Chapter 143
Even without rain, the air inside the complex was perpetually damp.
The sky was obscured by thick smoke and smog, barely visible through a chaotic tangle of rooftops haphazardly connected by makeshift planks and panels. Overhead, irregularly strung electrical wires and pipes twisted together like a massive web.
The streets were no different—a scene of pure chaos and disorder.
Buildings, illegally expanded, leaned precariously against one another, with tiny shacks filling the gaps between them. The walls were plastered with peeling paint, graffiti, and soiled advertisements, while rusted and corroded metal structures jutted out like jagged teeth.
In the more populated interior of the complex, steam, rust-colored water, and polluted runoff oozed from every crevice, creating an environment steeped in filth and stench.
The ground itself was a swamp of grime. Pools of stagnant water dotted the streets, swarming with bugs and rats the size of a person’s head.
Hot steam hissed unpredictably from nearby vents.
Mud clung to shoes with every step.
Shadows of rats and other creatures darted in the periphery, keeping nerves perpetually on edge.
And then there were the opportunists—always lurking, waiting for a moment of distraction to pick a pocket.
It was impossible to let one’s guard down, even for a second—a true hell on earth.
"I just can’t bring myself to like this place," I Go-hyang muttered, staring through the cracked and grimy glass of a large, broken window.