Hebil City, Moro Street.
The school bell rang, and the black-haired boy put on his shoulder bag, closed the sliding door, and left the classroom.
The boy was very delicate and from a distance one could mistake him for a girl. His height was shorter than that of his peers, which made him look even more cute.
The autumn breeze brushed across her cheeks, and her black hair, which was slightly curled at the ends, swayed in the wind. Her eyes, as dark as the night, seemed to always be looking into the distance, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking. It was so mysterious that it was fascinating.
However, he is not as mysterious as those people think. He is just too lazy to talk to strangers. Someone once taught him that if you don't know what to say, just keep your mouth shut. Sometimes, saying nothing is better than a thousand words.
Someone patted his shoulder twice. The black-haired boy slowly turned his head, and a familiar sly face appeared in front of him.
"An Ming, do you want to go to a bar in the city tonight?" the man asked.
"Forget it, Mark. Those beautiful divorced women are not interested in you." An Ming replied calmly.
Mark is the first friend An Ming made after visiting this border city, and he is also a bad friend. He calls himself a romantic street corner poet, likes bars late at night, and his hobby is to hook up with divorced wives in the dead of night.
An Ming heard that his father was a farmer and his family was quite wealthy in the eastern part of the Federation. But Mark himself was disdainful of farming. He once boasted in front of An Ming that he grew up watching the vast grasslands, but he had developed the stubbornness of the big city in his heart, and that rebelliousness made him unwilling to be a rustic farmer. He also said that men are born to wander, and in the process of wandering, they will occasionally meet young women with wounded hearts in the city, and they will win their hearts while chatting and laughing.
Now his heart has been wandering for three years, and he has never been favored by any young woman. An Ming sometimes feels that as a half-dandy, this guy's greatest ability is probably his perseverance.
"The city center is not peaceful, so it's better not to go there as much as possible," An Ming added.
In fact, this is the reason why An Ming stopped Mark from going to the city center.
Hebir City is located at the border of the Lancelot Federation, but it is a Feng Shui treasure land. It is adjacent to the Hamlan Prairie to the east, and to the east is the inland sea that divides the east and west continents - the Orange Sea. To the south of Hebir is the Qatar Heavy Industrial Zone, and to the north is the New Valley, an economic development zone that has been growing steadily in the new century.
The city fully encompasses the high, medium and low-end populations. At the same time, there are vast grasslands on the edge for developing animal husbandry, and further east there is a port area for operating fisheries.
However, Hebil's most developed projects are not transportation, animal husbandry or fisheries, but casinos and the black market.
The state government where Hebbel was located interpreted the federal government's legal provisions to the maximum extent, allowing those gray areas that were infinitely close to black to be legitimate here, and allowing local private enterprises to squeeze the jurisdiction of the federal government, and the right of interpretation was entirely in the hands of local chaebols. How could a small criminal organization fight against the "official underworld"? It could not cause any big waves and eventually disappeared.
But the federal government did not lose anything. Every year, huge amounts of tax revenue flowed into the pockets of federal politicians through the gambling industry and various gray and black industries. They also turned a blind eye to the special industries in this city.
The city center is always bustling with lights and people stay out all night. Brilliant neon lights illuminate the night into day. Hundreds of millions of yuan flow through the city's exchanges, and trading cards flip non-stop.
People who come and go in the neon district all day long come from all walks of life. There are social elites seeking excitement, workers who want to get rich overnight, and young people who come here specifically to try something new.
Of course, the majority of them are gang members. They are all crazy people who take drugs. When they have some money, they go to gamble. When they have no money, they use drugs to numb themselves and seek comfort.
Compared to this, Morrow Street is still a good place.
If Hebil is the border of the Lan Federation, then Moro Street is the border of Hebil. Living on Moro Street, across a few streets is a large ranch, where the air is filled with the stench of animals all day long. When you drive out, you will encounter groups of goats blocking the road. Sometimes they are in a bad mood and will kick a hole in your car when they leave. Even your own home may not be safe. When you come home tired after a day of cleaning the closet, you may find that a spider bigger than your foot has built a nest on the upper floor, and the lower floor belongs to a passing cobra. It sees you coming and does not hide or dodge, but just calmly spits at you.
In such a rural area like Morrow Street, not to mention the gambling industry and underground industries, even criminals are too lazy to go here. The money they earn from a trip may not be enough to pay for the travel expenses.
So the schools on Morrow Street teach seriously and students do what students should do. There are no gangs, no shootings, no gambling or drugs.
And for a little lamb like Mark, who was born and raised on Morrow Street, if he really went to the city center at night, it is hard to say whether he would come back as a whole person.
Just as An Ming was patiently telling Mark not to commit suicide, another voice called out to him.
"Senior An Ming, you guys are going to the city center today? That's great."
An Ming turned around and found the brown-haired girl looking at him. She smiled shyly, like a wild lily bud about to bloom.
"Hello, Junior Leica. I didn't discuss going to the city center with him, but I was trying to stop him." An Ming sighed.
"But I think Senior An Ming is surprisingly suitable for places like bars. You see, there are only a few people sitting at the bar late at night, and you see Senior An Ming wrapped in a windbreaker stepping into the store, and everyone's eyes are on you in an instant. You sit quietly at the bar, showing a cold smile and saying to the bartender, 'Give me a Bloody Mary.' Ah! That scene is so beautiful!"
As Leica spoke, she began to look up at the sky and grinned foolishly, completely ruining her shy appearance.
Mark, who was standing by, could only sigh and push her aside when he saw his childhood friend in such a disgraceful state.
Mark knew that Laika had a crush on An Ming. As a childhood sweetheart, Mark felt that he must help this girl.
However, he always has the will but not the ability. Leica looks like a literary girl, and in fact, she is a literary girl. But she seems to have read too many messy books, and she always unconsciously falls into delusion when encountering some things.
Every time she acted silly in front of An Ming, Mark wanted to hit his head and cover his face.
So as long as Leica is not stupid, then everything will be fine? That is not the case. Not only Leica, but An Ming also has some serious problems.
This young man with delicate appearance is like a monk who has attained enlightenment all day long. His life always reveals a sense of Zen. His life is always a straight line between two points. If he has to work occasionally, then there will be one more point in his life. Apart from this, Mark has never seen An Ming go anywhere to play or have fun.
If one day a princess from a certain country stood in front of him and proposed to him, he would say calmly, "Nice to meet you," and then throw the princess aside and start reading a thick and boring book.
Only then did Mark see a piece of paper in An Ming's hand. It was the application form issued by the school not long ago.
They are in grade three this year and will go their separate ways next year. This piece of paper will determine their future direction.
But neither Mark nor Leica knew where their future would lie.
"An Ming, have you decided what you want to do in the future?" Mark wanted to refer to An Ming's ideas.
"What about you?" An Ming threw the question back.
"Me? Let me think... I might want to try my luck in the capital city. If I fail, I'll go back home and inherit that piece of farmland!"
Mark gave a mediocre answer.
"Capital City, it's great."
After hearing Mark's answer, Leica chuckled and agreed.
"Leica, do you want to go to the capital city too?" Mark asked.
"I... I don't know. I just heard that the girls there are shining like gold. Every girl is born like a princess. They always wear gorgeous jewelry and are as beautiful as diamonds in their every move. I also want to be a little princess like a diamond."
Leica and Mark both had endless fantasies about the capital city, but An Ming did not speak. He was not going to break their fantasy and yearning for the capital city. These fantasies would eventually end, just like Mark said, he might eventually return to his old farm and live a boring farming life every day.
Even so, it was still much better than the capital city. He really wanted to tell these two people that life in the capital city was not a dream.
That city far away in the horizon is always covered by light, whether it is day or night, as if this city will never sleep. But behind the colorful lights, there is a bottomless malice. Everyone in that city is dressed up brightly. Some are elegant and handsome gentlemen, some are exotic princesses, and some are old ladies with charm.
But without exception, they all have dark desires burning in their hearts. The more evil and crazy they are, the more they need to cover up with appearances.
"Actually, I like this city better than the capital," said An Ming.
"Only someone like you, An Ming, who has been to the capital city, can say that." Mark curled his lips.
"Senior An Ming, have you ever thought about going back? You must have some acquaintances and friends there, right?" Leica asked cautiously.
In fact, this is what Leica wants to know most.
It was well known that An Ming was from the capital city. This community high school located in the border area had very few students. There were only two classes in a grade, with 15 students in each class, and the total number of students in the whole school was less than 100. During class, dedicated teachers would teach seriously, while undedicated teachers would just let students study on their own.
So the students were very curious that day, wondering why someone would transfer from the capital city to a rural area like this.Leica still remembers the day when a boy with curly black hair who looked like a girl was invited to the podium. He was carrying a shoulder bag of a brand he had never seen before and wearing a custom-made jacket with gold foil. Even Leica could feel that the teacher's eyes were full of little stars. She excitedly told the students in the audience that this was a student from the capital city, and asked everyone to exchange experiences and get along with each other in a friendly manner.
Whenever she recalled the day when An Ming transferred to another school, Leica always felt that her memory had become a little more blurred, but those touching moments were still vivid in her mind. She still remembered that day when golden ginkgo leaves were floating outside the window, and the air was mixed with a faint sweet smell. This exquisite black-haired boy from the capital city sat quietly in a seat by the window, tilting his head to look at the sky, as if he was missing something.
At that moment, Leica felt something in his heart was touched.
Because of this ignorance, she was worried that the boy would suddenly disappear. If Senior An Ming left this city one day, she hoped...
"No, I won't go back to that city."
An Ming answered firmly. Leica seemed to sense an unchangeable will from his words.
"So, what are you going to do after graduation? If you don't plan to go back to the capital, then opening a bar like Leica said wouldn't be a bad idea."
Mark didn't notice that Leka was relieved and continued the topic. He still couldn't forget his bar.
After hearing this, An Ming grinned bitterly.
"Actually, my ideal is very simple." An Ming picked up a stone from the ground and threw it into the fountain not far away. "I want to open a grocery store in a place that is not too remote."
"Grocery store?" Leica asked in surprise.
"Yes, a regular grocery store."
Leica immediately pictured that scene in his mind, but no matter how he thought about it, it didn't seem right.
An Ming didn't look at her and continued throwing stones into the pool. The first stone bounced once, the second bounced three times, and the third bounced even more...
He continued to speak of what was in his mind, his eyes gradually glancing off into the distance. Leica noticed this look again, the look of someone missing something.
"I haven't decided on a name for the store yet. The customers who come to buy things are all acquaintances in the community. I just sit there bored and watch the store. If someone comes in, I will look up when I hear the sound of the wind chimes at the door. I will simply shop and check out, and then watch him leave after a while. Some customers may have some stories, and they will talk to you when they give you the change, whether it's about the trivialities of yesterday's life, the busy work tomorrow, or some meaningless complaints. If the problems of those customers are within my ability, I will also help them solve their doubts."
An Ming glanced at Mark and Leica: "This is what I want to do, something simple and boring, right?"
As she listened, the sweet atmosphere in Laika's heart disappeared. She suddenly had a vision that the person in front of her was not a teenager, but an old man over fifty years old. He had experienced many hardships and just wanted to find a place to rest at the end of his life, and regarded the broken house and stone platform as his tombstone.
The sound of a bell woke her up from the vision. It was the bell for the main building of the school to close.
Leica looked around. There were no old people, no tombstones, only three ordinary students after school.
Leica shook her head immediately. Maybe she was confused from sleep? She thought.
"That's all for today. I still have to go to work. Bye."
The three of them walked to the fork in the road in front of the school, and An Ming waved goodbye.
"You are really hardworking. No one here is as hardworking as you. They all think the three of us are freaks. I am the least of the bar freaks, and you are the working freak."
"What is that Leica School Girl?"
An Ming suddenly became curious. In her opinion, the word "freak" had nothing to do with Leica.
"She, she is... I can't tell you, anyway, she is very strange..."
Before Mark finished speaking, An Ming suddenly stopped. A black, extended government car stopped in front of him, blocking his way.
The government vehicle is four meters long and two meters high. Even when it is stopped, it can still make a low roar, as if a wild beast is roaring.
This is a government vehicle converted from a Yodel heavy steam locomotive, and its engine is a Yodel heavy steam engine.
The prototype of the Yodel heavy steam locomotive was designed nearly two hundred years ago. The designer, Yodel, was an unparalleled genius, but unfortunately he died young in a duel over a charming woman and a dandy boy. After that, the research on heavy steam engines stagnated, and no one could come up with a heavy steam engine design that surpassed his. Later generations could only tinker with the design of this Yodel heavy steam engine and add bricks and tiles.
To this day, it is still 100% military goods. Ordinary people can't get this expensive steam engine at all, and even on the black market, you can't find half of it. Those who dare to sell this kind of thing are either going to meet the goddess, or they haven't been born yet.
People who drive this type of vehicle basically have some connection with the military, or they belong to one of the three major departments.
The license plate reads LA-3287. This is the license plate number of the capital city.
An Ming immediately became alert.
The window of the government car slowly slid down, and a slender hand wearing a black lace glove stretched out and handed An Ming a business card.
"Mr. An Ming, do you have time to come with us?"
The person in the car said that the voice sounded like a young girl.
An Ming glanced at the business card and asked back coldly.
"What does the Bureau want me for?"
When they heard the word "Investigation Bureau", Mark and Leica shuddered and their heartbeats quickened.
As long as you live in the Lan Federation, no one has not heard of the Investigation Bureau.
There are three major federal public departments: the Federal Bureau of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Administration.
Among them, the FBI is responsible for major domestic criminal cases and related civilian work. Anyone investigated by them is more or less related to some major crime.
But how could An Ming be a major criminal? If An Ming, a man who always represents Zen in his life, is a criminal, then there is probably no one in this world who is not a criminal, Mark thought.
But before he could help An Ming to refute, the car window closed and the door opened. A delicate little foot in tan short boots stepped out.
The person who jumped out of the car was a petite girl who looked no older than 14. She was too old to be called a woman, but too young to be called a girl. She was somewhere between a girl and a woman, in the prime of her youth.
The girl had long golden hair, which was tied into a side ponytail at the back of her head. Her emerald eyes were full of agility and curiosity typical of her age. Her porcelain-like skin was turned a little red by the autumn wind, and there was a hint of warmth in the red.
Seeing the blonde girl, Leica hesitated for a moment. Her intuition told her that she was a princess-like girl from the capital city.
"Erica Maseranti. Nice to meet you, senior."
Erica gave a typical aristocratic smile and lifted her skirt slightly.
An Ming clicked his tongue in his heart but kept a polite smile on his face.
"Senior?" An Ming asked.
"It's definitely you, Senior, because I'm going to work at the same place as you." Erica glanced at Mark and Leica, "It's where you usually work."
An Ming understood what she meant. Although she knew An Ming's job, she didn't intend to expose it directly.
Of course, An Ming really wanted to talk to her about whether the two sides had different definitions of "ostentatious".
"There's no need to drive such a ridiculous car to come find me. Why don't you just wait over there? I'll be there today anyway. Even if I don't show up today, won't I have to rush over as long as the old man calls me?"
In any case, a government vehicle with a Yodel heavy steam engine was too conspicuous, and some pedestrians began to gather at the school gate to stop and watch.
An Ming is the kind of person who completely separates work and life, but this little blonde girl drove a luxury car into his living area without permission.
"Because I want to get to know you."
"What do I know?"
"It's my honor to talk to Black Scythe." Erica said with a smile.
An Ming immediately stopped talking.
At that moment, An Ming raised his vigilance to the highest level towards this blonde girl. She was no longer a simple stranger, but a suspicious threat.
She knew An Ming's past and was prepared to delve deeper.
"Go now?" An Ming asked.
"It's up to you to decide, senior." Erica chuckled.
Alas. An Ming sighed deeply.
It has been three years, he has been away from that life of intrigue and deception for three years, but today it still caught up with him, as if there is some kind of fate in the dark. People can escape fate, but sooner or later they will be caught up.
But An Ming quickly adjusted his mentality. What about fate? Someone once told him that fate is something to be trampled underfoot. No matter who this girl came from, An Ming would be prepared.
He got into the government car without saying a word, and Erica also got in with a smile. Before leaving, An Ming even lowered the window to greet Mark and Leica.
"Sorry, it seems like we'll be busy today, so you guys should go back first. By the way! Mark, remember! Don't go to the city center, it's really dangerous there!"
After saying that, he retreated back into the car and closed the window again.
Leica looked at the government car that was going away and gradually turned into a black shadow, and suddenly recalled the vision just now. The old man-like An Ming made her very sad. However, the reason for her sadness was not because An Ming had grown old, but because the distance between life and death was so far away that it seemed unattainable, just like the government car that was going away.
The distance between her and An Ming is growing larger and larger, and one day it will disappear completely.
It is out of reach and cannot be caught up with.