Chapter Six: Someone Has Stolen a Chicken

The City of Energy was, overall, a perfect circle, divided into an outer city and an inner city.

A towering wall separated these two worlds.

From above, it resembled two concentric circles settled in the southern part of the continent.

Ye Chen had never been inside the inner city, but he knew the layout of the outer city like the back of his hand.

The outer city comprised four districts: the residential district, the market district, the workshop district, and the administrative district.

The Outer City Patrol Office, located in the administrative district, was mainly responsible for maintaining order in the outer city.

Yet Ye Chen always felt that the office’s true purpose was more about protecting the property of the various inner city bureaus than safeguarding people.

Still, becoming a patrol officer was considered a relatively stable job.

At least it was safer than wandering the wilderness on his own.

Last night, Ye Shanshan had wanted him to ask Jin Yinghui if he could recommend a suitable business for Ye Chen.

Instead, Jin presented him with an even better proposal.

Of course, that was merely Ye Chen’s current thought.

So, when he heard Jin Yinghui’s suggestion, it was impossible for him not to be tempted, though doubts still lingered in his heart:

“Why haven’t you mentioned this before? Why bring it up all of a sudden today?”

Jin Yinghui lit one cigarette after another, using the butt of the last to ignite the next.

After a long drag, he spoke slowly:

“I just heard the news myself. The Outer City Patrol Office has transferred an awakened one to the inner city, and a position opened up.

“And before, you didn’t have spare money for me to grease the wheels for you.

“But now, you do!”

At this, Ye Chen’s mouth twitched, and realization dawned.

So the reason you never brought this up before was because I didn’t have the cash to open the door.

After a moment’s thought, he took out the stored-value card from his pocket again and slid it over to Old Jin, then got ready to leave.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, he turned and asked:

“Scarface is a body-type awakened one. I cut off his hand—does he still count as awakened?”

Jin Yinghui was taken aback, pondering for a few seconds before answering, somewhat uncertainly,

“He should… still be, I think!”

...

In a low house in the workshop district, Scarface sat on the floor, his whole body weak.

The bandage he’d wrapped around his right hand to stop the bleeding was already removed. Where his hand had once been, a disproportionately small palm was growing back.

This tiny hand, no bigger than that of an infant, was still festering and reeking.

Nearby, Mouse watched the bizarre scene, his scalp tingling, not daring to make a sound.

But at last, he understood why Boss hadn’t let him pick up the severed hand.

Body-type awakened ones possessed regenerative abilities.

But seeing how painful this regeneration seemed for Boss…

Unbeknownst to Mouse, Scarface himself was suffering in silence. As an E-class awakened one, he was at the very bottom of the ranks.

The regeneration process consumed an enormous amount of inner vitality. Once depleted, he could only wait for it to recover on its own.

Until his hand fully healed, he dared not go out.

Because for awakened ones, the moment their inner vitality ran dry was when they were at their weakest.

...

The sun dipped below the horizon as lamps began to light the city.

That afternoon, Ye Chen ventured outside the city again, but came back empty-handed.

Clearly, as winter approached, chances of encountering prey dwindled.

Many wilderness hunters changed professions in this season—

Some found work as butchers at the slaughterhouse, others tightened bolts in workshops.

In truth, being a wilderness hunter was a livelihood dependent on the whims of nature.

As he walked along that familiar road home, shopkeepers were closing up, unconcerned about the meager business brought by nighttime customers.

Farther off, neon lights flickered in another district, but that wasn’t where Ye Chen wanted to spend his evening.

Before leaving the mission office, he’d agreed with Jin Yinghui to meet up for a drink on Bar Street another day.

Ye Chen walked straight toward the tin-roofed low-rent housing area. Before long, a handful of children, about ten or so, surrounded him.

Their clothes were patched, faces dirty, but their eyes shone bright.

If most adults in this area had dull, clouded eyes,

The children’s eyes still sparkled with life.

“Brother Chen, didn’t get anything today?”

The leader was a big, bald boy, sturdier than the others.

Ye Chen rubbed his smooth head and answered with a smile,

“So it’s you, Little Baldy. Game isn’t so easy to catch. If it were, everyone would be out in the wilderness every day.”

Little Baldy’s eyes lit up, his expression innocent.

“But I want to go, Brother Chen. Will you teach me to hunt?

“I think I can do it. My dad said I could learn from you.

“He says you’re skilled, lucky, and a good man!”

Ye Chen was speechless—he hadn’t learned any hunting skills, but his flattery was perfect.

And besides, you’re too young.

He looked Little Baldy up and down, then chuckled, “When you’ve grown all your hair, I’ll take you.”

Little Baldy paused, thinking: Do you need hair to go to the wilderness?

Ye Chen glanced at the sky.

“It’s getting late. Why are you still playing outside?”

Just then, another boy spoke anxiously,

“Brother Ye Chen, these past few days, a lot of our chickens have gone missing. My mom’s nearly in tears.

“Baldy said he’d help me catch the chicken thief.”

Missing chickens?

For those who never worried about food or clothing, losing a few chickens hardly mattered.

But for those living in tin-roofed houses, each chicken was a fortune.

Losing several in a row was a real blow for the whole family.

“Couldn’t a stray cat or dog have taken them?” Ye Chen asked casually.

The boy replied, “Our chickens are kept in cages. Someone opened the cage and took them.”

Hearing this, Ye Chen could only sigh.

In the outer city, petty thieves were all too common.

In the end, Ye Chen just urged them to go home early, so their parents wouldn’t worry.

But as he reached the mouth of the alley, a sudden chill swept through him, making his hair stand on end.

It was that sensation—being stalked by a beast at dusk—a hunter’s instinct from his years in the wild.

He looked around warily, but saw nothing.

The second law of the wilderness: always trust your danger sense—it could save your life.

But that only applied to the wild.

“Am I just being jumpy? How could there be a wild beast in the city?”

He shook his head with a wry smile and headed for his front door.

Not long after he’d left, a shadow rose from its crouch beneath the water tank on the roof,

Moving slowly away from the low-rent area.

Meanwhile, orange light glowed from the window of Ye Chen’s home.

To him, that ordinary light was the greatest source of warmth.

No matter how cold winter grew, as long as there was light, there was warmth.

Because it had a name—home.

He also planned to tell Ye Shanshan about his new job at the Outer City Patrol Office.

It would be a nice surprise for her.