Chapter 93: Faded

Chen Ling was about to speak when Uncle Zhao said in a deep voice:

"Xiao Yi, can't you speak properly? After all, you and A-Ling are neighbors who grew up together. How can you be so rude?"

Although Zhao Yi was reckless, Uncle Zhao was smart. This sentence was scolding Zhao Yi, but it was actually meant for Chen Ling to hear.

He knew his son couldn't accomplish anything big, had poor social skills, and hadn't gotten along with Chen Ling before... Now that Chen Ling was an Executor, he hoped Chen Ling would keep in mind that they grew up together and not hold it against him.

Although Chen Ling hadn't been in the officialdom in his previous life, he could still understand such a simple meaning.

Chen Ling silently lowered his head to drink his soy milk, saying nothing.

Zhao Yi opened his mouth to say something else, but was glared back by Uncle Zhao. He threw his backpack on the dining table next to him in displeasure and started gnawing on a bun.

"Aren't you on the night shift today? Why are you back so early?" Uncle Zhao asked.

"The factory isn't doing it anymore, what can I do?" Mentioning this, Zhao Yi got even angrier. He said viciously, "They haven't paid me for the last few days! I'm going to demand it tomorrow!"

Chen Ling's ears pricked up, and he suddenly asked:

"Uncle Zhao, what job does Xiao Yi do now?"

"Him? He forges steel at the steel mill." Uncle Zhao glanced at Zhao Yi and continued, "This kid didn't do well in school and has no skills, so I pulled some strings to get him a job at the steel mill... Melting snow outside all day, how much money can he earn?"

Zhao Yi pouted, seemingly wanting to retort, but could only lower his head and stay silent.

What Uncle Zhao said was indeed the truth. The money earned from working a day at the steel mill was enough for him to go out and melt snow for the Road Management Bureau for several days... Odd jobs, in the end, were not as useful as a formal job.

Chen Ling nodded.

The Seven Districts were never short of factories. Apart from the few streets where they lived, further out were numerous factories. These factories solved 70% of the employment in the Seven Districts. If Chen Ling hadn't passed the exam to become an Executor, his final destination would likely have been one of those factories.

"Do steel mills stop working too?" Chen Ling was puzzled.

"How would I know? All the raw materials in the factory have been shipped away, there's nothing left. As soon as we got there, they told us to get lost, and they didn't even pay us... What the hell are those factory managers thinking?"

Zhao Yi got angrier the more he thought about it. He had finally found a stable job, and now it was gone... Did he have to go back to melting snow?

"Raw materials were shipped away? Shipped where?"

"Where else? Aurora City, of course."

"There are no factories in Aurora City, why would they need raw materials?" Uncle Zhao was also full of confusion.

"I don't know!"

Chen Ling thought for a while, but couldn't figure out the logic. Was Aurora City planning to develop heavy industry too?

Chen Ling didn't understand these messy things. After finishing his soy milk, he slowly stood up and smiled at Uncle Zhao.

"Thanks, Uncle Zhao, I'll head back now..."

"Alright, take care."

Chen Ling left a few silver coins and pushed the door open, leaving only Zhao Yi's complaints echoing in the room.

He walked through the street and reached his door in a few steps. He glanced at the corner of the door and saw no signs of anyone having entered or exited. He took out his key and opened the door.

*Whoosh*—

Chen Ling lit the kerosene lamp on the table, locked the door behind him, stood on the table, and began to feel along the beam above...

A moment later, a token and a ring appeared in his palm.

"No signs of anyone entering or exiting, yet the items were placed inside... So this is the level of the Thief Saint." Chen Ling muttered to himself.

Chen Ling tucked the two items away and extinguished the kerosene lamp on the table.

The house plunged into darkness.

……

Meanwhile.

Aurora City.

On the bed, Chu Muyun's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes...

In the enclosed bedroom, the curtain-like window gauze fluttered gently, as if an invisible wind had lingered there. Outside the window, the sky was filled with silently surging auroras.

Chu Muyun stared at the auroras outside for a long time, sat up from the bed, put on a white lab coat from the wall, and pushed the door open.

The winter wind blew his coat hem. Chu Muyun adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the auroras and the silhouette of a lazy man on the eaves.

"Good observation skills, worthy of the [Blood Butcher] path."

The man lowered the brim of his baseball cap slightly and spoke with a chuckle, a pair of silver snake-shaped earrings swaying silently in the moonlight.

"[Heart Queen]." Chu Muyun said calmly, hands in the pockets of his lab coat. "Senior, why have you suddenly graced me with your presence?"

"Don't call me senior, it makes me sound old."

“……”

"Just finished the task from above, bored, so I came to chat with you." Bai Ye yawned. "After all, you are the first member to infiltrate Aurora City."

"Senior Bai Ye, just because you don't sleep doesn't mean others don't need to."

Chu Muyun replied earnestly, "Lack of sleep can easily lead to depression and obesity, and may also cause heart disease, diabetes, and..."

"The premise for a human to get sick is that they have to be human."

"...Are you mocking me?"

"Yes."

“……”

Bai Ye saw Chu Muyun's frustrated expression and laughed, his mood seeming to improve quite a bit. "By the way, the newcomer you recommended is very interesting."

"[Heart 6]?" Chu Muyun raised an eyebrow. "He's not just interesting... If you push him too far, the whole world will become interesting..."

"I've heard, a world-ending calamity in human skin." Bai Ye said thoughtfully, suddenly speaking with great interest,

"Tell me, what would happen if I suddenly stole his 'sanity'?"

Hearing this, Chu Muyun's expression changed. He stared at Bai Ye, frowning, as if trying to see if he was joking or if he really had this crazy idea...

"Don't look at me like that, I was just saying." Seeming a bit unnerved by his stare, Bai Ye shrugged. "You know, I can control my hands... at least for now."

"You'd better keep controlling them, otherwise, stay away from him."

"Got it, got it."

Bai Ye leaned leisurely against the eaves, looking up at the endless sea of auroras. The courtyard fell into silence... After an unknown amount of time, he spoke slowly:

"[Spade 7], have you noticed?"

"What?"

Bai Ye raised his hand and pointed to the aurora that stretched all the way to the horizon above his head,

"The aurora is fainter than before."