Chu Zu followed Tang Qi into a structure.

From the outside, it was impossible to tell that this was a relatively spacious and clean house. The lighting wasn’t bright, but it was stable enough.

The windowless room was about the size of Luciano’s bedroom.

Aside from the two-square-meter area by the entrance, the room was packed with roughly thirty metal-framed beds.

Rags served as sheets. There were no pillows. The beds were occupied by humans who looked like desiccated corpses.

A single bottle of medicine set up beside each bed was connected by two or more thin tubes and simultaneously administered via needles to several people.

The enclosed space was filled with a foul stench.

To be more precise: the smell of sweat, urine, the putrid odor of infected, festering wounds, and a faint, lingering metallic tang.

This was what Tang Qi wanted to show Chu Zu.

“Even if I smuggle the reagents needed for the treatment pods and equipment down to the lower levels, the voltage and frequency won’t match the devices here.”

Tang Qi walked straight in. Chu Zu followed behind him.

Only upon entering could one hear the faint, mumbled words from these people, their voices clogged by the filth in their throats, becoming muddy and tiny.

If one listened carefully… they were repeatedly chanting Tang Qi’s name.

Tang Qi leaned down, his hand gently resting on a thin, pus-covered arm lying on a metal bed frame, his eyes downcast.

“The lower districts are the upper districts’ dumping ground. Corrosive waste and radioactive experimental refuse are tossed down, level by level. Here at the very bottom, living healthily into adulthood is nothing short of a miracle.”

“Not a miracle,” Chu Zu said coldly. “During the Great Cleansing in the upper districts, many people were exiled down here. If their ancestors had their genes modified, their descendants’ physical constitutions would be superior to those who developed naturally.”

“Isn’t that strange?”

“No.”

Tang Qi’s head drooped lower, his black hair hiding his face, his back tense.

He was silent for a long moment before suddenly turning, grabbing Chu Zu by the shirt collar, and slamming him against the wall in two swift steps.

The hanging lamp on the ceiling swayed, emitting a grating, teeth-on-edge creak.

The system was startled. “Wh-why did he suddenly attack?”

Chu Zu’s painless condition and his stoic acting skills were incredibly effective in this situation. He wasn’t flustered at all, calmly observing Tang Qi.

His sword-like eyebrows were tightly furrowed, his eyes wide with slightly dilated pupils, his jaw muscles clenched.

Indicating anger, restraint, but no hatred.

“You climbed up from the lower levels, too. How dare you say it’s not strange?” Tang Qi’s voice was practically squeezed out from the depths of his throat.

He was about the same height as Luciano, just over 180 cm, shorter than Chu Zu. Even though he had the positional advantage, his fury made him fierce and dominant, yet he still had to tilt his chin up to maintain eye contact.

The hand gripping the collar was clenched into a fist, his body leaned forward noticeably, all his muscles taut.

His volume increased, his tone becoming sharper.

He was prepared for a potential physical conflict or action, conveying threat and dissatisfaction before the clash to increase intimidation.

Chu Zu said to the system, “He’s nervous and a bit anxious.”

System: “?”

“Righteous indignation, essentially stemming from a strong sense of justice and a need for self-defense. Tang Qi feels his rights and the rights of others have been violated, and he must do something to uphold fairness and his dignity.”

“…” The system wasn’t quite sure about its host’s perspective. “I feel… he just wants to hit you.”

Chu Zu seemed surprised: “Aren’t I the peak combat power? Can he even hit me?”

The system fell into an ashamed silence.

“You want to ask why he’s having a fit at me, right?” Chu Zu said.

The system hurriedly agreed, “Yes, yes, yes.” It was indeed very confusing.

Last time they met, wasn’t it a harmonious relationship of ‘I shock you, you hate me’? Why did Tang Qi seem like a completely different person upon seeking him out this time?

The host said there was no hatred, said he was nervous, anxious, and righteously indignant.

Chu Zu chuckled lightly: “Because I made him realize that I’m actually from the lower levels too.”

The system still didn’t understand.

*

Tang Qi had mustered the resolve to approach because he saw the look in Chu Zu’s eyes in the dim light.

He had encountered Chu Zu more than once and had a general idea of the man’s usual demeanor.

A face with clear lines, clean, sharp features, scarlet eyes devoid of any emotion, he looked like the very definition of coldness and ruthlessness.

But what Tang Qi saw just now wasn’t that.

Chu Zu’s glacier-hard face still showed little emotion, but perhaps because he’d been caught in the rain, even his gaze seemed damp.

In that moment, Tang Qi had a sudden realization. Why did Chu Zu keep emphasizing the pain?

Isn’t it strange? Then investigate me.

And you’ll find that I, too, climbed up from the lower levels.

I am also from the lower levels.

At that time, only this sentence remained in Tang Qi’s mind.

So he found it increasingly hard to accept.

Tang Qi opened the hand gripping the other man’s collar, spreading his palm flat against the man’s chest.

Behind him were thirty-plus people clinging to life, on the verge of death.

Beneath his palm were well-defined muscles, a powerful heartbeat, and steady breathing.

The absurd contrast, combined with the man’s callous words, made Tang Qi’s fury burn even hotter.

“How did you get your health? Genes? Don’t give me that crap.”

“I remember who you are now. Chu Zu. The painless kid from District 13.”

“They often took their anger out on you. Nearly beat you to death several times. But you survived. Not only survived, but became the god of death, collecting debts in the junkyard.”

A vein bulged on Tang Qi’s forehead as he shouted his question: “The lower districts gave you a miserable childhood, so you want payback? Or did Luciano give you the illusion that you have the right to revenge, making you willing to be his dog?!”

The silent one exuded a cold, sharp presence, like a blade.

Chu Zu was like black iron, straight, unyielding, his gaze devoid of disdain or contempt.

Truthfully, Tang Qi could find no emotion in his eyes. It was like this during the interrogation, and it was like this now.

“You can’t feel pain, and I don’t care about suffering. That train accident let us share the same miracle. You were forced to become Luciano’s blade. I chose to become my hometown’s weapon. My eyes were searching for you. You let me go.”

Tang Qi deflated for no reason, a sense of frustration welling up in his heart.

“You… you’re the one person who should understand what I’m doing…”

Only then did Chu Zu say to the dumbfounded system: “See, this is the main reason I set the day I met Little Lu as the day of the train accident.”

The system was astonished: “I thought you just picked a major event at random as a plot point!”

“No, we’re in this line of work now. Pay attention and learn. Ask promptly if there’s anything you don’t understand later.”

The system once again adjusted its attitude toward its host, pulling out a notepad, embodying the diligent, eager-to-learn System No. 3: “Okay, I’ll learn, learn, learn!”

Tang Qi possessed all the positive qualities a protagonist should have.

Even while struggling in the lower districts, he had shown his kindness. When he went to the upper districts and received privileged treatment, his first reaction wasn’t delight; he immediately thought of the corresponding life in the lower districts.

Kindness alone wasn’t enough.

The protagonist must be resolute, possessing a luxurious gift that comes without any price.

His family background didn’t need to be good, but he must have had an irreplicable path of ascent.

Only by experiencing both the utterly wretched and the glamorous lives, and making a choice thereafter, would he avoid reader criticism

He clearly hasn’t experienced it and doesn’t understand anything. How dare he talk without feeling the pain?

This is an evaluation from a god’s-eye view.

What about viewing Tang Qi from the perspective of a novel character?

People from the lower districts wouldn’t truly understand him.

They only had a superficial understanding of what their savior was fighting for. “Fighting for the right to live” was the only somewhat powerful slogan Tang Qi had.

But there were many ways to survive. If Luciano, after his iron-fisted suppression, was willing to concede just a little hypocritically.

Just a little, and they would immediately abandon their savior.

People from the upper districts were even less likely to support him.

Even with Tang Qi’s status as the sole heir of the Tang family, what they feared was only the Tang family’s control over biotech.

And those lingering between the upper and lower districts, like Dai Xi’an. They had long since found their own ways to survive.

Not all “right” paths are accepted. The only thing that can be weighed is self-interest.

Among all the people who climbed from the lower levels to the top, who knew what to fight for and why they were fighting, the only ones still alive were Tang Qi and Chu Zu.

Their similarities were far too many.

Miserable childhoods, dramatic ascents to the upper levels, the potential consequences of exposed false identities or being abandoned by their “keepers”…

Chu Zu was the only one who could completely understand Tang Qi, but he had made the exact opposite choice.

“So Tang Qi can’t help but be frustrated,” Chu Zu said. “Whether I’m human or ghost, he desperately needs to find some kind of kinship in me. He failed.”

The system was still taking notes: “Failed… right, failed!”

After finishing the notes and inputting them into the database, the system watched as Chu Zu continued to “fail to find kinship” with Tang Qi through silence.

This time, it didn’t rush or remind him.

Even if he was a novice, the host was a reliable novice! The system decisively wrote this sentence into the underlying code of its program.

*

Then, the ever-silent Chu Zu suddenly spoke: “Not forced.”

“What did you say?” Tang Qi didn’t catch it.

Chu Zu didn’t answer.

His straight posture visibly relaxed. He leaned against the wall, the back of his neck touching the surface, head slightly bowed.

For a long time afterwards, whenever Tang Qi recalled that scene, chewing over every word Chu Zu had said, he couldn’t help but cover his eyes, pressing down hard on the soreness behind them.

Perhaps because he was unwell, or possibly because his words had had an effect, this was the first time Chu Zu had been honest with him, and he hadn’t taken it seriously.

Later, Chu Zu never showed any cracks again. What this conversation brought him remained unknown.

The only certainty was that every decision Chu Zu made afterwards stemmed from this dialogue.

The savior didn’t know that a being who knew one’s roots and understood each other mutually could be called something other than “comrade.”

“Archnemesis.”

Tang Qi didn’t know this.

He only knew that in this protracted moment, he and the man before him were both immersed in the room’s faint, lingering moans.

“I won’t tell Lu Xi about today’s conversation,” Chu Zu suddenly straightened up and said indifferently. “Don’t mention the train accident again. If you weren’t the Tang family heir, you’d be nothing in the eyes of the upper districts.”

Tang Qi: “You…”

“Thank you for resolving my doubts. I have no payment to offer you, nor can I make any promises.”

Chu Zu’s cold voice echoed in Tang Qi’s ears.

“If you want to save the people behind you, Esposito’s monitoring stations in the lower districts are in District 13 and District 32. Food, supplies, treatment pods, independent power supply, everything you need is there.”

Tang Qi froze, his lips parting slightly, his expression nothing short of horrified.

Chu Zu nodded: “Farewell.”

With that, he turned and walked straight toward the door.

“I added an extra sentence. Is that okay?” Chu Zu asked the system immediately after leaving the room.

The system’s original prompt for the line was only to reveal the location of Esposito’s monitoring stations. To connect with the previous dialogue, Chu Zu had added the half-sentence, “If you want to save the people behind you.”

The system had long forgotten Chu Zu’s previous abnormal reaction regarding District 18 and answered readily: “It’s fine! As long as you delivered the key original line!”

Compared to the disease-ridden room, the turbid air of the lower districts seemed fresh.

Receiving confirmation, Chu Zu began strolling towards the train.

Originally, this part was handled very stiffly. Tang Qi just cursed a couple of times, and ‘Chu Zu’ immediately revealed Luciano’s surveillance stations in the lower levels. Your change is great, really great!”

The system was extremely excited.

“Tang Qi even proactively revealed the secret of his identity to you! Sincerity is the ultimate weapon. It makes sense that you’re temporarily aligned with him now!”

Chu Zu: “I’m not aligned with him.”

“Mhmm, you…” The system paused. “Huh?”

” ‘Chu Zu’ is a very career-driven person.”

“…You said that.”

“Have you ever seen a very career-driven person willingly work for someone else?”

“No, wait… You revealed Esposito’s intelligence to Tang Qi not because you were deeply moved?”

“Looking like I was is enough. I expect Tang Qi thinks so too.”

“Then…”

Although Tang Qi didn’t avoid him as expected, and his “betrayal” happened a bit earlier than planned, the plot point was still completed smoothly.

Chu Zu didn’t mind his slow system failing to keep up.

The procedures for taking the train to the upper districts were troublesome. Iris verification was the most basic step. For convenience, 99% of upper-district residents had neural interfaces implanted; neural signatures had also become part of the verification process.

If one didn’t have a neural interface, they at least had an RFID chip implanted under their skin that could be retrieved at any time.

Chu Zu had none of these.

But embedded in his ear cartilage was an Esposito communication terminal.

Passing through the ticket gates faster than other passengers, Chu Zu found a seat at random on the noticeably more comfortable train.

As the train sped upward, through the window, he saw the devout postures of the middle-district people bathing in secondhand sunlight.

Further up, piercing through the supposedly impenetrable iron-gray sky, real sunlight poured down.

The artificial rain had finally stopped. The purified upper districts were cleaner, clearer. Airships trailing advertisements circled in the sky. Even in daytime, giant humanoid projections visible to the naked eye struck poses provocatively in front of office buildings.

The system was still chattering.

‘Chu Zu’s’ backstory was filled in. The motivation for betraying Luciano was now logical. The next step was to obtain the qualifications to become the final big boss.

It skimmed through the original text of Neon Crown. There were several hundred chapters in between.

But after Luciano’s death, ‘Chu Zu’ directly went offline and disappeared without a trace.

“Let’s follow the plot for now. No rush. The advantage lies with us.” Chu Zu comforted the system.

The host, confident of success, ignited the system’s work enthusiasm. It let out an electronic roar.

“Fine! If there’s no plot, then we’ll make one! And if they say it’s against the rules, I’ll take the heat for you. If I can’t, I’ll give you a warning in time!”

Chu Zu: “There’s a good boy.”

The train arrived at the station. The moment Chu Zu exited the station, five or six strangers immediately blocked his path.

The leader’s upper half was mostly cybernetic, without skin grafts. Where his lips should be, fitted metal skin parted with a sound of grinding gears.

The voice of Luciano Esposito emerged from it.

“Get your ass over here to see me, Chu Zu. Now.”

The system stammered, “I-is… is this also part of your rebellion and fall into corruption? Should we still be following the plot for now?”

Chu Zu said honestly: “No. Earlier, I was in a bad mood, and Tang Qi rushed over and started ranting. The timing, location, and circumstances were perfect. I got carried away in the moment, couldn’t help myself, and just went with the plot. I forgot about the whole ‘rebelling and falling from grace under Little Lu’s watchful eye’ part.”

System: “…”

INK HUB
Treatment Pods: Advanced medical capsules used for healing and rehabilitation, often inaccessible in the lower levels due to power and resource constraints.

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