Iron Cross Society

On the city wall stood a group of armed men, some dressed in punk style, others in black suits and trench coats.

Their clothes all bore the conspicuous Iron Cross Star emblem, the gang symbol of the Iron Cross Society.

Every day in Old Lindun, people sought to join gangs for all sorts of reasons: wanted fugitives with nowhere left to go, murderers, those dreaming of getting rich overnight, and those seeking extraordinary resources.

The high walls were often where they recruited fighters willing to venture beyond the city to hunt the wilderness.

Gang captains loved waiting here to recruit fresh blood.

"I'm telling you, Kai, can't you put away that blade Augment Armor of yours? Showing it off all the time just makes people laugh at us Cross Society professionals for being country bumpkins. You're a captain now. Can't you be a little steadier?"

"Hehe, Smoker Boss, it just fused successfully. I'm a little excited."

"The higher-ups assigned you the three blocks over on Green Street to manage. Be careful from now on. There are plenty of gambling dens and brothels there. The profits are good, but the old hands in the gang have all avoided the place. Do you know why you got to pick up that bargain?"

"Isn't it because those Steam Party bastards have been coming around to cause trouble lately? It's nothing. If they dare cross the line, I'll chop their heads off. Hahaha."

"As long as you know what you're doing. It's not just the Steam Party looking for trouble. There have also been more Mutation Incidents in the city lately, so you'd better stay alert. Tell me if you need help. Pick a few you like from today's recruits first."

"Thanks, Smoker Boss. Hehe, hopefully we'll get a few who can fight today."

"..."

The speaker was a gloomy-looking middle-aged man smoking a cigar as he lounged lazily in a chair.

Beside him stood a young man whose limbs resembled blades, faintly gleaming with a metallic sharpness.

Suren looked up at the two men. Without much hesitation, he stepped into the crude iron-mesh lift and ascended the city wall.

"New here? Want to join our Cross Society?"

"Yeah."

"What's your name?"

"Suren."

"What Talent did you awaken?"

"D-016—Eagle Eye."

"Oh? Then your shooting must be pretty good?"

"Not bad."

"Fine, then follow me. You can call me Captain Kai."

"Okay."

The process of joining the gang was unbelievably simple.

After being asked a few basic questions, Suren officially became a member of the Iron Cross Society.

Just as the intelligence from the earlier interrogation had indicated, the gang did not care about anyone's background. After all, most people who joined had dirty pasts.

As long as you were willing to risk your life for the gang, no one cared about your history.

And in exchange for risking your life, the gang provided protection.

No one searched him, no one questioned him excessively, and no one meddled.

Suren breathed a sigh of relief. His Storage Ring was safe, and the precautions he had made against unforeseen circumstances were unnecessary. That was a good start.

Captain Kai looked only a few years older than Suren, but he seemed to be an old hand who had spent many years in the gang.

Anyone who could survive in the underworld for many years had to be capable.

This Kai was also an official professional, an agility-type assassin who had fused with the highly offensive Alchemical Implant—Blade.

Suren silently watched everything, his eyes shining with anticipation and curiosity for this strange new world.

After waiting for most of the day, the day's recruitment finally neared its end.

Besides Suren, Kai selected three others.

One had awakened D-082—Great Strength, another D-071—Stone Skin, and the last D-031—Enhanced Smell. To varying degrees, all possessed Talents that could improve combat ability.

"Let's go, Smoker Boss. I'll take the newcomers around the district and let them show their faces."

"Mm."

Kai led Suren and the others in saying goodbye to the middle-aged man, whose cigarette never left his hand, before descending the city wall.

Suren remained silent the entire time, following behind him and quietly acting like an invisible nobody.

This young man named Kai was quite talkative, and he seemed very satisfied with the newly recruited subordinates.

As they walked, he handed each of them one or two stacks of banknotes and explained, "The gang benefits are twenty thousand Liso a month. If there are missions, you'll get additional money depending on the situation. Since we're a newly formed squad, we won't need to leave the city to hunt the wilderness for the next three months. So enjoy yourselves while you can."

The newcomers had obtained their first substantial "salary" with astonishing ease.

Twenty thousand Liso was already equivalent to more than half a year's wages for an ordinary factory worker in the city.

Suren was slightly surprised. He had not known this detail before. But judging by the faint excitement on the faces of the three beside him, they did not find it unusual.

Getting paid before doing the work would have counted as excellent treatment even in his previous life.

Was this really a gang?

After thinking it over, Suren understood.

In a gang, no member could guarantee that he would still be alive next month.

Getting the money first meant enjoying life first.

If something really happened, at least they would not have died for nothing.

Furthermore, joining the gang came with no restraints. There was no detention, no supervision, and not even any real restriction on freedom.

Suren could even take the money and flee immediately.

But no one would do that.

If you were wanted by the authorities, you could still join a gang and find a way to survive. But if the three major gangs wanted you, there would be nowhere left to stand in Old Lindun.

There would be only death.

Therefore, for most people, once they joined a gang, they could only walk down that dark road to the end.

But for Suren, a high casualty rate?

Tsk, it did not matter.

Compared to facing death, an ordinary world would only feel more boring to him.

If his Reaper Talent was to grow stronger, he was destined to deal with death.

To avoid danger, should he become an ordinary person?

No. Having arrived in such an exciting and wondrous world, cowering in fear would be truly boring.

Suren looked at his faintly throbbing pulse. He knew that he liked this world too.

Suren and the other newcomers followed Captain Kai down from the wall and entered the city.

The city was filled with densely packed shantytowns. From a distance, it looked like post-war Syria.

Like the high walls, the reinforced concrete buildings in the city were ancient remnants. The great war from thousands of years ago seemed to have breached this city, leaving ruined buildings everywhere.

And rising atop those ruins were towering steam chimneys and shantytowns made of steel containers—the "new buildings."

As for the Inner City, it lay at the edge of sight. Another high wall separated it from the rest of the city, and its lights glittered brightly. At the center of the Inner City, a Black Tower of unknown height could be vaguely seen.

The city covered a vast area. Riding in an open-top steam vehicle, they sped all the way into the city.

On the vehicle, Suren remained impassive as he observed everything in the city.

As a transmigrator, he did not dare speak carelessly. He was afraid someone would realize he was completely unfamiliar with the city.

But perhaps because Suren had said he possessed the Eagle Eye Talent, one of the most practical combat abilities among Grade D Talents, Captain Kai seemed to value him greatly. He even gave him special advice. "With your Talent, you're well suited for Gunner Sequence professions. I'll keep an eye out for suitable Job Advancement Materials for you. Meditate whenever you have time. Once your Dark Spiritual Energy is full, change professions. Let's try to get two professionals in our squad as well."

Suren replied, "Mm."

Kai said no more and waved a hand. "Come on, I'll show everyone around our squad's patrol district. If nothing else, there'll definitely be no shortage of beautiful women!"

At that, knowing smiles appeared on every man's face in the vehicle.

Green Street lay at the border between Wellington District in East City and Kunsen District in South City. It was home to one of the three most famous "entertainment districts" in all of Old Lindun.

Because the profits were so substantial, it was also a place where the Cross Society and the Steam Party frequently clashed.

The entertainment venues here were filled with gamblers, Wilderness Hunters, and desperate outlaws.

Order was chaotic here. Gunfights and brawls were commonplace, and unlucky people ended up dead on the streets almost every day.

Suren and the others stopped at a place resembling an old steel mill.

They got out.

Leather boots stepped onto the sewage-covered ground.

Suren curiously surveyed the dark side of the city.

Although this world had no electricity, it did not lack all kinds of glowing Alchemical Products. Up ahead, the district was brightly illuminated by neon lights in all sorts of suggestive colors.

This was the gang's gathering point. A group of people had long been waiting by the street, wearing leather jackets, leather pants, and metal studs, with brightly dyed hair and guns casually held in their hands like lighters.

Suren felt that his bald punk appearance immediately fit right in among them.

"Hey, Captain Kai, you're back."

"Oho, this batch of newcomers looks pretty good."

"Hahaha, Captain, why didn't you bring back a female recruit?"

"..."

Kai greeted those people, then briefly introduced Suren. "This is Suren, Jigg, Sapa, and Andrew. We're brothers from now on."

Gang members did not bother with much polite talk. Everyone bumped fists, and that counted as an introduction.

They started work directly on their first day. That was gang efficiency.

Kai led Suren, the four newcomers, and several old hands—a group of more than ten people in total—on patrol.

It was no different from the gangs of Suren's previous life. They simply strolled around the establishments under their protection and showed their faces.

"From now on, our task is to come out every night and stroll around the three blocks near Green Street. If something happens, deal with it. If nothing happens, go wherever you want."

Kai explained the "job duties" to Suren and the other newcomers.

Then he handed out a small alchemical device with radio functionality and added, "Keep this communicator with you at all times. I'll summon everyone if there's an emergency. Make sure you get there immediately, or the gang rules won't show mercy."

After a pause, he turned to a burly man carrying a shotgun and said, "Sam, explain the gang rules to the newcomers. Don't let them cause trouble because they don't understand the rules."

Sam smiled. "Sure thing."

Suren understood clearly enough. The work was simple: patrol the streets like they were doing now.

They gathered at seven in the evening, with roughly half an hour of "working hours" each day. The rest of the time was theirs to arrange. Gambling or drinking at taverns, it did not matter as long as they remained within the area of these streets.

It looked easy enough.

"Hey, Boss Clive, business booming?"

"Boss Milton, I heard you got a batch of good merchandise recently. Remember to save a few beauties for me and the brothers tonight."

"..."

The Cross Society controlled nearly all the entertainment establishments on Green Street.

Kai and his group were well acquainted with this street. As they passed by, nightclub madams and women enthusiastically greeted them.

Suren was also surprised. This decayed industrial city actually had such a lively side. These brothels were no less bustling than the large bars of his previous life, with crowds flowing endlessly through them.

Groups of heavily made-up women stood by the roadside soliciting customers. They wore revealing outfits, their long pale legs and ample breasts exposed so boldly that it was dizzying to look at.

The streets were thick with an air of lust.

Suren had not expected Old Lindun's clothing styles to be so varied. Almost any seductive outfit capable of stirring a man's hormones could be found here.

The women were bold and sensual, never stingy about displaying their soft, alluring figures. They did not care when men's wandering hands roamed freely over their bodies. Instead, they would coquettishly tease them in return.

"Yo, Elena, looks like you've gained weight. No, no, I'm not complaining. I'm saying you feel even better now~"

"Oh, Lisa, why haven't I seen you lately? Which man have you been fooling around with~?"

"Mwah~ Captain Kai, are you coming to have some fun tonight?"

"..."

Kai and the old hands were clearly familiar with the routine, joking their way through the sea of women.

They were not only the local bosses, but regular customers here as well.

The rules of survival in Old Lindun were cruel. Civilians unable to take up combat professions were cheap. Here, a few hundred Liso could buy a night of Pleasure with a fairly attractive woman.

Thus, the gang's monthly salary of twenty thousand Liso could even let someone spend all their time in the arms of beautiful women.

Suren and the other newcomers became familiar faces as they followed along.

Green Street District had three main streets in total.

Every corner here was filled with violence, lust, and illegal trade.

After patrolling a street devoted purely to brothels, they reached a street of taverns. Neon signs in every color illuminated a Pure Land of drunken indulgence.

Most of the taverns on this street had a strong industrial style, with steel elements in every corner.

Just as Suren was beginning to find the patrol boring, they ran into trouble.

As they passed a place called the Elephant Tavern, a middle-aged man with a tea-colored beard called out to Kai.

"Hey, Captain Kai, you came at just the right time. There's a bit of trouble in my establishment, and I need you to take a look."

The tavern owner led them to the back alley with a worried expression, then pointed at a bloody half-corpse on the ground. "It must have happened last night. Some unlucky fellow got drunk and fell asleep in the back alley. As you can see now, some unknown monster bit off half his body."

This was the tavern's back alley, piled with empty liquor bottles. Unlike the glamorous storefront, it was full of filth, darkness, and stench.

Suren's eyesight allowed him to see the half-corpse clearly. Its body bore serrated bite marks, as though it had been gnawed on by some fairly large monster.

Along the curb at the street corner were several dark sewer openings, and that murky stench was drifting out from there.

The owner seemed used to such things and continued muttering, "Captain Kai, it seems some kind of monster has appeared in the sewers. I've also heard lately that homeless people keep disappearing. It seems they've been dragged away by some man-eating monster, and everyone's panicking. I'm afraid this will hurt the tavern's business if it keeps up."

"Oh, I understand the situation."

Kai glanced over it, then kicked the corpse into a nearby trash bin.

The body would probably be gnawed clean by rats soon enough. No one would care who exactly had died.

After scraping his leather boot against the ground, Kai added, "Boss Chuckman, don't worry. I'll send people to investigate it."

With that, he did not linger and led Suren's group away from the Elephant Tavern.

After leaving the tavern and walking down the street, one of the newcomers asked, "Captain, are we coming back later to investigate?"

This was also Suren's question. He had assumed it fell within their duties.

But Kai merely smiled dismissively. "Hehe, investigate? The sewers of Old Lindun are antiques that have been around for a thousand years. The underground layout is ten times more complicated than the roads aboveground. No one can figure out the structure down there. It's a paradise for all kinds of Mutated Monsters. Who the hell wants to go into a place that reeks like that?"

After a pause, he looked at the newcomers and added, "As long as those monsters don't come up to the surface, we don't need to care. Rather than waste time investigating, we might as well enjoy ourselves properly."

"Understood, Captain."

Clearly, everyone agreed. No one wanted to take risks.

Brothels, taverns, and then gambling dens.

The group made a round of the venues along Green Street, showing their faces everywhere like dogs pissing to mark their territory.

Before long, they patrolled over to a gambling den that hosted underground bare-knuckle fights.

When Suren saw a cloud of "Gray Mist" rise from the corpse of the gladiator who had been beaten to death in the ring, his eyes lit up.

Finally, it wasn't so boring anymore.

He knew that for quite some time to come, he would probably have things to do.

Thanks to 'April' for the tip. Thank you.