Night’s Nomenclature

City 18 was adjacent to City 10.

Despite the gap in number, they were only separated by about 200 kilometers in distance. This was because the cities were not numbered in order of their importance, but in the order of their establishments.

If the Federation was to be depicted as a circle, then the joint circumference of City 18 and City 10 was akin to the center of the circle.

Of course, this analogy wasn’t very accurate since the Federation was not circular.

Qing Chen previously asked Li Shutong for a map of the Federation. The Outer World and the Inner World shared similar terrains, with only the coastal areas being rather different.

If these two worlds were truly parallel worlds, then the crust of the Inner World must have undergone major displacements before it became what it was today.

City 18 and City 10 respectively corresponded to Luo City and Zheng City. No matter the world, these two cities had always been located within the land of the Central Plains.

Many cities in the Inner World – such as City 7 that corresponded to Hai City – were far less substantial than their Outer World counterparts due to the absence of coastal ports.

In the Federation, City 18 and City 10 were the most prosperous.

City 18 was the economic center, while City 10 was the political center.

One in the west and another in the east, they were referred the twin stars of the Federation.

Their interconnecting line was like a segment separating the south and north sections of the Federation.

Countdown 96:00:00.

Yet another midnight.

Around 100 kilometers south of City 18, a group of people was gathered around a bonfire for warmth. In the flickering firelight, eight men and four women were chatting and laughing.

An iron pot was hung on a branch propped above the bonfire, the thick noodle soup inside it gurgling and bubbling.

Someone took out a slab of cured meat and used a small knife to cut off a few pieces into the pot.

This was a small temporary campsite.

Nine dark green canvas tents were set up in the open space nearby.

The night wind was very strong; two worn-out pickup trucks were parked against the direction of the wind, shielding this tiny campsite from the cold gales.

The pickups seemed to be carrying some kind of cargo, unidentifiable under the cover of canvas sheets.

There were stones piled up beside the bonfire to block the wind, but even then, the flame was still swaying from side to side.

“What our employers want to catch this time isn’t easy to find, we’ve been searching in this area for a whole month and have yet to spot a single one,” said an elderly man by the bonfire. “How about we go to the border of ‘that place’ to see our luck? We don’t even have to go inside, just the border alone isn’t that dangerous, I’ve been there a few years ago.”

The old man was called Qin Cheng, and he was the leader of this team.

Him and the people around the bonfire were all basically related by blood.

They were wearing combat clothes that looked like discarded goods. Some had patches on the elbows, knees, butts and pant legs, and their sizes didn't quite fit.

“Dad, is the buyer's price worth this risk?” asked a young man.

“As you know, they offered 200,000.” Old man Qin Cheng rolled the tobacco leaves with his mottled mechanical hand as pieces of coating fell off of his fingers. “With this money, I can give you and Xiaoyi better mechanical limbs, ones that can at least move properly.”

“Dad, it’s not a pressing need for us, there’s no need to risk lives just for that,” the young man said.

“Hm,” the old man fished out a half-burned firewood from the bonfire and used it to light the cigarette in his mouth. “They also promised us a dose of genetic medicine and a box of BVC antibiotics. Your younger brother is about to come of age, and there should be someone in our family who isn’t dependent on mechanical limbs. I want to get him the genetic medicine since the chance is hard to come by.”

Astonished by the words, the young man looked at his younger brother beside him, opening his mouth and falling speechless.

Beside Qin Cheng, a middle-aged woman said, “Xiaotong, don't think that your dad is being partial. He also wanted to get one for you, but he was deceived at that time.”

The young Qin Tong spoke after some thoughts, “Mom, don't think too much, I wasn’t thinking that. I have mechanical limbs, but my brother doesn't have one yet. It’s only right to give him the genetic medicine if we can get it. Besides, if he gets the genetic medicine, it’ll be easier for him to find a wife.”

As he talked, the sound of branches snapping under footsteps suddenly came from the woods outside the campsite.

Old man Qin Cheng quickly dived into a pile of fallen leaves. In an instant, he took out a gun and pointed it towards the source of the sound.

His robust action didn't look like it came from an old man at all.

The others also swiftly left the bonfire to hide behind surrounding tree trunks.

“Hello, we mean no harm,” said a voice outside the campsite.

In the dark night, two figures clad in black windbreakers slowly walked out of the woods. One was a middle-aged man and the other a teenager carrying a huge camping bag.

They had their clothes zipped up, their raised collars covering the lower halves of their faces.

The middle-aged man raised both of his hands and smiled as he spoke, “We were passing by and saw that you have two cars to block the wind over here, so we want to rent a space.”

While saying that, he glanced at the teenager by his side.

The teenager took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and threw it next to the bonfire. “It’s alright if you guys don't agree, we’ll give you the cigarettes and take our leave.”

After a short hesitation, old man Qin Cheng gradually stood up from his spot on the ground, keeping the muzzle of his gun pointed at the two people in front of him. “Did you come from the city?”

“Yes, from City 10,” smiled the middle-aged man.

“Where are you going to?” The old man was wary.

“It’s still undecided, we just came out for a walk,” the middle-aged man continued to answer.

The old man pointed to the open space more than 20 meters away. “You can camp there, but you’re not allowed to approach us. If you want to rent the space, a pack of cigarettes is not enough. Do you have any medicine?”

“Yes,” replied the teenager, throwing a small white bottle next to the bonfire once again, as if he had prepared for it beforehand.

Medicine was a hard currency in the wilderness.

After throwing it, the two of them went to the open space by the side.

At the bonfire, a young girl peered at the teenager in the windbreaker and whispered to Qin Tong, “Brother, that boy is very handsome.”

Qin Tong shot a glance at the teenager’s back. “Most of his face is covered by the jacket, you think he’s handsome?”

The girl answered, “For some people, you don’t have to see their whole face to know that they’re good-looking.”

“Don't have too much thoughts.” Qin Tong added a couple of firewood to the bonfire. “Have you seen their jackets? Just those two pieces of clothes can replace the worth of the two mechanical limbs on my body. This kind of people come to the wilderness to travel for fun, while we live in the wilderness and struggle to survive, us and them are people from two totally different worlds.”

The girl pursed her lips, “I didn't even say anything.”

“I'm worried that you’ll be seduced by this rich kid,” the young man earnestly explained. “There’s not one good guy among the rich people living in the upper three districts.”

“Okay, fine, I know,” replied the girl impatiently.

Yet when she spoke, she was still staring at the boy from afar.