Blood, secret passages, filth, piles of garbage.
The footsteps behind him lingered, and the pale skin was so conspicuous in the dark path. The pace of tracking gradually accelerated. Nika realized something and started running quickly.
Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be very familiar with this place. After rounding a corner, he found that the end of the road turned out to be a thick black and gray wall.
"Run, why don't you run? Loser!"
They are probably unemployed vagrants in the area, following a few unknown thugs, young people who think they are omnipotent. They advocate violence and like to hang out in every corner of the street during the day and late at night.
Nika had only taken two steps. He was panting slightly due to lack of energy. He covered his pocket with one hand. The coins in his pocket were his hope for survival.
He raised his head, with no expression on his face. The shadow of the World Tree in the distance was reflected in his pupils, and the branches that continued to extend upward were entangled.
"Hey, as long as you hand over the money, we will let you go. You don't want to get beaten, right?"
The two gangsters shouted, as if robbing a poor unemployed man who failed was a matter of course.
Nika came back to his senses when he heard the voice. His brief distraction made his mind wander a little. He clenched his hands into fists and tapped his head lightly. A certain nerve was twitching in pain again.
"Let's go."
Nika said in a hoarse voice. He turned around and looked at them. His thin body seemed as if the stronger wind could blow him down.
"ha?"
The gangster seemed unable to understand the meaning of his words. After thinking about it, he understood that Nika might want them to let him go.
"So good? Give us the money and you can go."
Domestic garbage piled up around them still smells bad, and remote corners are always like this without anyone looking for them.
Even if you die here, no one will find it!
Nika thought so.
"Hey, loser, why are you still standing there? You're like a disobedient dog. Come on, come and bark for us."
The gangsters sarcastically mocked him mercilessly and made harsh and unpleasant laughter. They laughed, convinced that Nika did not dare to do anything and could not do anything, and began to behave recklessly.
Nika stood there, motionless, and the nerve became more and more painful. He didn't know when he started, but his face was filled with tears:
"What is 'reason', what is 'survival', what is 'success'? Tell me, please, tell me, what should I do?"
"How to do it?"
A gangster came over, looked at Nika's pain, and put his hand on his shoulder.
"As long as you listen to us and hand over the money."
"real?"
Nika's eyes shot open.
"Of course it's true, otherwise, I'll break your dog legs."
The gangster threatened with a smile.
He turned and glanced at another companion. The companion understood what he meant and was looking for props at his feet that could be used as weapons. Threats must be real.
"Hit...break...beat..."
Nika rubbed his temples due to pain, and the scene in front of him became unreal. Something seemed to be swelling in his head, a violent and twisted fantasy that seemed to be about to escape.
"clang--"
The ancient bells of the city are ringing again. Everyone is chasing what they want, but they are constantly struggling, compromising, and suffering.
My companion found a decent-looking iron bar next to the garbage. It was full of rust marks and looked like it had been aged for some time. As soon as he bent down to pick it up, he heard a clear and young voice like a boy coming from behind:
"Is that what you said?"
The screams came, and he turned around in confusion. A broken thigh flew to his side, and a bloody mist spread in the air in front of him.
Before he could react, a mutated red hand like a tentacle stretched out from the blood mist and grabbed his chin. A pair of red eyes reflected in the frightened pupils.
"If I'm a dog, what are you?"
dog's……
Feed?
…
…
Lockran didn't look happy, and he was depressed all the way home. His big body sat on the steam tram like a sad black bear.
While Jiang Chenchuan was reading the free newspaper on the tram, he reached out and patted his back to express comfort.
Finally, the two separated at the intersection of Bullard Street and went their own way home.
As soon as he opened the door, he heard the old landlord greeting him cheerfully:
"Back, Yvel."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Byrne, you look so energetic."
The landlord is always like this. I still remember the first day Jiang Chenchuan penetrated Ivel's body. Because he couldn't eat, Lochlan took on a new commission, which caused him to almost starve to death in his room.
The landlord probably knew about his situation, so he knocked on the door enthusiastically and asked if he wanted to have a casual meal with him.
Every time he drank, he would start bragging about how handsome he was when he was young, saying that all the women on the street had a crush on him, but in the end, he married a stranger.
Jiang Chenchuan guessed that they must have some thrilling love story, but in reality it was love at first sight.
It was a woman with gray eyes. In that era when no one could conquer the ocean, she came riding the wind and waves and was active in one of the few ports in the Xinlan Sea. She fascinated him at a glance.
At that time, he was young and vigorous, and despite all opposition, he resolutely chose to marry that woman.
"Then you lived a life without shame?" Jiang Chenchuan asked with interest.
"No, she bought me three houses with her money, then went to sea, and never came back since."
Only then did the landlord show a nostalgic expression, as if he was remembering his deceased wife.
Jiang Chenchuan was just about to say something comforting when he heard the old landlord sigh in a low voice: "It would be great if I bought two more buildings."
The old and cloudy pupils are shining with light, which is the desire for money.
What a touching love story about a rich woman keeping a pretty boy.
But to be fair, the landlord was kind to everyone. With the last bit of Evel's remaining salary, Jiang Chenchuan paid all the rent costs at once. When the one-day rich experience card expired, he returned to the kind of poverty-stricken life. Life.
The only reward was that he got a relic pocket watch worth ten gold gallons.
He went upstairs with his cane and saw that the door of the next door was ajar. The originally empty room had been filled with furniture and was still messy and full of traces of life.
"Your new roommate, who moved in last night, seems to have gone out just now."
The old landlord answered his questions downstairs. Jiang Chenchuan responded, took out the key and opened his door.
boom--
The door closed again, blocking the gaze watching him from the shadows.
