Chapter 44 The Troupe Leader of Meteor City, Uncle 44
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Meteor City.
"I feel something's not right." Nobunaga sat on the sofa with his arms crossed, his brow furrowed. "When did Machi become so helpful?"
"They're even going to lead the way to the outer market? I've lived in Meteor City for so long, how come I've never heard of any fixed market or merchants coming here regularly to trade? I think this is a trap."
Uvogin sat cross-legged on the platform, wiping his hands, which were covered in mud.
Hearing Nobunaga's words, he retorted dismissively, "You're overthinking it. What kind of trap could Machi possibly set?"
Uvogin had a good relationship with Machi and trusted her more than Nobunaga did.
Kuroro stood by the window, not participating in the discussion, but instead turning his gaze to Ayana, who had remained silent, and asked, "Ayana, what do you think?"
Ayana then spoke up: "I also think Machi's behavior today is a bit unusual."
The girl stroked her chin, thinking, "But we really can't finish all these potatoes. Keeping them would be a waste of food. It would be better to sell some and give some to Machi. That way, we won't waste any food."
"And Machi offered this path, and whatever her purpose may be, I want to go and see it."
After all, she still had to complete the system's tasks.
Moreover, when Ayana first met Machi, the system had already reminded her that "Machi" was a key character in the plot and that the storyline needed to be driven by Machi.
So whatever the reason, she wanted to see what Machi was suggesting.
To be honest, Ayana did feel that something was amiss.
She's not stupid.
She thought for a moment and then said, "How about this, I'll go by myself, you don't need to come with me."
Uvogin was the first to stand up: "Why can't we go with them?"
Nobunaga, still with his arms crossed, rejected Ayana's suggestion: "No, Ayana, don't be stubborn. I doubt Machi, and it's not wise to let you go into danger alone."
Even Kuroro, who usually listened to Ayana, showed a hint of dissent in his dark eyes as he looked at Ayana.
Despite the disapproving looks around her, Ayana knew they were worried about her, but she didn't waver at all. She took a breath and replied, "I'm not trying to be brave, but I don't think Machi will do anything to me. I trust Machi."
A brief silence fell over the room.
The shadows of several people crisscrossed in the dim light, Ayana said again.
“I know you’re worried about me, but I want to go alone, that’s the simple reason, is that okay?”
In fact, Ayana also wanted to take these people with her.
But the system reminded her in a cold, mechanical voice.
[Host, for this mission, we suggest you choose to proceed alone.]
[This task involves your character's background, and it's not appropriate for others to participate. Please try to avoid involving other people.]
Since the system has already said that, what can she do?
She has to go alone.
Uvogin opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing that Ayana's mind was made up and her gaze was firm, he scratched his head in annoyance, clicked his tongue, and went to do something else.
Nobunaga didn't stop him, he just crossed his arms and snorted coldly, and didn't say anything more in opposition.
Kuroro stared at Ayana in silence for a long time, his deep black eyes swirling with emotions, lost in thought.
But in the end, he only took two steps forward, looked straight at Ayana, and said in a low voice.
“Ayana, be careful, I’ll worry about you.”
Ayana paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, I'll be careful."
*
At the same time two days later.
Ayana quietly packed her things, including some potatoes, and stepped out of her house, silently disappearing into the night of Meteor City.
She arrived at the meeting point as agreed, where Machi was already waiting.
Seeing that only Ayana had come to the appointment, a flash of surprise crossed the girl's eyes, but she quickly regained her indifferent expression and asked, "Are you alone?"
“Yes, it’s just me.” Ayana nodded, then patted her bundle. “Everything’s ready, let’s go.”
Machi didn't set off immediately. She gave Ayana a deep look before turning around and saying, "Let's go, stay close to me."
The two girls walked one after the other in silence through the night, passing through desolate and dilapidated areas.
The surrounding garbage mountains grew higher and higher, and the air was filled with an unbearable stench of decay.
Machi walked ahead at a fast pace, almost never looking back, but Ayana could sense the tense atmosphere emanating from her.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, some dilapidated buildings appeared ahead.
Unlike the chaos inside Meteor City, this place was eerily quiet; probably very few people would come here.
Machi stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse.
"Is this the place?" Ayana looked around and asked.
This seems quite different from a "market" in the broad sense.
There were no lights, no human voices, only an unsettling silence.
March didn't answer, but simply pushed open the slightly ajar iron door of the warehouse.
It seems that few people come here, and naturally no one maintains the iron gate, which is covered in rust.
The iron gate was pushed open, revealing the scene inside: an extremely empty space with almost nothing in it, except for a few faint moonlight rays shining through the holes in the roof, casting dappled light spots on the pitch-black ground.
"Come in." Machi's voice echoed in the empty warehouse, sounding somewhat hollow for some reason.
Ayana felt uneasy for some reason, but she still lowered her eyes and went inside.
Several dark figures silently emerged from the shadows around Ayana, surrounding her and blocking all her escape routes.
Without a doubt, they fell for the trap.
Ayana's heart sank, and she immediately looked at Machi.
The pink-haired girl stood not far away, turning her head to the side to avoid Ayana's gaze, her lips tightly pressed together, lost in thought.
"Well done, Machi." A slightly slippery-looking boy's voice came from deep inside the warehouse.
The man's attire was completely out of place in Meteor City. He wore an expensive-looking leather overcoat over a meticulously tailored black suit. He looked to be around thirty years old, with the marks of hardship etched on his face and his eyes filled with calculation and greed.
The system suddenly spoke.
[Host, this person is your uncle in this world.]
Ayana was taken aback.
"What, don't you recognize me? My dear little niece." The man forced a seemingly friendly smile. "Shouldn't you come up and say hello to your uncle whom you haven't seen in so long?"
Wait a minute, wasn't it said that her uncle, who had ulterior motives, wouldn't be returning to Meteor City for another year?
[Host, the plot seems to have changed.]
Please be extra careful.
"Also, your uncle's name is [Vlad]." "Uncle Vlad?" Ayana feigned resentment, her eyes practically spitting fire. "How did you get here? How dare you show your face in front of me?"
If Ayana remembers correctly, her uncle took advantage of the family's troubles to kill her parents, who were her current parents, in order to gain power. He then sold her to an auction house and dumped her in Meteor City.
Given her physical identity, it would be strange if she didn't hate Vlad to death.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you, you bastard?"
"Kill me? Oh, my dear little niece, how can you still be so naive?" Vlad shrugged, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "If you really had that kind of power, how come you've ended up in this state?"
"It's both laughable and pathetic, just like your parents."
The girl paused when her parents were mentioned.
Then, she burst forth from her spot, leaping up from the ground and heading straight for Vlad, her eyes filled with rage.
However, Vlad simply stood there, a mocking sneer on his lips, not even intending to move an inch.
Just before the girl was about to touch Vlad, two dark figures flashed out from behind Vlad like ghosts, one on the left and one on the right, precisely blocking the girl's arms.
The immense force halted the girl's attack, rendering her immobile and forcing her to remain suspended in mid-air.
"Tsk tsk tsk." Vlad walked forward slowly, looking down at Ayana who was being held firmly in place, his eyes full of mockery. "Look at you, you're just like your overconfident parents. Even when you're about to die, you still naively think that you can change anything with your passion."
Vlad seemed to suddenly realize something, his eyes bloodshot, and he grabbed Ayana's throat again, saying, "Only then can you kill your useless parents and become the true head of the family?!"
The girl's throat was choked, and she couldn't breathe. Her cheeks turned red, and she glared hatefully at the man in front of her. But the man had no intention of letting her go, and his grip on her hand tightened.
It's getting tighter and tighter.
Just then, the pink-haired girl who had been silently watching the scene suddenly moved.
Two flashes of silver light appeared, and the two men who had restrained Ayana cried out in pain at the same time, instinctively releasing their grip and looking at the spot of pain.
There was a small knife stuck in each of their wrists!
This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard.
Ayana felt the pressure on her body suddenly lighten, and immediately seized this fleeting opportunity. She gathered her strength in her legs and kicked the man in the chest. Taking advantage of the moment when he loosened his grip in pain, she leaped backward, putting distance between herself and Vlad and the others.
Vlad clutched his chest, his face so dark it was almost dripping with gloom.
He slowly looked at Machi, his voice filled with anger, and asked, "Little girl, what do you mean by this?"
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