Ark, Just Tell Me Whether the Mission Was Completed, Chapter 10

Hoshiguma immediately took over. "But what? Is there anything I can help with, Little Chen?"

"This is really hard to say, but I want to go to the Lower City to look for work. I just don't have money for the fare."

Luo Chen awkwardly scratched his cheek, half his face turning red as though he were genuinely embarrassed.

"Short on money...?"

Hoshiguma stared blankly at Luo Chen. The next moment, she pulled out her wallet and stuffed it into his hands.

"The Lower City's public safety is nowhere near as good as the Upper City's. Gangs are everywhere, along with thieves, pickpockets, and robbers."

"Don't blame your big sister for being blunt, but with your build, if you go to the Lower City, you probably won't make it back alive."

"Don't you want to become a police officer? Then you should know when to assess the situation."

Hoshiguma spoke earnestly. She knew Luo Chen was a kind-hearted person.

But the Lower City's complicated environment was simply not something Luo Chen could adapt to.

After all, standing up for justice required capital too. In the Upper City, she and the other colleagues could look after Luo Chen. If he went to the Lower City and provoked someone he shouldn't, he might die somewhere without anyone ever knowing.

To stop Luo Chen from refusing again, Hoshiguma stuffed the remaining two buns into her mouth, lifted her legs, and ran.

Hoshiguma ran all the way to the Lungmen Guard Department parking lot before looking back. Only after confirming that Luo Chen wasn't behind her did she sigh in relief.

Morning sunlight spilled across Hoshiguma's face. She stretched, feeling an unprecedented joy surge through her body.

As she rode home, Hoshiguma felt the entire world had become exceptionally beautiful. The sunlight was brighter, the air clearer, and even the flowers and grass by the roadside seemed to be smiling at her.

Amid the satisfaction of doing a good deed, Hoshiguma felt as though she'd forgotten something. But her cheerful mood told her not to think about it—going home for a nap was the best choice.

Meanwhile, back at the cafeteria.

Luo Chen opened the wallet decorated with a motorcycle model. Inside were nearly ten thousand Lungmen Dollars, as well as Hoshiguma's Lungmen Guard Department ID, bar membership card, personal identification, and more.

"Auntie Hoshiguma is such a grown woman, yet she's always so careless. If you're giving me money, then give me money—how did you even forget to take your wallet?"

"But Auntie Hoshiguma should be feeling incredibly self-satisfied right now. Calling her and telling her to come back for her wallet wouldn't be very nice."

"I'll keep it safe for her for a day."

To prevent anyone from misunderstanding and thinking he'd stolen Hoshiguma's documents, Luo Chen thoughtfully pried off Hoshiguma's photo and replaced it with his own.

"There are far too few thoughtful and considerate good people like me."

After finishing his vegetable porridge and washing away the greasiness from last night's feast, Luo Chen tucked Hoshiguma's wallet into his pocket and took the bus to the Lower City.

Ever since he'd talked with Lin Yuxia last night about creating a new-era gang,

Luo Chen had taken the matter especially seriously.

Lungmen was now a cesspool of snakes and rats. Trying to reform Lungmen's environment from the top down was clearly unrealistic.

If Lungmen was to completely transform itself, fully modernize, and become a strong, civilized city, then the upper ranks needed reform, but the people at the bottom also needed proper guidance.

As a good person with lofty ideals and a positive outlook, Luo Chen decided to personally serve as that model.

He felt that he needed to be with the masses and guide them into becoming positive, aspiring people.

So he planned to rent a cheap place in the Lower City and gain a deep understanding of Lungmen's people.

The relatively underdeveloped Lower City looked especially weathered and desolate.

On both sides of the broad main road, dilapidated buildings looked as if they'd been splashed with paint, patches of green and yellow scattered everywhere.

The air on the streets was filled with the smell of dust and waste, making breathing difficult. Trash lay scattered across the ground, uncollected, blending together with rotting moss.

In the distance, factory chimneys spewed thick black smoke, dyeing the sky a gloomy gray.

The occasional passing vehicle kicked up clouds of dust, making it impossible to see the road ahead.

They were clearly part of the same city, yet Luo Chen felt as if he'd arrived in another world.

But the weathered streets weren't deserted. A group of uncles and aunties crowded around the bus stop, swiftly weaving through the crowd and enthusiastically soliciting customers.

"Young man, need a room?"

"Brother, hungry? Come this way, your food'll be ready in two minutes."

These uncles and aunties were incredibly aggressive. People from the Upper City were dragged aside the moment they got off the bus.

"Young man, need a place to stay? Great environment, hot water for showers, and massages too."

"Young man, over here! We've got delicate Feline girls and Forte big sisters, and we can even issue receipts. Guaranteed to make you so comfortable you won't be able to walk."

Having come prepared, Luo Chen spoke little and nimbly avoided the aunties' pulling. He watched some less resolute people follow the aunties farther and farther away.

All he could do was wish them good luck. Whether the Feline girl or the Forte big brother waiting for them at their destination would greet them first was anyone's guess.

Still, it was good for them to suffer a little. For every honey trap, there was one fewer misguided young man in the world.

If he didn't need to find a place to live today, Luo Chen would have liked to solicit customers here and run a few honey traps himself, thereby contributing to the anti-prostitution cause.

After quickly passing through the streets near the station, Luo Chen found a real estate agency, intending to find a foothold in the Lower City first.

In this mixed and chaotic district, real estate agencies weren't the same as those in the Upper City.

Here, they not only needed to know the real estate market in the border zone between the upper and lower districts inside out, but also needed sufficient knowledge of the many complicated forces within it.

Over time, some capable real estate agencies developed into intelligence brokers. They sold and rented properties openly, while secretly selling information as well.

But Luo Chen, who had lived in the Upper City all his life, didn't know this.

He lined up outside the agency, only feeling that there were far too many people looking for properties. More than a dozen people inside were handling business.

There were even more than a dozen people queued outside.

Was the Lower City's economy really this good?

As for the agency employees, each of them acted like an uncle. They sat in their chairs with cigarettes hanging from their mouths, puffing out smoke, working at a snail's pace without the slightest service mindset.

"Brother Li. Why are you only getting here now?"

Luo Chen felt someone pat his back. He turned around and discovered a Cautus girl standing behind him. The moment she saw his face, a trace of panic appeared on hers.

"Sorry, I mistook you for someone else." The girl politely bowed.

As a tolerant and magnanimous trainee officer of the Lungmen Guard Department, Luo Chen wouldn't fly into a rage over something so minor.

"It's all right. I hope you find the person you're waiting for soon."

"Mm..." Luo Chen's gentle attitude made the girl pause. She looked like she wanted to say something, then softly reminded him:

"Big brother, this place is actually really shady. They'll charge you money just for asking a question inside."

"That's great. I love shady shops."

Luo Chen's smiling answer clearly stunned the girl. She nodded blankly, then turned and ran away.

As an officer of the Lungmen Guard Department, it was our duty to crack down on shady businesses.

My Urge to Help Others Is Acting Up Again

"What are you here for?"

The agency guy was dressed casually and sloppily, with the collar of his shirt hanging open.

The hem of his shirt was carelessly tucked into his pants, while his pant legs were covered in dust and stains.

His hands were rough and powerful, his fingernails packed with grime as though he'd never properly washed them.

Even his attitude toward Luo Chen was inexplicably arrogant, as if he were some lofty ruler who couldn't be bothered wasting words on a lowlife like Luo Chen.

"Sir, do you have any suitable listings here?"

"Is there something wrong with your head? What kind of agency doesn't have listings? Tell me, what price range are you looking for?"

"Below one thousand. I'll be living alone, and I'd like to view the place first."

"You can view it, but there's a two Lungmen Dollar consultation fee."

Luo Chen was extremely confused by the fact that simply viewing a property required a consultation fee. But considering that this was the border between the upper and lower districts, it naturally had its own local customs.

So he decided to follow the local rules. He pulled out the wallet in his pocket, preparing to find two Lungmen Dollars and have the agent show him a place.

But after Luo Chen slipped his fingers into the wallet, he found nothing at all.

He looked down. The wallet that had held ten thousand just moments ago was now spotless, even cleaner than the agent's unshaven face.

He'd been pickpocketed? When had it happened?

Luo Chen recalled his entire journey from the Lungmen Guard Department.

The only person who had made physical contact with him was that girl who had mistaken him for someone else.

Looking at the wallet, which hadn't lost a single document and had only lost its money,

No, that wasn't right. There were still two coins left.

Just enough to pay the two Lungmen Dollar consultation fee.

A smile gradually spread across Luo Chen's lips. "She's actually quite nice."

To steal his belongings without him noticing at all, the girl was clearly an exceptionally gifted pickpocket.

She possessed such astonishing talent, yet she only used it for petty theft.

What a waste of her talent.

Sigh...

My urge to help others is acting up again.

"Hey, kid, are you viewing a place or not?"

Seeing Luo Chen spacing out, the agency guy's tone turned displeased. He even deliberately blew a puff of smoke at Luo Chen.

"I'm not viewing one anymore."

"Not viewing one? Fine. You still pay the two Lungmen Dollar consultation fee, not one cent less."

"I didn't view anything. Why should I pay a consultation fee?"

"Whether you viewed anything or not, you have to pay it."

"Are you short on money?"

Out of politeness and a desire to respect local customs, Luo Chen hadn't wanted to comment on the real estate agent's service attitude.

But since the other party was forcibly demanding a consultation fee, the situation had changed.

According to the Lungmen Business Administration Regulations, no business or individual in Lungmen may force a purchase or sale.

Businesses or individuals who force transactions may be prosecuted for extortion.

Luo Chen's abrupt question made the agency guy frown.

Whenever he'd demanded consultation fees from others before,

They either paid up timidly and ran off, or cursed back, after which he'd beat them up before taking their money.

This was the first time someone had asked whether he was short on money.

Still, this young man had successfully piqued his interest. Unless he bled him dry and taught him a lesson today, he wasn't letting him leave through that door.

"I really am short on cash. So what do you think we should do about that?"

Luo Chen said, "Are you asking me for help?"

"In that case, I suggest you clean yourself up, put on a clean set of clothes, and make a proper career plan." Luo Chen sincerely offered his advice.

The agency guy was so angry he laughed.

I said I kill without blinking, and you're asking if my eyes are dry?

Did you even figure out the situation? Whose meat do you think is on the chopping block here?

The agency guy wore a slightly malicious smile.

"Lungmen profanity Don't think you can muddle through by playing dumb. Even if you've got a shrunken brain, once you're in my hands, you'll obediently pay up."

"You asked me for help, yet you refuse to listen." Luo Chen lowered his head and pretended to think seriously for a moment, then characterized the other party's behavior: