In a high-tech and complex social structure, blood relations offered many exploitable angles.

For Chu Zu, the most useful were identity verification and security systems.

The Upper Sector’s long-standing reliance on identity verification was based on the family’s gene pool.

The verification system, designed from the start, anticipated internal family strife. To prevent the monopoly of family power by a single individual, relevant access could be activated as long as the DNA identification and biometric features passed the calculation verification, even if the person was not explicitly in the gene pool.

This was also why Luciano insisted on killing all blood relatives other than himself; he wanted to become the sole key to the family’s assets.

The reason for not wanting an heir was simpler: the family business and assets were protected by a genetic key, which could only be managed and operated by blood-related successors, thereby preventing usurpation by outsiders.

Having no children was actually a safeguard for Luciano‘s own life.

Now his insurance is gone, Chu Zu thought ruthlessly.

However, Dai Xi’an’s “gift” brought a new set of problems.

“Following normal logic, if I have Sidney, why would I wait for Tang Qi to kill Luciano ?”

Chu Zu habitually shared his line of thinking with the system.

“The original ‘Chu Zu’ lacked authority and could only barely gather allies under the pretext of revenge, coupled with Tang Qi’s push to ‘make the Lower Sector great again,’ allowing me to smoothly take over Luciano‘s power.”

“But now, my reputation is quite good. If something ‘accidental’ happens to Luciano, and I parade his own son around, the Esposito assets, inside and out, will be mine, won’t they?”

He mused, “If I don’t make a move now? That seems inappropriate.”

The system immediately warned: “Absolutely not! Never!”

“Sidney wasn’t in the original novel at all! He cannot appear in the main storyline. We are correcting a marginal character; we absolutely cannot alter the main plot!”

“I know.” Chu Zu had a headache. “I’m urgently thinking about what to patch in to make it logical.”

“Actually… if you move slowly…” the system hesitated, speaking vaguely. “He will most likely disappear in some accident, and Dai Xi’an won’t mention the child again.”

Chu Zu seemed not to hear, fully absorbed in how to patch this job.

The little rascal in front of him delivered a major surprise first.

Chu Zu’s face was perpetually blacklisted in the Lower Sector. If not famous far and wide, his glorious record was certainly known by every local.

Normally, people in the Lower Sector would either run away quickly or pretend not to know him, just like in Sector Eight previously.

But Sidney, after glancing at his short arms and legs and determining he couldn’t run, gritted his teeth, blended the two options, and added his own genius understanding to the mix.

The child stumbled and crawled, rushing forward to grab Chu Zu’s leg, and opened his mouth to shout: “Papa…!”

Chu Zu: “…”

System: “…”

Chu Zu lifted the child, staring at him as if inspecting a corpse.

Sidney was startled at first, biting his lower lip and not daring to speak for a long time. Seeing that Chu Zu had no intention of executing him on the spot, he hesitated, bit his lip, and tearfully probed, “Auntie said you would come for me eventually. Did you come for me?”

“…”

Besides being speechless, Chu Zu was also a little thankful.

Thank goodness this brat didn’t mention Dai Xi’an’s name directly, or Jeeves would have caught it, and we’d be completely screwed.

However, Dai Xi’an would absolutely never tell Sidney something like “Your father will come for you.” “Your father will kill you eventually” was closer to the truth.

“A very smart child. He knew you were looking for him. There’s no one around, and he can’t run away, so he chose to strike first to gain your sympathy,” the system analyzed.

Chu Zu: “Is this why he played this awkward game with me?”

System: “…”

Chu Zu: “Is this why I became an unexpected father?”

System: “…”

The system struggled to reply and began scrutinizing Sidney.

He was virtually a perfect mold of Luciano: the same brilliant, sun-gold hair, clear azure eyes, and he was surprisingly well-kept.

The differences were also obvious.

Due to living in the Lower Sector, Sidney’s body wasn’t as sturdy as Luciano‘s had been as a child. When lifted, he was skinny, like a wind chime made of bones, dangling in the air.

Moreover, Luciano would never display such vulnerability. Twelve-year-old Luciano was in his rebellious phase, and even a dog passing by would get kicked by him.

Hmm, on second thought, maybe they aren’t that alike.

Just as the system was about to ask its host for a plan, it heard Chu Zu tell Sidney: “Yes, I came for you.”

System: “…?”

Not just the system, even Sidney, who had rushed up to claim a father, was stunned.

Before the child could react, Chu Zu had him cradled in one arm. Sidney had initially planned to make a desperate run for it, but he stopped when he saw the bouquet of flowers Chu Zu was carrying.

There were words written on the card attached to the bouquet.

Sidney couldn’t actually read, but he recognized a small part of the “pattern”, Dai Xi’an.

He hesitated, then cautiously wrapped his arms around Chu Zu’s neck.

The man holding him stiffened all over, stopping in place.

Sidney’s little heart started pounding, frantically wondering if he had done something wrong.

But Chu Zu’s abnormality lasted only for an instant. He securely held the child and continued walking forward.

***

Dai Xi’an had her reasons for placing Sidney in Sector Eighteen.

Sector Eighteen was Chu Zu’s “old stomping ground” and the only Lower Sector area that, even without being monitored by surveillance stations, wouldn’t openly take a stand against him, because Chu Zu occasionally stayed there.

In reality, due to Luciano‘s tasks, ‘Chu Zu’ played the role of the God of Death equally in every sector, without bias.

But finding a place to rest in other sectors was difficult.

He couldn’t go directly to a surveillance station, as that would easily expose Luciano‘s arrangements. He had already experienced the consequences of finding random places to rest: assassins from the other families came one after another, giving him no time to close his eyes.

After a quick thought, Chu Zu chose the familiar location to stay.

If nothing else, the decades-unchanged environment allowed Chu Zu to kill assassins more efficiently, thus saving sleeping time.

It also allowed Chu Zu and the people of Sector Eighteen to reach a certain understanding. You can dispose of the corpses we create, dismantle them, and sell them off, whatever. The dark environment is perfect. We live our separate lives, and no one interferes with anyone else.

For a time, Sector Eighteen, relying on prosthetics and organ trade, actually showed a hint of prosperity.

This was a form of Upper Sector ‘giving back’ to the Lower Sector… maybe.

When Luciano finally recalled Chu Zu, having mostly dealt with the other families and officially confronting Tang Qi, Sector Eighteen, while no longer making quick cash, had managed to achieve stability as a ‘neutral zone.’

Sidney grew up in such an environment.

With Dai Xi’an constantly watching the Upper Sector’s movements, the child himself could occasionally go out to check corpses and dig up prosthetic eyes to trade for resources.

Though numbered late, Sector Eighteen’s living conditions were infinitely better than Sector Eight.

As Chu Zu took Sidney to the black market, he also discovered the other major reason why the child, despite having Luciano‘s face, could live quite comfortably.

“Is golden hair and blue eyes a new trend? Or are my eyes bad after the surgery?”

Chu Zu asked the system, “Why are all these fierce people, whether scarred men or giant old women, sporting this look… Is our Sector Eighteen bold and stylish?”

The system was also perplexed and began searching background data.

After Chu Zu added in the details, the relevant background not written by the original author was also filled in. For a novel of several million words, the supplementary background alone increased the word count several times over.

After checking keywords, the system quickly concluded.

“You were working non-stop before, and a fever nearly killed you. You let a golden-haired, blue-eyed assassin escape at that time, and he stabbed you twice before leaving.”

It pointed out the background story of Chu Zu. “When Luciano asked what happened, you said the person’s blonde hair was too dazzling and you were distracted.”

“…What a disgusting thing to say. Why didn’t I just say I was about to die from the illness?”

“Luciano was very unstable at the time. Jeeves was turned into an AI during that period. You didn’t want to become the second AI.”

That doesn’t seem like a lie, either, Chu Zu mused.

Being semi-conscious from a fever and being distracted by the same features as Luciano, different reasons, same result.

“Luciano was quite pleased… In short, at first, Sector Eighteen felt that people with golden hair and blue eyes had a higher chance of surviving under you. Later, through word-of-mouth, it gradually became a local custom.”

Chu Zu: “…”

A local custom, my ass.

When they reached the black market, the originally sullen and ferocious blonde individuals abandoned their shops and ignored customers mid-surgery when they saw Chu Zu, taking off running.

The chaos lasted only a few seconds. When Chu Zu put Sidney down, the massive black market was only filled with the beeping sounds of certain instruments.

If Chu Zu had a say, Tang Qi shouldn’t rush to charge the Upper Sector yet. The gap between the Lower Sector’s districts was too wide, and integration would be arduous.

He thought the structure of Sector Eighteen was excellent; everyone was highly motivated. Why not popularize it first?

“Look for black hair dye, and contact lenses… I think that’s what they’re called? Get two pairs of red ones.”

“Do you really intend to raise him?”

The system began scavenging as requested by the host, but it couldn’t figure out why. “Sidney has no opportunity to appear in the main plot. Bringing him with you makes you an easier target for Luciano. He must be monitoring your every move now…”

Chu Zu found half a tube of hair dye. He squatted down, placed the bouquet on the ground, and smeared the dye onto his palm, holding it out to Sidney.

Sidney scrunched up his face, trying to say something, but Chu Zu covered his mouth.

“The Upper Sector doesn’t need useless things. That is the premise of me taking you.”

He said, “Of course, you don’t have a choice. Besides me, no one wants you to exist in this world.”

Sidney’s eyes widened, his pupils trembling. He was handsome, and showing an even more pitiful expression than before would move anyone, but Chu Zu was clearly not among them.

Realizing that his acting couldn’t touch the man, Sidney suddenly changed his expression. Like a kitten, he viciously bit down on Chu Zu’s palm, covering his mouth. Chu Zu didn’t let go; even though his mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood, Sidney wouldn’t release his bite.

Chu Zu merely watched him with a cold, indifferent gaze.

Sidney, unwilling to give up, started struggling, but still lost to Chu Zu’s unyielding indifference.

He realized his strength was futile, like a mayfly shaking a tree. He tried to act cute again but was unable to back down under the intense scrutiny, and released his bite, his face flushed.

“Pa-Papa…”

“Mm.”

Sidney obediently took the hair dye.

Nothing good came from the Lower Sector. The chemical dyed the hair quickly, but once it touched the skin, it reacted like acid hitting water, burning pinkish-white spots on the surface and emitting faint white smoke.

Sidney glanced at Chu Zu out of the corner of his eye, gritted his teeth, and dyed all his golden hair black, then poked the filthy lenses into his eyes.

He was highly enduring, not uttering a single sound throughout the process.

The handsome child became ragged. Even the system felt a twinge of pity.

“Sidney doesn’t seem to like having a father…”

Chu Zu countered, “I don’t have parents either. Why? Is it also because they didn’t like it?”

System: “…”

“Because I’m better off without parents.”

Chu Zu offered an explanation that the system could understand.

“Luciano wouldn’t allow me to have a place to go besides him. Even if I did, he would handle it for me. From the author’s perspective, giving me an orphan status saved trouble.”

“The moment Dai Xi’an wrote his name for me, I had to find him, because he’s too useful. I thought for a long time about what role to give him that wouldn’t interfere with the main plot, but could still be used by me. He thought of it first. Why wouldn’t I agree?”

System: “…”

Chu Zu added, “Isn’t The Neon Crown just such a novel? The author only focuses on the important characters. I’m a marginal character who was only pulled out because the writing stalled and was heading for a bad ending. Sidney doesn’t even count as a marginal character.”

“His appearance would complicate Luciano‘s plot line, so even the author abandoned him. It’s the literal meaning of no one wanting him to exist in this world.”

Chu Zu casually grabbed a nearby scrap of cloth, originally used to wipe machine oil, and used it to wipe Sidney’s head.

The man’s movements were unexpectedly gentle.

“Pulled into the vortex of power, he has no way to live. Like you said, he will disappear in some accident, because the easiest way not to enter the main plot is simply not to exist.”

“Only I can help him,” he told the system.

The system recalled the host’s earlier anomaly in Sector Eighteen, which was also caused by a marginal character.

The host later said he was in a bad mood at the time.

The host also said that its occasional comments lacked emotional intelligence.

Finally connecting the dots, the system felt deeply ashamed and couldn’t even manage a word in its own defense.

Putting down the rag, Sidney looked down at his hands, which were horribly corroded by the chemical, but still managed a fake smile at Chu Zu. He even actively picked up the flowers on the ground and held them for the man.

“Only I can save him.”

Chu Zu stood up and took the child’s hand. “Marginal characters have their own way of living. He doesn’t look like he wants to die, so let him live for now. Take him back to Dai Xi’an; it won’t be much trouble.”

“This is all I can do for him, too.”

There was no sunlight in the Lower Sector. Dead bugs piled up next to the shabby lights. The closer they got to the station, the brighter the lights became. The pale light dragged the blurred shadows of the large and small figures across the ground.

The system was deeply touched the whole way, only to hear the host speak again after Chu Zu used Luciano‘s authority to take the child onto the train.

“Also, if I don’t take care of Sidney, with Dai Xi’an’s capabilities, she’ll bring me another ‘gift.'”

Chu Zu sighed. “Having an overly capable accomplice is also a type of annoyance.”

System: “…”

Oh!

NOTES

Unexpected Father: A colloquial, often sardonic, internet phrase meaning to suddenly and unexpectedly become a father, typically with the implication that the child is not biologically one’s own, which Chu Zu uses here in a self-mocking way.