Walking along the run-down streets aimlessly, Lu Xin realized that he hadn't looked at this place carefully for a long time.
The surface of the roads was riddled with pits and cracks, and wastewater from days ago was still retained in the hollows.
The blinding neon lights intertwined together to form blots of messy bright colors.
After the Red Moon event, the survivors inside the high wall had separated into two distinct groups.
One group was super busy. They hurried around with no time to glance at anything unnecessary.
The other group wasted their time away. Some sat by the sides of the streets and lay a piece of cloth or a table before them, upon which wild vegetables, meat of unknown sources, or crudely made knives were placed. Others, called hunters, would venture into the abandoned city outside and bring back some low-quality jewelry or tech products.
But most of the people would simply group in threes or fives, smoking, and whistling at women on the streets.
Lots of them had gone mad too. When the high wall had just been built, there was a period of time of famine. Perhaps it was due to the drastic decrease in the global population, which resulted in lower pressure on natural resources, or the fast pace of redevelopment which had exceeded everyone's expectation, but few people starved inside the high wall in just thirty years' time…
… Simply put, it wasn't that difficult to fill your stomach in High Wall City now.
But how to improve your standard of living was the big issue.
That was the case for those wasting their time away on the streets. They hadn't even been granted citizenship in the Second Satellite City, and they weren't allowed to study at educational institutions either. Moreover, they would never have a chance to live in the Main City.
Therefore, they had given up all their hopes. They didn't work and didn't want to worry about tomorrow.
They became the walking dead, loitering on the streets day after day, watching as the world changed before them with empty, distant eyes. No one knew what was going on in their heads, or if anything was going on there at all.
…
Lu Xin walked along the streets, studying everyone he saw.
He was trying to see whether there was a dangerous being like the Corner Cafe's waiter.
If he caught one successfully, he would save lots of people while earning himself a huge sum of money.
His sister casually appeared and disappeared beside him. Sometimes, he would see her at the top of a tall building, crawling along the electricity cables on top of his head, or on the shoulders of a bald old man.
The siblings patrolled the streets carefully.
But they couldn't spot anything unusual.
"This city is huge…"
Having walked through eight streets, Lu Xin squatted by the roadside to rest his legs. He lit up a cigarette and opened his dinner box.
He thought to himself, Although the total population was small when the high wall was just constructed, more and more babies have been born in the recent decades. That has resulted in a population explosion. Currently, there are at least one million people in our Second Satellite City alone. The police are complaining about the lack of manpower all day, so it's perfectly normal that I didn't run into anything fishy by walking around aimlessly…
I'm sure I'll find something after a few patrols…
"…"
After he had finished eating dinner, Lu Xin patrolled for a while longer before returning home to sleep. He had to go to the office the next day.
That was his daily routine in the following days.
However, the peace in the city came as a disappointment to Lu Xin. He was expecting something strange, but the city was just too normal.
"If this place is so safe and I'm not needed here, will Major Chen withdraw my deployment?"
Lu Xin was worried.
However, he didn't expect that something acted up with his other job first.
"Little Lu, you don't have to come to work tomorrow," the director said as he pushed a termination letter to Lu Xin. He was half bald, but he still took the effort to tidy his remaining hair.
"Why?"
Lu Xin was shocked. He couldn't understand.
He had been fired before receiving a formal contract on his other job. How could he possibly accept the termination?
After the Red Moon event, the global economy had been suffering. Therefore, it was actually normal to be retrenched now. Besides, all Lu Xin did was sit in the office and use his brains. He didn't have to go to the wharf or work day and night, which made his position a highly sought-after one. But Lu Xin still hadn't expected to be fired.
He had been very careful with his work. For years, he hadn't made any mistake at all.
He was actually one of the best employees in the company. That reward banner was still hanging on his partition.
Even if the company had to retrench some people, why would it be him?
…
"Well, I hope you can understand, Little Lu."
The director forced a faint smile. He passed a cigarette to Lu Xin and smiled, flashing his smoke-stained teeth. "You see, our company isn't doing well financially. We can't afford to have too many people in one position. If I were to compare you with Little Lv, you two are about equally capable. But Little Lv's attitude toward his work is much better than yours. Look at you, you always end work so early in the past few days. You're nowhere to be found even though it's not the time to go home yet…"
"Lv Cheng?"
It was the young man who had always ingratiated himself to Lu Xin, asking him about tips on coping with work. Lu Xin fell into silence.
He also knew what the director meant by ending work early.
In fact, he didn't leave early at all. He simply didn't volunteer to work overtime.
"Director, could you please give me a second chance?"
Lu Xin wanted to explain himself, but all he could manage was that simple and soft request.
The director sighed, and his expression turned uncomfortable. "You've been with us for so long. To be honest with you, I don't want to let you go either. But you know, we don't have extra funds for someone who doesn't do his job. When our employees are equally capable, it's the attitude that matters…"
Lu Xin didn't pay attention to what he said next because he knew it was all lies.
When he left the director's office, he noticed that all his personal belongings had been packed nicely into a box.
He wondered who did it.
"Lv Cheng packed it for you. He has been eying your workstation for so long…"
Ms. Sun's workstation was right next to Lu Xin's. She was a middle-aged lady with curly permed hair. She lowered her voice and said, "Little Lu, I'm not saying you are wrong. But you're too kind-hearted. I told you before that you shouldn't teach other people everything you know. See? Now he's taken your job! I heard that this young man has a few cards up his sleeve. He's dating the director's daughter! The director isn't stupid. How could he not give the job to his own family?"
Lu Xin stared at his reward banner in the box. He reached into his backpack for his gun.
However, he didn't pull it out. He headed downstairs, lighted himself a cigarette, and started pacing around.
Chen Jing's words came across his mind.
"If you ever get into trouble, I have three pieces of advice for you.
"Firstly, call the cops.
"Secondly, call me.
"Thirdly, use your gun."