171. The City—Welcome!
[Mission: The Pinnacle of The City]
[Build your reputation, prestige, and trust, climbing step by step from the bottom of The City to its very top.
Each completed mission will accumulate popularity, prestige, and positive emotions for others; protecting others will earn you trust.
All of this will be judged by mission progress.
[Urban Ghost Stories]: Some basic, ordinary missions.
[Urban Legends]: Will affect certain areas.
[Urban Plague]: Missions involving events that will have a certain degree of harm to the city.
[Urban Nightmare]: May cause mass casualties.
[Urban Star]: The highest-level mission.
The 5 missions are divided into 5 levels, each granting different progress rewards upon completion.
Now the mission begins. You will start as a member of the lowest rung of The City, climbing step by step, completing countless missions, protecting countless people, and finally reaching the pinnacle of the city amidst the cheers of the crowd.]
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Back Alley
Composed of countless streets and countless people, most of whom are The City's lowest rungs, their daily safety uncertain, their belongings constantly at risk of being stolen.
At midday, a few rats in the back alley—the lowest-ranking hunters and some reckless thugs—are discussing recent events in the city.
"Damn, you guys all saw that light the other day, right?" One rat spread his arms, as if to describe the shock of the scene.
"Pfft, probably not many people in the whole city noticed," another rat said dismissively.
"Exactly, probably just some big shots messing around again, some kind of research or something. What does it have to do with us?" One rat shrugged.
Many people knew what was going on at L's Nest, but for people like them, struggling to even feed themselves, why would they care about such things?
"Tch, boring."
The one who spoke first curled his lip, then mentioned something that didn't interest him, but was a recent event.
"Have you heard? There's a new church popping up in the back alley lately?"
The others hesitated for a moment, then replied uncertainly.
"Yes, it's called something like the Silver Church."
"Right, that's the Silver Church."
"A church? Probably some kind of cult?" Someone scoffed.
This kind of thing was all too common in the city. To call it a church was a stretch; it wasn't much different from some gangs—just a group of people organized to extract benefits through various means, whether it was brainwashing or extortion.
"I don't know if it's a cult or not. I've heard that people who've been there say the people there are very gentle, willing to give them food and water, and don't ask them to do anything." The person who said this sounded uncertain, because he didn't believe it either.
"Don't be naive. Free food and water, and no demands on them—it's definitely a cult. Either the food is contaminated, and they're using those people for experiments, or they haven't made their move yet and are just waiting for their target." Someone scoffed dismissively.
In the city, free things are often the most expensive; only a fool would believe such a thing.
Perhaps it won't be long before the Association sends people to eradicate this cult; such things are all too common.
The people around nodded in agreement. Instead of worrying about such things, they were more interested in figuring out where to find something of value today.
They were almost starving when, just then, a rat came running up from a short distance away, its face beaming with excitement.
"Hey, hurry up, we've spotted our target!"
Hearing the man's words, the group of people talking immediately grinned excitedly.
They were a group of rats, a bunch of incompetent hunters. And as hunters, they naturally had a target: those lone figures lurking in the back alleys.
Upon arriving at their target's location, the group silently watched from a corner.
It was a beautiful, white-haired girl with a cool, aloof expression. She wore a white dress, a pair of white stockings of varying lengths, and small leather shoes, calmly moving through the back alley.
"...Something's not right." One of the more rational people stroked his chin, sensing something was amiss.
"What's wrong?" A blond-haired man swallowed hard. He'd never seen such a beautiful woman in his life. If only he could... hehe.
The others shared the same thought. Even without doing anything, selling her to that kind of place could probably bring them a huge fortune. After all, such a beautiful woman would be very appealing to those high-class men, especially with her aloof demeanor. Those perverted upper-class men loved this kind of unattainable beauty.
However, the more rational ones felt something was off.
The other party remained remarkably calm throughout the walk and seemed to be deliberately moving in one direction. Such a person was definitely not ordinary. Some people slowly retreated a step from the crowd, exchanging glances.
But at that moment…
The brick wall behind them collapsed with a deafening roar.
A twisted humanoid figure emerged from the dust. It had a human outline, yet resembled a crumpled and unfolded newspaper, its skin covered in stitches. Its right hand gripped a rusty kitchen knife, the congealed blood on the blade flaked off in a sharp, rustling motion.
"I didn't kill him…I didn't kill him…" the monster repeated mechanically, black blood oozing from its mouth with each word.
The tragedy unfolded in the blink of an eye. The kitchen knife slashed through people, splattering blood in a fan-shaped pattern on the wall. Someone turned to run, only to be pierced through the chest by the monster's left hand, the still-beating heart squashing with a wet, muffled sound.
Some slumped in pools of blood, watching their last companion being torn in two alive. As the slaughter ended, the twisted figure slowly turned its head, its eyes locking onto the white-haired woman not far away.
"It wasn't me...it wasn't me..." a hoarse whisper escaped its shattered throat.
The next second, its right foot slammed down, shattering the pavement, spiderweb-like cracks spreading instantly. It became a blurry afterimage, its bloodstained kitchen knife tracing a dark red path through the air, aiming straight for the woman's brow.
"Kneel."
The woman's voice was soft, yet like an irresistible command.
The charging monster was suddenly struck by an invisible force, slamming into the ground in a kneeling position. The immense impact sent rubble flying within a three-meter radius, its knees sinking deep into the concrete, its spine groaning under the strain.
The white-haired woman—Placidusax—lowered her eyes, a flicker of disgust in them. She raised her phone, the shutter sound echoing clearly in the silent alley.
After completing all this, a white light shone from her hand, which she aimed at the monster lying on the ground.
"Disappear."
As if carrying out a king's command, the twisted figure quickly vanished.
[Congratulations on completing an urban ghost story]
[Prestige and popularity have increased again]
[ You are one step closer to the pinnacle of The City]
[Popularity and Prestige] 114514
[Goal to be achieved] 1000000000
[Trust] 432 people.
[Goal to be achieved] 100000000
The belated Xiling looked at the pop-up window on the panel and sighed.
"At this rate, how long will it take?"
"Popularity and prestige are relatively easy to manage, but the number of trusts…"
"If they had come a week earlier, things might have been simpler."
The Seed of Light has now been launched and entered the current timeframe, distortion spreading throughout the city.
Just like the figure Placidusax had just killed, that was a distortion phenomenon.
Distortion Phenomenon: When a person's beliefs are crushed, and they lose themselves, they hear the voice of a cybernetic ghost, thus causing distortion.
Looking at the figure waiting to watch him, Xiling shook his head, clearing his mind of thoughts.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"It was nothing." Placidusax shook her head.
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The two walked side by side on Street 10, their destination being Street 9, the Sound Harbor.
In the chat group:
[Fire Moth Warrior]: Met another lunatic. Is this the norm for city dwellers?
[Great Magician Tarnished]: Holy crap! How come there are cannibals in this godforsaken place!
[Wheelchair Sniper God]: The churchgoers say a gang called the Meat Grinder Gang has appeared on the streets around them. Can anyone go check it out?
[I Am the Savior]: I'll go! I can find people quickly.
[Wheelchair Sniper]: Then I'll trouble you. Kyuushou, remember to bring some people.
[I Am the Savior]: No need~ Don't worry.
[I'm a Witch]: Speaking of which, it feels... weird for a witch like me to be a nun.
[Wheelchair Sniper]: Thank you for keeping me company.
[I'm a Witch]: It's not really a hardship.
[I'm Not a Foodie]: Do you really want me to become an idol? It doesn't seem quite right.
[I Don't Want to Be a Hero Anymore]: I think it's great! Dedicate idol songs to the confused city dwellers. Go for it! Spread your passion, Tianyi, to everyone!
[I'm Not a Foodie]: Uh... I have a feeling you're just having fun, Xiling.
[I'm Not Him]: I think so too.
[I Don't Want to Be a Hero Anymore]: I'm not talking to you guys anymore. Also, Tarnished, don't go eating random things in Street 23. They're all people-oriented there.
[Great Magician Tarnished]: ...Is that how you use 'people-oriented'?
Kevin flicked his wrist. Behind him lay more than twenty groaning people scattered about. He sighed helplessly, kicking a bloodstained dagger away with the tip of his boot. The metal scraped against the ground with a grating sound.
"I just glanced at it while passing by..." He rubbed his temples.
"I already apologized, and they still want to chop off my finger?"
"Are all the people in this godforsaken place crazy?"
After leaving with this thought, Kevin headed towards his mission objective.
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Street 23 was filled with a strange aroma of meat. The Tarnished stood at the alley entrance, his gaze sweeping over the shops lining the streets, their shelves laden with suspicious chunks of meat. The greasy smiles of the shopkeepers made his stomach churn, and the oddly shaped "ingredients" glistened eerily in the sunlight.
"People-oriented? What kind of hell is this? A joke?"
He was here to apprehend a wanted criminal; he'd better finish his mission quickly.
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Meanwhile, inside the Silver Church, Lemuen, dressed in a pristine white nun's habit, stood on the high pulpit. Her voice, clear and gentle as a spring stream, wove the Silver Church's ideals into reassuring prayers, conveying them to the devout believers below.
The believers sat on the floor, their faces radiating a near-uniform peace and tranquility, as if bathed in an invisible rain. Most had their eyes closed, their lips barely moving, uttering a hushed, synchronized whisper.
Outside the church, Elaina, also dressed as a nun, guided the arriving believers.
People followed her instructions in an orderly fashion, entering the cathedral and joining the crowd praying.
Most of these people were ragged; some were children, some were elderly. They all shared one common characteristic: they were the lowest rungs of society in the city.
Their hearts were numb and empty; they lived each day only to die tomorrow.
This was the city's underclass, the city's people.
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"Fantastic! Perfect! You passed!"
In the lavishly decorated audition room of the entertainment company, applause nearly lifted the roof.
The judges' applause and praise flooded the slightly shy girl on stage.
"Simply heavenly!"
"The pitch, the emotional expression… impeccable!"
Luo Tianyi scratched her head somewhat shyly.
"Thank you, teachers…"
The judges exchanged a knowing glance; their previous enthusiastic smiles were now tinged with a barely perceptible stiffness and awe.
"Please go out and rest for a while, Miss Tianyi. We'll discuss the follow-up arrangements immediately," one of the older members said, maintaining a professional smile and speaking in an almost solicitous tone.
Luo Tianyi nodded obediently, opened the heavy soundproof door, and went out.
The moment the door closed, the air inside suddenly became heavy. The smiles on the judges' faces vanished instantly, replaced by lingering panic. One of them wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice trembling with relief:
"My God... those people at the door... a dozen or so of them, every single one of them had eyes like knives, and the leader's aura was so cold it could freeze you to death... Could she be some rich girl, bored and just here to experience life?"
"You bet!" Another judge slumped into his chair, pale-faced, patting his chest dejectedly.
"I almost found fault with her application just now... Luckily, I was quick-witted, or we'd be finished!"
The City is never a warm and gentle Eden. Here—it's a gigantic stomach that silently chews and digests the weak.
And the glamorous yet treacherous entertainment industry is, in particular, a greedy maw filled with sharp teeth.
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With light, quick steps, she apprehended over a dozen thieves, breaking one's leg in the process. Following the guidance from the Revelation, Kyuushou arrived at a somewhat abandoned factory. Several men stood menacingly on either side of the factory gate.
"This must be it," Kyuushou mused, surveying the abandoned factory.
The burly men at the gate, seeing a young girl appear at their headquarters, immediately reacted like hyenas whose tails had been stepped on, their ferocity fully revealed.
The bald, muscular leader roared, "Hey! You over there! Who the hell are you! What the hell do you want on our Meat Grinder Gang's turf?!"
"The Meat Grinder Gang?" Kyuushou's lips curled into a smile.
"Ha! That's it! I've come looking for you!"
Before the men could even process the implications of her declaration, Kyuushou's figure shot forward like an arrow!
In the next second—
"Boom—!!!!"
A deafening explosion! The factory gate was kicked open! The entire door flew out like a tattered sack, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of choking dust.
Kyuushou walked inside, and the hellish scene within the factory unfolded cruelly before her eyes like a painting.
The vast space was divided into several areas. In the dim, flickering light, she could see the grime of filthy, makeshift operating tables and the gleam of cold instruments. Hooks and chains, stained with unidentified dirt, hung on the walls. In the corners, things resembling body bags writhed… The air was thick with the faint whimpers of despair and the suppressed growls of madness.
Every inch of the city is constantly breeding tragedies, large and small. Some happen in dark alleys, some in luxurious halls, and some are right before her eyes.
This is The City.
A city built on human needs.
The City—Welcome you all…