Chapter 42
Chenxing Empire, King District.
Ink splattered across the sky, as night chased away the waning moon.
Old but orderly buildings looked like toy models made from the same mold, neatly arranged together. From the heavens above, it resembled a prank by the gods.
In the streets running between the buildings, sewage flowed freely, and pedestrians hurried by with numb and cold expressions. In street corners, people furtively traded some kind of stimulant. At intersections, heavy motorcycles roared past, splashing dirty water onto pedestrians’ trouser legs, followed by shouts, curses, and yells.
Then, a burst of intense gunfire drowned out everything else.
Hearing the gunshots, no one cried out, no one wept, no one ran around shouting. They routinely took temporary shelter in the nearest building – perhaps a convenience store, their own home, or maybe a bar or hotel.
When everything calmed down, they emerged as if nothing had happened, continuing what they were doing before.
Hurried pedestrians continued rushing home; convenience store owners counting the day’s earnings resumed tallying accounts; strangers who had completed their transactions left without looking back, each with bulging wallets and stimulants, only to be dragged away shortly after; in the depths of unlit alleys, young couples disturbed by gunfire continued their passionate kisses…The world remained as it always had been.
In the King District, such occurrences were commonplace. Every few days, nameless bodies would be found in dark corners, possibly due to territorial disputes, a wrong word spoken, a few fragrant imperial banknotes, or even just a loaf of bread…