The pedestrians hurried along the street, all seemingly busy. Chen Lun strolled among them with his hands in his pockets, looking rather out of place.
He had come out to buy a few things and take a look around while he was at it. He wanted to familiarize himself with the neighborhood and see if he could pick up any useful information.
Just then, he suddenly thought of the gloomy young man he had encountered in the hallway on his way out.
When the young man had seen Chen Lun, he had seemed uninterested in his new neighbor.
He had silently brushed past him and gone straight into his own room.
The door had slammed rather loudly, suggesting he was irritated.
In that brief glimpse, Chen Lun had seen anxiety and fear on his face. He had looked deeply troubled.
But Chen Lun had no interest in his affairs and had put him out of his mind.
He had merely asked Mrs. Caroline about him in passing when he went by the flower shop.
Mrs. Caroline had told him that the young man was called Kent and apparently came from a middle-class family. He had come to Amber City to study.
"Excuse me, sir. Coming through."
A man's voice reached him.
Chen Lun looked up and saw a group of people wearing short blue cloaks.
He stepped aside to let them pass.
One of them held a long pole with a burning tip, while another deftly lifted the cover on a streetlamp so his companion could light the wick inside.
Once the streetlamp was lit, they moved on to the next one.
"So they're Lamplighters..."
Only then did Chen Lun realize that the sky had grown dark.
Without noticing, he had spent over half an hour wandering around the neighborhood, with nothing to show for it.
His earlier behavior, looking this way and that as he wandered around like a loafer, seemed to have caught the patrol guards' attention.
Fortunately, his clothes made him look nothing like a thug, and his good looks helped dispel their suspicions.
Still, it reminded Chen Lun that he needed to obtain legitimate identities for himself and Froy as soon as possible. Getting caught without them would be troublesome.
Just as he was about to head back the way he had come and stop at a general store for some daily necessities, he suddenly frowned slightly.
Chen Lun silently started walking back.
When he passed an alley, he abruptly turned into it.
Before long, four young men wearing leather caps and belted tunics of coarse linen rushed to the alley entrance.
"He went in here."
"Did he notice us? Is he trying to run?"
"Doesn't matter. It's a dead end. He can't get away. After him!"
After that brief exchange, the young men charged inside.
By now, night had fallen completely. The cramped alley was pitch-black.
The four nearly tripped over a garbage can as they rushed in. After cursing, they had no choice but to slow down.
"Damn it, where did that brat go?"
"How can he see anything in this darkness..."
Thud!
A dull impact rang out, followed by the sound of someone collapsing to the ground.
"What was that?!"
"Did you hear that?"
Thud!
Another sound just like the first rang out.
The two remaining men felt their hair stand on end.
"Hey, guys, how about we get out of here first?"
"Mack, I just felt something beside me..."
Thud!!
His words cut off halfway through.
Mack, the last one standing, shakily backed away.
"Paul, Boom, Ereno... are you still there?
Hey! Answer me! Stop messing around, damn it!"
Suddenly, he saw a pair of emerald-green slit pupils light up in the darkness before him.
His heart lurched. All the urban legends he had heard flashed through his mind, and his whole body shuddered as his heart seemed to stop.
The next second, however, he heard a low, icy voice emerge from the darkness:
"Answer me. Who are you? Why were you following me?"
Mack was just about to make something up when a faint glimmer of pale blue flickered across his vision. Then, in a daze, he involuntarily told the truth.
"My name is Mack. They're my companions..."
Five minutes later.
Chen Lun walked out of the alley as though nothing had happened and headed toward 7 Danton Street, a trace of resignation on his face.
Through hypnosis, he had learned all about those fellows.
They were just four small-time street thugs. Seeing him alone and dressed like someone wealthy, they had decided to extort some money from him.
It was that simple. No plot, no scheme, no mastermind pulling the strings. He had thought some big fish had walked right into his net, only to get his hopes up for nothing.
Still, he had not killed them.
After all, he had only just arrived. He could not cause a major stir over something so trivial.
Once the fellow he had hypnotized woke up, he would remember nothing.
I'll have to warn Froy when I get back. This neighborhood is far too unsafe.
Chen Lun thought to himself.
Although there were patrol guards here too, their dedication to the job was not even a tenth of that of the guards in the inner city.
When he was a block away from the flower shop, he suddenly heard faint screams.
By the light of a nearby streetlamp, Chen Lun saw someone being beaten at the corner of a wall.
Are we sure this place isn't called Gotham City?
The thought flashed through his mind.
How had he run into this sort of thing twice just by taking a casual stroll today?
"...Remember this, brat. If you don't pay us back tomorrow, your corpse will end up in a sewer channel in the Sewage Flats."
"Cough, cough... stop hitting me! I'll definitely pay you back tomorrow!"
As Chen Lun drew closer, he suddenly realized that the fellow being beaten looked familiar.
Taking a closer look, he recognized the neighbor he had encountered on his way out, the young man named Kent.
He looked miserable now, kneeling on the ground with a bruised, swollen face as he begged the two men in leather jackets and tight trousers before him.
"Heh, we actually know you don't have the money...
How about this? We'll give you an idea.
Just bring that girl who lives in your building to the Bird-and-Flower Tavern, and you won't have to pay us back for now. What do you say?"
The man spoke in a sinister tone.
"You mean Connie? Cough... I don't know her well."
"You don't know her well? Who the hell are you trying to fool?"
With that, the two men gave Kent another beating.
Only after Kent had screamed himself hoarse and begged repeatedly did they stop.
"I... I did used to be in the same class as her, but I dropped out after only two months."
Kent panted heavily, struggling to get the words out.
Seeing the two men raise their hands to hit him again, Kent hurriedly said:
"But I know where she works, and I know the owner.
I can get her fired first, and then... then force her to go to your place!"
After saying that, Kent seemed relieved. He let out a long breath and leaned against the wall to rest.
"Good. We'll wait to hear from you. Don't take too long, or you'll regret it!"
With that threat, the two men turned and left.
Chen Lun seemed to have picked up on something too. He had originally intended to ignore the matter and head straight home, but since they were neighbors, he went over to ask what was going on.
"Hey, do you need any help?"
Chen Lun tried to keep his tone gentle.
Unexpectedly, Kent glared fiercely at him, then lowered his head sullenly, still muttering something under his breath.
Chen Lun silently shrugged. Apparently, he did not need any help.
Just then, footsteps sounded along the street. Chen Lun looked over and saw a young woman passing by who happened to glance their way.
She had a delicate, pleasant-looking face, but she shot Chen Lun a look of disgust before quickly walking away.
"??"
Chen Lun looked utterly bewildered.
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