[E-rank fugitive Huang Mingjie, 30,000 Lungmen-dollar bounty, plans to flee at 2:00 a.m. He is currently hiding in Room 211, Building 89 in the slums.]
In a dark, empty alley, Chen Xiu leaned against a weathered red-brick wall and calculated.
Thirty thousand Lungmen dollars was an enormous sum to someone with nothing.
With that money, many of his immediate problems could be solved—like finding somewhere to live, or temporarily addressing his identity problem.
Right now, he wasn't just undocumented—he couldn't even prove he was Sami.
If he got caught, it was a clean case of cross-border illegal entry. He'd likely be deported.
Chen Xiu never imagined he'd end up forced into the role of "running for survival."
If he stayed in the slums, it might not matter—Lungmen's law enforcement barely controlled this area and rarely came here to check identities.
But the slums were a swamp: gangs, crime, violence, and turf wars as casual as breathing.
Chen Xiu had grown up in a peaceful society. This kind of place triggered instinctive resistance.
He couldn't help wondering whether the Lungmen slums or some infamous scam compound elsewhere would have the higher "evil score."
Either way, sleeping on the street here was too dangerous. He needed shelter fast.
The problem was: how strong was an E-rank fugitive?
It mattered—and it didn't.
To escape Ursus, the original owner had overused prophecy in a short time, forcing his body into severe depletion. Chen Xiu's current condition was shaky at best. Catching someone alone was too risky.
So he needed a partner.
The first option was simple: cling to Lin Yuxia's black-silked thigh.
With her personal strength and the power behind her, handling an E-rank wanted criminal would be trivial.
The second option…
[At 21:53, a starving Celinia "Texas" will enter a dark, secluded alley in the Lungmen slums, hoping to run into a few clueless petty thieves.]
Yes—Texas.
In terms of strength and character, she was the reliable choice.
This was still early in her Lungmen days—before she ever ended up working under Emperor.
Her family had fallen not long ago. From the intel, she wasn't living well—otherwise she wouldn't be trying to "fish" like this.
"Go to Lin Yuxia and she'll probably hand me the full thirty thousand. She doesn't lack money."
"But if I go to Texas, I'll have to split it at least fifty-fifty to get her to cooperate."
And so Chen Xiu decisively chose the smaller number.
It wasn't because he wanted to flirt with Texas—well, that was a tiny, tiny piece of the decision tree.
The real reason was simple: future daily intel would definitely include more bounties. He couldn't keep bothering Lin Yuxia every time.
Better to establish a long-term partnership with Texas.
Of course, Texas had just fled Columbia. She'd be sensitive. Earning her trust wouldn't be easy.
If it failed, he could still fall back to Lin Yuxia.
With the Rat King's people as a safety net, he couldn't lose either way.
Chen Xiu glanced toward Lungmen Commerce Tower and checked the digital clock.
"It's 9:30 p.m. I have to move!"
…
Downtown was crowded and bright—people flowing like a tide, traffic like a river.
Most street-facing buildings were four or five stories. Signboards stacked and overlapped in chaotic layers. Multicolored lights competed aggressively. Loudspeakers outside storefronts screamed over one another—some blasting popular songs, some shouting their own sales pitches.
The loudest ones, as always, were the ones "jumping off the building" with discounts for months on end.
Texas stared at the combo pictures on a pizza shop window and swallowed, her dull, slightly matted wolf tail swaying weakly.
"Columbian Bacon Pizza 4-piece set! Original price JPY 74, now only JPY 45.9!"
Contents: one 8-inch Columbian bacon pizza, one classic golden fried chicken, small thick-cut fries, and one drink.
Her eyes drifted lower.
"Martino Pizza! New product launch! Spicy Wingbeast Dice 'Firestorm' Pizza!"
"Limited-time event: only JPY 20 for an 8-inch new pizza!"
A new kind of pizza. Probably Martino's local adaptation after entering Yan. They loved doing that.
And it was only 20—cheaper than the set above.
She really wanted to buy one and try it…
Texas patted her empty pocket and abandoned the thought.
She'd fled her family in a hurry. The little money she'd had was already gone on the road to Lungmen. With her identity issues, she hadn't been able to find work downtown these past two days.
She was so hungry her eyes practically glowed.
If she wanted to, she had plenty of ways to make money.
But she'd only just severed ties with her past. She didn't want to walk back into it so soon. On this point, she refused to compromise.
Still… using a method that wasn't too extreme should be fine, right?
She glanced once more at the Siracusan chain pizza shop—then turned and walked into the slums, just one street away from downtown.
When Chen Xiu arrived, Texas was leaning beneath a flickering streetlamp. Cap pulled low, hands in pockets—she looked like a rebellious girl who'd run away from home.
A few Perro thugs with gaudy fur colors and sleazy faces surrounded her.
"Hey, little sister. Out this late alone—aren't you scared?"
"You're pretty cute. Wanna come have fun with your big brothers?"
"We'll take you home. Just not sure when we'll get there, hahaha!"
The leader laughed loudly, appraising Texas like a prize already in his hands—his gaze lingering far too long on her slim legs wrapped in black stockings beneath her shorts.
Outside the alley, passersby pretended not to see.
A bespectacled office worker peeked over after hearing the noise. One thug pointed and cursed at him. Terrified, the man hurried away, apologizing loudly as he ran.
Texas looked away, relieved.
She'd waited a long time to finally "hook" a few idiots like these.
Flirting was one thing. Touching was another.
When the leader reached for her arm, Texas's brows lifted. Her wolf ears perked, her tail stilled.
This was the moment she'd been waiting for.
Just as she was about to move—
A voice sounded from outside the alley.
"Found you, found you. So you were here."
A thin Sarkaz youth squeezed in. "Ah—my apologies. My friend's caused you trouble."
"Lost again, huh? Next time don't run around everywhere." He scolded Texas harshly, then smiled apologetically at the thugs. "Sorry for the disturbance."
Then he grabbed Texas's hand and tried to pull her out.
Texas stopped cold, annoyed. "Who are you? Why are you acting like we're close?"
The alley fell into dead silence.
Neither the thugs nor Chen Xiu expected her to say that.
She knew he meant well—but she'd spent all this time baiting her catch, and the net was just about to close!
The thugs snapped out of it.
"Kid—what's that supposed to mean? You looking down on us?" they snarled, closing in on Chen Xiu.
Chen Xiu instantly shoved Texas behind him and shouted, "Move! Now! If you don't, we're both finished!"
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