Early morning.
Chen Ling pushed open the door, and a scent of plum blossoms rushed toward him. A few magpies perched on the eaves were startled, fluttering into the sky one after another.
For a moment, Chen Ling was somewhat dazed. Perhaps because he had stayed in District Three for too long, he instinctively expected to see a snow-filled street when he opened the door... But now, he suddenly realized—that familiar, drafty little shack was gone forever.
Chen Ling had slept well, washing away the exhaustion from his recent travels. After standing at the door for a while to clear his mind, he walked through the courtyard’s arched gate and saw a figure sitting in front of the garden, intently reading a stack of newspapers.
Chu Muyun was still dressed in his shirt and vest, silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. His posture while reading was exactly the same as it had been back in District Three—this seemed to be his daily morning habit.
"I thought you’d sleep a bit longer," Chu Muyun glanced at him.
"I’ve slept enough. There are things I need to do." Chen Ling sat down on the stone chair opposite him and cut straight to the point. "Are there any particularly chaotic places in Aurora City?"
Hearing this, Chu Muyun’s expression turned slightly strange. He closed the book. "What are you planning now?"
"What do you mean, planning? I rarely stir up trouble."
"Heretic or Hero? The First Outsider in a Century to Shatter Aurora City’s Gates—Chen Ling"
"‘I Challenge Aurora City’—District Three Enforcer Han Meng Defies the Enforcement System!"
"Twilight Society Reappears in Aurora City! Disaster or Salvation?"
"Exclusive Interviews with District Three Survivors—Exposing the Darkness of Low-Level Enforcers and the Distortion of Humanity"
"Eighty percent of today’s Aurora Daily is about you. The entire city is arguing over what you did yesterday... No one has managed this in nearly a century." Chu Muyun gave him a deep look. "You’re now a celebrity in Aurora City... and you still claim you rarely stir up trouble?"
Chen Ling: "..."
Chen Ling picked up the newspaper and flipped through the pages.
Chu Muyun was right. The paper was plastered with photos of him from yesterday—the train bursting through the tide of calamities, crashing through Aurora City’s gates, his calm expression as he spoke in the city, and finally, his elegant curtain call in flames... The written content was almost entirely about him.
The only part of the newspaper unrelated to him was a small corner about the Stellar Chamber of Commerce suddenly sounding an alarm last night, as if something had gone missing. But this piece was squeezed into the tiniest space, easy to miss unless one looked carefully.
"What Chen Ling did has nothing to do with me." Chen Ling adjusted his half-rimmed glasses and replied indifferently.
Chu Muyun’s lips twitched slightly.
Just then, Chen Ling’s gaze swept over the top article, and a name suddenly caught his attention.
"Who is this Wen Shilin?" Chen Ling pointed at the small text beside the headline.
"Isn’t it written right there? A journalist." Chu Muyun paused, then added, "This reporter seems somewhat famous. He’s exposed several cases of enforcers engaging in shady deals behind the scenes, causing quite a stir each time... These days, there aren’t many journalists bold enough to exercise Press Freedom Rights."
"Press Freedom Rights? What’s that?"
"It’s a law established during Aurora City’s founding. The leaders of that era created it alongside the enforcement system, intending to use press freedom as a counterbalance to the enforcers’ absolute authority. It was meant to serve as a form of oversight, preventing enforcers or judges from becoming too powerful..." Chu Muyun chuckled lightly. "But in reality, under the weight of absolute power disparity, the press freedom of civilians is limited. After a few centuries, how many journalists dare to use this right?
"Never mind the benefits—if they offend certain enforcer or judge factions, they might not even know how they died... People are creatures who seek advantage and avoid harm. Who’d willingly do something so thankless?"
"Press Freedom Rights, huh..."
Chen Ling nodded thoughtfully. "Let’s get back to the main topic—where are the chaotic areas in Aurora City?"
After circling back to the same question, Chu Muyun sighed helplessly before answering:
"Aurora City is, after all, the core of the Aurora Domain. There aren’t many openly chaotic areas. You might want to check near the western outskirts... That’s probably where you’ll find what you’re looking for."
Having gotten the information he wanted, Chen Ling was about to leave when Chu Muyun hesitated, then added, "Oh, and... the people from your District Three have been relocated there as well."
Chen Ling’s footsteps paused slightly.
---
"Your name is...?"
"Zhao Yi."
"Alright, Mr. Zhao Yi." In a cramped room, a journalist held a pen and paper, sitting by the window. "Let me introduce myself—I’m Zhuo Shuqing, a reporter for Aurora Daily. I’ll be asking you a few questions next. I hope you’ll cooperate."
Zhao Yi, his body wrapped in bandages, already looked exhausted. He frowned. "Didn’t your colleagues already interview me yesterday? Why are you asking again?"
"My colleague might have misunderstood some details yesterday, so I’m here to verify them." Zhuo Shuqing’s voice was smooth as jade, pleasant to the ear.
"You mentioned in yesterday’s interview that enforcers in District Three extorted large ‘protection fees’ from residents, correct?"
"Yes."
"How much were these fees, roughly?"
"At least three to five silver coins per month."
"That doesn’t sound like much."
Hearing this, Zhao Yi instinctively frowned. Before he could speak, Zhuo Shuqing continued, "After collecting these fees, did the neighborhood experience any large-scale criminal incidents or terrorist attacks?"
"...No, but—"
"Then could it be interpreted that after collecting minor subsidies from the public, the enforcers promptly expanded their manpower, upgraded equipment, and strengthened patrols—thereby preventing a series of violent incidents?"
Zhao Yi was stunned. He immediately stood up, shaking his head. "No, that’s not it... Those were protection fees! Not subsidies—"
Zhuo Shuqing acted as if he hadn’t heard Zhao Yi’s protests, swiftly jotting notes. "You also mentioned that when District Three was attacked by calamities, some enforcers not only failed to perform their duties but fled first, even barging into homes and threatening civilians to hide... But in the end, the calamities in the district were eradicated, weren’t they?"
"They were eradicated, but that had nothing to do with them! It was—"
"Isn’t it possible that what you perceived as fleeing and hiding was actually a trap set by the enforcers to counter the calamities? Any accidental harm to civilians during this process was simply unavoidable in the heat of battle."
By now, Zhao Yi could no longer suppress his fury. His fists slowly clenched!