Chapter 14: Inner City
“Hopefully, I will not respond to my enemies with powerless curses.”
Looking at the few people lying on the ground, all wrapped in protective suits, there was no scene of blood or gore—only the terrified expressions of those who had removed their masks and were cursing in fear.
Zhou Ming felt somewhat uneasy in his heart, but he had no regrets about his decision to deal with Cold Blade and his group.
That uneasiness was merely the normal reaction of an ordinary person when first faced with such a scene.
Zhou Ming simply knew that he had already stepped into a world where the weak were prey to the strong, yet he did not wish for his future self to deal with his enemies in this way.
After a moment of silence, Zhou Ming began to collect his spoils.
He took nothing else—only the Alliance Coins from Cold Blade’s group. After storing them carefully, he dragged their bodies into a sewage pit.
“Tap, tap…”
Footsteps echoed again, and the sewers once more sank into darkness. Only the squeaking of rats could be heard as they began gathering the food they needed.
At the Rat Extermination Station, Zhou Ming packed up his belongings and left directly.
Seeing that Zhou Ming had returned unharmed, the other Rat Exterminators exchanged glances.
A single thought rose in their minds—Cold Blade and his men would probably never leave the sewers again.
After leaving the Rat Extermination Station, Zhou Ming did not take the tram back. Instead, he walked along the nearby road.
Passing by a drainage ditch, he casually threw away the key to his storage locker. His days as a Rat Exterminator had officially come to an end.
Night had fallen. On a street illuminated by only a few dim lamps, Zhou Ming waited in the shadows, away from the reach of the light.
Though the street itself was dark, the shop lights on both sides shone in dazzling colors, and through the doors came the lively sounds of chatter and music.
This was the famous Wind and Dust Street of the southern city—filled with bars, nightclubs, and various entertainment venues.
Here, all kinds of people vented their inner pressure before returning to struggle for their lives again the next day.
As Zhou Ming patiently waited, a group of people emerged from a bar.
“Brother Tiger, do you want us to give you a ride?”
“Get lost! You think I can’t handle my own liquor?”
At the suggestion, the tall man called Brother Tiger laughed and cursed.
“Haha, Blondie, you’re drunk! Still worrying about Brother Tiger?”
“Yeah, with Brother Tiger’s drinking capacity, he could down a few more bottles easy. Am I right, everyone?”
“Right!”
Never missing a chance to flatter their leader, everyone chimed in.
The one who had just spoken quickly apologized as well.
Amidst their laughter and banter, the group soon dispersed.
“Damn, I really drank too much.”
After only a few steps, Brother Tiger suddenly felt an urge to relieve himself. Muttering curses, he walked to the roadside, unbuckled his belt, and began to urinate.
Just as he took aim, a streak of black light flashed through the night and struck him before he could react.
“Mm… thud.”
Before a sound could escape his mouth, Brother Tiger collapsed to the ground.
After he fell, a shadow slithered from his body toward Zhou Ming, who stood not far away.
This time, Zhou Ming had sent out Ironthread Snake No.1—he didn’t want the man to make any noise that might attract unwanted attention.
After standing silently for a few minutes, Zhou Ming turned and left, leaving only a cold corpse behind.
The reason Zhou Ming had come out so late to assassinate someone unrelated to him was because this “Brother Tiger” was Cold Blade’s elder brother.
Brother Tiger, like Cold Blade, had once been a Rat Exterminator, but he had formed his own team and ruled as a “Rat Boss” at another sewer entrance.
Cold Blade hadn’t followed his brother because he wanted to claim the entrance Zhou Ming had entered for himself.
Now Cold Blade was dead, and Zhou Ming was alive—Brother Tiger would easily sense that something was wrong.
Given the relationship between the two brothers, this could lead to trouble.
Although Zhou Ming was a Beast Tamer, he was not much stronger than an ordinary person. A hidden bullet, a dose of poison, or a sudden knife attack could all end him.
Therefore, rather than letting trouble brew, he chose to eliminate it at the source—saving both time and energy, and reducing the hidden dangers around him.
Life was like this—trouble always came knocking. Zhou Ming’s only choice was to minimize it and devote more time and effort to the path of the Beast Tamer.
At dawn, a beam of sunlight slipped through a gap in the unclosed curtains and shone straight onto Zhou Ming’s face.
“Another new day. Time to start working hard.”
Blocking the light with one hand, Zhou Ming spoke with renewed determination.
As for yesterday’s events, they seemed to have been completely erased from his mind.
After washing up, Zhou Ming left the Garden Community, whose name carried a hopeful meaning, and set out to begin his plan.
Before long, the tram for Route Three heading to the Inner City arrived.
Once aboard, Zhou Ming casually glanced around—there weren’t many people heading to the Inner City.
The few passengers inside were all neatly dressed, likely Inner City workers. Seeing Zhou Ming’s street-market clothes, their chins instinctively tilted upward.
Zhou Ming only smiled faintly and chose a random seat.
This time, his destination was the Inner City of the Qinshan Base. The base was divided into four outer districts—East, South, West, and North. Zhou Ming lived in the South City’s Garden Community.
At the very center of the Qinshan Base was the Inner City—a zoning structure adopted by most bases.
Besides housing the upper- and middle-class citizens of Qinshan Base, the Inner City also contained its most important institutions.
That was where Zhou Ming was heading today.
As the tram started moving, the shops along the streets had already opened for business, and pedestrians began their daily hustle.
As the tram approached the Inner City, the scenery around him began to change. Greenery appeared everywhere, the streets were cleaner, and the buildings looked newer and more refined.
“So this is the Inner City?”
Watching the changing scenery, Zhou Ming finally understood how visible social class had become in this transcendent world.
But it seemed that everyone had already grown used to this reality.
The only difference lay in whether one chose to climb upward or remain content with their current life.
After all, in a world where population was a vital resource, even the Outer City still allowed for an ordinary, stable existence.
“Beasts?”
Once inside the Inner City, Zhou Ming saw for the first time other people’s contracted beasts with his own eyes.
A Violent Lion, a Gale Wolf, a Diamond Ape.
They weren’t everywhere, but compared to the Outer City, it felt like an entirely different world.
These massive Ferocious Beasts were carrying their masters along the streets; otherwise, Zhou Ming might never have seen them.
After condensing a Spiritual Seed and becoming a Beast Tamer, one could, through special substances and techniques, seal their beasts within their Spiritual Sea, letting them slumber there.
This was the only method Zhou Ming knew of for carrying beasts. As for spatial tools capable of storing them, he had never heard of any.
After all, space wasn’t a bus—not something anyone could just tamper with.
“Ding.”
The tram’s arrival chime rang.
……