Book 7: Chapter 3: The Worker

Qin Lun watched the bone rolling on the ground expressionlessly. He wiped his cheek with a finger and looked down to find a trace of blood on his fingertip. He hadn’t entirely dodged Gutou’s claw strike; a small cut marked the area below his left eye.

His eyelid twitched slightly. Though the wound was insignificant, it was the first time he’d been injured by an ordinary person since becoming an Apostle.

The atmosphere over the clearing froze solid. The scattered members of the Violence Gang silently got to their feet, picked up the crude weapons lying beside them, and slowly closed in. The defeat of their leader and deputy hadn’t dampened their spirits; instead, it had ignited the ferocity in every heart.

Seeing the bloodshot eyes and increasingly heavy breathing of the thugs, Qin Lun felt a wave of helplessness. He honestly hadn’t expected this group to be so savage. The young man flipped his left hand, putting away the Dagger of Sin. He drew Demon’s Song instead, the black and white pistols hanging loosely at his sides.

Though Magic Scrolls couldn’t be used in this world, he now possessed a large amount of recovery items. Paying a small price would allow him to wipe out this mere twenty-plus member Violence Gang; he wasn’t overly concerned about the situation. Through Dubi and Gutou, he already knew this gang held no real powerhouses. However ferocious a group of ordinary people might be, they posed no real threat to him.

However, once a massacre began, he risked attracting the attention of certain formidable figures within Meteor Street – that wouldn’t be worth the cost.

“Cough, cough… Stop!” Just then, a weak voice sounded in the clearing. Everyone turned to see Gutou, deathly pale, struggling to his feet with Dubi’s support.

“Those two are yours. We’re leaving!” Gutou wasted no words. Wiping the blood from his lips, he looked calmly at Qin Lun and pointed at Xiaonan and Xiaoya, who were huddled to the side.

Hearing Gutou’s order, the faces of the gang members darkened. Several came forward to support the badly injured Gutou and Dubi. They withdrew the encirclement around Qin Lun and slowly retreated from the clearing.

People living in Meteor Street had to learn to size up the situation. They couldn’t retreat casually, nor could they blindly stand their ground. Easy retreat would make other gangs see them as weak; if besieged, they’d lose any chance of survival. But if the opponent was too strong, blind persistence was foolish. To live, they had to make concessions.

Qin Lun had severely wounded the Violence Gang’s leader and deputy in just two exchanges, clearly demonstrating superior strength. Merely taking two children away was nothing. Even if he had demanded Gutou and Dubi’s lives, they would have had to concede.

People in Meteor Street had sharp eyes. So, when Gutou ordered the retreat, not only did Dubi not object, but the other gang members also fell silent. Their fearlessness didn’t mean they were willing to throw their lives away uselessly. Exchanging the smallest cost for the survival of the whole gang was the universal law every Meteor Street thug had to learn.

Watching the Violence Gang depart, Qin Lun felt a strangely peculiar sensation. For the first time in his life, he felt he might be understood and accepted by people other than Joey. If everyone in Meteor Street was like this Violence Gang, he even started to think that this place might be the most suitable social group for someone like him.

“If you run this time, I won’t hold back!” Qin Lun suddenly turned his head and said with a laugh, looking at Xiaonan and Xiaoya who were trying to sneak away. “You two probably aren’t official members of that gang yet, right? Take me to your own hiding place.”

…

Qin Lun surveyed his surroundings. It was a crude shack situated behind a mountain of trash. The building material consisted of sheet metal scraps, obviously stripped from elsewhere, patched all over.

The kids had stuffed mud into most of the gaps between the metal sheets, blocking the toxic dust and the cold night wind somewhat. But come rainy days, this shack would inevitably become a sieve, riddled with leaks.

After leading Qin Lun to their dwelling, Xiaonan and Xiaoya seemed slightly less afraid of the young man. They huddled together in a corner for warmth. Having starved for several days, Xiaoya’s mind was already drifting. Xiaonan remained conscious, but his face was pale, lips cracked, and his whole body covered in cold sweat – signs of severe dehydration.

Finishing his observation, Qin Lun sat down heavily on the damp ground. He drew a small parcel from his Storage Space and opened it. Inside were a large jug of water and some oat cakes – the lowest-tier recovery food that could be exchanged for in Shattered Starry Sky. To him, these things restored hardly any Health or Stamina, merely serving as mundane sustenance to maintain his strength.

“Eat,” Qin Lun said. He took a few gulps from the jug himself and then placed it alongside the oat cakes before Xiaonan and Xiaoya.

“Food!” Xiaoya, her mind foggy, suddenly snapped to attention, her spirits soaring. A dirty little hand shot out towards the cakes.

But Xiaonan immediately grabbed her arm and hauled her back. The boy swallowed hard, wrenching his gaze away from the food and water. Staring fixedly at Qin Lun, his voice rasped, “What do you want us to use for exchange?”

“Heh heh. What do you have to exchange?” Qin Lun’s eyes flashed meaningfully.

“Our lives!” Xiaonan gritted his teeth, meeting Qin Lun’s gaze without flinching.

“I don’t eat human flesh. Your lives are worthless to me. They couldn’t even buy a drop of water or a crumb of oat cake.” Qin Lun’s smile remained, wholly unsurprised by Xiaonan’s answer. “Eat. Just owe me for now.”

Xiaonan still hesitated, but Xiaoya couldn’t hold back. She tugged lightly at his sleeve. “Brother Xiaonan, I’m hungry…”

Seeing the desperate hope in Xiaoya’s eyes, Xiaonan finally gave a tiny nod. Xiaoya acted as if pardoned. She crawled forward on all fours a couple of steps, grabbed an oat cake with unexpected Agility. Just as she was about to shove it into her mouth, she paused unexpectedly. Turning, she instead offered the cake to Xiaonan first.

Watching the two children caring for and depending on each other, Qin Lun grew momentarily absent-minded, a flicker of reminiscence in his eyes.

As he ate, Xiaonan kept sneaking glances at Qin Lun. Seeing the young man wasn’t paying him attention, he turned and gave Xiaoya a meaningful look. The little girl’s eyes shifted. Her thin frame slowly inched forward, positioning herself between Qin Lun and Xiaonan.

Qin Lun’s mind stirred slightly. While his gaze wasn’t directly on them, his Detection Aura perceived their little movements more clearly than mere sight could. He didn’t stop them, though. Watching curiously, he wondered what these two little ones intended to do.

Their subsequent actions had him both amused and touched. Hidden by Xiaoya, Xiaonan’s hand swept out swiftly and silently, sweeping one oat cake into a dark corner. Between eating and hiding, the food and water Qin Lun provided were soon completely cleared out by the pair.

“Full? If you’re full, then answer some questions for me.” Qin Lun asked in a kindly tone.

Xiaonan and Xiaoya exchanged a glance, wiped their mouths, and nodded repeatedly like chickens pecking at rice. It was their first full stomach in days. While the amount wasn’t huge, one had to remember that Qin Lun’s items were, after all, recovery food specifically for Apostles, rich in energy – more than enough to replenish the two kids’ depleted bodies.

“Recently, has anything unusual happened around here?” Qin Lun’s eyes glinted as he posed his first question.

“No!” Xiaonan and Xiaoya shook their heads in perfect unison.

“Nothing?” Qin Lun’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He pressed on, “Well then, who’s the strongest person around here?”

“Big Boss Gutou!” The pair chorused instantly. However, Xiaonan hastily corrected himself, “Master, it’s you now!”

“That walking skeleton was the strongest in this zone?” Qin Lun raised an eyebrow in surprise, suddenly feeling that perhaps he’d already missed a clue. These two kids might not be the task lead given by Shattered Starry Sky; it was possible the Violence Gang’s leader Gutou was the key.

“Have you seen any ‘Hunters’ nearby?” Looking at the two children, Qin Lun clung to a final shred of hope as he asked nonchalantly.

“Hunters? We… hunt sometimes too. We guess anyone could be a hunter?” Xiaonan hesitated, pursing his lips and mumbling.

Qin Lun sighed, thoroughly disappointed. Clearly, these two couldn’t provide any real clues; they didn’t even know what a ‘Hunter’ truly was. Their expressions and movements showed they weren’t lying. Moreover, few liars could pull tricks under the nose of a psychological master.

“Master, have you… been out working?” As Qin Lun fell silent, Xiaoya clutched Xiaonan’s arm, poking her head out from behind him. Curiosity shone in her eyes as she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

“Working?” Qin Lun’s gaze sharpened, but he smiled. “Yes. How could you tell?”

Despite Qin Lun showing no anger, Xiaonan still subtly shifted to place himself more squarely in front of Xiaoya. He answered respectfully, “Master, you smell like Meteor Street. But people who live here permanently don’t have clothes this nice and clean, nor would they share food with strangers. Only workers who’ve been out would give food to others without batting an eye.”

“Workers?” Qin Lun slowly narrowed his eyes. “Have you seen other workers?”

Xiaonan shook his head, but Xiaoya raised a tiny hand, declaring in her small, milky voice, “Xiaoya has seen some!”

“Nonsense! Where have you ever seen workers?” Xiaonan tugged Xiaoya back, nervously glancing at Qin Lun.

“Brother Xiaonan, you saw them too! That one time…” Xiaoya struggled slightly against his grip, pouting defiantly.

“That time?” Xiaonan frowned, a flicker of realization crossing his face. “They weren’t real workers yet. Only the final winner among them would get hired.”

“Oh? Could you tell me more about that?” A faint smile finally appeared on Qin Lun’s face.