North District Nine, the unpredictable rain of May continued, under the overcast sky lay a grey world. The train passed through the mountain tunnel, entering the vast plains, raising a howling wind as it went.
The purification project in North Five made residents of many areas in Jade Skirt hopeful, bringing significantly more vitality compared to the past. Some large enterprises were also willing to invest in the northern regions beforehand, seeking to take the lead once the environment was restored.
"What's the matter, homesick?" Leaning against the train window, a young man in a white robe looked at his companion, who was equally tall and burly beside him.
"A little." He looked at his reflection in the glass window, a subtle sense of unfamiliarity emerging.
So that was how he looked now. Thick brows, resolute eyes, an expression steady as rock—it was hard to believe he was a young man of around twenty.
"Xian Ta, your family is in North Three, right?"
"Yes, that's right. Why do you suddenly ask?" The white-robed youth beside him crossed his arms and opened his eyes.
"It's nothing, just suddenly felt like visiting the different districts up north; we're about to graduate anyway."
"True, studying at the University in the Central Star Domain, we'll probably not make it back home for several years, and after that, the chance of working back at Four-leaf Crystal is also slim." Xian Ta uncrossed his arms and moved next to his companion, joining him to look at the murky world outside.
"Though it's a bit gloomy, this place has potential. If the environment were restored, it could turn out to be a rather pleasant landscape. Are you not willing to leave it, Valke?"
After the brief response, the train carriage fell silent once more. For a long stretch of time, both men said nothing, merely gazing quietly at the rolling hills and fields outside. It wasn't that they were on bad terms, just that neither of them was particularly talkative.
An hour later, in a drizzle of rain, the train with its orange-red searchlights pulled into a small town station, and the two of them disembarked.
"Here we are. I'll show you where you'll be staying." Valke took the lead, opening a black umbrella in front of them.
Walking along the street, they observed the sparsely populated shops and passers-by, occasionally exchanging a few words, while flashes of lightning occasionally illuminated the church in the distance against the night sky.
A figure flew out from a side alley, knocking over trash cans and guardrails before sliding several meters across the wet street and coming to a stop.
"Fucking thought you could run, huh, hehe."
Several rough men emerged from the alley, the leader wearing a jacket with hanging chains. A hook-like scar was on his face; he wore knuckle dusters on his right hand, and shiny bracers wrapped around his wrists.
As they spoke, the men emerging from the alley kicked the person lying on the ground viciously, the intense pain causing the man on the ground to curl up.
"I told you to fucking pay back the money, not to fucking cry poor to me. You're not big on abilities but sure have big ideas, daring to mess with me."
After a flurry of punches and kicks, the four men turned around and saw the two onlookers. One spat out disdainfully,
"What the hell are you looking at, get lost!"
If they had been ordinary people, they most likely would have scurried away, preferring not to get involved. However, these two remained unmoved.
At this, the leading man's eyebrows shot up in irritated fury; he strode forward and kicked out fiercely. The force of the kick would have been enough to break the bones of an ordinary person, but this time it was like kicking a steel plate. With a 'thump', not only did he fail to knock the person in front of him down, but the recoil caused his leg to throb in pain and he staggered back.
Clutching his aching calf, the man felt mocked, his face burning with humiliation.
"Grab your weapons, let's go at it together!" He shouted, then pulled a switchblade from his jacket's waistband, and charged once more.
In response, Valke just shook his head, sweeping out a palm to catch the oncoming blade, halting and then crushing it, easily overpowering the attacks from the others as well.
The razor-sharp steel blades crumpled one by one in the man's palm and were tossed aside, a spectacle that struck fear into the group, who now began to sober up.
"Who are you? We're with the Black Water Gang. You won't have peace if you mess with us. Don't think you're tough; if we found out where you live, we'd make sure you couldn't settle down."
"Oh, is that so?" Valke took a step forward, lifting the leader with one hand while the other hand brushed back his hair dampened by the rain, to let the man see him clearly.
Unfortunately, the man still looked bewildered, showing no recognition until after a long while when one of his underlings finally gasped out,
"This... we're sorry, big brother here hasn't seen you before, it's our mistake, please spare us." Upon hearing that, the rest immediately changed their tone to one of deference and began pleading.
"What if I say I'm not willing?" Valke dropped the man in front of him and stamped down, causing a scream of pain and the sound of bones crushing—a thigh bone had been fractured.
"Please, big brother Valke, we've always minded our own business. The church where you grew up is now a key protection target of our gang. We take care of the families in town. For the sake of Pastor Boise, please spare us."
Following this, the others also begged for mercy in quick succession.
Valke just shook his head and then asked,
"Who's your boss now, and where is he?"
"The boss is Cook, he's at..." A few of the underlings hesitated for a few seconds before finally responding.