Chapter 1649 - 527: An Eye for an Eye (2)

Chapter 1649: Chapter 527: An Eye for an Eye (2)

"To have an open mind, to leave no regrets, to give an eye for an eye! That’s how life gets exciting."

The faucet gushed with water. After washing his hands, Wen Xishu straightened his rolled-up sleeves. He still wore that smile:

"Alright, let’s get going. Trust me, at least for today, the girl with a father will definitely win."

Nini stared at Wen Xishu, as if driven by some unseen force, she actually nodded.

...

...

The Seventh Ring.

When the bus stopped at the border between the Sixth Ring and the Seventh Ring, Wen Xishu felt the change.

Visually, the Seventh Ring appeared even more "expansive" than the Sixth Ring.

There were no skyscrapers, no apartments, and the view consisted of low self-built shanties packed closely together like scabs on the ground.

Even the smell had changed.

The air of the Sixth Ring had greasy smoke, vegetation, and the warmth of human life. The air in the Seventh Ring carried a stench mixed with decay, urine, cheap alcohol, and rust.

Wen Xishu held Nini’s hand as they stepped into this area.

The sky was gray, not the gray of weather. It was the kind fixed by countless years of smoke and dust. The roofs of the shanties were patched together with iron sheets, planks, and plastic tarps, each material coated in thick black grime.

The ground was muddy; it had rained a few days ago, with cigarette butts, bottle caps, and unfamiliar strips of fabric mixed in the mire.

When Wen Xishu saw the first person, that person was squatting at the shanty’s door drinking, casting a cloudy, dead-fish-like glance at them before turning away.

Nini’s hand trembled.

Wen Xishu felt her palm was icy cold. Nini led Wen Xishu through narrow alleys, so narrow they allowed only one person through, flanked by rusted iron sheets and moldy planks.

On the alley floor were dark red marks, not clear whether they were blood or something else.

By the time they reached this point, Nini was so terrified she wanted to leave, she started speaking softly:

"They’ll go for the kill. I must confess something to you, Wen Xishu."

Wen Xishu, as always, smiled gently:

"Don’t be afraid; the environment made you do wrong things, I won’t blame you."

His voice gave Nini some strength:

"Even being a daughter, there are many types. In this city, it produces good people, bad people... rotten people."

"The tasks for good people, like daughters, might be to receive a father’s affection, to make the family better..."

"But many people in the Seventh Ring are different, their tasks involve hurting others, or themselves, doing things that make loved ones sad, can you... understand?"

Wen Xishu understood.

In the Balance system, there are good people, and bad people.

In this twisted city, even good and bad are divided. Not just identities, even good and evil are placed on opposite sides of the Balance.

"So... if they want to hurt you, it’s likely... some purely enjoy violence, and some do it to complete their tasks..."

"This is the poorest, most chaotic place. But here, there are many people with superpowers."

"You... maybe you should go back?"

Nini had to admit, Wen Xishu’s words moved her, but now, she recalled certain unpleasant experiences.

She was trembling with fear.

Although Wen Xishu’s tone remained gentle, his smile gradually faded away:

"So, you’re actually playing the role of a good daughter, right? But you’re afraid because in this city, there are people allocated as Evil People. Especially since you live on the cusp between the Sixth Ring and Seventh Ring."

"Then you started tattooing, pretending to be like them, thinking this way you wouldn’t be bullied, right?"

Nini nodded.

"What have they done to you?"

Nini seemed to sense the anger in this man. His silent profile showed neither joy nor sorrow, but she heard the concern.

How odd, despite appearing only a few years older, right now it felt as if his own daughter were being bullied.

Suddenly, she gained a bit of courage:

"Actually... it’s nothing much, just insults, beatings, robberies, extortion. The fringe of the Sixth Ring is like this."

"To find my current identity, I’ve lost status many times, so my living conditions worsened. But I don’t have to face complex relationships anymore, and at least I’m still a girl..."

"So, to avoid becoming more twisted, I can tolerate these things."

"When they used cigarette ends to burn my arms, I thought, it’s not that bad, maybe next time it’ll be someone else. When they forced me to drink lots of alcohol till I threw up, I thought, it’s better than being stared at in the men’s restroom by a crowd."

"Sometimes they come to my home to steal my money, and I think that if I were one of them, maybe I wouldn’t be robbed."

"If I were an Evil Person too, would I... live more happily?"

"Every time they say they are good people, the rules force them to do bad things, they don’t want to do this. But they... say it with a laugh."

"Among them, many are the ’standard version’ citizens. Do you know what this means?"

Wen Xishu calmly nodded.

Standard version means preserving their abilities like Liu Jianxin but never ascending to the Inner Ring through task completion.

They will forever play fixed roles in fixed families.