Chapter 952: Chapter 952

This seemed to be an old unmanned bus at first glance, with most of its smart devices already dismantled; even the sealed windows had been replaced with several cast-iron-edged sliding windows.

When the bus arrived, there weren’t many people and there were still some seats available, but by now, the bus stop was already crowded with waiters.

The man standing next to He Ao quickly moved forward, clutching a loaf of bread as he rushed to the bus door and said, "Mister, be quick and watch your wallet and bracelet!"

During this conversation, the crowd around the signpost also squeezed toward the small door of the bus.

The man only felt the crowd pushing against him, pressing him like compacted dirt toward the center of the bus.

It was then that he felt his wrist seized by a strong hand, which then yanked him forcefully.

He was pulled out of the crowd like a carrot and dropped into a spot in the back corner of the bus.

In his panic as he steadied himself, he turned his head somewhat vacantly to look at his side, catching sight of the elderly man’s calm and gentle smile right next to him.

But before he could speak, he saw the elderly man let go of his hand and reach out to grab the hand of someone deep within the crowd behind.

A lean figure was once again pulled out of the crowd by the elderly man.

In the course of movement, the lean figure pulled out a small knife from his pocket, but before he could act, the old man’s hand guided his body forward, and at the same time, the elderly man pushed open the window of the old bus.

The lean figure, almost without any hesitation, soared over the man’s head, squeezed through the gaps in the crowd, and was thrown out the back door of the bus, landing on the ground with a roll and letting out a cry of pain.

The man watched all this in disbelief; just as he was about to speak, he saw the elderly man raise his hand again, displaying two neatly folded 20 federal coin notes pinched between his fingertips.

As he looked at the familiar paper notes, he paused for a moment, quickly felt his pocket, and realized it was completely empty.

Only then did he realize that the lean figure was a pickpocket who had just stolen his money but was caught by the elderly man.

He swallowed, took the paper notes from the elderly man’s fingers with a trembling hand, and said, "Thank you."

Then he looked a bit embarrassed, "Do you know how to fight? You seem very skilled."

He had just told the elderly man to watch his wallet, not expecting his own money to be stolen first, and it was the elderly man who had saved it.

"Just happens to know a little."

He Ao nodded slightly and leaned his brass walking stick to one side.

The driverless bus slowly started, driving past the fallen pickpocket.

He Ao looked up and surveyed their surroundings; they were now situated in a corner of the bus, where more people had already crowded in, standing in the aisle around them.

Most of these standing people held onto a handle with one hand while the other hand was raised, operating bracelets with gestures.

From their actions, some were scrolling through short videos, some were watching dramas, and others were viewing live streams.

They looked weary, their expressions numb, as if they could fall asleep at any moment; they also seemed not to have heard the noise of the lean figure being thrown out, or perhaps they had but were used to it by now.

As He Ao’s gaze swept over them, some people hung their heads and subconsciously shifted to the side a bit.

Their heads bowed, not wanting to catch He Ao’s gaze, it seemed they were afraid they might be the next to be thrown off.

They appeared to have long been accustomed to this life, fearing every rustle and acting like silenced lambs that had been tamed.

"This is the industrial district of the Yiwis Space System Company,"

Meanwhile, the man sitting next to He Ao had also somewhat recovered his senses. He turned his head to look at the retreating factory buildings outside the window and introduced in a relaxed voice, "These industrial zones take up about one-third of the Southern District. The young people here either go out the South Gate to the Kopace Mining factories for mining, or they enter the Yiwis Space System factories to produce bullets."

"Does anyone head north?"

He Ao turned back and asked in a low voice.

"Are you talking about leaving the Southern District?"

The man paused, looking at the factory outside the window and thought for a moment before slowly explaining,

"Some, but very few,"

"People here either fled to escape debts under assumed names, are children of such people, or are wanderers and orphans."

"Those hiding from debts can’t return, and they also have to avoid the debt-collecting mercenaries sent by big banks like Nord. Children born here mostly inherit nothing from their parents; some even help repay their parents’ debts to alleviate their burden."

He paused, seemingly recalling something,

"Most parents here can’t afford tuition, so the gangs offer ’elementary loans’ and ’high school loans’ with usually high interest rates that have to be repaid when the children grow up."

"After finishing elementary or learning to read, most kids start working in factories or at mining sites to pay off their student loans."

"A few smart kids manage to get into university and might apply for student loans from big banks, which can somewhat improve their lives, but they end up with even bigger, enormous loans."

"For those without money, loans only get bigger, borrowing one to repay another, perpetuating a vicious cycle where the debt hole deepens."

"If they get sick along the way, the situation gets even worse."

"Some even continue repaying loans until they are seventy, with interest dozens of times their principal, though most people here don’t live to see seventy."

The man lowered his head and continued,

"So even a little money is very important to us. People in the Southern District can hardly come up with sufficient rent deposits, even if a loan covers the deposit and they find a residence in the north, proving residency, jobs there are hard to find too,"

"People from the north, aside from those wealthy gentry from Saint Yilan, have limited job options just like us, mostly limited to mines or factories, and their lives aren’t much better than those in the Southern District."

He turned his head back and glanced at the weary passengers on the bus, sighed, and said, "So, except for a few promising ones who go to the north for university, very few ever choose to leave the Southern District."

Linen had visited parts of Wick District, Cena District, and the central and northern areas of Nevus District.

The region couldn’t change the underlying essence of the city; what truly dominated, regardless of the area, remained unchanged.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Just then, as if due to the previous exertion, the man beside him started coughing lightly again.

"Did you previously work at Kopes Mining’s mining site?"

He Ao turned, glanced at the man, and asked softly.

The man covered his mouth lightly, leaned back on his seat, took a breath, then nodded slightly, "Kopace’s mining sites are the most numerous; everyone heads there."

"They claim to have a charity foundation to help their employees, have you come into contact with it?"

"A charity foundation?"

The man seemed puzzled, like he was trying to remember something, and after a while, he seemed to recall and said oddly, his voice hoarse,

"You ask about that; I do know a little. Their charity foundation is by invitation only."

"Generally, only directors with particularly high positions and incomes, or managers who hold shares, get invited."

He then coughed awkwardly, laughed, and said, "I once went there with a few colleagues who were also sick, and we were thrown out by security before we even entered."

"How are those sick colleagues of yours doing now?"

The man gave a light cough and reminisced,

"Mining is all about earning a death wage. Hardly anyone lives past sixty. It’s normal for those in their forties without money for medicine to die. I was the youngest among those of us who fell ill. Theoretically, I should have been able to work a few more years without showing symptoms,

"But the air and dust conditions at my work site seemed worse than other places, so I developed symptoms earlier. However, my condition wasn’t as severe compared to my colleagues,

"I could have switched to another job and worked a few more years,

"But there were a lot more seriously ill colleagues in our group, and with a wave of his hand, the boss at the mine simply laid me off as well."

He paused, holding a paper bag of bread in his arms, his gaze lifting as if recalling,

"Back then, I tried to return to the mine several times, but I was locked out every time. Once you’re dismissed due to illness, the mine absolutely won’t rehire you. We can’t do hard labor and might just die in the mines, so after being denied entry a few times, I gave up,

"After a few months, I found the job I have now. Though I often get yelled at and hit, I can at least survive,"

He lowered his head to look at the bread in his arms and smiled, "Looking on the bright side, at least my illness isn’t severe. I can still work and earn some money. Most of my former colleagues who left the mine aren’t wanted by any company. They can only do odd jobs, and most of their earnings go to paying off loans. They can’t afford medicine and didn’t live long after."

His voice faltered slightly, as if he remembered something, and he sighed, "Having a debt, even while using credit cards to buy food and medicine, those days were really tough.

"Sometimes the noses of corporates like Nord are terrifyingly sharp. As soon as they detect that you’ve lost your job, they instantly reduce your credit limit and lock your credit cards, which leaves you no choice but to fall back on high-interest loans from gangs, and that’s even worse."

He Ao nodded gently, looking out at the industrial buildings that were retroceding.

A cool breeze entered through the open bus window, the old unmanned bus jostled on the shabby road, shaking the murky and silent people inside.

The man turned his head, looking at the elderly next to him who seemed lost in thought.

Earlier, a young ’guard’ stood by the elderly, constantly reminding of the potential noble status of this man.

But when the guard left, and he truly delved into conversation with the elderly, he unexpectedly found that Mister in front of him was much more amiable and approachable than he had imagined, and he found himself instinctively trusting him.

The jostling bus stopped at two stations, people constantly getting on and off.

The scenery outside the window also began to feel familiar.

It seemed to be near here where they intercepted the missile yesterday.

He Ao turned back, his gaze weaving through the crowd, sweeping over a young man on the seat across from him.

This young man had been on the bus since before he got on, also one of the few whose attention was caught when He Ao threw a thief out of the bus.

Throughout the journey, he continued to surreptitiously glance at He Ao.

But when He Ao looked at him, he didn’t notice.

It seemed that a new platform had arrived up ahead; the bus under the cover of night slowly came to a stop, and He Ao withdrew his gaze.

"At this time, there are more people working night shifts at the factories,"

The man sitting next to He Ao looked at the crowded group under the bus stop sign, slowly stood up, "Mister, we need to get ready in advance, otherwise it will be difficult to get off later."

"Alright, that’s fine."

He Ao gently nodded and slowly stood up.

Then the bus doors opened, and the flow of people getting on and off surged wildly.

The man only felt a hand grasp his wrist, accompanied by a sudden intense dizziness and surge; by the time his vision cleared, the bus doors had just slowly closed.

He opened his mouth, looking at the elder beside him holding a brass cane; he now understood how this Mister swiftly found a seat when he first boarded.

But with such a violent squeeze and movement, how did the Mister’s hairstyle remain so perfectly intact?

And at this moment, he also saw the elderly man raise his head, looking forward towards the dilapidated low-rise district under the night sky.

"Yes, this is the largest residential area nearby. The Prisoners’ Gang has arranged for many people to stay here."

The man nodded gently, glanced around, and continued forward with He Ao. Under a ’slope’ formed by collapsed buildings, they found a broken railing and he climbed through first. "Mister, let’s go this way. My home is in the building just behind this railing, but it might be a bit rundown..."

He Ao holding a brass cane, passed through the railing.

Behind him on the ’slope’, under the dim night sky, a little boy who had just climbed onto a concrete platform heard a slight noise. He turned around and looked toward the damaged railing.

Then his gaze rested on the figure of the elderly man walking toward the low-rise building.

Entering the low-rise building near the railing, he walked up to the third floor along a staircase without handrails.

A rusty red iron door appeared before He Ao.

"Mister, please wait a moment,"

The man took out a key and unlocked the iron door.

Apparently hearing the sound of the door opening, accompanied by two crisp sounds, two little girls emerged from behind the door and threw themselves at the man.

The man, who looked somewhat weak and tired, brightened a bit upon seeing the two girls. He bent down, took out two cupcake from a paper bag, and said with a smile, "Look what daddy has brought for you."

The two little girls’ eyes sparkled as they each took one.

At this time, the man also looked up at He Ao with an embarrassed smile, "The house is rather simple."

He Ao’s gaze swept through the interior behind the door, which seemed to be a small one-bedroom apartment.

A dim rechargeable hanging lamp and an old faded sofa with a few small toys constituted the only ’main decorations’ of the living room.

In place of a regular window, there was an irregularly sized large piece of glass, with the gaps cemented around it.

The bedroom connected to the living room had no door, only a curtain.

"Husband, do we have a guest?"

A somewhat weak female voice came from the bedroom, followed by a few metallic clinking sounds as a pale-faced woman emerged from behind the curtain.

She leaned on two metal crutches, her right foot touching the ground while the left leg had only an empty trouser leg.

The man looked at the woman and quickly introduced her. "She used to work at the Yiwis Space System factory, where a machine crushed her leg. Later, an underground doctor performed an amputation on her. We were very lucky to have her life spared, though she’s still rather frail."

Then he turned to the woman and said softly, "This is someone I met on the road, from Saint Yilan..."

But before he could finish, the woman leaning on the crutches, looking at He Ao, interrupted with a hint of surprise and confusion, "Dr. Linen?"