I've always cared about my safety, and I'd do anything to protect it.
If everything I'm thinking is true, then danger might be coming.
I've decided I'm leaving this place, but first, we need to grab whatever we can before they get here.
"Alright, let's also start packing too. You lead the way," I said.
Troy just nodded and didn't waste a moment—he dashed ahead to lead the way.
I didn't waste a second either and followed him.
As we made our way toward the Bloodhook base, I took a look in my surroundings.
The atmosphere of slum is gloomy
The narrow paths were lined with beggars—eyes dull, bodies thin.
Crooked wooden shacks leaned against each other, their roofs patched with scrap cloth and broken planks, ready to collapse at any moment.
It was already afternoon.
The air reeked of rot, sweat, and smoke.
The first time I smelled it, I almost vomited on the spot. Even now, I couldn't help twitching my nose, though I've somewhat gotten used to the stench of the slum.
The Bloodhook base was in the dangerous northern slums of Brooklyn Town, outside the walls.
This was where all kinds of people gathered—criminals, gangs, prostitutes, cheap laborers, and more.
The crime rate here was very high.
Not even patrol officials dared to come here, afraid of being ambushed and killed.
So they won't come here as long nothing major happen.
Soon, we arrived in front of a slightly larger house than the others—it was the Bloodhook main base.
There were no guards at the entrance. They might have already left.
We walked inside slowly, and my heart sank but only slightly.
The place had been turned upside down—broken things everywhere. As expected most of the valuable items had already been taken.
Nothing about this is important;
What we needed to do now was hurry and pack whatever was left before anyone who harm Bloodhook arrived.
If my calculations are correct, the ones who attacked were the rival gang Black Skull, who have always been at odds with our Bloodhook gang.
They're on the same level, so if the two groups fought to the death, there must also be many casualties on the enemy's side.
They would need time to treat the wounded and regroup before coming here, so it will probably take a while before they arrive.
"They've already looted everything," Troy said sadly at his side, rifling through what little was left.
"Seems so, but let's try our luck anyway. Maybe we can still find something they missed. You go upstairs; I'll check the kitchen.
Take only what you can grab—don't take anything that could slow us down."
"Okay," he replied.
We separated, begin searching for anything valuable.
I ended up in the kitchen. It looked just like the main hall—broken things everywhere.
Anything valuable here had already been taken, leaving only shattered kitchen tools scattered across the floor.
I sighed.
I guess I can only rely on my special ability.
Though I don't know if it'll even work.
Like in all those transmigration novels, I also gained a special ability a few hours ago. It wasn't very powerful.
All I could do was transfer my soul to my apartment on earth whenever I wanted.
I don't know if it's was a useful ability.
I have only use it once.
I hadn't discovered any other function yet.
This was the second time I have use it.
To use this special ability.
The condition was simple:
I had to close my eyes and imagine myself in my apartment.
After a few moments, I felt a weird force pull my soul inward, dragging me to a place that was unfamiliar yet familiar.
When I opened my eyes, I was back in my apartment.
It was small, just as I remembered.
A combined living room and bedroom, a tiny kitchen, a small bathroom, and a storage space—just enough for basic living needs.
I walked toward the window. Instead of towering buildings and a busy city, all I saw was endless fog.
There wasn't even the sound of a single car outside.
I tried to pry the window open, but it wouldn't budge. Just like the first time I came here.
I tried the apartment door next. Same result.
Even kicking it didn't leave a single scratch.
Screaming for help wouldn't work either. I had already tried that.
This apartment was trapped inside the fog.
Maybe this place wasn't even on Earth anymore.
"I guess it's time to accept that I can't go back to Earth."
With that thought, I returned to my purpose for being here.
I didn't waste another minute. I grabbed a small amount of sweet potatoes and potatoes from the refrigerator, along with a little salt.
Even my old frying pan and cooking pot came with me—I wasn't leaving them behind.
I didn't take everything, only enough to survive.
After placing everything on the floor, I sat down in front of it.
"I hope it works."
I didn't waste any more time in the apartment, knowing time was running in that world.
"Time to go back."
Just like before, I closed my eyes and imagined myself standing in the kitchen.
A few moments later, I opened my eyes and found myself back in the messy kitchen.
A faint smile appeared on my face when I saw the items in front of me.
"Hehe… it worked."
"I can bring items from my apartment."
With that.
I packed everything into a slightly damaged cloth sack I found in the corner. It didn't take long.
As I finished, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned and saw a boy and a tall, thin girl entering.
Both wore ragged clothes full of holes, and the girl had tied her hair back with a strip of cloth.
She looked about my age—maybe younger.
"Brother Soren," Troy said with a bright smile.
"I didn't find anything upstairs, but I found Masha and the other kids in the backyard."
So this girl was Masha. Her face felt familiar, but this was the first time I'd heard her name.
"Brother Soren," Troy continued, his voice pleading.
"Can we take Masha and the others with us? They don't seem to have anywhere to go."
He clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture.
Masha also lowered her head slightly in a bow.
That put me in a difficult position.
I had planned to leave this place with only Troy. Because I knew he would follow me.
But now someone else also wanted to follow —and she even had a group.
I need to assess the situation first.
"It depends on how many there are," I said after a moment.
"If there are too many, we can't take them. A large group traveling together attracts unwanted attention and might bring danger to us. So I can only travel with a few people."