The Rift Between Cities: The Uprisers

"Thank you, Captain," Ning Fan said, changing his form of address to Lin Chuan. "Please guide me in the future."

Hui Zi, on the other hand, wore a dejected expression. "Brother Chuan, you actually cut me for 8,000 Solas?"

"How could that be possible? Would 8,000 Solas damage the relationship between us brothers?" Lin Chuan's face was stern.

Hui Zi felt somewhat comforted. "I knew Brother Chuan wouldn't do that for such a small amount of money..."

"You still owe me 5,000 Solas from that bet!" Lin Chuan reminded him. "8,000 plus 5,000, that's 13,000 in total. It's equivalent to the price of a Level 1 risk commission! Little brother, think carefully, was that cut worth it?"

"So, do I get a share of this 8,000 Solas?" Hui Zi asked, his face reddening.

Lin Chuan raised an eyebrow, looking displeased. "What's it got to do with you? This is my own private job!"

"Fuck..." Hui Zi wanted to curse but didn't dare to do so in front of Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan ignored him and turned his gaze towards Ning Fan. He had accepted Ning Fan's commission not just for the money, but more importantly, because if he hadn't, Ning Fan would have gone to the Wind Slasher Gang. Those people wouldn't have been as careful as he was.

This kid... Sharp-minded, gutsy, and determined! Willing to give his all to achieve his goals! Perhaps he really was cut out to be a Marauder. He just needed some polishing.

"Go get some sleep. We're leaving the district at 7 PM," Lin Chuan said, sending Hui Zi away. They had a mission tonight, and if Hui Zi didn't sleep, going outside the district would be no joke.

Hui Zi trudged home, shoulders slumped.

"You're not going to sleep?" Lin Chuan asked curiously, seeing that Ning Fan hadn't left. "Not tired?"

"I'm fine. Back at the academy, going without sleep for half a month was common," Ning Fan said, scratching his head with a smile.

Lin Chuan's expression changed slightly. Although exam scores weren't important in the Marauder circles, passing with full marks showed that Ning Fan was not only smart but also hardworking. Neither could be lacking. Heaven knows how much Ning Fan had sacrificed for those perfect scores.

"Kid, come sit," Lin Chuan said, propping up the wooden board of the Stray Dog Pack and patting the oil drum beside him.

"Sure!" Ning Fan sat down next to him.

Lin Chuan looked at Ning Fan's somewhat youthful face and asked calmly, "Isn't living well enough? Why do you insist on becoming a Marauder? This line of work, you have to eat your meals mixed with blood!"

"For money," Ning Fan answered honestly.

Lin Chuan smiled. "A top student like you from the academy shouldn't give such a utilitarian answer, should you?"

"Then what should I say?" Ning Fan tilted his head. "That I'm willing to lay down my life to clear the dangers outside the district and protect the peace of F32 District?"

"Isn't that the standard answer?"

"That's the standard answer for showing off," Ning Fan said, looking in the direction of his home. "I don't have such lofty ambitions, nor do I have the ability to make everyone pin their hopes on me. I just want the people around me to live healthily. That's enough."

Lin Chuan didn't pursue the matter further. Instead, he patted Ning Fan's shoulder.

"Everyone who becomes a Marauder has their own story and reasons they must persist. You're not special," Lin Chuan said seriously. "Heaven won't be lenient to you because of your determination, and the monsters out there certainly won't! So, to achieve your goals, you can only rely on yourself."

"I understand, Captain."

"Don't call me Captain. We're all just stray dogs scavenging for food together. Call me Brother Chuan like Hui Zi does!"

"Alright, Brother Chuan."

At 6 PM, seven people had gathered by the wooden board of the Stray Dog Pack. Besides Ning Fan and Lin Chuan, Hui Zi had also returned after waking up. There were four others, three men and one woman.

"Let me introduce you. This is Ning Fan, my new pup," Lin Chuan said to everyone.

Ning Fan smiled humbly. "You're all my seniors. If I do anything wrong, please bear with me! I'll try not to cause trouble for anyone."

"Brother Chuan, when are we leaving the district?" a woman in a black leather jacket asked coldly. The others didn't respond to Ning Fan's introduction at all.

"We'll leave as soon as Yang Beihai delivers the goods," Lin Chuan said, becoming serious. "This commission is a Level 2 risk mission. The reward is 30,000 Solas. As usual, leave your family's names and addresses before we go. If anyone dies during the mission, their family will receive 5,000 Solas as compensation! Those who survive, including myself, will be paid according to their work! Any questions?"

The others didn't react, but Ning Fan felt a bit uncomfortable. Discussing death prices before the mission... Marauders truly earned money with their lives on the line.

"A Level 2 risk commission?" Hui Zi questioned. "Aren't we just delivering to F27 District? We've done this route more than a dozen times. Where's the Level 2 risk?"

"Yang Beihai said the value of this cargo is very high. The Level 2 risk pay is telling us that the goods are worth more than our lives!" Lin Chuan had just finished explaining when a rumbling sound came from the inner district.

A makeshift vehicle, cobbled together from scrap metal, drove towards them. To call it a car would be an insult to cars. This was the Lower City. They used whatever the Gifted Path dropped down. No one knew better than the people of the Lower City how to maximize the use of waste.

"Captain Lin! Thanks for your hard work this time!" A bald man with a face full of meat jumped down from the vehicle. "As usual, I'm lending you the car. If it breaks down on the way, it'll cost you 5,000 Solas, deducted from your commission when you return."

"Fine," Lin Chuan said, looking at the car. "The goods are inside?"

"They are," the bald man said, becoming serious. "Captain Lin! This commission can only succeed, it cannot fail! In F32 District, your team is the one I trust the most! Don't ruin your reputation!"

"In this line of work, no one dares to guarantee 100% success on a commission," Lin Chuan said coldly. "I can only promise that as long as there's a living dog in the Stray Dog Pack, we'll definitely deliver these goods to their destination."

"Great! Your word puts me at ease," the bald man said, relieved.

Lin Chuan didn't exchange pleasantries with the bald man any further. He waved his arm and said, "Pups, get in the car! Let's go make some money!"

Ning Fan recalled his conversation with Lin Chuan in the afternoon. Lin Chuan had said that for this mission, Ning Fan could choose whether to go or not. If he wasn't mentally prepared to leave the district, Lin Chuan could give him some time to buffer.

Ning Fan hadn't hesitated. He had been ready for a month.

Getting into the car with the others, Ning Fan found that although the vehicle looked shabby, it was quite spacious inside. It could fit the seven of them with room to spare.

Hui Zi sat in the driver's seat and started the car, driving to a huge iron gate.

"Brother Chuan, got another mission?" The guard at the gate greeted Lin Chuan familiarly.

After some small talk, Ning Fan saw Lin Chuan secretly slip 1,000 Solas to the guard. The guard happily tucked it away before ordering his subordinates to open the iron gate.

With a creaking sound, the iron gate opened just wide enough for their vehicle to pass through.

The outside...

I'm finally here!

For Ning Fan, who was leaving the inner district for the first time, his feelings were incredibly mixed.

Before him was an almost completely dark environment.

Before Ning Fan could adjust, a cry for help came from outside the car window.

"Save me! Please save me! I'll pay 1,000 Solas!"

Ning Fan was startled.

Looking out the window, he saw a man whose limbs were almost completely severed, covered in blood, struggling to crawl towards the gate.

Slap!

A large hand patted Ning Fan's shoulder.

"Little pup, welcome to hell."