Fast-Paced Life

"You caught me stealing a phone yesterday, why did you let me go?" Zhang Mengqian asked, sitting on the floor of Qing Chen's room.

The room was full of crawling insects, but he didn't care at all. Instead, he used his hand to block the insects' path with great interest.

In District 9, there are nearly a thousand buildings like the "pigeon coop": broken elevators, clogged water pipes, and aging electrical wires.

These buildings are not cleaned, and piles of garbage have naturally bred many insects and rats.

Sometimes, people die in their homes and it takes a long time before they are discovered.

Ironically, they were discovered not because anyone in the world cared about them, but because the gang was collecting protection money again.

Qing Chen glanced at the little boy and asked, "What would you do if someone else grabbed you?"

"They'll search me to see if I have any money. If I do, they'll rob me; if not, they'll beat me up," Zhang Mengqian said. "So, someone like you can't survive in the District 9."

"So, what kind of person do you think I am?" Qing Chen asked in return...

Zhang Mengqian thought for a moment, "She's gentle, good-tempered, and doesn't dare to speak up when bullied."

Qing Chen was both amused and exasperated. If those soldiers from the Age of Gods heard Zhang Mengqian's evaluation in Hell, they would probably be so angry that they would curse her.

Now, it's unlikely that anyone in the entire Federation would use those words to describe "Qing Chen".

The most frequent keyword used to describe Qing Chen is "fierce".

Qing Chen asked Zhang Mengqian, "When I asked you about your background, you didn't tell the truth."

Zhang Mengqian looked at Qing Chen with his crude, mechanical eyes. "Why do you say that?"

"In this Lower Three Districts, not many people can finish elementary school. Many people can't even spell the radicals of their own names correctly, but you can write a complete sentence without using pinyin," Qing Chen said calmly.

Zhang Mengqian might not know who was standing in front of her. This was Intelligence Department One, who had solved a case so thoroughly that the entire City No. 10 was in turmoil. He wouldn't overlook such a detail.

Qing Chen asked, "So, where are your parents, and why are you here?"

Zhang Mengqian lowered her head. "I didn't lie to you. I originally lived in District 6, but later I did move to Eighth District. At that time, my father gambled and owed loan sharks. He tricked my mother into going to an illegal clinic, where he was anesthetized, and then secretly sold her organs. It turned out that the illegal clinic promised to give my mother a bionic liver transplant, but it was all a lie. My mother died, and then my father sold her other organs as well."

Qing Chen stared blankly at the little boy. "What's your father's name?"

"Zhang Jia," Zhang Mengqian said, "Is a notorious gambler in the District 6."

Qing Chen had initially thought that the little boy's background might hold some kind of secret.

However, there are no miracles in the slums of this world; only pain and memories are hidden away.

"I'm sorry," Qing Chen said.

The little boy said impatiently, "Why are you so easy to talk to? I just said something and you apologized, I got beaten up and you gave me steamed buns, I said I'd get a dollar for answering a question and you gave me a hundred. Can you please stop doing this? You're nobody to me, and you might just leave one day."

Living in this impoverished slum, even the smallest act of kindness is magnified infinitely.

Zhang Mengqian was just a 13-year-old child. When she received a mechanical eye transplant, her tear glands were removed, and she lost even the right to cry.

When he met Qing Chen, he didn't think it was anything special. He just subconsciously moved closer to Qing Chen, but then he was afraid of getting too close.

Qing Chen laughed and said, "Actually, things aren't that complicated. You can follow me from now on. Of course, following me might not be so easy."

Zhang Mengqian got angry for some reason. He stood up and walked out, saying, "Follow you? What are you talking about? You can't even protect yourself."

As he spoke, he ran towards the stairs.

As Zhang Mengqian went downstairs, he clearly saw a group of people slowly walking up. He recognized the person in the lead; it was the Blackwater Gang member in charge of managing this Dove Cage.

The other person was carrying a knife, and the tattoo on his neck was menacing.

The little boy seemed to have thought of something and ran back frantically. He rushed to Qing Chen's door and shouted, "Run! Run! I saw more than a dozen members of the Blackwater Gang. They might be here to find you."

Qing Chen looked up and asked, "There's only one emergency exit in this building, and the elevator is broken. Where could I go? They might not be looking for me, since I haven't offended them. I heard on the way here that today is the day the Blackwater Gang collects protection money."

"You don't need so many people to collect protection money. If only one came, all the residents would obediently pay. This time, so many people are here, there must be something wrong. What if they really are looking for you? You're the only new resident recently! You should hide in someone else's room for a while. You can't just let them kill you like this!" Zhang Mengqian said urgently.

But it was too late to say all that now. He turned around and saw those people blocking the doorway.

The leader draped his coat over his shoulders and had a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Except for his neck and head, all the exposed parts of his body have been replaced with mechanical limbs.

The manager of the Blackwater Gang's Dove Cage looked at Zhang Mengqian and Qing Chen inside the room and said with a smile, "I remember this little boy. He's been coming to the Dove Cage for about a year now. He was about 12 when he came, and now he's 13? Although the clients usually want children over 14, 13 should be enough to fool them. As for the older one, needless to say, he's got money to burn."

A young man nearby said, "Yeah, let's get him! That bastard made me squat outside the Black Swan Hotel all night last night, I almost froze to death! When I woke up this morning, that kid was already gone! I'm so angry!"

As they spoke, the Blackwater Gang members went inside. The leader of the Blackwater Gang looked at Qing Chen and smiled, "You probably don't know what will happen today."

Qing Chen calmly shook his head. "None of that matters."

"Not important?" the Blackwater Gang leader asked, puzzled.

"The important thing is," Qing Chen pointed at Zhang Mengqian, "That after he saw you, he came back to me."

The young man from the Blackwater Gang was stunned for a moment. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

Luo Wanyai stood at the foot of the Dove Cage, looking at Zhang Qinghuan with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "I said I'm going to wipe out this damn Blackwater Gang in a bit, is there a problem?"

Zhang Qinghuan a slight toothache. "There are a lot of them. Besides, if we're just going to join a gang like this, don't we need to find some legitimate reason?"

The president of this Art Troupe has never dared to compete with other clubs. Now that Luo Wanyai and his group have arrived, they said in the morning that the opposing force was the Blackwater Gang, and by noon they were going to take them all down.

Zhang Qinghuan was still a little unaccustomed to this fast-paced lifestyle...

In the past, he would probably be taking a nap right now, and then going to the Fourth District to spend some money in the evening.

Now, Zhang Qinghuan says she wants to take a nap, Luo Wanyai says, "Why sleep so much in life? You'll sleep forever after you die."

Zhang Qinghuan was completely stumped.

"Even if we don't find a legitimate reason, shouldn't we at least find some weapons? Is it really okay for everyone to be unarmed?" Zhang Qinghuan asked.

"We can't use firearms. Our initial operation must be discreet and cautious."

Zhang Qinghuan said indignantly, "You weren't very careful either!"

Luo Wanyai glanced at Zhang Qinghuan, straightened his clothes, and said seriously, "Now you're the gang leader, and nominally we're all your underlings. Can't you be a little more ruthless? Where did that fierceness you showed us when we wanted to kill you go? Come on, be fierce!"

"Why... why are you being so fierce?!" Zhang Qinghuan exclaimed, "Awoo... woof?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Qinghuan turned her head and saw Luo Wanyai's gloomy face. There was no complicated expression on his face, but his calm face was extremely fierce.

Her eyes changed, and Zhang Qinghuan took several steps back in fright.

"Too much nonsense doesn't create any sense of pressure. The most intimidating person is someone who doesn't speak and makes you guess what they're thinking," Luo Wanyai sighed. "Forget it, we don't have that much time to waste. Just play your role well later."

Parent's Association come here do not have legal status. If city management officials notice this, they will definitely investigate it.

Above the Blackwater Gang are officials who collect money. They don't care who pays the money for the lower gangs, as long as it's an internal matter, it can be resolved internally.

Therefore, everything must be done in the name of the Art Troupe.

As she spoke, Zhang Qinghuan was pushed into the Dove Cage.

He climbed up to the forty-plus floors, panting heavily, while Luo Wanyai and the others seemed completely unaffected. Zhang Qinghuan was extremely envious; he had just received an injection of the cheapest gene serum and was only at the F-Class.

Among the people Luo Wanyai brought, the lowest rank was D-Class. A subordinate had previously mentioned there were two C-Class individuals, but Zhang Qinghuan later discovered that this big shot, Luo Wanyai, had actually brought four C-Class ...

Thinking about this, Zhang Qinghuan finally calmed down a bit. So what if he started the Blackwater Gang...

Upon reaching the fortieth floor, Zhang Qinghuan immediately spotted the Blackwater Gang members and froze on the spot.

Luo Wanyai nudged him with his elbow. "It's your turn to say your lines. I'll just teach you one line, don't you dare forget it."

Zhang Qinghuan realized what was happening and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Take care of them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Wanyai led his family out. His huge body crashed into the Blackwater Gang member like a train, knocking him several meters away. He was spitting blood and looked like he was going to die.

Inside the house, Zhang Mengqian was hiding fearfully behind Qing Chen.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside.

The Blackwater Gang members all turned around to look, but before they could react, the entire situation had already been completely overwhelmed.

To be honest, Qing Chen and Luo Wanyai never took such a small gang seriously.

In the entire City 22, apart from the gang called Dragon Pattern, the rest are all worthless.

Luo Wanyai felt that this was a hard-won opportunity for him to show his skills in front of the boss, and any hesitation would be a waste of the opportunity.

Therefore, the members of the Blackwater Gang... collapsed exceptionally quickly.

The family members also acted with exceptional bravery.

The family members had no idea that their parents were inside. They simply had boundless energy that they had nowhere to vent, so they naturally went all out in cracking down on organized crime.

Luo Wanyai stood in the dirty and messy corridor, looking down at all the curious residents who were peeking out. "What are you looking at? Go back inside."