Chapter 76: City of Order 10

Chapter 76

The second half of the previous chapter has been rewritten. Everyone can reread it. The original is in the author's notes. Sorry, kowtow and bow!

Shen Wang clung to the thorns and hung beside the King's Wheel, his blood-red eyes fixed on the wheel before him.

The wheel looked utterly ordinary — the kind of wheel Shen Wang often saw at supermarket lucky draws. There was nothing special about it at all.

A floating screen hovered above the wheel, displaying the selected candidate for this round of the King's Wheel.

It was probably a photo taken right when Zhou Xiangzhe stepped into the Power Lust Layer. His golden eyes and long silver hair were captivatingly eerie. He didn't look like a normal person, yet everyone in the City of Order seemed not to notice his appearance at all, only caring that he'd been chosen as the new king the moment he entered.

Shen Wang reached out and grabbed the screen. A single blood-red eye slowly turned a pale white.

'You insist on choosing someone who's mine? In that case, you'll never choose any king again.'

With a sharp crackle, the screen suddenly started flickering with static. The wheel groaned under the strain, as if its gears were shattering inside.

Blood-red thorns burst out from the screen. With a snap, a huge hole was torn through it, but the static kept flickering. In the static, a vague figure could be faintly seen moving, as if it were walking forward step by step, its shadow growing larger and larger.

'You're unhappy?' Shen Wang raised an eyebrow slightly, a dangerous glint in his eye.

'Then stay unhappy.'

A blank sheet of drawing paper appeared out of nowhere. It wrapped completely around the screen and the King's Wheel, and in an instant, both items vanished. A single sheet of paper drifted down from the air, showing a strange wheel with an eye and a screen with a blurry figure on top of it.

They were both trapped within the drawing.

After devouring Moon Thief, Shen Wang's talent threshold reached Grade S, boosting his other two talents as well. Even though the King's Wheel was a secondary Contamination of a Grade S Contaminant, he could seal it for a while.

Rolling up the drawing, Shen Wang followed the thorns all the way down, finally landing in the middle of Central Street.

Only then did Shen Wang notice that the residents who had gathered on Central Street had all disappeared. He turned and ran back to where they'd been. Zhou Xiangzhe was still standing in the same spot, looking a bit surprised to see Shen Wang coming down from somewhere else.

'Done?' Zhou Xiangzhe asked.

'Done.' Shen Wang tossed the drawing to Zhou Xiangzhe.

Zhou Xiangzhe unfolded the drawing curiously. It depicted a strange wheel with a static-flashing screen on top, and a human figure within the screen. After studying it for a moment, he frowned slightly — he noticed that the image in the drawing seemed to have moved.

He shifted the paper, and sure enough, the figure had grown a little larger than before.

It was as if the figure was pressing closer to the screen, step by step, and closer to the drawing paper itself.

Zhou Xiangzhe was surprised for a moment, then remembered the mission they'd done: Hundred Eyes' Art Gallery.

Come to think of it, he'd encountered a strange Contaminant in the Lost City back then — one that appeared before Shen Wang and approached him unexpectedly, covered in thorns that Zhou Xiangzhe had mistaken for blood thorns.

He remembered that Contaminant had purple twin pupils and long, pale purple hair, and its clothing was completely unlike Shen Wang's usual style.

Was it Hundred Eyes? So back in the gallery, Shen Wang had secretly devoured a Grade A Contaminant behind his back...

No wonder the Anti-Contamination Center still hadn't found any trace of Hundred Eyes in the gallery.

Just then, Shen Wang took Zhou Xiangzhe's hand. After looking at it for a while, he spoke. 'Where's your bracelet?'

Zhou Xiangzhe looked from Shen Wang to his own wrist — the one that used to wear a silver chain was now bare.

'It broke.' Zhou Xiangzhe replied. 'It's in my pocket. Do you want to see it?'

'I asked why it broke.'

'I don't know. Maybe the Contamination Suppressor can't control my current Contamination Level.' Zhou Xiangzhe answered calmly. 'Once the Contamination Level hits 90%, the suppressor becomes ineffective. I'd need to be confined in a special Containment Room.'

Shen Wang released his hand. 'Let's go back to Zhou Qing and see what changes happen in this Power Lust Layer.'

Zhou Xiangzhe nodded and followed behind him.

'What do we do with this painting?'

'Leave it. If you find it inconvenient to carry, just toss it in a trash can.'

Zhou Xiangzhe glanced at the painting again. The black figure inside had now pressed itself right up against the screen. Its face was a dark silhouette with two white hollows for eyes, and its hands were pressed against the screen, leaving black handprints.

'The figure in the painting is moving.'

'It's still a Grade S Contaminant; the painting can't hold it for long. Just like when Deer God broke free and leaked some Contamination out of the painting.' Shen Wang looked at Zhou Xiangzhe. 'That's why I suggest you throw it in the trash.'

'The central wheel of the Power Lust Layer, found in a trash can after breaking free? Doesn't that sound rather amusing?'

Zhou Xiangzhe caught on to another thing from that.

Back in the Grade S Contamination Source, it hadn't been Lan who'd shoved him into a painting based on himself. It seemed Shen Wang had stuffed him into the painting to avoid Phantom Butterfly.

Now that he thought about it, Shen Wang really had been keeping all sorts of little secrets from him during their time together.

But now, Shen Wang was willing to reveal those secrets one by one.

That thought made Zhou Xiangzhe happy. The positive feeling was so pleasant that it seemed to erase the mental abnormality that had been troubling him moments ago.

His mental state much improved, Zhou Xiangzhe had the focus to pay attention to the matter at hand.

'This Power Lust Layer is strange,' Zhou Xiangzhe said. 'We haven't gotten any information here, and even Zhou Qing, who's been here a long time, hasn't gotten anything concrete.'

'And it's called the Power Lust Layer, yet there's only the King's Wheel. Even the residents don't call it the Power Lust Layer.'

Shen Wang looked at him. 'You mean this might not be the real Power Lust Layer?'

'I just thought of something. We entered this place by meeting conditions and were given Resident Cards. But Cheng Xiangtian bought information in the Layer of Greed and learned that there were two more layers below.'

Shen Wang immediately understood what Zhou Xiangzhe meant.

'Those who fail and those who succeed don't go to the same place?!'

Zhou Xiangzhe nodded and looked around. 'Don't you think, apart from this strange King game wheel, this place really does resemble a city? The City of Order — only those chosen by Order get to live here.'

'This is a town artificially created by the City of Order, and most people can't pass the test.'

'Maybe we've been misled by our habitual thinking again.'

The right people enter the right place, and the wrong people enter the wrong territory.

The information Cheng Xiangtian bought in the Layer of Greed pointed to the place for those who were wrong. Those who passed only needed to enter this massive City of Order and survive. Even the King game might just be a pastime left by Order for the normal residents.

Shen Wang exhaled heavily.

He reached out and took the drawing from Zhou Xiangzhe, then spread it out on the ground.

In that instant, Shen Wang's appearance changed before Zhou Xiangzhe's eyes. He watched as Shen Wang's hair stretched long into pale purple curls, his pupils turned purple, and purple eye marks appeared under his eyes, exactly like the Contaminant he'd met in the Lost City.

Zhou Xiangzhe: ...

So it really had been Shen Wang messing with him back then.

Shen Wang paid no mind to Zhou Xiangzhe's momentary reaction and simply placed his hand on the drawing.

'What are you doing?' Zhou Xiangzhe asked.

'Hundred Eyes' talent is Painting People Into Art. In theory, once something becomes a painting, I can see all the past of the person in it.' Shen Wang shot Zhou Xiangzhe a calm glance. 'Just like when you were inside the painting before.'

Zhou Xiangzhe didn't dare say another word.

Shen Wang closed his eyes and looked very quiet, so Zhou Xiangzhe silently observed the eyes on his body and floating around him.

Even with Shen Wang's eyes closed, the eye symbols under them remained open, and the floating eyes around him stared eerily ahead, exuding a strong inhuman aura. If Moon Thief's otherness came from that one pure white eye, then Hundred Eyes' otherness came from these strange eyes.

In the end, it turned out that blood thorns were the most human-like.

But he liked Shen Wang no matter what form he took — whether the black-haired, black-eyed Shen Wang or the one filled with eerie strangeness now.

Because in Shen Wang's eyes, he could always see himself reflected. There was a trace of brazenness and arrogance in those eyes, a beautiful, striking smile, and eyes brimming with affection. Though his true nature was detached, he dared to pour all of his feelings entirely onto Zhou Xiangzhe.

What a wonderful person.

After watching for a while, Shen Wang suddenly opened his eyes and met his gaze.

'What are you looking at?'

Zhou Xiangzhe calmly shifted his gaze. 'Nothing.'

'Oh?' Shen Wang stood up. 'Let's go. I've seen the path.'

'Path?'

'The path Order walked.'

/

It was extremely difficult to find traces of Order inside the King's Wheel, because the wheel was just a toy left behind by Order. When Shen Wang traced it back to its source, he only saw a black silhouette. Fortunately, by following that silhouette, he saw the route it had taken when it left.

They moved very fast, almost running, and finally arrived at their destination.

It was a small house. The only thing on it was a sign.

The sign didn't have a name, just a strange question.

【Do you really want to give up?】

Shen Wang glanced at the sign, then stepped through the door with Zhou Xiangzhe. The moment they entered, they saw stairs, but they led downward.

The stairs spiraled down deep into the darkness. Zhou Xiangzhe and Shen Wang stood at the top for a moment, then started walking down. They circled around and around; there was nothing but harsh white fluorescent lights.

Just when they thought they might have taken the wrong path, another sign suddenly appeared.

【The City of Order means eternal fairness. Everyone can attain power, and everyone has goals to pursue. Do you really want to leave the City of Order?】

'It says goals to pursue?' Shen Wang studied the sign, then suddenly realized something. 'The King's Wheel is the goal Order provided for the residents of the City of Order?!'

'You can increase your chances of becoming king by offering things with emotional value. Besides stealing from others, creating emotional value is also a good method.' Zhou Xiangzhe thought further. 'People live and work peacefully to earn money, but when everyone is a stranger, they need emotional interaction. So the King's Wheel was created as a stimulus and a goal?'

'Initially, everyone had the same probability in the King's Wheel, but by offering items with emotional value, you could boost your chances — like working harder for better rewards.'

Zhou Xiangzhe continued to speculate. 'And those with mental abnormalities would likely become king before breaking down. In the old era... people with disabilities would receive government assistance.'

The two exchanged a glance, speechless.

They had never considered it from that angle and had only thought of the King's Wheel as a twisted measure.

They continued down, and after another stretch, the sign before them changed again.

【Why are you dissatisfied with the City of Order?】

'Because we don't want to be king, but the sign keeps insisting we become king,' Shen Wang said.

The words on the sign trembled, then new text appeared.

【Feedback recorded: When selecting a king, we must consult residents on whether they wish to become king.】

【It is not ruled out that some residents have unique lifestyles.】

【Corrected.】

'Hell.' Shen Wang was shocked. 'It's serious?!'

Zhou Xiangzhe had never seen a Contaminant like this either. Faced with this sign, he didn't know what to say.

Order was genuinely and meticulously selecting residents. After selecting them, it seriously set a goal for everyone, a goal no one would refuse, to motivate them, so they'd form groups and develop various emotional relationships.

They walked further down. This time no more signs appeared until they reached the bottom of the stairs, where a final sign slowly rose.

【Final reminder: Once you step out this door, you automatically forfeit your City of Order Resident Card.】

【The City of Order is a wonderful place. If getting your Resident Card wasn't easy, turn back.】

They had no desire to be residents of the City of Order. Shen Wang pushed the door open without hesitation, and the two stepped out. The next moment, they found themselves in a strange place.

They could see countless small rooms set up on this floor, with people inside and outside. Pink light washed over everyone, and a decadent atmosphere pervaded the place.

Zhou Xiangzhe tugged Shen Wang's sleeve and pointed to a wall ahead.

On the wall was a large exposed board plastered with images of completely naked men and women, and three huge characters.

【Layer of Lust】.

'The bottom layer is the Layer of Greed, the second is the Power Lust Layer, the third is the Layer of Lust, but above these three there's a fourth.'

Shen Wang looked up at the ceiling. 'Which is the real City of Order.'

They had taken the wrong path from the very beginning.

They made their way through the drunken crowd and continued outward. Sounds of desire poured from every room, and almost everyone was disheveled. Shen Wang and Zhou Xiangzhe, fully dressed, stood out completely.

'The right people enter the City of Order, the wrong ones go down to the next layer, and eventually end up in the Layer of Lust.' Shen Wang spoke as he walked. 'But why does Order keep them here?'

'Because desire is also a form of Contamination.'

Zhou Xiangzhe's voice was soft. 'Desire is also a form of Mental Contamination. All Contaminants had desires before their transformation. Desire drives them to become Contaminants after being contaminated.'

'If the City of Order is the civilized city it created, then these three layers are the contamination fermentation ponds it made.'

Shen Wang looked at Zhou Xiangzhe. 'Qi Run said those mentally abnormal people who were chosen as king once would go missing. Is it because they could no longer survive in the City of Order, so their Resident Cards were taken away and they were thrown down here?'

Zhou Xiangzhe nodded. 'Probably.'

'So... even if we did nothing, you'd be thrown down here in a week?'

Zhou Xiangzhe fell silent for a moment.

He hadn't expected Shen Wang to figure out why he'd been chosen as king.

It wasn't because Order wanted to control them, nor was it random bad luck. It was because his mental abnormality was already quite severe, and the King's Wheel was giving him preferential treatment out of 'disability assistance.'

Just then, with a click, the door in front of them slammed shut. Shen Wang and Zhou Xiangzhe both stopped.

A voluptuous woman in a nurse's uniform walked out, wearing a stiff smile.

'Hello, you two,' she said. 'Are you from the City of Order? I knew it — of course the City of Order can't compare to my cozy den.'

'Shall I get you a room?'

Shen Wang frowned. 'Let us out.'

'Of course not.' She smiled and wagged a finger. 'Our Layer of Lust is different from other places. Once you enter, you must spend.'

'If you don't spend, you can't leave.'

Shen Wang stepped in front of Zhou Xiangzhe, his black eyes cold.

'Are you looking to die?'

'Oh, don't joke like that.' The woman said with her stiff smile. 'Even if you killed me, it's the rule of the Layer of Lust. If you don't follow the rules, you won't get out even if you flip the whole layer over.'

'Is that so?' Shen Wang's gaze turned subtle.

Just as he was about to kill this Contaminant, Zhou Xiangzhe tugged the corner of Shen Wang's clothes from behind.

'Let me try,' Zhou Xiangzhe said.

Shen Wang turned to look at him. 'You? You can barely communicate with people. Are you sure it'll be fine?'

'Yeah.' Zhou Xiangzhe said. 'This place is contaminated by Order. The people here are Order's contamination petri dishes. We don't actually have to go down; we can just wait for Order to come up here.'

'Just destroy these petri dishes.'

Shen Wang looked at Zhou Xiangzhe, his figure reflected in those black eyes.

Zhou Xiangzhe looked back. '...Shen Wang?'

'My instincts tell me you're about to disobey and do something that'll piss me off again.' Shen Wang said. 'Am I right?'

Zhou Xiangzhe: ...

'Only Contamination can control another Contamination.' Zhou Xiangzhe could only try to convince Shen Wang. 'If you smash things up violently like in the Layer of Greed, the fear they generate will still feed the Contamination, and you won't really draw Order here.'

'But I have Deer God's Contamination. S-grade Contamination can seize this petri dish.'

Shen Wang looked at Zhou Xiangzhe. Just when Zhou Xiangzhe thought Shen Wang would disagree, Shen Wang nodded.

'Fine. Go ahead.'

Zhou Xiangzhe paused, looking at Shen Wang with surprise. His golden eyes held a hint of startled daze, making him look a bit adorable.

“Of course I’ll respect your decision. After all, you’re the protector god of Central City, not someone who needs protecting every second,” Shen Wang said. “As long as you’re not deliberately getting yourself hurt, I’ll of course let go. You’re not The Child from back then.”

So sometimes, Zhou Xiangzhe felt like he was the one who never grew up, while Shen Wang had quietly become an adult without him noticing.

His love was so profound, yet he never used it to bind anything.

Zhou Xiangzhe thought: how could he not fall in love with someone like this?

Such a good person.

Zhou Xiangzhe took Shen Wang's hand and once again gently kissed the ring on his finger. But this time, unlike before, the kiss was deeper.

Every time he spent more time with Shen Wang, his love for him deepened.

After the kiss, Zhou Xiangzhe didn't let go of Shen Wang's hand. He looked ahead, a faint light in his golden eyes. In a single breath, golden mist dissolved into the air. Black liquid dripped from his fingers and instantly corroded a small hole in the floor.

Zhou Xiangzhe spoke very softly, his tone full of coldness.

'Everyone... is my subject.'

The Contamination instantly entered everyone's bodies. Everyone in the Layer of Lust stopped what they were doing. They all silently lifted their heads, their eyes slowly tinged with gold. One by one, they got off their beds without a sound and knelt in unison.

'...Deer God.' They pressed their palms together and began to pray.

'Deer God, please bless us. Deer God, please have mercy on us.'

Dong. An ancient bell tolled, resounding throughout the Layer of Lust.

The woman in the nurse's uniform twisted her neck stiffly. She trembled incessantly and, under the sound of the bell, shattered into ceramic shards. Even the shards were ground further until they became a pile of dust.

The entire Layer of Lust fell silent, with only faint prayers whispering.

'Tsk.' Shen Wang clicked his tongue. 'Deer God's mental Contamination ability is far stronger than most other Contaminants.'

'Deer God has no physical form; it's a Contaminant born from faith, which is why its Mental Contamination surpasses all S-grade. Perhaps only your parents could completely suppress it in that regard.' Zhou Xiangzhe exhaled softly. 'And conveniently, mental Contamination from Contaminants is something Order hasn't regulated.'

As soon as he finished speaking, with a click, a figure in black and white attendant's clothing dropped from the ceiling.

It landed on the floor, its sinister gaze fixed eerily on Shen Wang and Zhou Xiangzhe, wearing that black-and-white attendant uniform.

'The Attendant from the Layer of Greed?' Shen Wang looked at it. 'The same one at the entrance?'

With a crack, a fissure ran from Order's cheek down to its neck. It stared at the two with a blank expression.

'I originally thought you would live peacefully in the City of Order once you entered. But it seems I trusted you too much.' Order's form elongated, growing from a pale attendant into a pale adult man.

He had almost no pupils. A transparent screen stood before his eyes, and he was clad entirely in black, like a pitch-black crow.

'You have violated the Rules.' Order's eyes were full of gloom. 'The Layer of Lust forbids lust!'

'Fuck!' Shen Wang immediately flipped him the bird.

'Dumbass, we've got a license! Whether we do it or not is none of your damn business!'

Zhou Xiangzhe: ...

Could it be... that we actually haven't done anything at all?

They hadn't even been standing here for half an hour.