Walking aimlessly through the ruined streets, Lu Xin realized that he hadn't truly looked at this street in a long time.
The roads were full of potholes and dust, with puddles of water left behind from a few days ago.
Blinding neon lights flickered all around, blending into chaotic yet dazzling colors.
After the Red Moon Event, the survivors within the high-walled city seemed to be divided into two distinct groups.
One group was incredibly busy, always rushing, never sparing a glance at anything.
The other group had nothing to do. They sat sluggishly on either side of the street, spreading out cloth bundles or setting up small tables in front of them. On these makeshift stalls were wild vegetables, unknown cuts of meat, roughly forged knives, or trinkets scavenged by hunters from the abandoned ruins outside the city—along with various unidentified technological relics.
Even more people simply gathered in groups of three or five, smoking and whistling at women passing by.
There were still many lunatics outside the walls. During the city's early years, people even struggled to find enough to eat. But perhaps because the number of mouths to feed had suddenly decreased, or maybe because civilization was rebuilding faster than anyone had expected, in just thirty years, famine and starvation had become rare occurrences within the high walls.
Simply put, it wasn't hard to fill one's stomach inside the high-walled city.
The real difficulty was finding a way to live a better life.
These idlers wandering the streets had already given up on that struggle. They hadn't even acquired official residency in the second satellite city, let alone gained access to professional training schools or academic institutions. The thought of ever living in the main city was an impossible dream.
So, they abandoned all ambition. They didn't work, nor did they plan for the future.
They merely roamed the streets day after day, staring blankly at the passing crowd, their eyes empty, their thoughts unknown.
…
…
Lu Xin walked through the streets, observing everyone.
He was searching for someone—someone like the coffee shop worker from the other day. A dangerous presence hidden among the ordinary crowd.
If he could catch one, he'd make a fortune and save a lot of lives in the process.
His sister's figure would occasionally appear beside him. Sometimes, she was perched on the rooftop of a nearby building. Other times, she lazily crawled across the overhead power lines. Once, she even appeared atop the bald head of a passing middle-aged man.
The siblings patrolled the streets seriously.
And found nothing.
"This city is too big…"
After wandering through seven or eight streets, Lu Xin's legs were sore. He crouched by the roadside, smoking a cigarette while eating a boxed meal.
He reflected on his experience. "When the high-walled city was first built, the population was small. But in these past decades, the number of people being born has exploded. Now, even in just our second satellite city, there are over a million residents. The police complain every day about being short-staffed. So with me just randomly walking around like this, not finding anything is actually pretty normal…"
"I just need to patrol a few more times. I'm bound to find something eventually…"
…
After finishing his meal, Lu Xin patrolled a little longer before heading home to sleep.
For the next few days, he continued the same routine.
But the city was frustratingly normal.
Nothing strange happened.
"If this city is too safe… if there's nothing for me to do… will Colonel Chen and the others take back my subsidy?"
Lu Xin couldn't help but worry.
But before he could dwell on it, something else in his life went wrong first.
"Xiao Lu, you don't need to come to work tomorrow."
The department head, half-bald but meticulously combed, slid a termination contract across the desk toward Lu Xin.
"…Why?"
Lu Xin was caught off guard. He couldn't understand.
His other job hadn't even become permanent yet, and now he was getting fired from this one?
That was unacceptable.
In the post-Red Moon world, economic instability meant losing one's job was common. Especially for a job like his—where he only needed to sit in an office and think, rather than toil at the docks or factories. There was fierce competition for positions like these.
But he had never expected to be the one getting cut.
He had always worked diligently and had never made any major mistakes.
He was even considered an exemplary employee. The award banner was still hanging in his cubicle.
So why him?
…
"This… you have to understand, Xiao Lu."
The department head forced a smile and handed Lu Xin a cigarette, revealing his yellowed, smoke-stained teeth. "The company isn't doing well. We can't afford to keep too many people for the same job. Between you and Xiao Lü, your skills are about the same, but… he has a much better attitude. Look at you—you've been leaving work early every day recently. You're never around by the end of the shift."
"Lü Cheng?"
Lu Xin recalled the young man who had always smiled and asked him for advice on handling work.
He fell silent.
He knew exactly what the department head meant by "leaving early."
In reality, he hadn't been leaving early—he just hadn't been staying late for unpaid overtime.
"Director, can you give me another chance?"
Lu Xin had a lot to say, but in the end, he only asked quietly.
The department head put on a troubled expression. "Sigh, Xiao Lu, you've been here for years. I don't want to let you go either. But you know how it is—this company has strict roles, and we can't afford to keep idle workers. When skills are equal, attitude matters more…"
Lu Xin stopped listening.
He knew it was all nonsense.
When he left the office, his belongings had already been packed neatly into a box.
Someone had been thoughtful enough to do it for him.
"It was Lü Cheng," whispered Aunt Sun, the curly-haired woman from the next cubicle. "He's been itching to take your spot."
She sighed. "Xiao Lu, I told you before, don't teach others everything. See? Now he's taken your job. I also heard he's dating the director's daughter. The director isn't stupid—of course he'd give the job to his own family."
Lu Xin stared at the award banner inside his box, then reached into his bag and touched the gun inside.
But in the end, he didn't draw it.
Instead, he stepped outside, lit a cigarette, and started pacing.
He recalled Chen Jing's advice to him.
When trouble arises in life, follow these three steps:
First, call the police.
Second, call her.
Third, use the gun.