Stardragon was one of the Six Nations. Its population was primarily East Asian, and its totem was the Star-Forging Dragon, coiled high in the heavens.
Stardragon's hatred for Germinal ran deepest, going back to the Andiya War. The Germinal Organization had reached a secret agreement with a nation hostile to Stardragon and, at a critical point in the war, launched multiple massive terrorist attacks within Stardragon's borders. More than a hundred thousand people died, and the army at the front was forced to return in support. Stardragon had nearly lost its place among the Six Nations.
An electrified wire fence stretched as far as the eye could see around the edge of every city. Checkpoints were the only way in, with soldiers stationed there to inspect arrivals.
The train stopped at an open-air platform outside the wire barrier. Extensive military installations surrounded it-bunkers, pillboxes, and sniper posts, all manned by soldiers who kept a stern watch on the arriving train.
Over a thousand wanderers gathered in the station square, forming a long line to be inspected one by one. Only after confirming that they carried no weapons, were not wanted, and had no infectious diseases were they allowed through the checkpoint.
The Six Nations had policies to accept wanderers, taking in talented people and elites stranded outside their borders to increase the potential of their populations.
Han Xiao naturally had no desire to be inspected. The Germinal Organization must have put a bounty on him, and a check would expose him. Although his goal was to make contact with Stardragon's intelligence agency, the Thirteenth Bureau, he could not afford to be surrounded by the army.
As it happened, there was a way past the checkpoint.
In his previous life, red-name players wanted by their own countries could not pass inspection. All they had to do was find the hidden NPC in charge of smuggling people in and pay some money, and they could enter the city without trouble.
An unremarkable man sat in a corner of the square, neither lining up nor leaving. He drew very little attention.
The man was a people smuggler. Ordinary people knew nothing of their existence, and they generally only took customers referred by regulars. Just then, a thin, frail-looking young man came up to him and asked, "Is it safe?"
The smuggler looked up at Han Xiao and, seeing that he was a new customer, played dumb. "What do you mean, safe?"
"Would these be enough to pay?"
Han Xiao did not want to waste words. He tossed the smuggler his backpack full of guns. The smuggler unzipped it, took one look, and hurriedly closed it again. Good grief, what kind of outfit did this young man belong to, walking around with so many guns?
West Capital had gun controls, and Han Xiao was not entering the city to cause trouble, so the guns were of no use to him anymore.
"Enough. Of course it's enough."
The smuggler was puzzled. "How did you know I was in the smuggling business?"
"Don't worry about that."
The rule in this line of work was to do business without asking about a customer's background. The smuggler suppressed his curiosity, got up, and led the way.
A box truck was parked outside the station, with several passengers already inside. They all gave Han Xiao appraising looks. His expression unchanged, he found a place to sit.
The windows were sealed with light-absorbing black tape, making it impossible to see outside. The truck would take the passengers to a hidden entrance in the wire barrier. The officer there had taken bribes from the smuggler, and as long as there were not too many people being smuggled in, he would turn a blind eye.
Inside the truck.
A short man beside him, bored out of his mind, struck up a conversation with the youthful-looking Han Xiao. In his experience, young men like this were the easiest to fool.
"First time in West Capital, little brother?"
Han Xiao glanced at him. "Yeah. What should I call you?"
"Ma Jie. And you?"
"Han Xiao."
Pulling rank as the older man, Ma Jie said, "Since it's your first time in West Capital, Little Han, let me tell you about it. West Capital is divided into eight districts. District One is the political center, the territory of the high officials. Nobody can get in. The other seven districts each have their own character, and they're secretly controlled by big shots from the gray zone. A word of warning: don't cross anyone from the gray zone, or you'll be dead in no time without even knowing how it happened."
Han Xiao shook his head inwardly. The so-called gray zone was a chain of gray-market interests built on drugs, prostitution, smuggling, and arms dealing. Every city had people who made their living on the wrong side of the law, but compared to the authorities, they were not worth a fart.
Even so, ordinary people instinctively feared vicious gray-zone figures while dismissing the authorities, because they knew the authorities would not hurt them, whereas gray-zone figures were the opposite. It was only natural. When people saw armed guards with a cash transport truck on the street, few would be afraid, but replace them with a menacing man carrying a gun and wearing no uniform, and most people would stay as far away as they could.
Ma Jie was showing off before an expert, but Han Xiao did not expose him. Amused, he played along.
"Doesn't the army do anything?"
"Ha, what can the army do? Storm the city districts?" Ma Jie looked disdainful. He held the gray zone in the highest regard and, wanting to show off, boasted, "My cousin is a lieutenant under a boss, and his future is limitless. I came here to seek refuge with-cough, to help him out."
"Impressive," Han Xiao said perfunctorily.
With someone listening, Ma Jie grew even more enthusiastic, spittle flying as he said, "Of course! My cousin is a well-known figure in West Capital. Ever heard the great name Yellow-Spotted Leopard? Oh, I forgot, you've never been to West Capital before, Little Han. Are you entering the city to stay with relatives?"
Han Xiao made something up on the spot. "No, I want to find a job in the city and settle down."
Ma Jie's mind immediately began to race. If he brought a young man to join his cousin, his cousin would think more highly of him. He said expansively, "Well? Want to work with me? I guarantee you'll have a bright future!"
Han Xiao politely declined, but in Ma Jie's eyes, it was youthful arrogance. He sneered.
"Let me tell you what kind of life ordinary wanderers lead in the city. They live in slums! Eat moldy food! The Six Nations make a big show of accepting wanderers, but it's all for appearances. They don't care about you at all. What future can a young man like you have, with no one to rely on? You'd be better off working with me. I won't promise anything else, but at least I can make sure you get enough to eat."
"No, thanks." Han Xiao shook his head.
Ma Jie felt that Han Xiao did not know what was good for him. Looking displeased, he said sarcastically, "You don't know what you're getting into. Just wait until you regret it. By then, it'll be too late to try to curry favor with me."
Han Xiao closed his eyes to show that he did not want to waste any more words. Ma Jie, rebuffed, glared at him and stopped trying to talk.
The truck stopped outside a stretch of wire fence far from the train station and *tu*shu. There was a gate bearing a danger sign, seemingly a passage reserved for transporting arms.
An officer waited on the other side of the gate. The smuggler slipped him a stack of bills through the wire fence. A satisfied smile appeared on the officer's face, and he actually opened the gate to the arms transport passage, allowing Han Xiao and the other people being smuggled in to enter.
"Follow the officer. He'll take you to the outskirts of the city. There won't be any inspections," the smuggler said.
The officer led the way without a word. Han Xiao and the others went around various military buildings and walked out of the checkpoint base. At last, they saw the high-rises of West Capital in the distance, gleaming in the sunlight.
The smuggled passengers scattered in all directions, each going their own way. Ma Jie glared fiercely at Han Xiao before turning and leaving.
Han Xiao walked down the street in tattered clothes. Passersby gave him looks of disgust and hurried to avoid him. He had trekked through the forest for ten days, then spent several more on a train used to transport livestock. His smell was enough to move heaven and earth and bring people to tears.
Without money, he could barely get anywhere. When he got thirsty, he could only find a fountain in a square to deal with it. The most valuable thing on him was probably the unwashed, naturally scented underwear this twenty-year-old virgin body had worn for seven days.
Of course, those were all minor problems.
Half an hour later, Han Xiao walked out of a department store in a new outfit: a neat white shirt and black trousers. He also had a cigarette dangling comfortably from his mouth, smoke curling around him.
〔You have unlocked the skill [Pickpocketing lv1]!〕 〔Pickpocketing: increases the success rate of stealing.〕
Someone who possessed an ability in real life had a good chance of bringing it into the game. For example, a soldier in real life might automatically gain basic fighting and basic shooting skills.
As the saying went, you could never have too many skills. He had taught himself Pickpocketing to match wits with a gang of thieves that operated around the blocks below his home. The goal had been to stop pickpockets. Mm, even he believed that himself.
Thief? Without evidence, watch out or I'll sue you for slander. I, Great Technician Han, obey the law and love my country. I never scored below eighty on a politics exam in middle or high school, won the Three Good Student scholarship every year, and only needed to join the Party to complete the triple-kill achievement of the Young Pioneers, the Communist Youth League, and our Party. I'm known as the Calabash Brother who hates evil with a passion and the young gentleman who wins people over with virtue. Never mind stealing-I've never even peeked at anyone.
As for stealing now-cough, cough, borrowing a passerby's wallet-I was forced into it by circumstances. The politics textbook put it well: analyze each problem according to its specific circumstances. Understandable, perfectly understandable.