Backlund East District, a crossroads.

Mike Joseph saw many children in ragged clothes and with pitiful eyes on the street. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and planned to go over and give them some pennies.

However, his action was stopped by the former homeless man Old Kohler:

“Those are thieves!”

"Thieves? Where are their parents? Or are they all controlled by gangs?" As a veteran reporter, although Mike had never been to the East District, he had vaguely heard that there were several gangs here that would control homeless children to steal or beg.

"Parents? They either have no parents, or their parents were thieves or are still thieves. Of course, Mr. Reporter, you are right. Many of them are indeed controlled by gangs. It is said that those gangs will teach them how to steal. For example, hang a gentleman's coat on the wall, put a handkerchief in the pocket, and hang a pocket watch outside. Through repeated practice, they can steal the handkerchief without the pocket watch shaking. Ha, I heard these things in the workhouse when I was a tramp." Old Kohler talked in a rambling manner, "I remember the youngest thief caught on this street was only six years old. Hey, six years old..."

He seemed to remember his child who had fallen ill and lost. He couldn't help but take out a crumpled cigarette from his pocket, but he couldn't bear to smoke it. He just sniffed the smell.

"Six years old..." Mike was shocked by the number.

Klein listened quietly and sighed:

“This is the East End.”

He looked around, adjusted his mood and said:

“This is closer to a jungle than to human society.”

"We have to treat our interviews as an adventure. We have to avoid dangerous creatures and stay away from those small things that don't seem to cause you much harm. Um, I mean mosquitoes in the jungle."

"Mike, if you reveal the thickness of your wallet in front of those kids, even if you protect it well and don't let them steal it, you will be doomed to be robbed in the next adventure. If you dare to resist, there may be one more body floating in the Tussock River tomorrow morning."

"Mr. Detective, you are absolutely right! There are so many people in the East District, and no one would care if a few people go missing every day." Old Kohler agreed.

Mike listened with a serious expression, remained silent for a few seconds, and suddenly said:

"1.35 million."

"Huh?" Klein's voice was visibly hoarse due to his cold.

Mike walked forward and said:

“This is a preliminary count of the population of the East District.”

"But I know there are definitely more than that."

"So many?" Old Kohler was shocked.

Although he had experienced the days and nights in the East District and knew intuitively that there were many residents here, he did not expect it to be to this extent.

This is several times the population of Tingen City... Klein subconsciously compared it with the place he was most familiar with.

He glanced at the crossroads a few steps away and said:

"Where do we go next?"

Old Kohler looked up and said:

"Don't go straight, that neighborhood is controlled by the Zmanger Party. They are very vicious and completely unreasonable. If they find that there are reporters interviewing us, they will definitely beat us up!"

The Zmanger Gang? Isn't this the gang that caused me to lose 10,000 gold pounds? He was also the executioner. Uh, I don't even remember his name... Fortunately, the 10,000 pounds eventually exchanged for the formulas of the Sequence 7, Sequence 6, and Sequence 5 potions corresponding to the "Fortune Teller", the "All-Black Eye", and the life of Ambassador Intis... I don't know which force finally got the manuscript of the third-generation difference engine... Klein suddenly recalled what happened at the beginning of last month.

"The Zmanger Gang? The gang mainly composed of people from the plateau?" Mike asked thoughtfully.

"Mr. Reporter, have you heard of them?" Old Kohler asked in surprise.

Mike snorted:

"They have been involved in many cases and have some reputation outside the East District. It is said that one of their members was involved in an Intis spy case."

...The person next to you is the person involved, the reporter, the victim... Klein added silently.

"All of you respectable gentlemen know about the Zmanger Party, so why don't the police arrest them all?" Old Kohler asked with the thinking of the lower class.

Mike's expression suddenly became a little ugly, and he coughed twice:

"We can only arrest those who have committed crimes. The rest cannot be arrested without evidence. Moreover, the East District is so large and has such a large population. If someone really wants to hide, it will be difficult to find him."

As he spoke, he sighed and said:

"It's easy to destroy a Zmanger Party, but as long as there are still people from the highlands coming to Backlund, as long as they still retain their tradition of bravery and fighting, and as long as they don't find other ways to make a living, it's only a matter of time before a new Zmanger Party emerges."

This is a complex social issue... Klein pointed to the left and right sides:

"Pick a side."

Old Kohler looked to the street on the right:

"The people active there are the Huili Party. As long as you don't mess with the girls doing that kind of business on the street or in the bar, you won't be noticed by them. Haha, it's morning now, there won't be any problem. They are all still sleeping."

The word "Huili" means "outlaw" in Loenese, and the gang that took this name can be said to be quite self-aware.

Klein and Mike had no objection to this, and followed the guide into the neighborhood.

The buildings here are relatively good, and the street environment is not so dirty. The air is filled with the smell of food and drinks such as oyster soup, fried meat and fish, ginger beer, and the fishy smell of fish left by street vendors.

Walking here, Klein had an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to Tingen City, to Iron Cross Street, and to the street outside the apartment building where he first lived.

The only difference is that Backlund is closer to the sea, has more developed transportation, and has a lot of marine fish.

"It's one of the better apartments in the area. I've wandered around here several times before and noticed that the gentlemen and ladies inside are all dressed, well, cleaner." Old Kohler pointed to a light yellow three-story building.

The three of them moved closer and found a sign hanging on the door of the apartment with pictures of a pocket watch, a wall clock and a screwdriver, and words such as "Watch Repair" written on it.

"Is there a watchmaker living here?" Klein dug out a similar scene from the original owner's memory fragments.

At that time, Benson, Melissa, and he went to a similar place to repair the silver pocket watch left by their father. However, the item broke down soon after being repaired several times, until Melissa tinkered with it and completely fixed it, becoming the most respectable thing on Klein during that time.

After Klein "passed away", this pocket watch, which had both monetary and emotional value, was not buried with him.

It should belong to Benson now, right? I wonder if he thinks of me every time he takes out that pocket watch... Klein suddenly blinked and curled his lips.

"Probably." Mike wasn't sure.

If there was a problem with his pocket watch, he would usually send it to the original watch shop, which would assign it to a subordinate repairman or entrust it to a long-term craftsman to handle.

As soon as they entered the apartment, they saw a middle-aged man with an unshaven beard.

The gentleman had just come out of the bathroom and was about to return to his room when he saw three strangers coming in. He hurriedly asked:

"Do you want your watch repaired?"

What a coincidence... I ran into that craftsman directly... Klein felt a little strange.

Mike took out his pocket watch and said with a smile:

"Yes, my pocket watch has been out of time lately. Can you help me check it?"

He did not reveal his identity and intended to conduct the interview in a casual chat format.

The middle-aged man immediately smiled and led them into a two-bedroom apartment with a half-open door. He pointed to the chairs next to the wooden table and said:

"Wait a moment, I'll go get the tools."

"Your tools are not at home?" Mike asked in surprise.

The watchmaker shook his head and laughed:

"How is that possible?"

"A set of tools is very expensive. I can't afford it by myself. We have to pool our money and buy three or four sets. Whoever has business can use them. So, we moved together. Haha, it's more convenient this way. If we were too far away, we would have to spend extra time and public carriage fare to borrow tools."

As he spoke, he walked out the door and went to the side.

It turns out that our encounter with the watchmaker was not a coincidence. Many residents here are watchmakers... Klein suddenly realized.

Old Kohler surveyed the room and said enviously:

"Before I got sick, I also lived in a place like this. My wife would help people mend clothes at home. I had two children, two children..."

Mike sighed and lowered his voice:

"I thought watchmakers were all very wealthy."

“Me too…” Klein pinched his nose.

…………

After cordially communicating with several residents of the apartment, Klein and his companions once again set out on their adventurous journey.

They walked about a hundred meters when they suddenly heard people arguing on the street.

The two ladies shouted at each other in all kinds of obscene language, allowing Klein to learn a lot of words he had never heard before.

The reason for their quarrel was that the man on the left accused the woman on the right of making the apartment they lived in very dirty and noisy, while the woman on the right retorted by scolding the man on the left, thinking that it was her own problem and that no one asked her to solicit guests at night and sleep during the day.

"Is that a laundry lady?" Mike asked after listening with a frown.

"Yes, I know her. She is a widow who does laundry for others with her two daughters." Old Kohler answered affirmatively.

Mike thought for a few seconds and said:

"Take me to see their home."

Old Kohler nodded and led the two of them around the quarrel scene and into a dilapidated house that was obviously not as good as the apartment they had just seen.

As soon as he arrived outside the laundry women's room, Klein immediately felt the dampness.

There were pieces of wet dresses hanging inside. A girl of about seventeen or eighteen was squatting in front of a large basin, washing something with foam. A girl younger than her was holding a red-hot iron wrapped in wet linen, carefully handling the washed and dried items. Her movements were cautious, as if she had been scalded by steam many times.

This is both their workplace and where they sleep at night. Moist vapor fills the room and soaks into their bodies.

Also, the stench of all the mixed smells was so palpable.

"Don't you feel uncomfortable?" Mike pinched his nose.

Klein replied in a muffled voice:

"I have a cold..."

He said this without a trace of smile.

Mike loosened his fingers, walked into the room, and said to the two surprised girls:

"I'm a journalist and I want to interview the laundry women."

The girl who was rubbing the clothes shook her head numbly:

"We have a lot of things to do and can't delay."

Mike's interview request was rejected.

He came out with a heavy expression and walked back to the street in silence.

After taking a look, he pursed his lips and said:

"Let's continue."

…………

In the City of Silver, Derrick Berg, who was experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations, was taken to the bottom of the round tower after a detailed examination.

——Residents who show signs of losing control are accommodated here, and various methods are used to try to save them.

Walking in the eerie and dim corridor, he suddenly felt inexplicably cold.

"Help!"

A scream suddenly came from a closed room.

"save……"

The sound stopped abruptly and there was silence all around.