Chapter 1 On the Walls

On the city walls stood a group of armed individuals, some with a punk aesthetic, others in black suits and trench coats.

All their clothing bore the distinct insignia of the "Iron Cross," the gang symbol of the "Iron Cross Society."

Every day, people in Old Lingdun wanted to join gangs for various reasons: desperate wanted criminals, murderers, those seeking overnight riches, or those aspiring to acquire extraordinary resources...

And on the high walls, combat personnel were often recruited for hunting in the wilderness outside the city.

The gang captains were fond of waiting here to recruit new blood.

"Hey, Kai, couldn't you put away your [Blade] implant? Showing it off like that makes people laugh at us 'Cross Society' professionals for being country bumpkins. You're a captain now, can't you be a little more composed..."

"Hehe, Smoke Ghost Boss, I'm just a little excited after successfully merging with the implant."

"The gang higher-ups have assigned you to manage three blocks on Green Street, so be careful. There are many gambling dens and brothels there, and although there's a lot of money to be made, the old-timers in the gang avoid it. Do you know why you got such a good deal?"

"Isn't it because those 'Steam Party' guys have been causing trouble lately? It's fine... If they dare cross the line, I guarantee I'll chop off their heads, haha."

"It's good that you know. Not only are the 'Steam Party' picking fights, but the number of distortion incidents in the city has also been increasing lately, so you better keep a close eye on things. If you need any help, just let me know. Pick a few of the new recruits you like today..."

"Thanks, Smoke Ghost Boss. Hehe, I hope I can find a few tough guys today..."

"..."

The speaker was a middle-aged man with gloomy eyes, lazily reclining in a chair while smoking a cigar.

Standing beside him was a young man whose hands and feet resembled "blades," radiating a sharp metallic glint.

Suren looked up and saw the two men. Without hesitation, he stepped into the simple iron mesh cage and ascended the city wall.

.......

"New here? Want to join our 'Cross Society'?"

"Yes."

"What's your name?"

"Suren."

"What talent did you awaken?"

"[d-016-Hawkeye]."

"Oh? So you're a pretty good shot?"

"So-so."

"Alright, you'll follow me. You can call me Captain Kai."

"Okay."

The process of joining the gang was unbelievably simple.

Suren was asked a few simple questions and officially became a member of this "Iron Brotherhood."

As the information extracted from the previous interrogation suggested, the gang didn't care about your background. After all, most of those who joined the gang had a shady past.

As long as you were willing to risk your life for the gang, no one cared about your past.

In exchange for risking your life, the gang could also provide you with protection.

No one searched him, no one asked too many questions, no one interfered...

Suren also breathed a sigh of relief, his storage ring was safe. And the preparations he had made for unforeseen circumstances were unnecessary, which was a good start.

.......

Captain Kai didn't look much older than Suren, but he seemed to be an old-timer who had been in the gang for many years.

Those who could survive in a gang for many years were capable people.

This Kai was also an official "Professional," an agility type who had fused with an extremely aggressive alchemical implant—[Blade].

Suren silently observed everything, his eyes shining with anticipation and curiosity about this new world.

After waiting for half the day, the day's recruitment was nearing its end.

Besides Suren, there were three other people chosen by this Kai.

One had awakened [d-082-Great Strength], one had [d-071-Stone Skin], and the other had [d-031-Enhanced Smell]. More or less, they were all talents that could enhance combat.

"Alright, Smoke Ghost Boss. I'll take the newbies to show their faces in the patrol area..."

"Okay."

Kai led Suren and the others and greeted the middle-aged man who never stopped smoking, then went down the city wall.

Suren remained silent throughout the entire process, quietly following behind him, acting like an invisible man.

This young man named Kai was very talkative and seemed very satisfied with his newly recruited subordinates.

As he walked, he distributed a stack or two of paper money to each of them, explaining, "The gang's benefits are 20,000 Lisos per month, and we'll give more money depending on the situation when there are missions. Because we're a newly formed team, we don't have to go out hunting in the wilderness for the next three months, so you can enjoy yourselves..."

The new recruits so easily received their first generous "salary."

20,000 Lisos was equivalent to more than half a year's salary for an average factory worker in the city.

Suren was slightly surprised, as he didn't know this detail. But seeing the faint excitement on the faces of the other three, they didn't seem surprised.

Getting paid before working, that would be considered excellent treatment even in his previous life.

This was a gang?

Suren thought about it and understood.

In a gang, no member could guarantee that they would live to see the next month.

Getting paid in advance was a way to enjoy life first.

If something really happened, it could be considered a worthwhile death.

Moreover, there were no restrictions after joining the gang, no detention or control, and even complete freedom.

Suren could even take the money and run away immediately...

But no one would do that.

Because if you were wanted by the authorities, you could still join a gang and have a way out. But if you were wanted by the three major gangs, there would be no place to stand in Old Lingdun.

Only death awaited.

Therefore, for most people, once they joined a gang, they could only go down a dark path.

But for Suren, high casualty rate?

Tsk tsk, it didn't matter...

Compared to facing death, the ordinary world would only make him feel more bored.

The [Reaper] talent he had awakened was destined to deal with death if he wanted to become stronger.

To avoid risks and become an ordinary person?

No, coming to such a wonderful and exciting world and still being timid would be truly uninteresting.

Suren looked at his slightly trembling pulse, and he knew that "he" also liked this world.

......

Suren and the new recruits followed Captain Kai down the city wall and into the city.

The city was full of densely packed shantytowns, resembling a "post-Syrian war style" from afar.

Like the high walls, the reinforced concrete buildings in the city were ancient artifacts. The great war thousands of years ago seemed to have captured the city, and dilapidated buildings were everywhere.

And on top of these ruins, towering steam chimneys and steel container shantytowns were the "new buildings."

As for the inner city, it was at the end of the field of vision. There was another high wall separating it, brightly lit. In the center of the inner city, a "Black Tower" of unknown height could be vaguely seen.

The city was vast, and they sped into the city on an open-top steam vehicle.

On the vehicle, Suren remained calm, observing everything in the city.

As a transmigrator, he dared not speak rashly, fearing that people would see that he was completely unfamiliar with the city.

But perhaps because Suren said that he had awakened the [Hawkeye] talent, which was one of the most practical combat abilities among D-level talents, Captain Kai seemed to value him and specially said, "With your talent, you're quite suitable for the marksman sequence of professions. I'll keep an eye out for relevant 'job change materials' for you. Meditate more when you have time, and when your dark spiritual power is full, you can change jobs. Let's strive to have two 'Professionals' on our team..."

Suren responded, "Okay."

Kai didn't say much, and waved his hand, "Let's go, I'll take everyone to take a stroll in our team's patrol area. Nothing else, but there are definitely plenty of beautiful women!"

Hearing this, everyone in the vehicle revealed knowing smiles.

.......

Green Street was located at the junction of Wellington District in the East City and Quenson District in the South City, and it was home to one of the three most famous "entertainment districts" in all of Old Lingdun.

Because of the high profits, it was also a place where the "Cross Society" and the "Steam Party" frequently had conflicts and disputes.

Various gamblers, wilderness hunters, and desperadoes mingled in the entertainment venues here...

The order here was chaotic, gunfights and brawls were commonplace, and unlucky people died in the streets almost every day.

Suren and the others stopped at a place that looked like an old steel factory.

They got out of the vehicle.

Leather boots stepped on the sewage-filled ground.

Suren also curiously looked around at the dark side of the city.

Although this world didn't have electricity, it wasn't lacking in various luminous alchemical products. Not far away, a brightly lit area with neon lights of various ambiguous colors illuminated the street.

This was the gang's gathering point, and a group of people was waiting by the street early on. Leather jackets, leather pants, iron nails, colorful hair, and firearms that looked like lighters were casually held in their hands.

Suren felt that his bald punk style blended in with these people instantly.

"Hey, Captain Kai, you're back."

"Yo, these new recruits look pretty good."

"Haha, why didn't the captain pick a female member to bring back..."

"..."

Kai greeted those people and then simply introduced Suren: "This is Suren, Gig, Sapa, Andrew... From now on, everyone is brothers."

Gang members didn't have so much formality. The crowd bumped fists, and that was considered an acquaintance.

Going directly to work on the first day of joining was the efficiency of a gang.

Kai led Suren and the four new recruits, along with a few old-timers, a total of more than ten people, and began to patrol the streets.

Just like the gangs of his previous life, they took a stroll around the places they protected to show their faces.

"Our mission in the future is to come out every night and stroll around three blocks near Green Street. If there's anything to do, we'll do it. If there's nothing to do, we can go wherever we want..."

Kai explained the "job content" to Suren and the other new recruits.

Then, he distributed a small alchemical gadget with a walkie-talkie function, and said, "Keep this 'communicator' with you at all times. I'll call everyone when there are emergencies. Remember to get here as soon as possible, otherwise the gang rules won't be lenient."

After a pause, he said to a burly man carrying a shotgun, "Sam, explain the gang rules to the new recruits so they don't cause trouble because they don't understand the rules."

That Sam smiled and said, "Alright."

Suren also understood what he heard. The job content was simple, just like patrolling the streets now.

They would gather at seven o'clock in the evening, and the "working time" would be about half an hour each day. Then they could arrange their own time. Whether they gambled, went to taverns, as long as they were in this street area.

It seemed easy.

.......

"Hey, Boss Clive, business is booming..."

"Boss Milton, I heard you have a batch of good stuff coming in recently, remember to save a few beautiful ones for me and my brothers tonight."

"..."

The "Cross Society" controlled almost all the entertainment venues on Green Street.

Kai and his group were very familiar with this street. The brothel madams and women greeted them warmly as they passed by.

Suren was also surprised that this seemingly dilapidated industrial-style city actually had such a lively side. The liveliness of these brothels was no less than that of a large bar in his previous life, with crowds of people.

Groups of heavily made-up women stood on the street soliciting customers. They were scantily clad, with long white legs and proud breasts, exposing themselves in a dazzling display.

The street was filled with a strong erotic atmosphere.

Bunny girls, catwoman costumes, cheongsam women with slits up to their thighs, motorcycle leather women, maid costumes, bondage slave styles, noble lady styles...

Suren didn't expect the clothing styles in Old Lingdun to be so diverse. Almost any kind of sexy dress that could stimulate a man's hormones could be seen here.

The women were unrestrained and sexy, and didn't hesitate to show off their delicate figures. They didn't care about the men's wandering hands on their bodies. On the contrary, they would giggle and tease when their hands reached high places.

"Yo, Elena, you seem to have gained weight. No, no, I'm not complaining, I'm saying your butt feels better~"

"Oh, Lisa, why haven't I seen you lately? Have you been fooling around with some man~"

"Mua~ Captain Kai, are you coming to play tonight?"

"..."

Kai and a group of old-timers seemed to be familiar with the area, joking as they walked through the brothels.

They were not only the local bullies, but also regulars here.

The survival rules in Old Lingdun were very cruel. Civilians who couldn't engage in combat professions were very cheap. Here, you could spend a few hundred Lisos to find a beautiful woman to have fun with for a night.

Therefore, the gang's monthly salary of 20,000 Lisos could even allow people to live in luxury until they were squeezed dry.

Suren and the new recruits became familiar with the area.

.......

Green Street consisted of three main streets in total.

Every corner here was filled with violence, eroticism, and illegal transactions...

After patrolling a street filled with pure pleasure, there was a street filled with taverns. Various colorful neon signs illuminated a world of debauchery...

Most of the taverns on this street had a strong industrial style, with steel elements in every corner of the taverns.

Suren was feeling that the street patrol was a bit boring when something happened.

Passing by a place called "Elephant Tavern," a middle-aged man with a tea-colored beard stopped Kai.

"Hey, Captain Kai, you've come at the right time. I have a little trouble in my store, and I need you to take a look."

The tavern owner led them to the back alley with a worried look, and then pointed to the half of a bloody corpse on the ground, saying, "It should have been last night, a unlucky guy got drunk and slept in the back alley. Now you see, half of his body has been bitten off by some kind of monster..."

This was the back alley of the tavern, filled with various empty wine bottles. Unlike the glamorous facade, it was full of dirt, darkness, and stench...

Suren's eyesight allowed him to clearly see the half of the corpse. There were jagged bite marks on the corpse, and it looked like it had been gnawed on by a monster of considerable size.

And at the corner of the street, there were several dark sewer openings, and the turbid stench came from there.

The owner seemed to be used to it and continued to mutter, "Captain Kai, there seems to be some kind of monster in the sewers... I've also been hearing about homeless people disappearing lately. It seems like they were taken away by some man-eating monster, which is making people panic... I'm afraid that if this continues, it will affect our tavern's business."

"Oh, I understand the situation."

Kai took a look and kicked the corpse into a nearby trash can.

The corpse would probably be eaten clean by rats soon, and no one would care who died.

Kai rubbed his leather boots on the ground and said, "Boss Chuckman, don't worry, I'll send someone to investigate."

Saying that, he didn't stay any longer and led Suren and his group away from the "Elephant Tavern."

After leaving the tavern and walking on the street, a new recruit asked, "Captain, are we going to investigate later?"

This was also Suren's doubt, he thought it was within their scope of work.

However, Kai smiled disapprovingly and replied, "Hehe, investigate? The sewers of Old Lingdun are a thousand-year-old antique. The underground structure is ten times more complex than the ground roads, and no one can figure out the underground structure. It's a paradise for various monsters and distortion monsters, who the hell wants to go to such a stinky place..."

After a pause, he looked at the new recruits and said, "As long as those monsters don't come to the surface, we don't need to care. Instead of wasting time investigating, we might as well go enjoy ourselves..."

"Understood, Captain."

Obviously, this was exactly what everyone wanted.

.......

Brothels, taverns, and then gambling dens.

The group strolled around the places on Green Street one by one, like a dog urinating to announce its territory, showing their faces.

Before long, they patrolled to the gambling den where underground black boxing matches were held.

And when Suren saw a cloud of "gray mist" appearing on the corpse of the gladiator who had been beaten to death in the ring, his eyes lit up.

Finally, it wasn't so boring...

He knew that he would probably have something to do for a long time in the future.