His letter had taken quite a while to write, but since it was still summer, the sun had yet to set. Not wanting to waste time sitting around, Yan Lidong decided to take advantage of it still being light out, and explore the city more. He was terrible at navigation, so he had to at least familiarise himself with his surroundings. The next time he inevitably got lost, he at least wanted to recognise where he had ended up.
The city was surprisingly reminiscent of the sights he was used to. The storefronts and buildings all indicated that it was an urban city centre, if not a particularly developed one. The roads and greenery were all well kept, and the signs were all digitised, emitting a faint glow despite the beaming sun. He followed the various directional signs and maps scattered around, even if he was fully aware of how hopeless his sense of direction was.
Though he largely saw towering buildings at first, after walking for a while, Yan Lidong reached what seemed to be a shopping district. He noticed that, between the boutiques and restaurants, many of the stores advertised things he was more unfamiliar with. Mask crafting, weapon forging, and pawn shops that were offering ridiculously high prices for zombie nuclei… plus, he looked up, noticing that there were floating lanterns in place of street lamps. So maybe it wasn't that familiar.
Noticing that it was getting late, and that his housing situation was not yet sorted out, Yan Lidong found himself in a bit of a predicament. Turning to glance around him, he noticed a very prominent bar that was gathering quite a bit of attention. He fell into thought—with so many people gathered there, he could surely find someone to help sort out his living affairs. If not, then maybe he could try to track down the Guild and sleep at his desk.
Before he could get any further, though, Yan Lidong reached into his bag, then paused. He had forgotten that his bag was largely for decoration at that point. He mentally chided the Warden for not thinking to leave him with a fake ID; it seemed he wouldn't be able to get into the bar. It wasn't as though she left him with anything, really; realising that, he chided her further.
Nevertheless, he had few other options, and decided to try and weasel his way in. The crowd was growing larger by the second, so surely he could just join the fray—
Those were his thoughts, but he was actually confident that it would fail miserably. So, when a few minutes later, he smoothly entered the bar, he was quite confused. Not that he was complaining about getting in, of course; he was more so worried about how lax the security was.
Yan Lidong considered asking a passerby what had happened, but before he could, he overheard the conversation of two men who had just entered.
"Meng Fei… are you sure we can enter just like that? No checks?"
"Come on, are you stuck in the past? With how high-quality these masks are, anyone could sneak in easily. That machine there scans everyone who comes in for their biological age, and it only acts up if someone's underage. Way more efficient than checking IDs, too."
"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm still not used to this type of scene…"
"It's alright, I get it. Your protectors—well, kidnappers—probably didn't want you seeing something so lively, so they sheltered you for way too long."
"They did all of that just to be locked up by the Lord… what is he like, anyway?"
The man chuckled. "Nobody knows what the Lord's powers are, nor do we know his name. That's why we call him the Lord—he's the strongest around, and he's been managing the affairs of both the inner and outer cities, so it's pretty fitting."
Yan Lidong listened with interest. It seemed that his made-up backstory of being innocent and sheltered throughout the apocalypse was actually true for that person. He wasn't too surprised, though, given how easily Botany and He Jiuyu accepted his story; such experiences were probably common for them to believe him without any doubts. That also answered his lingering question about how he snuck in.
Unknowingly, Yan Lidong's thoughts stayed on the topic for a while longer. After hearing their conversation, he faintly recalled a certain rumour that He Jiuyu brought up. Before he could fully remember, though, he was suddenly snapped out of his daze.
"Hey, wait, is that the Lord?" someone whispered. The lively bar seemed to quiet down at once, with everyone murmuring about the figure that just appeared.
Yan Lidong snuck a quick glance at the entrance, his eyes lighting up. Chen Xie was still wearing his mask, but if anything, that made him more recognisable.
"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" the bartender exclaimed. "Surprised to see you here."
"...why do you sound more like Botany by the day?" Chen Xie asked wearily.
After hearing that name, Yan Lidong looked over with a start. Somehow, he hadn't noticed the very familiar person behind the counter: He Jiuyu.
"She really rubs off on people. Besides, now that you've saved the world, I have more time to spend with her and Hunter," He Jiuyu replied as he mixed a cocktail. Despite his large frame, his movements were nimble and controlled.
"I didn't save anything," Chen Xie sighed. "But I'm glad you guys are here to reign in Hunter now. Any later and Magonia might've tried to kill him."
He Jiuyu chuckled. Yan Lidong, however, didn't hear the rest of their conversation, as he had already run off to the bathroom. He hit the jackpot; whether it was Chen Xie or He Jiuyu, if he pleaded desperately enough, one of them was bound to let him borrow a room. He just had to get his mask off first.
Luckily, since the bar had just opened for the night, the bathroom was empty. Yan Lidong leaned in front of the mirror, once again lamenting the pitifully average state of his appearance.
He silently bade farewell to "Chen Li", then tried to peel the mask off starting from the edges, similar to a facial mask. When the Warden first handed it to him, the material still felt artificial, but it seemed to change over time—the mask's eerily skin-like texture startled him. The evolvers' abilities seemed to go far beyond his comprehension.
Just as she said, the removal process was difficult; not only was the mask especially adhesive, it was also unbearably painful. Yan Lidong imagined that the sensation was similar to peeling off an actual layer of skin, but in spite of his delicate appearance, his pain tolerance was quite high. Where others may have broken down into tears, he ripped it off as quickly as he could.
After removing it, the mask had regained its artificial rubbery texture; he surmised that it took a while to fully attach to the face and feel more like skin. He put the mask away and bent down to wash his face, which was tingling from the removal, when he suddenly heard voices from behind the bathroom door.
"You have to calm down! I get that you're curious, but speaking to the Lord will only bring trouble, especially with that face of yours."
"Listen, just one quick chat won't hurt! I just want to know what he's like—what my entire life was thrown away for."
The other man groaned. "I'm telling you, it's not worth it, especially after he's been drinking. If he was in his right state of mind, he might have mercy, but not when he can't think rationally."
"Please, Meng Fei—"
Then, the bathroom door swung open. Seeing Yan Lidong washing his face, the pair quickly grew silent. Yan Lidong lightly grinned in amusement; Chen Xie was far more popular than he could've anticipated.
"Anyways, it's a bad idea. Do your business and I'll stand guard."
"Nothing's going to happen! I don't need to be accompanied—"
"And if you get kidnapped again?"
"Fine! This is so embarrassing…"
As they spoke, Yan Lidong faintly recalled the earlier conversation he overheard, frowning. Once the tingling sensation was gone, he grabbed a paper towel, still bent over the sink. He started walking as he dried his face, keeping it covered from the other man. It was only when he opened the door, under the dim lights of the bar, that Yan Lidong lowered the towel.
So, the man in the stall was allegedly his lookalike? He wasn't too curious, though; he was more concerned with hiding his face for now. Just as that Meng Fei guy said, his appearance made him an easy kidnapping target. Yan Lidong lingered by the door, hearing a few vague segments of their conversation.
"See? Nothing bad… paranoid…"
"Yeah, alright… Let's go…—Dong."
Yan Lidong raised an eyebrow. He leisurely started making his way back, bowing his head to let his hair obscure it.
He hoped he had misheard.