News

Only when the entire Nen Space spread out and covered everything, freezing it in that instant, would the mechanism of the ability officially activate.

Before that, the Balance aura that had erupted from the Temple's Release Pond still had a few seconds in which it could act.

If that Nen Exorcist had not left the Temple first, he was probably in grave danger.

"I hope he escaped disaster."

Moyu thought to himself.

Although the zombie-faced Nen Exorcist gave off an arrogant, superior air, his dedication to his work was admirable.

If he could escape disaster, that would naturally be something worth celebrating.

Withdrawing his gaze, Moyu headed toward the nearest city.

After walking for around two hours, Moyu suddenly heard the sound of a vehicle. At the same time, a beam of light shone over from behind him.

Moyu turned around, but all he could see was the blinding glare of high beams.

As the light drew closer, the driver noticed Moyu and switched from high beams to low beams. Then he rolled down the window and leaned out to look at Moyu standing by the roadside.

"Kid, why are you out here alone in the middle of the night? Are you headed somewhere? If so, get in. I'll give you a ride."

The person leaning out of the window was a middle-aged man with a thick beard and an honest-looking face.

"Thank you, sir. I'd like to go to a nearby city."

Moyu looked at the middle-aged man with a smile and did not refuse his kindness.

"A nearby city..."

The middle-aged man thought for a moment, then asked, "Are you going to Ganlin City?"

"Yes."

Moyu nodded with a smile.

He knew nothing about Ganlin City. Any relatively prosperous city would do.

A place like that should have channels for getting a fake ID card.

"Hey, that's right on my way. Hop in."

The middle-aged man waved Moyu over.

Moyu opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.

"Buckle up."

The middle-aged man reminded him before shifting gears and stepping on the gas.

The blue pickup, loaded with vegetables, rolled forward slowly before gradually picking up speed.

"Kid, it takes seven or eight hours to get to Ganlin City from here. Don't tell me you got into an argument with your family and ran away from home in the middle of the night?"

As the pickup cruised steadily along the road, the middle-aged man began chatting away.

Moyu smiled. "Nothing like that. I have relatives in Ganlin City, and I'm going to stay with them for a few days. The adults at home agreed to it too."

"I see."

The middle-aged man paused, then said earnestly, "Kid, don't blame me for speaking bluntly, but did your family get kicked in the head by a donkey? How could they let a child like you travel alone at night all the way to Ganlin City? Oh, right. Do you need to call your family?"

"No, thank you for your concern, sir."

Moyu wore a smile.

It was obvious that this warmhearted middle-aged man was a chatterbox.

And so, Moyu gave occasional responses to the middle-aged man's relentless chatter. By the time the pickup reached Ganlin City, dawn had already arrived.

"Sir, thank you so much."

Moyu slipped a large-denomination banknote into the gap between the seats, opened the door, and got out.

"Hey, it was nothing."

The middle-aged man grinned at Moyu, then shifted gears and pulled away, the pickup moving slowly ahead.

Moyu stood by the roadside and watched him leave.

Suddenly.

The pickup's window rolled down.

Moyu looked over in confusion, only to see a crumpled ball of paper fly out of the window and land in front of him.

Immediately afterward, the pickup roared as the driver floored the gas and sped away.

Moyu glanced at the departing pickup, then looked down at the crumpled banknote.

"This uncle..."

With a laugh, Moyu bent down and picked up the money.

On the way here, he had mentioned paying the middle-aged man for gas, only for the man to dismiss it with a threat: "Mention money again and I'll kick you out of the car."

That was why Moyu had secretly tucked a ten-thousand-Jenie banknote into the gap between the seats before getting out.

It could not be helped. The dozen or so bills Cheadle had given him were all large denominations like this...

After secretly leaving the money behind, he had not expected the man to notice it, crumple it up, and throw it back.

Moyu put the crumpled, wrinkled bill back into his pocket. Looking once more in the direction the pickup had gone, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Once evil people awakened Nen, they would develop even more evil Nen Abilities.

Conversely, once simple and kind people awakened Nen, they would surely develop friendlier Nen Abilities.

He wondered what kind of Nen Ability that uncle would develop after awakening Nen.

As that strange thought spread through his mind, Moyu could not help shaking his head with a laugh.

Nen Ability was not knowledge taught in schools, nor had it been widely popularized across the world. Ordinary people like that uncle would probably never encounter Nen Ability in their entire lives.

Moyu set aside the meaningless thought and followed the road toward Ganlin City.

After arriving in the city, Moyu found a private inn, rented a room, and slept until evening.

After waking up and washing up briefly, Moyu left the inn. He casually ate something from a roadside stall, then began searching for a way to get a fake ID.

Having just arrived, he could only search places like public restrooms and utility poles for little advertisements specifically offering fake documents.

After searching around for some time, he finally found a small ad for fake IDs. He went to a nearby phone booth and called the number listed on it.

Before long, the call connected.

"Talk."

A slick, streetwise voice came from the receiver.

"I need an identity verification card."

Moyu stated his request directly.

"Twenty thousand as a deposit, then another thirty thousand once it's done. Problem?"

"No problem."

"Eight tonight. The alley behind Ai Ai Bar on Jinze Street. Bring the money on time."

"Fine."

The call ended.

Moyu walked out of the phone booth and searched along the street for a newsstand.

After looking for more than ten minutes, he finally spotted one beside the sidewalk.

An elderly man wearing reading glasses was tending the stand, intently watching a small television set on the table.

Moyu walked over and found a world map and a map of Ganlin City among the dazzling array of magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, and other publications.

"Boss, how much?"

"Two hundred."

The owner gave them a glance, then lowered his head to watch the small television again.

Moyu took out two coins and set them down. Just as he turned to leave, he heard the news broadcast coming from the small television.

"Our station has just received a report. At around 7:20 this morning, a citizen discovered a blue pickup truck on Gonglan Avenue that appeared to have been attacked. According to the police's on-site investigation, the blue pickup had been cut into six pieces by what was believed to be a tool such as a chainsaw."

"Fragments of the driver's body were also found in the greenery one hundred meters away from the scene."

"Based on the killer's method at the crime scene, police have concluded that the culprit was Dis Mendico, a Class C fugitive wanted for the major murder and dismemberment case at Meiyou Cabaret."

"At present, police have confirmed the victim's identity..."

Moyu took several quick steps forward and reached out to turn the small television in front of the old man toward himself.

The screen was displaying the victim's identity verification card photo. It was unmistakably the uncle who had given him a ride to Ganlin City.

"What are you doing?!"

The old man flew into a rage, grabbed a magazine, and smacked Moyu's hand with it.

Moyu did not react. He merely stared silently at the middle-aged man's photograph on the screen.

Originally, I planned to peg the Jenie exchange rate to the Japanese yen's 1999 rate, but forget it. I'll use the current exchange rate instead: 1:20. Ten thousand Jenie is equivalent to 500 RMB.