Chapter 112: The Outer District (1) part 1
Before coming here, Wen Rong had looked up information about the Outer District online.
The distinction between the Inner and Outer Districts originated during the Empire era.
The Empire built walls, enclosing the most geographically advantageous and resource-rich lands under its own jurisdiction, while banishing all desolate areas to the outside of the wall.
However, the aristocracy controlled the vast majority of the land. To survive, the poor had no choice but to seek a livelihood in the Outer District.
Thus, towns began to form in the Outer District.
Back then, free passage was allowed between the inside and outside of the wall; the wall’s primary purpose was to keep out wild beasts.
It wasn’t until the establishment of the Federation that things changed. Remnants of the Empire fled to the Outer District.
To stabilize the situation and prevent Empire loyalists from infiltrating the Federation, the checkpoint was placed under strict control. People from the Outer District now needed to undergo a “review” to enter the Inner District.
much like how there were technically no requirements to join the Student Council, yet in reality, the threshold was incredibly high.
The Federation didn’t explicitly impose requirements on individuals, but due to the chaotic management of the Outer District, this “review” quickly devolved into an unspoken rule governed by profit and power struggles.
And the eyes staring from behind the fence belonged to the group of people who had no means to utilize those unspoken rules.
A reporter on Blue Book had once described it:
Every day, people wait by the fence, harboring a microscopic hope, praying that the power to the wire mesh suddenly cuts out. If that moment comes, they will immediately tear through the mesh and flee inside.
Although the army is stationed there, what if they get lucky and dodge the bullets? What if?
Such things have happened before.
To them, that tiny sliver of luck, gambling with their lives, is more attractive than living “well” in the Outer District.
In contrast, the fact that Wen Rong had entered the Inner District simply by saving someone could practically be called a miracle.
Wen Rong locked eyes with them, pair after pair. His heart thumped erratically, giving rise to a subtle, indescribable feeling.
“Wen Rong.”
Wen Rong retracted his gaze. “Mn?”
Shi Ye leaned over and rolled up the car window. “Keep the window closed. This car was used by President Zhou previously; it’s bulletproof.”
The light was slowly shut out. Wen Rong’s face was hidden in the shadows, concealing emotions he didn’t quite understand himself.
“Past this main gate is the Outer District.”
“Mn.”
Their car had been cleared in advance, so they passed through without inspection.
Crossing that gate felt like entering another dimension. The sky was gloomy, looming over squat buildings made of piled bricks and tiles.
The exterior walls were blackened by soot from stovepipes jutting out of windows. The only spots untouched by the grime weren’t due to luck, but because there were holes in the walls.
Behind those holes, eyes stared unblinkingly at their car.
This vehicle was too distinct, too out of place.
On the two-way road, which was about ten meters wide, buses looked like paint-peeled “pencil cases,” wobbling and squeezing their way forward. The screech of metal scraping against metal was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
Yet, they all tacitly moved aside for the black SUV.
They arrived at a bridge almost unimpeded. The half-meter-high guardrail was washed by the river water, which occasionally swept garbage up onto the road.
A familiar stench pierced through the car window—it was the same foul odor Wen Rong had smelled at the wire fence.
So, that smell came from this river.
【According to the plot, the Host saved Shi Jing and his mother from this very river.】
Wen Rong was startled for a moment.
Although Shi Jing’s mother didn’t have great moral character, she was still a huge star. The fact that she and her son had fallen into a river in the Outer District was incredibly bizarre.
“You really jumped into this river to save that pair of do—”
Wen Rong followed the voice and looked at Shi Ye.
Shi Ye corrected himself: “You really went down there to save people.”
He added, “What a loss. It’s smelly and dirty; it’s a miracle you didn’t catch an infectious disease.”
The car quickly crossed the stench-filled river. The surrounding houses were even shorter than before, mostly just four walls of red brick topped with a layer of black asbestos tiles.
The main road in the middle could hardly be called a road; it was just wasteland formed by soil that had been crushed flat over time.
The “peeling pencil case” buses didn’t travel this far. There were only a few rusty, broken tricycles, their overflowing cargo completely blocking the view of the “drivers” in front. They moved slowly; because the mud on the ground was soft, the thin wheels of the tricycles kept sinking in.
Children walked out of the squat houses, running around barefoot. Some were too curious about the car and ran alongside it for a short distance.
The driver did not slow down.
This worried Wen Rong. What if they hit a child?
Just as he was about to say something, the squat houses outside the window thinned out, and the children were left far behind.
The driver’s speed suddenly increased, faster and faster.
The trees grew more numerous and taller, as if they had entered a primeval forest. Branches and leaves blotted out the sky and sun, allowing not a speck of light to reach the ground.
Wen Rong habitually glanced at his phone, only to find there was absolutely no signal here. And two and a half hours had already passed.
Zhou Xie said the drive was two hours. The driver had been speeding, not driving slowly, so why hadn’t they arrived?
More importantly, this increasingly desolate environment gave him a faint sense of unease.
Wen Rong nudged Shi Ye with his elbow. “I’m a little—”
His voice was abruptly cut off.
His body was violently thrown toward Shi Ye. Before he could react, the world spun.
Wen Rong felt a sense of weightlessness as his body slammed around the interior until he was grabbed by Shi Ye.
On the uninhabited hillside, the black SUV rolled and tumbled down the slope, snapping a line of old trees in its wake.
The helicopter landed on the roof. The fierce wind whipped pant legs against ankles, and the laces of custom leather shoes gradually loosened.
Zhou Xie swept back the hair blocking his vision and handed a pen to Leon, who was at the back of the line. He turned his back to block the wind, allowing Leon to sign his name on the flapping form.
“Let me know when Wen Rong arrives at the orphanage.”
Leon’s voice was mixed with the vibration of the propeller slicing through the air, making it hard to hear clearly.
Zhou Xie just wanted to finish the work quickly so he could monitor Wen Rong’s itinerary, so he nodded casually. “Mn.”
“Tell me about his situation at any time, too.”
“Mn.”
“Where is he now?”
Zhou Xie turned his head to look at Leon, deliberately tucking his chin and averting his gaze. “Why don’t you just not go to the research base?”
Leon seemed to have been waiting for him to ask this. He nodded with relief. “Mn.”
“Mn?” Zhou Xie expressed a small amount of shock at Leon’s “love-brain” behavior, then rubbed the space between his brows. “The watch has a military locator Shi Ye obtained. Even if he went to the border, we could track his position.”
Leon: “Based on the distance, he should be at the orphanage by now. Check it…”
Zhou Xie interrupted him coldly, “Get on the helicopter.”
“I’m still very worried about Wen Rong. How about I go to the Outer District too?”
“Helping Shi Ye clean up the mess for the Tennis League is already annoying enough.”
Leon: “Wen Rong is only good at fighting public opinion wars. The Outer District is chaotic; I’m afraid his mouth isn’t faster than a knife.”
“The police at the orphanage haven’t contacted me yet. I’m going back to check where Wen Rong is.”
The two of them were practically talking past each other. At some point, the propeller above the helicopter slowed and stopped, and the wind died down.
Buzz—
The phone in his pocket vibrated.
Leon looked keenly at Zhou Xie’s pocket. “Did Wen Rong send a message?”
Zhou Xie fished it out. “You should just switch careers to law, stay at the school every day—”
His complaint came to an abrupt halt. A message from the Outer District police popped up on the screen: [Wen Rong has not arrived.]
Zhou Xie shoved the signature form into Leon’s arms, turned around, and dialed Li Ao’s number while walking downstairs, talking as he went. “Check Wen Rong’s current location.”
“Leon—”
📖 Advance Access: Complete Novel
- Option 1: Note your email on PayPal/Ko-fi.
- Option 2: Email proof to beezzzreads@gmail.com.
- Option 3: Comment below.
Recommended Reads
