Sewer?
Before leaving, Old Bill's words left Su Ziyu confused, but he was certain that the German man definitely knew something.
Their interaction was minimal.
They only met a few times, and Su Ziyu even invited him for a drink. The man's last words were clearly meant to warn him to be careful but didn't explain the reason. Su Ziyu had no idea what was happening inside Polaris, but he sensed that this place was deep and complex. To get answers, he might have to explore the sewer, but this was the danger zone that Old Bill warned him to stay away from.
In the end.
Su Ziyu still gave up.
It's not that he wasn't curious, but the danger was disproportionate to the reward; there was no need to risk doing something dangerous just to satisfy a bit of curiosity. After all, he only had some special abilities and couldn't yet completely ignore the power of firearms. Eliminating so many Plunderers was a fluke—another attempt might not be as easy.
The camp looked much emptier.
Those Black people were gone, and many Scavengers had temporarily left to lay low.
When Su Ziyu returned, he saw that one-eyed woman standing at the bar's entrance, talking to someone and giving him a long glance when she noticed him.
There were more patrols outside today.
Pasha had a message delivered to him by a Black woman, warning him not to wander around. There were Black people among the Freelancers, but they didn't seem to have any connection to the Black people outside. They looked more like soldiers, indifferent to external gang conflicts, even showing disdain when they looked at other Black people, as if they deserved their fate.
Su Ziyu was truly puzzled by these relationships.
Pasha sent him some money and equipment, not a lot of money, only a few thousand, but it's enough for Su Ziyu's daily expenses. Logically, money's role should be greatly diminished in this era, but the influence of the conglomerates was too strong, and they held a tight grip on pharmaceutical resources. In this era, money's value isn't backed by gold but by pharmaceuticals. Everyone's largest expenditure is purchasing drugs, all of which flow from the conglomerates.
This isn't a gold or silver standard era; it's a medicine standard era.
Pasha sent tactical vests, bulletproof vests, and military boots. They fit nicely, and the weapons will have to wait until tomorrow to be selected. Pasha likely has other matters to attend to now.
Night falls.
Su Ziyu lay on the bed to rest. The Hourglass of Time had only passed about an eighth; he still had almost twenty days to spend in this world. The money is almost enough, and there are still supplies from the Plunderers, so survival needs are met for now. He's more focused on what he can gain from this world to enhance future survival ability. Su Ziyu already has conventional firearms from the Plunderers but finds it difficult to obtain unconventional weapons. Even if he gets them, he may not be able to take them or use them.
"Hmm?" Su Ziyu suddenly sat up from the bed.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he seemed to hear a slight sound of something landing.
Su Ziyu cautiously opened the door and took a look. At the end of the corridor, he seemed to see a shadow dart into the alley, moving very agilely. In an instant, it disappeared from sight.
He stood in place, thought for a moment, then raised his hand to lightly knock on the next-door room.
No response.
He knocked a few more times, slightly harder, but still heard no sound.
This was the third floor.
The shadow just now likely went down from the window; outside walls were smooth with almost no foothold. With Su Ziyu's current physical condition, jumping from the second floor was no issue, but jumping from the third floor would likely result in injuries. The shadow was probably the man living next to him.
A Brotherhood member.
"In that direction? Is it the sewer?" Su Ziyu couldn't help but furrow his brows.
The strong curiosity made him hesitate but eventually, he closed the door and returned to his room.
Three minutes later.
Now dressed in close-fitting gear, Su Ziyu opened the door and walked out, carrying a black short blade, with a pistol holstered at his waist, down the corridor to the second floor, and then lightly slid down along the wall. The person hadn't opened the door or gone down the corridor but left through the window, evidently wanting to avoid alarming him. Su Ziyu couldn't hold back his curiosity and prepared to follow.
In the alley, it was rather dim.
There was a smell of decaying iron, and not long after entering, Su Ziyu heard hurried footsteps, quickly hiding in the shadows to avoid them. It was Freelancers that passed by; only Freelancers would wear mechanical watches, and those with mechanical watches held high status.
"Experiment subject spotted! Requesting support!" A hurried voice rang out.
Su Ziyu waited until they were gone, then looked around, grabbed onto a point on the wall, and climbed upward.
"Experiment subject?" This term made Su Ziyu's heart jump.
His skills were much improved compared to the past. Su Ziyu climbed along the wall to find a spot with good visibility and squatted down.
He was merely curious, not intending to take risks.
BANG!
A muted sound came from the direction near the sewer entrance, followed by gunfire. Many people were heading there; Su Ziyu glanced around and trembled slightly, then awkwardly smiled toward a nearby spot.
On the roof of another street, he saw the man living next door.
The man looked surprised and a bit awkward; he gestured for silence and then focused on the battle over there.
Both sides seemed to arrive at roughly the same time.
The man didn't appear to want Freelancers to notice him either.
A scream echoed.
Su Ziyu saw a flash of shadow in the darkness, or rather a shadow leaping over, moving impossibly fast, with incredible power; a thud came from far off, as if it hit the wall.
"What kind of freakish thing is that?" Su Ziyu's expression grew increasingly serious.
The shadow's speed surpassed that of the Ghost-faced Monkey, almost comparable to the monstrosity that Rote became. Continuous gunfire erupted; the shadow charged into the house on the right under heavy fire, followed by the chilling screams of three humans, indicating likely fatal outcomes.
BOOM!
The Freelancers began to scatter, then Su Ziyu heard a massive crash, and someone wearing Exoskeleton Power Armor rammed the swift shadow out, and with nearby light, Su Ziyu finally saw the shadow's form clearly.
.........