Chapter 69: City of Order 3

Chapter 69

Just after entering the Layer of Greed, Shen Wang noticed two lines of numbers had appeared on his ticket.

The first line was a 24-hour countdown; the second line was stranger — a big fat zero. Right then, an attendant with a stiff smile walked over, took the ticket from Shen Wang's hand, and pinned it to his chest.

Shen Wang looked at the ticket on his chest with disgust. ‘Is this your rule? Pinning the ticket to your chest?’

‘Yes, guest.’ The attendant, whose stiff smile was like a mask, said, ‘The ticket is every guest's first display of strength. Everyone must wear their ticket on their chest to show your lofty status.’

Shen Wang listened, a subtle look in his eyes.

So he pointed at the zero on his chest. ‘Then what's this?’

‘That is the amount you have spent,’ the attendant answered. ‘Both the remaining time on the ticket and the amount spent are representations of your financial power.’

Shen Wang understood. This place really was a money-obsessed hellhole through and through.

No wonder they call it the Layer of Greed.

Ignoring the attendant, Shen Wang turned and walked on, but the attendant kept following behind him.

‘Guest, guest,’ the attendant called out.

Shen Wang glanced at him, not exactly kindly. ‘Is there something else?’

‘With money, you can buy anything in the Layer of Greed. But if you have no money and still wish to enjoy yourself, you can go over there to pawn something.’

The attendant pointed in a direction. ‘Everything you have can be pawned, but the prices are not what you might think.’

‘You mean that stuff that's traditionally valuable isn't worth much here?’

‘Yes,’ the attendant said with that stiff smiling face. ‘For example, gold and diamonds are just the most worthless stones here. But if it's a protective charm given to you by a dying mother, then the price is quite high. We value the emotional worth attached to an item.’

Emotional worth?

‘So you strip a person of every emotion except greed?’ Shen Wang clicked his tongue. ‘You're a real saint.’

‘Thank you for the compliment,’ the attendant said. ‘I wish the guest a pleasant time.’

Shen Wang answered calmly, ‘I wasn't complimenting you. I was insulting you.’

‘Figures. A brainless contaminant-spawn can't even tell the difference.’

The attendant's steps halted, but only for a second, then he hurried off to attend to another guest.

And the new guest he attended to had just arrived and was already heading to the Pawnhouse, rushing, shouting ‘I'm definitely going to strike it rich this time!’

How absurd.

Shen Wang turned and walked on, hands in his coat pockets, face expressionless.

Up ahead, every so often there was an attendant standing there, and the open area was crowded with people — men and women, old and young. Behind each attendant were different things. People would occasionally buy tickets from the attendants and go in; the countdown and amount on everyone's chests were different.

As he walked, Shen Wang noticed that everyone instinctively glanced at the ticket on his chest. When they saw the amount was 0, they'd clearly show a disdainful expression, then puff out their chests as if showing off.

‘I should have Zhou Xiangzhe come in,’ Shen Wang murmured. ‘That guy doesn't care at all about what others think. Someone looking at him or not, it's all the same to him.’

Zhou Xiangzhe is emotionally bland, and a bit mentally abnormal; he doesn't pay much attention to himself. Other than being good at fussing over his appearance and having a cleanliness obsession, he completely ignores other people.

Shen Wang was different. He hated strange looks from others.

If too many people looked at him like that, he'd definitely hit someone.

To avoid hitting someone, Shen Wang headed toward a less crowded area.

Actually, the further in you went, the fewer people there were. The temptations up front were huge and numerous; wealthy people would be lured into buying tickets right at the start, quickly burning through their money, so they never made it further back. So the people who did make it back either had plenty of money or had been here many times already and knew what was where.

That way, when they entered, they could head straight to their destination.

As for Shen Wang, he was simply walking forward to find an area with no one so he wouldn't be tempted to hit anyone.

Just then, with a bang, a person rushed out from a doorway, his face full of panic, cheeks flushed, looking out of breath.

The moment he saw Shen Wang, his eyes widened. Before Shen Wang could react, he threw himself forward and knelt in front of Shen Wang.

Shen Wang, who got a stranger kneeling before him before he'd even gone far: ...?

Shen Wang had a harmless appearance: warm, affectionate peach-blossom eyes, a gentle smile, as if sunshine was spilling around him. You could even say he looked extremely kind and unaggressive, completely opposite to his true nature. No one who saw him would think he had a bad personality.

In fact, among a crowd, he was very easily mistaken for a harmless little white flower.

His overly gentle aura even obscured the fact that he was an adult male, and even that he was taller than most men — when he stood with Zhou Xiangzhe, there was no height difference.

But that was precisely what made it easier for Shen Wang to get information than normal people.

So after this person lunged over, Shen Wang essentially watched coldly as things unfolded and didn't stop him.

‘Sir, please save me!’ The man knelt on the ground and grabbed Shen Wang's trouser leg. ‘I'm out of money, they're going to kill me! I beg you, save my life! I'll definitely pay you back! When we get out, I'll work like a slave to repay you!’

He kept kowtowing to Shen Wang. ‘Please, save me.’

Shen Wang watched for a moment, then replied, ‘But I don't have any money.’

Hearing Shen Wang's voice, the man felt a surge of joy.

He had indeed found the right person.

This man clearly looked like a big softie. He'd come this far without spending a cent, maybe he'd just arrived. A person like this, you could definitely con, because he couldn't bear to watch someone die.

Great, great, he'd really caught himself a sucker!

‘Just a little bit, I don't need much!’ The man kowtowed hard, not even caring that his forehead was bleeding, probably trying to look even more pitiful. ‘I know you're a good person, you're a good person!’

Shen Wang frowned slightly, but before he could speak, another voice rang out.

A man smoking nearby looked at the one kneeling on the ground, then at Shen Wang. ‘Don't give him money.’

Shen Wang turned to look at him.

The kneeling man instantly glared at him viciously. ‘What's it to you! How much more do you want to screw me over!’

The man calmly tapped off his cigarette ash.

‘People who can walk here with a spending amount of 0 are either filthy rich and know exactly where they're going, or first-timers. Since it's your first time, you definitely have backup money. He's set his sights on your backup funds.’

‘He won't pay you back. Giving him money is throwing it away.’

Shen Wang looked at him subtly, then glanced at the person kneeling before him.

The man's face turned ugly, clearly hit but unwilling to admit it. He kept on kowtowing. ‘Please save me, save me...’

‘You're a good person, you definitely don't want to see me die.’

With a click, the door behind him suddenly opened and two stiffly smiling attendants walked out. Their target was the kneeling man. Seeing them come after him, his face grew even more terrified. ‘No, no! Please give me money, save me!’

The two attendants came over, reached out, and grabbed the kneeling man, as if to drag him away.

The man immediately shouted, ‘He came with me! He can pay, ask him for money!’

The smoking man nearby looked at Shen Wang with a meaningful gaze, as if eager to watch the show.

The attendants weren't very bright. The moment he shouted that, both of them stopped moving and raised their heads to look at Shen Wang, as if assessing whether he would pay.

Shen Wang sneered.

But even when sneering, Shen Wang's demeanor didn't carry much threat. At most, his eyes held a visible trace of mockery.

‘You're asking me for money?’

Shen Wang looked at the person pinned down by the attendants. ‘Do you even know me? And you ask me for money.’

‘Why should I give you money?’

After Shen Wang said that, the man realized he'd been completely wrong. The person in front of him had a gentle face and looked harmless, but in reality, he wouldn't care at all about someone who was about to die.

He could only keep begging the attendants: ‘We came together! Really! Ask him for money!’

Shen Wang calmly placed his hand on his waist. The smoking man looked at his posture in confusion, thinking, what's he doing? Reaching for money?

If he really paid up, then he'd misjudged him too.

He watched Shen Wang as if enjoying a good show, until Shen Wang pulled a gun from his waist…

‘I can send you to hell early,’ Shen Wang said with a smile, aiming the muzzle at the kneeling man. ‘If you want to die, just ask me directly. No need to beat around the bush and borrow money.’

Both men froze at the same time.

The kneeling man stared in terror at the gun barrel, while the smoking man's eyes widened and he immediately turned to leave.

‘Stay,’ Shen Wang said without even looking at him. ‘Where do you think you're going?’

The man stiffened in place, not even noticing the cigarette drop from his fingers.

Shen Wang fired cleanly; the bullet shattered one of the attendants. With a bang, the attendant exploded like pottery, red blood and fragments splattering all over the man. He let out a terrified scream, but quickly, another attendant walked out from the room.

The two attendants, as if not seeing the shattered attendant corpse nearby, dragged the screaming man away.

Shen Wang didn't care about that person. He simply turned and calmly walked over to the man behind him.

‘Anti-Contamination Center personnel?’

The man remained stiff in place, not daring to speak, not even changing his posture.

Shen Wang walked up to him, pulled a badge from his chest pocket with one hand — it had his squad's Marker Tag and his name on it.

‘Dispatch team, Cheng Xiangtian?’

The moment Shen Wang pulled out the gun, Cheng Xiangtian knew Shen Wang was from the Anti-Contamination Center. That sidearm was standard issue for dispatch teams. Since different teams had different duties, their sidearms varied, so he also knew that this particular sidearm was only for high-risk dispatch team members.

That guy had misjudged, and so had he.

This was actually a high-level Mutant from a dispatch team!

And the fact that he dared to shoot and kill an attendant so decisively meant he had nothing to fear — he was definitely a highly aggressive Mutant.

He had actually thought this was an easy-to-push-around little white flower, and even wanted to watch the show…

‘That was all in the past.’ Cheng Xiangtian's voice was a bit stuttery. He wanted to take his badge back but didn't dare reach for it. ‘You, are you new here?’

Shen Wang glanced at the ticket hanging on his chest.

High-level ticket, spending had reached 3 million. Tch.

‘When did you enter the City of Order?’ Shen Wang asked him. ‘Is there anything inside we need to watch out for?’

‘I entered three years ago.’ Cheng Xiangtian swallowed. He was scared of Shen Wang's gun barrel, and answered whatever Shen Wang asked.

‘There's nothing in the Layer of Greed except pleasure. Even if you investigate inside, you won't find anything. You're here on an investigation, right?’

Shen Wang looked at the badge. Only after a few seconds did he speak. ‘How much can an Anti-Contamination Center badge be pawned for at the Pawnhouse?’

‘1 million.’

‘That's quite a lot.’ Shen Wang looked at him. ‘How many did you pawn?’

Cheng Xiangtian choked. He suddenly realized he might have said something he shouldn't have a moment ago.

His face turned quite ugly. He hadn't expected to blurt that out at all. Could this person's talent be making people subconsciously tell the truth?

‘I didn't...’

‘Don't make things up. You can't even fool yourself.’ Shen Wang said calmly, ‘Talk. How many of your teammates' badges did you sell?’

‘If you've forgotten, I'll help you remember properly.’

Shen Wang aimed the gun at his waist. ‘No worries, I guarantee you won't die. After all, I don't plan to kill you, just help jog your memory.’

‘I didn't do anything to betray them!’ Cheng Xiangtian quickly raised his hands to explain. ‘They died in action. I brought the badges they left behind here, accidentally entered, and then couldn't get out. I was robbed several times outside, and had no choice but to sell their badges.’

Shen Wang nodded. ‘Keep talking.’

‘I had no choice. Once you enter here, you can't leave,’ Cheng Xiangtian told him. ‘The Layer of Greed has everything. With money, you can have any life you want, but as soon as you enter the Layer of Greed, you get contaminated. Everyone gets contaminated. Everyone slowly loses themselves inside.’

‘And once you enter, you lose any chance of leaving!’

Saying this, Cheng Xiangtian looked at Shen Wang again. ‘You'll get contaminated too. You won't be able to leave either. When you can't control yourself and start selling badges, then you'll understand me!’

‘Oh.’ Shen Wang nodded calmly. ‘What a shame. My talent is Contamination Immunity. Even standing here, I won't be contaminated.’

Cheng Xiangtian froze for a moment, but then gave a bitter laugh.

‘So what if you have Contamination Immunity? The City of Order is the territory of a Grade S Contaminant!’

Shen Wang tilted his head. ‘Is that so?’

‘Of course. Only a Grade S Contaminant could create such a vast City of Order.’ He lowered his head, dejected. ‘No one can escape contamination.’

‘What a coincidence,’ Shen Wang said. ‘I'm also Grade S.’

Cheng Xiangtian: ...?

Cheng Xiangtian: ...!!!

He stared at Shen Wang almost in terror.

A Grade S Mutant?!

As a member of the Anti-Contamination Center dispatch team, he knew the center had three Grade S Mutants. These three were known to everyone. As a dispatch team member, he also knew them, but he had never seen Shen Wang. Could this be a new Grade S that had emerged in the past three years?

‘I'm very interested in that line of yours: “once you enter, you lose any chance of leaving.”’

Shen Wang put away his gun and sized him up. ‘Come with me.’

Cheng Xiangtian didn't dare refuse, after all, Shen Wang still had his badge, and that thing was worth 1 million — his last badge too.

They followed the path they came from to leave. Since they were going the opposite direction, the crowd grew thicker, and the noise of the crowd grew louder.

More and more people rushed out, only to be pinned down by the following attendants. The attendants forcibly dragged the screaming people away, some even leaving trails of blood on the ground.

Cheng Xiangtian hurriedly explained from behind Shen Wang.

‘You can go into debt in the Layer of Greed, but you have to pay it off within three hours. But most people who enter the Layer of Greed are contaminated, their brains eroded. They always end up staying more than three hours, and get dragged out by attendants at the very last moment.’

‘The attendants drag them to the Pawnhouse and pawn whatever valuable things they have on them.’

‘If the collateral isn't enough, the Layer of Greed gives them one more chance. If they can't pay off the debt a second time, the person just disappears.’

Shen Wang made a sound of acknowledgment, unhurried, sounding utterly unconcerned.

Cheng Xiangtian's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't quite read Shen Wang's thoughts.

This Grade S Mutant from the Anti-Contamination Center had bought a ticket and come in but hadn't spent a single cent. He was clearly here to investigate, yet he showed no interest at all in the clues Cheng Xiangtian offered.

And besides, where were they going?

After walking a bit further, Cheng Xiangtian realized Shen Wang had actually walked into the Pawnhouse.

Up ahead, almost everyone was debtors dragged inside, crying and wailing, hoping for a few days' grace, desperately trying to find something valuable. The attendants surrounding them all had that permanently stiff smile, staring straight at the debtors with a puppet-like horror.

Shen Wang walked past these people, heading to the innermost part of the Pawnhouse.

‘Good day, guest,’ the attendant inside the Pawnhouse greeted him. ‘Are you here to pawn something?’

As he spoke, he looked at the ring on Shen Wang's ring finger. ‘A ring symbolizing marriage contains love and responsibility. If you wish to sell, you can exchange it for 500,000.’

With that one sentence, all the debtors present looked at Shen Wang, every tearful eye tinged with greed.

Shen Wang asked, ‘Can pawned items be redeemed?’

‘Are you joking?’ the attendant said. ‘You sold your item. Sold items cannot be bought back for any amount of money. We don't have a redemption service.’

‘No matter how important it is to you, the moment you decide to sell it, it no longer belongs to you.’

After getting the answer, Shen Wang nodded and turned to walk out.

As he passed those people, someone suddenly lunged up trying to snatch the ring from Shen Wang's finger. Shen Wang kicked the person away, and with a bang, a bullet directly shattered the attacker's hand.

Just one shot. The entire Pawnhouse's cries and wails instantly froze. Everyone stared at Shen Wang in terror, even forgetting to weep.

Cheng Xiangtian flinched at the gunshot.

As expected, not someone to mess with.

‘Keep up.’ Shen Wang pointed at Cheng Xiangtian. ‘I'm in a very bad mood right now. You'd better not try any tricks.’

Cheng Xiangtian certainly didn't dare.

He continued following Shen Wang, and then discovered that Shen Wang actually led him out of the Layer of Greed. Only five hours had passed on Shen Wang's ticket.

As they exited the main gate of the Layer of Greed, The Butler at the door diligently called out: ‘Welcome back, guests, next time.’

After calling out, he looked at Shen Wang oddly. ‘Guest, are you dissatisfied with the Layer of Greed?’

Shen Wang looked at him. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Is there something wrong, guest?’ The Butler looked at the ticket on Shen Wang's chest. ‘Your spending in the Layer of Greed was 0, and you only stayed in the Layer of Greed for five hours before leaving. It must be that our service wasn't good enough. Guest, is there some problem?’

Shen Wang looked him up and down. ‘What do you think there is inside the Layer of Greed that could attract me?’

‘Luxury, of course. Everything you desire is inside, whether sex or desire. Anything you want can be found.’

‘Oh.’ Shen Wang replied blandly, ‘There's nothing inside that I want.’

The Butler looked at Shen Wang with surprise. ‘It seems your desires are quite great, sir. I was blind.’

‘For even such temptations not to satisfy you, you must be the most qualified resident in the City of Order.’

What the hell? Qualified resident?

Shen Wang ignored him and led Cheng Xiangtian away. Cheng Xiangtian didn't dare say a word, afraid that if Shen Wang got upset, he'd just beat him to death.

As a member of the Anti-Contamination Center, not only had he indulged in the Layer of Greed, he had also sold the badges of fallen teammates. That was a grave crime in the Anti-Contamination Center, and Shen Wang, as a higher-up, had the authority to deal with him.

Five hours had passed, the sky had darkened a bit, streetlights were turning on, but the streets were still bustling with people, workers everywhere.

They worked day and night without stopping, just to save up money to enter the Layer of Greed.

After walking aimlessly for a while, Cheng Xiangtian finally couldn't hold back.

‘Where are we going?’

‘Looking for someone,’ Shen Wang answered.

‘Where is this person?’

‘I don't know.’ Shen Wang kept walking. ‘People with a bond will naturally meet. I believe in our bond; even just wandering around, we'll run into him.’

Cheng Xiangtian: ...

He didn't dare voice a single complaint, only continued to follow behind Shen Wang.

Just as he despaired, thinking they'd be walking all day, Shen Wang suddenly stopped.

He laughed lightly. ‘See, our bond has arrived.’

Cheng Xiangtian hurriedly looked ahead.

Under a streetlight, a man in a white jacket stood with his back to them, his long silver hair cascading in the lamplight as if glowing.

He was tall and upright, clearly a trained soldier. Even if he wasn't a Mutant, he was a member of the Anti-Contamination Center. But Cheng Xiangtian didn't think this Grade S Mutant would be looking for an ordinary person, so the other party must also be a Mutant.

But, silver long hair? Aberration from excessive Contamination Level?

As if sensing the gaze, the man turned to look. Cheng Xiangtian unexpectedly met his eyes.

Those icy golden eyes froze him in place. He trembled all over. An intense sense of threat made his head buzz, and every part of his body told him: this person is dangerous!

Then the gaze shifted to Shen Wang beside him. The moment he saw Shen Wang, the chill in those golden eyes instantly melted away.

‘I'm back,’ Shen Wang raised his hand.

Zhou Xiangzhe stepped over.

As he walked over, Cheng Xiangtian noticed he seemed to have a ring on his finger that matched the one on the man beside him.

Wedding rings? Guys? Shit!

‘Who's this?’ Zhou Xiangzhe asked.

‘A dispatch team member,’ Shen Wang said. ‘Moderate Mental Contamination, still lucid.’

Zhou Xiangzhe nodded. ‘Can he still be saved if sent to the Mental Containment Center?’

‘We'll let Zhou Qing try later. Besides greed, he's got no other emotions left in his body.’

Cheng Xiangtian listened, dazed, as they casually discussed another Grade S Mutant. But he didn't recognize these two. Two Grade S Mutants he didn't know? Had the Anti-Contamination Center gotten so formidable in three years?

Just then, Shen Wang and Zhou Xiangzhe both looked at him at the same time.

Under their gazes, Cheng Xiangtian quietly introduced himself, ‘Hello, dispatch team, Cheng Xiangtian.’

‘Cheng Xiangtian.’ Zhou Xiangzhe recalled. ‘Red Maple dispatch team? The entire team, except the sole observer, went missing in the Ghost City. You're one of them.’

Zhou Xiangzhe looked at him. ‘Where are the rest?’

Cheng Xiangtian froze, his face growing more and more ugly.

‘Didn't expect that, did you?’ Shen Wang smiled. ‘Our Team Leader Zhou has a good memory. He can remember the names of all missing members, including you and your team.’

‘So, where are your teammates?’

Cheng Xiangtian took a step back, but didn't dare retreat any further.

Because he knew very well he couldn't beat these two at all.

‘They died in action,’ Cheng Xiangtian said. ‘I didn't lie to you. They really died. It really wasn't me!’

‘I just... before burying them, I took their badges, that's all.’

‘Really...’

‘Badges?’ Zhou Xiangzhe looked at Shen Wang. ‘What does he mean?’

Shen Wang looked at him and answered: ‘Inside the Layer of Greed there's a Pawnhouse where you can pawn items with emotional value. One Anti-Contamination Center badge can be pawned for one million. He sold three.’

Zhou Xiangzhe's gaze instantly turned icy.

In the North Star, a badge is like a team member's second life. Even if the body can't make it home, the badge must return.

And he had sold away his teammates' second lives.