinny Man raised his brows and winked. "Should we..."
"But what about the boss?" Thick-Browed Strongman hesitated slightly.
"What are you afraid of? He won't find out."
"Don't rush in yet. Let's follow him and see where he's going."
Like a greedy rat, Skinny Man revealed a sly smile, as though he were about to get his meal.
He sounded quite practiced, as if victory were already assured.
"As long as we're fast, we can take care of it cleanly and silently."
"--Like last time."
"You saw him too. He's just a good little kid..."
"How much resistance could he possibly offer?"
As he spoke, Skinny Man confidently bent his arm, trying to show off his biceps.
But under Muscular Man's idiotic stare, Skinny Man gave an embarrassed laugh, withdrew his bamboo-pole-like arm, and pulled out a Folding Knife.
"--We have a knife!"
"This is the kind of toy 'adults' should play with."
"Yeah..."
Thick-Browed Strongman nodded.
That was indeed convincing.
This Folding Knife had truly tasted blood... and more than once.
Then the strongman cautiously poked his head out of the bushes and suddenly froze.
"...Where's that kid?"
"Oh no!"
Skinny Man grew anxious. He immediately crawled out of the bushes, trotted a couple of steps, and looked around.
"Damn kid, he got away!"
He stomped the ground bitterly, gnashing his teeth in anger.
--They had missed out on a big deal!
A child this young had to be healthy.
Even if he had no valuables at all, taking him to the Black Market to "take him apart" and sell the pieces would still be profitable.
It was all that annoying boss's fault for wasting their time...
"Sorry, um..."
Suddenly, a shy voice came softly from behind him.
The calm, slightly embarrassed tone sounded as though its owner were asking for directions:
"Were you looking for me?"
--That kid from before?
He had come back?
Am I dreaming?
He walked right into our trap, haha--
Skinny Man turned around, half-confused and half-delighted.
...But in the next moment, all his thoughts vanished.
A cold sweat instantly seeped down his back.
Because a hard, icy-black object was pressed against his head.
"What a coincidence. We meet again."
The "good little kid" from before, who had looked harmless and had obediently left after being rejected, gave him a shy smile.
"I was wondering why you two kept staring at me just now."
"Was something bothering you?"
The youth held an object that was both familiar and unfamiliar to the two of them, pointing it directly at Skinny Man's forehead.
With a clang,
Skinny Man's "dangerous" adult toy--the Folding Knife--fell to the ground.
Beside him, Muscular Man in the white undershirt had long since been scared witless.
His arms were spread wide, his back pressed tightly against the rough tree, and his mouth hung open with his tongue sticking out. Yet, strangely, he didn't dare make a sound.
...Under the moonlight, the object faintly reflected a cold, eerie gleam.
--It was a gun.
Before you continue