Chapter 146 Sky City
It has been a long time since it rained in Devil City, but once there was thunder and lightning, it would be humid for half a month. The cold rain, wrapped in the dust floating in the air, dripped down on the old streets and flowed into the stinking gutters together with the waste water on the roadside.
Heavy rain washes this city year after year, trying to change something but changing nothing.
Lu Yan has been lying in bed recuperating since returning home after killing the female ghost that day. There is a large black and purple bruise on his shoulder that has never healed, and even the speed at which his health is draining has increased a lot.
Lu Xiaozhao muttered that he was possessed by the resentment of a female ghost, and if he didn't take medicine, the wound would never heal. He went to the black market on Yunduan Road and spent a lot of money to buy a bottle of restoring agent.
"Brother, I asked someone on the black market. This kind of recovery agent is used exclusively by the patrol team. It is not sold in other places. It is specially used to treat the wounds left by vagrants. I waited for three hours early in the morning to steal it."
Lu Xiaozhao squatted beside the bed, holding a tube of light green medicine in his hand, as if he was holding a treasure. He sprayed it on Lu Yan's shoulder two or three times, and it was visibly that more than half of the transparent tube was missing.
When Lu Yan heard the word "black market", his eyelids jumped, because the synonyms of these two words are equivalent to robbing money: "How long did it take you to buy it?"
Lu Xiaozhao stretched out his hand to count, his heart bleeding: "One thousand three hundred hours, the original price is three thousand."
This kind of restorative agent is a free supply in the patrol team, and a large amount of it is distributed every month. However, when it falls into the hands of ordinary people, it becomes something more valuable than gold.
Lu Xiaozhao closed his eyes tightly, waiting for his beating, but surprisingly, Lu Yan did not react much, just said in a neutral tone: "Got it, go out, don't disturb me to rest."
"???"
Lu Xiaozhao was surprised and said, "Brother, you won't beat me up?"
Lu Yan raised his eyelids and asked, "Why, is your skin itchy?"
Lu Xiaozhao waved his hands quickly: "No, no, brother, you should have a good rest. I won't disturb you anymore."
He left the room and closed the door after he finished speaking. Little did he know that not long after he left, Lu Yan slowly sat up from the bed, lowered his head and stared at the gold watch on his right wrist, lost in thought.
In this world, watches have become a best-selling product. Poor people need to wear them to hide their meager health, and rich people need to wear them to hide their exposed wealth. Even Lu Yan habitually wears a watch when he goes out.
But now, the numbers below the watch have undergone a radical change.
Lu Yan undid the clasp and took off the gold watch from his wrist. Under the dim light, he saw that the remaining life value displayed on the back of his hand had a string of zeros added to it. The detailed calculation showed that it was as much as two hundred years.
Ever since Lu Yan killed the Wanderer that day, he inexplicably had two hundred years of extra life points on his wrist. He seemed to be recuperating during this time, but in fact he had been thinking about moving to the Sky City.
The entrance threshold to Sky City is very high. A person's life value must reach at least one hundred years to exchange for a pass. Lu Yan now has exactly two hundred years in his hand, so there should be no problem exchanging it for two passes.
Lu Yan had never been to the Sky City and couldn't imagine what it looked like. Most ordinary people could only stand on the ground and look up at the city in the clouds. But even a fool like Lu Xiaozhao knew that the Sky City not only had clean and tidy streets, but also had patrol teams that patrolled day and night. As long as you moved in, you no longer have to worry about being suddenly attacked by wanderers.
Lu Yan is also an ordinary person. Once he has the conditions, he will of course consider a better life.
The rain soon stopped, and Lu Yan picked a good day and took Lu Xiaozhao out. He also took the unusual step of hailing a taxi from the roadside.
"Master, let's go to Yunduan Road."
Lu Yan was wearing a black hoodie. After saying this, he leaned against the window and closed his eyes to rest. He also wore a black mask on his face. He felt like he had won a lottery ticket worth 60 million yuan and was about to claim the prize. He was afraid that he would be targeted by some criminal gang on the way. After all, Devil City was a hodgepodge of people, and there were many cases of murder and robbery. It was safer to cover his face.
Little did they know that Lu Yan's unusual behavior frightened Lu Xiaozhao. He sat beside him and kept scratching his hands nervously: "Brother, why are we suddenly going to Yunduan Road?"
Lu Yan wouldn't want to sell him, would he? He's not worth much. College students are so cheap nowadays.
Lu Yan didn't say much, just said: "You will know when you go there."
Lu Xiaozhao is a chatterbox. The less he knows, the safer he is.
They lived in the suburbs of Devil City, and Yunduan Road was the closest place to Sky City. It took the taxi nearly two hours to get there.
Lu Yan and Lu Xiaozhao got off the car together. What they saw was a densely packed commercial district with high-rise buildings. Unlike the deserted Devil City, this place was obviously more prosperous than ever. Passers-by were dressed in fancy clothes, and patrols with guns often passed by. The air was filled with the sweet aroma from the nearby bakery, and it was as beautiful as a utopia.
"Wow……"
Lu Xiaozhao sighed like a country bumpkin entering the city. He quietly tugged at Lu Yan's sleeve and said in a low voice, "Brother, this place is so beautiful. No wonder the rent on Yunduan Road is more than 10,000 yuan a month!"
Lu Yan was stunned for a few seconds before coming to his senses. He looked around and saw a white staircase not far ahead, crowded with people queuing up. At the end of the staircase was a beautiful city suspended in the clouds, which was the entrance to Cloud City.
Lu Yan raised his chin slightly and said, "Let's go and take a look."
Lu Xiaozhao was startled when he heard this, then he quickly caught up with him and said, "Brother, this is the entrance to Sky City to get a pass. We don't have time, so why would we go there and join in the fun?"
Lu Yan glanced at him and said, "Since you're here, there's nothing wrong with taking a look. Why don't you go somewhere else and I'll go in by myself."
Lu Xiaozhao scratched his hair and said, "No, no, no, I'll go with you so you don't get lost."
Lu Yan and Lu Xiaozhao walked to the end of the line and stood there. They saw a long queue in front of them. In front of them was a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes. He looked like a successful person. Lu Yan secretly glanced at his right wrist and his pupils shrank.
Good guy, with a lifespan of 400 years, he is actually a hidden rich man!
Lu Yan silently covered his wrist, and suddenly felt that his two hundred years were particularly shabby. He coughed softly, walked forward and said, "Brother, is this the place to apply for a pass?"
The man in the suit didn't expect someone to talk to him. He turned around and saw that it was a young man wearing a mask: "Yes, are you here to apply for a pass too?"
Lu Yan nodded: "Yes."
Lu Xiaozhao quietly covered his face, unable to bear to watch his brother bragging.
The man in the suit was surprised to hear this, and patted him on the shoulder and said, "Young man, you are young and promising. You have saved enough time at such a young age. Alas, unlike me, I have to work so hard to afford a pass at this age."
Lu Yan asked casually, "I see you have four hundred years, enough time to redeem four passes."
The man in the suit suddenly laughed when he heard this: "Redeem? Don't be fooled. The pass is not redeemed, but purchased. If the balance in your life value is less than 100 years, the patrol team will immediately pull you out. In other words, you can't spend these 100 years at all."
Lu Yan's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He thought he could just use a hundred years to exchange for the pass, but it turns out that these hundred years cannot be spent at all? !
The man in the suit didn't notice his stunned look at all, and kept on talking: "Young man, there are more and more wanderers in Devil City now. They are racking their brains to run to Sky City, but they have to consider whether they can afford to live there. Eating, drinking, defecating and urinating all cost money. One hundred years is only enough to exchange for an admission ticket. Even a bottle of water takes twenty hours. How can ordinary people afford to live in such a place?"
Just because Yunduan Road is next to Sky City, the monthly rent of an ordinary apartment can be as high as 10,000 yuan. So what is the outrageous price in Yunduan City? 20,000 yuan? 30,000 yuan? Or 100,000 yuan?
Even if Lu Yan redeemed his pass, without sufficient savings, he would not be able to live with Lu Xiaozhao in such an expensive place.
The man in the suit had no idea that his simple words had broken Lu Yan's heart. He asked curiously, "By the way, young man, how many years have you saved? Is it enough?"
Lu Yan smiled awkwardly: "Maybe it's not enough, I'd better go back and take some more pictures."
After he finished speaking, he winked at Lu Xiaozhao, and the two of them turned around and left. However, before they could take two steps, they heard a fierce quarrel behind them. Lu Yan regained consciousness and turned around, only to see a group of people gathered at the entrance of Sky City. He didn't know what had happened.
"Go away! I've told you so many times that you can't miss even one day, let alone a whole year. This is Sky City, not a charity. Take your granddaughter and leave quickly. Stop wasting time here!"
A patrolman on duty at the entrance squeezed out of the crowd and directly pushed an old lady holding a child out of the line. The old lady staggered for two steps because of her old age before she stood up with the help of passers-by, but she still held the thin girl in her arms tightly and refused to let go.
Lu Yan couldn't help but stop when he saw this, because the old lady was dressed in rags, and the word "poor" was almost engraved on her face. Logically speaking, such a family would not be able to survive for a hundred years. He now inexplicably had the illusion that everyone in the world was rich, and he was the only poor one.
How did the other party manage to save enough time?
This thought prompted him to stand aside and watch the "excitement" like everyone else.
The old lady hugged her granddaughter tightly, her hair had turned white from overwork, and had a dark yellow tint from malnutrition. She pleaded, "Young man, I heard that the children's welfare home in Sky City has opened 100 places for Devil City. As long as the children have accumulated 100 years, they can go in. Our whole family has been trying for a long time to accumulate 99 years, and we are only one year short. Please be flexible. She has congenital heart disease, and the hospital in Devil City can't cure her."
In a sense, Devil City has become a completely abandoned place, but there are still many kind-hearted people in Sky City. The Children's Welfare Institute opens 100 places every year to recruit physically disabled children and is responsible for taking care of them until they grow up.
In other words, as long as they can gather 100 minutes to exchange for a pass, these children can be taken to the welfare home in Sky City and be cared for without having to worry about their livelihood.
However, the patrolman at the gate was not prepared to give in: "Ninety-nine years have been filled, what's missing? If I make an exception for you, will others have to make an exception as well? Hurry back and make up time, there are many people who want this spot!"
The old lady burst into tears and shook her head vigorously: "It's too late... too late... Her parents are gone... Her grandfather is gone... They are all gone... Young man, I saw in the news that if the conditions are really difficult, the sentence can be reduced for a few years. Please be kind and let my granddaughter in..."
Others did not dare to delve into what she meant by "all gone". In this world, there can be such tragedies as a father snatching the life of his baby, and naturally there are also tragedies like parents giving up their own lives to save their children. Those seemingly fleeting ninety-nine years may have saved the lives of several generations.
"Excusable?" The patrol soldier raised his eyebrows. "That requires a letter of introduction. Do you have one?"
This sentence is more difficult than asking someone to save a year. Seeing the old lady crying and shaking her head, the patrolman showed his impatience and pushed her forward, saying, "You don't have enough time, and you don't have a letter of introduction. What are you doing here? Get out of here!"
The old lady was almost pushed off the stairs by him. Everyone couldn't bear to watch. At this moment, a thin figure suddenly rushed out and blocked them. He said with anger: "You are too much! The welfare home opens up places to the public for charity, not for you to bully people! I also read the news. It said that if the situation is really difficult, the time can be reduced by 3-5 years. Even if you need a letter of introduction, you should take it to the relevant department. What kind of ability is it to bully the elderly here!"
The person who spoke was Lu Xiaozhao.
He stood in front of the old man with his arms outstretched, his face flushed with anger, his chest heaving: "We are all compatriots, we should help each other, why do we have to step on each other? Yes, you live in Sky City and you are great, but if you have the ability, why don't you save a few more people?! You really want everyone in Devil City to die before you are happy, right?!"
These words were unanimously recognized by the crowd, and everyone echoed them, unable to hide their excitement:
"That's right, bullying a child is nothing. It's ok for the adults to miss a year, but what's wrong with you turning a blind eye to the child?!"
"Don't think I didn't see it. You just secretly collected tea money from people. There was a kid in front of us who was alive and well and had no disabilities. Just because his father gave you a few thousand yuan in tea money, you let him in!"
"Being a gatekeeper is so great! Once I get my pass, I will go directly to the welfare home to complain about you!"
The patrolman's face was bruised and purple from being scolded, and he looked very ugly: "I don't care what you say, I won't be allowed to enter if I'm one year short. If you have the ability, give her one year's time, otherwise shut up!"
If you are asked to give a hundred dollars to a beggar on the street, it may not be a difficult thing, but if you are asked to give a year of your life, almost everyone will find it difficult.
As soon as these words were spoken, the air around them fell silent. The onlookers looked at each other, and for a moment they felt even more embarrassed than the hunchbacked old man.
If they were truly wealthy, they would certainly not be stingy with this year's time. But the fact that they are all standing here today queuing up to enter the Sky City shows that they are not truly rich. They are just a group of people who are lucky enough to have saved enough time and are struggling to survive.
The patrolman's teammates couldn't stand it anymore, so they came up and whispered, "Captain, there's only one year left, so why not just forget it..."
Before he could finish his words, he was pushed and staggered. The patrolman glared at him and said, "What do you have to do here? I said you are not allowed to enter, so you are not allowed to enter!"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Xiaozhao who was challenging him in public, stepped forward and grabbed his collar, threatening him: "I now suspect that you are deliberately disturbing the security of Sky City. Come with me to collect information immediately and put you on the blacklist. From now on, even if you have enough time for a hundred years, you will not be allowed to enter Sky City. Do you hear me..."
"Bang--!"
Before the patrol soldier could finish his words, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and then his vision spun around, and he fell heavily to the ground. The crowd watching cried out in surprise and stepped back to create a gap.
The patrolman was dizzy from the fall and got up from the ground with a groan of pain. He raised his head with difficulty and saw a young man in a black hooded sweatshirt appear in front of him. Although his face could not be seen clearly because he was wearing a mask, his eyes were sharp enough to make people feel scared.
The patrolman didn't expect anyone to come to his aid. He took two steps back in fear and stumbled for a moment before he regained his confidence: "You, you, you... you actually dared to hit me?! Do you know that you will go to jail for this?"
He hurriedly pulled out the gun from his waist and was about to aim at Lu Yan, but before he could pull the trigger, a purple lightning suddenly flew out from the opponent's palm and directly knocked the pistol out of his hand. With a dull "clang", the black gun was directly split into a shapeless piece of charcoal.
In an instant, the air fell into deathly silence, as if an invisible hand had pressed the pause button, and everyone forgot to even breathe.
The patrol soldier stared blankly at his rifle that had been chopped into charcoal. He was so frightened that his face turned pale and his legs went limp. He almost sat on the ground. "You...you...are you a mutant?!"
The Sky City is able to dominate the Devil City because of the protection of the psychics, so this identity is absolutely respected no matter where you are, not to mention the lightning psychics who are known for their extremely destructive power.
No one had expected that the plainly dressed and low-key young man in front of them was actually a supernatural being. They were both respectful and afraid of him, and were so nervous that they dared not even breathe.
Lu Yan ignored the patrolman and turned to walk up to the old woman. He reached out and took the little girl from her arms. The girl was so skinny and small, almost the size of a kitten.
Lu Yan looked around and finally looked at the patrolman who had been pushed away before. He asked, "Can you help her get a pass?"
"ah?"
The patrolman was stunned for a moment, then he quickly stepped forward to take the little girl over, and his handling was obviously much more reliable: "Please rest assured, I will help her get a pass, and someone will be responsible for sending her to the orphanage."
Under everyone's astonished gaze, the little girl was quickly sent inside. She didn't cry or make a fuss, but just stared blankly at her grandmother standing outside. She didn't understand why the two of them were separated. She stretched out her hands to grab her and called out in a baby voice, "Grandma...Grandma..."
On her wrist, the ninety-nine years are gradually counting down, accumulating the lives and hopes of all her loved ones.
The old lady watched her granddaughter being sent in until she could no longer see her. Then she stumbled and fell to the ground. Everyone screamed and reached out to help her, but they were surprised to find that the life bar on her wrist only had one hour left. No wonder she kept saying it was too late, too late.
A middle-aged lady with red eyes said anxiously: "Grandma, do you have any relatives? Call them over quickly!"
As she spoke, she wanted to transfer some health points to the old lady, but the old lady held her down hard, smiled and shook her head, silently rejecting her kindness.
The old lady did not accept any gifts from anyone. Her face was pale and she held her breath as she searched for Lu Yan and Lu Xiaozhao among the crowd. Finally, she trembled and shook their hands. Then she smiled with relief and gratitude: "Young men... thank you... thank you..."
"I can't afford to support her anymore... There's really no other way... Her mother, father, and grandfather gave all their lives to her... And mine... I finally managed to get ninety-nine years..."
"I'm old... I can't save enough time for her in the remaining year... If you weren't here today... I really don't know what I would do..."
Lu Xiaozhao's eyes were red and he was choking with sobs, unable to speak. His parents had died of illness and left their lives to him and his brother.
Lu Yan didn't say anything, but just held the old lady's hand tightly, which was as dry and rough as tree bark. After a while, he slowly let go. His voice was low, but it seemed to soothe people's hearts, and even the coldness after the rain was dispelled a little:
"Grandma, you have a long life ahead of you, please come home soon... Maybe the world will be different in the future, and you can see your granddaughter grow up."
He Yuqi and Lu Xiaozhao helped the old lady up from the ground, then turned around and left, and their backs quickly disappeared into the crowd. At this time, someone exclaimed, pointed at the old lady's wrist and said in surprise: "Oh! Grandma, that young man just gave you a whole year's worth of life!!"
The old lady seemed to realize something after hearing this. She looked down at her wrist in a daze, only to see that the number on it had changed from "1" to "8760" at some point.
8760 hours, or 365 days,
A year with a beginning and an end,
A complete cycle of four seasons.
Lu Yan is not a generous person, but if he can save one life in a year, he is willing to give part of his time.
If the old lady can find a job to support herself this year, then she may be able to live longer than now; if the wanderers disappear and the sky city is open to the public a year later, she can reunite with her relatives again; if nothing happens this year, she can also live a quiet cycle of four seasons, see with her own eyes the golden ginkgo leaves falling from the branches, and see with her own eyes the white falling snow covering this city that is always shrouded in darkness.
There is nothing wrong with these people who are struggling to survive; the only problem is this terrible world.
On the way back, Lu Yan seemed to be in a bad mood. Lu Xiaozhao opened his mouth several times to ask something, but was always blocked by him:
"I know what you want to ask. Just hold it in. I'll explain it to you when I feel better."
Lu Xiaozhao instantly became quiet as a chicken: "..."
When he got home, it was already evening. Lu Yan went back to his room without even having dinner. He closed the door and lay motionless on the bed. After a moment, he suddenly slapped his head hard, then wrapped himself in the quilt and twisted himself like a maggot on the bed, gritting his teeth and cursing:
"I told you to pretend to be generous! I told you to pretend to be generous! In a whole year, you couldn't even earn back the money even if you sold a warehouse full of watches!"
Although if he had the chance to do it all over again, Lu Yan would still choose to give away that year's life value, but this did not affect his regret when he got home and beat his chest and stamped his feet, almost twisting the quilt into a knot.
Just when Lu Yan was regretting so much that he wanted to jump off the building, his phone next to his pillow suddenly rang, indicating that someone had sent a message. Lu Yan was in a bad mood and had no intention of responding, but when he glanced at it, he suddenly realized that it was a message from the rich man named Phantom, and he sat up from the bed immediately:
Damn, the money sponsor!!!
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