Monster - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: The Gregarious Dwellers
After seeing Lin Sandie, Lou had been in a perpetually cheerful state. Even when Miu the crow said she lacked Lin Sandie's aura, for someone with her immense self-confidence, it was a trivial matter.
Perhaps when she was twenty-five like Lin Sandie, she too would possess that so-called "cracked porcelain" aura?
Although she had already spent countless years beyond the age of twenty-five in various Tower Worlds, in ways unimaginable to ordinary people, Pie had said that a girl should always maintain a youthful mindset.
Therefore, Lou firmly believed that as long as she looked twenty-three, she was truly twenty-three.
Miu the crow followed her speechlessly, watching as Lou, wearing a yellow fisherman's hat, practically skipped all the way back to the Black Goat Walled City. She carried gifts for Wang Lirou and his adopted son, Wang Xiaoting, swinging her hands lightly, carefree as a simple-minded fool.
As the rumors said, no matter which Tower World Lou went to, she would always set up her residence in the most chaotic, filthy, and impoverished places.
And this wasn't based on any strategy or deliberation; it was purely her personal preference.
Miu the crow looked at the Black Goat Walled City, now just across the street, and sighed deeply.
If it could, it would want to live in a place with beautiful scenery and clean, tidy buildings, not a dangerous and chaotic slum. On its first day in the Black Goat Walled City, it had nearly been caught and plucked by a few bratty kids.
It was unknown when this walled city, like a malignant tumor on Center City, began to form. It was located in the southwest of Leviathan's Center City, backing onto the Disorder Land—a name that made all of Leviathan's criminals turn pale.
It was said that it started as a small village on the edge of Center City. But ninety years ago, with industrial development, countless people from the countryside flooded into Center City for work, causing a housing shortage. Because of its convenient location, cheap prices, and proximity to a commercial street and a train station, many newcomers undoubtedly chose it as their first stop. Simple wooden huts and tin shacks began to be built temporarily, expanding outward as the population grew.
In the eyes of the local authorities, these crude dwellings were, of course, illegal structures. But considering the influx of countless migrant workers, they knew that forcibly demolishing them would only worsen the situation. So, the authorities at the time decided to postpone demolition and instead implement strict regulations to manage the area.
The tin shacks and wooden huts were gradually torn down and replaced with seven- or eight-story buildings. But even so, the number of houses was still insufficient. Halfway through the redevelopment, a dispute arose between the upper echelons of Center City's government and the self-proclaimed administrators of the Disorder Land over the ownership of this area.
For reasons that are now lost to history, the upper authorities of Center City at the time believed that the development of housing within the walled city should be nipped in the bud. They began to clear the illegal structures and replace them with orderly buildings. But soon, representatives of the Disorder Land's administrators issued a clause declaring that the walled city fell under the jurisdiction of the Disorder Land.
The Disorder Land was a peculiar place. Corresponding to this Tower World's bizarre political system, the Leviathan Civil Code, though extremely strict, had no death penalty. All criminals whose crimes exceeded the measure of the penal code were to be exiled to the Disorder Land. It was a vast, boundless place, and it was rumored to contain some kind of monster that devoured sinners. Those who were sentenced would never be able to leave the Disorder Land for the rest of their lives.
This power was stipulated in the very first version of the Code and could not be changed; its execution had to be handed over to the Disorder Land.
This resulted in the Disorder Land possessing an undue amount of power. Once criminals entered, they were managed by the high-ranking individuals within. It was like another country—a nation of sin.
According to Leviathan's geographical records, Leviathan was an isolated island surrounded by oceans. Navigators had once set out from Leviathan's coast, circled around, and ultimately arrived at the Disorder Land. No matter which way they went, crossing the ocean that surrounded Leviathan always led to the Disorder Land. One could only imagine how vast it was.
Because the Disorder Land was a place of exile for heinous criminals, some people referred to the areas outside it that abided by the Leviathan Civil Code as the Orderly Nation. Leviathan was like a Taiji diagram, divided into two parts, one black and one white. The black was the Disorder Land, and the white was the Orderly Nation, represented by Center City.
Naturally, the upper authorities of Center City would not accept the clause issued by the Disorder Land. There had never been any legally recognized administrators for the Disorder Land; it had always been a self-governing organization formed by exiles and innocent people who had chosen to live there.
According to the Code, a part of the Disorder Land's territory was located in the dense forests and hills west of Center City. But because the Black Goat Walled City had expanded so quickly, many buildings were constructed right on the edge of the forest, encroaching upon the jurisdiction of the Disorder Land.
This gave the Disorder Land a reason to step in and claim jurisdiction over the Black Goat Walled City.
Originally, the upper authorities of Center City could have ignored the Disorder Land's declaration, but for some reason, the two Houses of Parliament also got involved. Only then did negotiations begin with the self-governing organization of the Disorder Land over the ownership of the Black Goat Walled City.
With the upper echelons locked in a tug-of-war, both redevelopment and demolition were put on hold. Meanwhile, outsiders continued to pour in. Not just outsiders, but also some innocent people who had originally lived in the Disorder Land began to move in for some unspoken reason. These people didn't care about the politics; they just wanted a cheap place to live. Consequently, more and more illegal structures began to appear.
On one hand, they continued to modify existing buildings, adding more floors. On the other, they utilized every bit of empty space. Any plot of land where a house could be built would see a temporary structure spring up at lightning speed. Some property owners would even add five more stories to a seven-story building without laying a proper foundation, just to rent out more rooms.
After countless more rounds of modifications and additions, the place gradually grew into a behemoth, a malignant tumor expanding at a dumbfounding rate.
This caused some of the buildings in the walled city to look crooked at first glance, as if they could collapse at any moment. Yet, their dense, honeycomb-like structure supported their stability, turning the entire walled city into a three-dimensional, dark labyrinth.
During this time, the Center City Inspectorate, responsible for maintaining public order, had to follow the directives of the upper authorities on one hand, but on the other, they couldn't afford to offend the closely connected Disorder Land (it was, after all, where major criminals were exiled). They began to deliberately relax their management of the Black Goat Walled City.
Except for a few brief, special periods, Inspectorate officers would patrol the walled city as usual. If a major criminal suspect fled into the city, they would apply to both the Disorder Land and Center City's upper authorities for permission to enter and make an arrest. But for the most part, they did not intervene.
Word of this arrangement soon leaked out. Coupled with the presence of some ex-criminals, all sorts of illegal activities began to flood into the walled city, turning it into a criminal's paradise.
According to Miu the crow's observations, there were at least a hundred opium dens, a dozen or so brothels, gambling houses, and theaters with daily stripteases—all sorts of gray-area industries that skirted the edges of crime. It truly was like a window from the Disorder Land facing Center City.
Once across the road, Lou, who was already very familiar with the city's layout, immediately turned into a small alley shrouded in hazy light.
Due to the constant additions, almost all the buildings were pressed tightly together. Developers had carved out passages between buildings on their own, and the dense, honeycomb-like structure supported the stability of the building complex. Residents painted their own signs on the walls of the various small paths, making the place resemble a giant, three-dimensional, dark labyrinth. Three months ago, when they had first moved in, they often got lost in the crisscrossing dark alleys and stairwells.
After decades of wild growth, the lower levels of the Black Goat Walled City hardly ever saw the sun. The air was filled with dampness, gloom, and a foul stench. Only on the rooftops could one see the blue sky and a forest of utility poles.
Those who could afford to leave would almost never consider coming back. Not only because of the harsh living conditions—like the water supply being available for only three hours a day and the tangled, haphazardly installed electrical wires posing a high fire risk—but also because it was a frequent haunt for all sorts of criminals. Sometimes, just walking down the street, you could see a few addicts huddled together.
Moreover, living here meant being discriminated against. To outsiders, the Black Goat Walled City was a daunting place. Besides the poor and the criminals, almost no one ever came here.
Following silently behind Lou, Miu the crow cursed Lou's non-existent parents several more times in its mind.
When their team was on a mission, although the Guide had the right to designate the plan of action, most of the decision-making power rested with the more senior member.
This meant that even if the Sentinel she was partnered with acted like a lunatic or an idiot, she still had to follow some of her "suggestions."
Entering the dark alley, Lou, who was already familiar with the paths, weaved her way through buildings and shabby houses, occasionally dodging unidentified droplets falling from the floors above.
Because the rent was cheap, there were many factories and small workshops inside the walled city. And because the buildings were packed so closely together, completely ignoring universally accepted zoning regulations, public and private spaces were mixed. A residence could be right next to a factory, sharing a common alleyway or stairwell. So, Lou would occasionally pass by a sugar workshop, a small flour mill, or see a group of middle-aged women sitting around a long table under the eaves, a large basin of prepared filling in front of them, wrapping dumplings for sale.
However, Lou, knowing the way, didn't plan to walk through the city's alleys for too long. The streets were overflowing with sewage. Even though it was now dinnertime and the aroma of cooking wafted from every window and exhaust pipe, it was mixed with the smells of firewood, cigarettes, feces, garbage, and other miscellaneous odors.
Lou had learned from the long-term residents to find an alternative route, usually taking the walkways between buildings.
The buildings here were so close that it was easy to find walkways connecting different floors and rooftops to neighboring buildings. In this vast labyrinthine network, you could even find small convenience stores set up at the corners of these walkways. Residents on the upper floors didn't need to go downstairs; a few turns out their door and they could buy all sorts of daily necessities. This was one of Lou's favorite things about the walled city.
It was like a towering, three-dimensional maze that brought her endless fun.
She had taken advantage of this, buying a storefront between the floors of a dilapidated but heavily populated building to serve as her detective agency, taking on various jobs. When she was out, Wang Lirou was in charge.
After many twists and turns, Lou finally returned to the shop she rented. It was a simple storefront with only a single counter window. Above it, a horizontal plaque with white text on a red background read: Crow Detective Agency. Below, it said: Accepting all legal commissions, reasonable prices.
Next to the counter window was an iron door. Beside the door, written in red characters, was: Tui Na & Bone-setting, Character Divination & Fortune-telling, Astrology & Tarot, Professional Screen Protector Application.
This line was added by Wang Lirou, and it was his specialty. He believed that opening an agency that only accepted legal commissions in the city of sin was basically a public declaration of one's own foolishness. So, while complying with Lou's wishes, he had developed a little side business.
And as it turned out, this side business was more profitable than Lou's detective work. In the nearly three months since the shop opened, Lou hadn't gotten a single case, but people often came looking for Wang Lirou to apply screen protectors to their phones.
Lou had promised that all the money earned from the side business belonged to Wang Lirou.
At this moment, Wang Lirou, dressed in a long black dress, had meticulously removed all the stubble from his face. Although his pores were still large, he looked much fresher than when they first met. He wore a smooth, black wig and a pair of plastic diamond earrings, his face heavily made up. He was standing behind the counter, head down, playing on his phone.
"I'm back!" Lou placed the gifts she bought on the counter.
"Oh my, you scared me to death! Why don't you make any sound when you walk?" Wang Lirou jumped, patting his chest and speaking in a high-pitched voice. He then hurried over to open the door for Lou.
Lou took off her hat and entered the agency. Hearing her voice, Wang Xiaoting immediately ran out barefoot from inside.
"I bought you guys gifts. What's for dinner?" The agency wasn't large, only about sixty square meters, but Wang Lirou kept it very clean and tidy.
"Didn't you say yesterday you wanted to eat rice with lard? I made it for you. It's in the microwave." Wang Lirou gently closed the door and immediately went to unwrap the gifts Lou had placed on the counter.
Wang Xiaoting came up to her, a smile on his face.
He was an abandoned baby, born deaf and mute, and had been raised by Wang Lirou, who had also been abandoned by his family. He had wandered with him everywhere and was much thinner and smaller than other children his age. Only in the last few days had a healthy, rosy color begun to appear on his cheeks.
"I bought you a game console. Go take a look. I'm going to eat. I want two bowls today," Lou tossed her backpack aside and walked toward the dining table in the back room. "Hmm, three bowls would be fine too."
"I want to eat too!" Miu the crow squawked loudly, though to Wang Lirou and Wang Xiaoting, it just sounded like a strange "Caw!"
Of course, they would prepare dinner for this strange crow as well.
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