Travel through time, and then establish an anomaly management bureau!

Page 46

Your support is the only warmth I feel in this data winter.

Wishing all readers a wonderful life and all the best! See you in Volume Two!

(Epilogue: The curtain has been lifted slightly, and the foundation has been laid in the port city. Under the shadow of the secret, the story of the Authority has only just begun...)

Volume Two: Chapter 1: Simple and Honest Folk Customs

The air in the city of Migai was like a cold velvet cloth soaked in coal ash and deep-sea salt, pressing heavily on Zhang Su's shoulders.

Finally, my feet stepped onto the solid stone road, bidding farewell to the enclosed luxury of the "Sea Dragon Ridge" and being replaced by the pervasive noise and gloom of this vast port city.

He wandered aimlessly along a wide street called the "Cast Iron Corridor".

On both sides of the street, towering buildings stand like silent black giants, their skeletons being exposed, rusty steel trusses, and their muscles being thick, massive stones stained dark gray or inky black by the years and coal smoke.

Gothic spires pierce the low-hanging, lead-gray sky, with a grotesque gargoyle perched atop them, its hollow eye sockets gazing down upon the masses.

Huge gears are embedded in the sides of the building; some remain stationary as mere decorations, while others slowly turn, emitting a dull creaking sound, driving the thick steam pipes connected to them.

Brass-colored pipes meandered like giant pythons along the walls and under the eaves, occasionally hissing white steam with a pungent sulfur smell spewing out from the gaps in the rivets, only to be torn apart and swept away by the cold sea breeze.

The streetlights, powered by gas and covered with grime-covered glass shades, cast dim, flickering, and ghostly halos in the still-lingering morning mist.

The colors of the pedestrians' clothing mirrored the city itself: dark gray, navy blue, dark green, and jet black. Most men wore baseball caps or bowler hats, and worn-out wool coats or work pants; the women were wrapped in dark long skirts and shawls, hurrying along.

The air was filled with the salty smell of seawater, the acrid smell of burning coal, engine oil, cheap tobacco, sweat, and an indescribable, ancient musty smell wafting from some corner.

Steam locomotives, dragging heavy freight cars, roared past on the distant tracks, emitting deafening whistles.

The newsboys' shrill cries, the peddler's hoarse shouts, the dockworkers' chants, and a certain deep, continuous, mechanical hum that seemed to come from the depths of the city… all of this constituted the unique and oppressive symphony of the city. Zhang Su felt like a drop of water falling into a pot of thick, sticky, dark soup, feeling both novel and wary of stepping into the unknown.

The aura of the "mysterious active zone" that Yuan Shu had previously mentioned seemed to dissolve into the omnipresent chill and industrial noise.

He carried a small suitcase, looking like a typical tourist, gazing at the arched windows inlaid with stained glass depicting vague religious or industrial scenes, and the precision gears, brass telescopes, and oddly shaped steam-powered machines displayed in the shop windows, their surfaces gleaming with a cold, hard metallic luster.

Occasionally, his eyes would meet those of passersby, who would still show the same aloofness and wariness towards a "rare person." He was already used to it and would just shrug slightly.

"Sir! Your Excellency! Good morning!" A clear, slightly urgent voice broke Zhang Su's observation.

He looked down and saw a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old suddenly appear out of nowhere and block his way.

The boy was small but agile, dressed in a faded, patched coarse cloth shirt and trousers, his face smeared with coal dust, but his eyes were exceptionally bright and clever.

He gave Zhang Su a smile that appeared as respectful and enthusiastic as possible, and bowed slightly.

“Sir, you just disembarked, right? I see you have luggage. Do you need any help? My name is Terry!” The young man spoke quickly, with a local accent. “I know this area very well! I can carry luggage, show you around, and run errands! The prices are fair, only 8 pfennigs per kilometer! It’s definitely a good deal, sir!”

Terry held up his dusty fingers, gesturing to indicate the price, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Zhang Su raised an eyebrow. 8 pfennigs? According to his mental currency conversion, 1 sora = 12 pfennigs, which is less than 1 sora.

In the monetary system of the Calidor Empire, this was roughly equivalent to the price of two or three loaves of black bread or a glass and a half of beer, which was indeed considered "fair," especially for a place like a port.

Looking at the boy's thin frame and his own light suitcase, he felt that the money was well spent, considering it an experience of local service.

“Alright, Terry.” Zhang Su nodded and handed over the suitcase. “Here, just follow me around.”

Terry's eyes lit up, and he took the box as if it were a treasure. Although it wasn't heavy, he immediately straightened his back, appearing very professional. "Alright! Don't worry, sir! Follow Terry, and you won't regret it!"

He carried the suitcase and followed closely behind Zhang Su, about half a step to the side.

The two continued along the cast-iron corridor, past a huge factory exhaust vent spewing thick steam, and turned into a relatively narrow street lined with warehouses on both sides. The smell of coal smoke in the air was even stronger.

After walking around for about twenty minutes, Zhang Su's stomach started growling.

He then remembered that because they had docked today, the ship had not provided breakfast, and the food he ate last night had long been digested.

"I'm hungry." Zhang Su rubbed his stomach, stopped, and looked at the little guide beside him. "Terry, is there anywhere nearby where I can get something to eat? A decent restaurant, something clean. I'll treat you to a meal."

He had a good impression of the clever kid; the cost of the meal was nothing to him.

Upon hearing this, Terry's eyes lit up instantly, almost radiating light. "You're treating me to dinner? Really, sir? You're so generous!"

He rubbed his hands excitedly, “I know! I just happen to know a place! It’s in a nearby alley. Don’t let the small storefront fool you, their stew and black bread are incredibly delicious! Everyone in the neighborhood knows Old Jack’s cooking, it’s just a little… uh… a bit hard to find! I’ll take you there, I guarantee it’ll be authentic and reasonably priced!”

"As long as it's authentic, lead the way." Zhang Su didn't suspect anything and didn't take the claim of "not being easy to find" to heart. Hidden little restaurants often hold the most delightful surprises.

“Alright! This way, sir!” Terry immediately became incredibly enthusiastic, carrying the suitcase and quickly walking ahead to lead the way.

He led Zhang Su away from the main road and into a narrower, poorer side alley.

Then came several more turns, the alley grew narrower and narrower, the buildings on both sides became taller and taller, the walls were damp and seeping water, and overhead were crisscrossing steam pipes and tattered clothes drying in the sun, almost blocking out the already scarce sunlight. The air became murky, filled with a mixture of garbage, mold and cheap grease.

Zhang Su frowned slightly; the environment was quite different from the "authentic little restaurant" he had imagined. Nevertheless, he followed Terry, winding his way through several alleyways until they finally entered a dead-end, unusually dark alley. At the end of the alley was a high wall covered in moss, with closed, windowless back walls on either side, and only a few huge, rusted, garbage-covered iron gates.

Terry stopped in the middle of the alley and gently placed Zhang Su's suitcase on the ground.

“We’ve arrived, sir.” Terry’s voice suddenly became somewhat low, and most of his previous enthusiasm and wit had disappeared.

Zhang Su looked around. In the dim light, apart from walls, trash cans, and a slippery floor, there was no sign of a restaurant. He looked at Terry in confusion: "Where's the restaurant? Terry, are you sure this is the place?"

at this time!

From the alleyway where they had just entered, and from several dark corners piled with miscellaneous items, five or six figures suddenly darted out like ghosts! They were all teenagers of similar age to Terry, dressed in similarly tattered clothes, but with a fierce and mercenary look on their faces that did not match their age.

Armed with wooden sticks of varying lengths, rusty iron pipes, and even a sharpened screwdriver, they instantly blocked the alleyway entrance, surrounding Zhang Su and Tai Li and sealing off all escape routes.

The atmosphere suddenly plummeted to freezing point.

Only heavy breathing and the unconscious thumping of sticks against the walls remained in the alley.

Terry quickly stepped back a few paces and stood on the outer edge of the encirclement. The last trace of respect on his face vanished completely, replaced by a cold indifference mixed with tension and greed.

He stopped looking at Zhang Su and stared at the location of Zhang Su's bulging purse—which, in Terry's eyes, must contain gold pounds or Sola.

The boy in the lead was slightly taller, with a faint scar on his face. He weighed the thick wooden stick in his hand, took a step forward, and roared in a hoarse voice:

Hey! You idiot! What are you looking at? Robbery!

Another boy, waving an iron pipe, immediately chimed in, his voice shrill: "Be smart! Hand over all your money! Gold pounds! Sora! Everything valuable!"

"Yes! Hurry up! Don't dawdle! Otherwise, I'll let you taste what this iron pipe is like!" The third boy brandished a screwdriver, approaching fiercely.

The encirclement was closing in, and the sticks and iron pipes gleamed dangerously in the dim light. Terry stood outside the circle, watching them, making no move to stop them.

Zhang Su stood still, his expression slowly shifting from initial surprise and doubt to a kind of absurd understanding.

He sighed softly, his gaze sweeping over the group of tense and fierce teenagers before finally settling on Terry.

"Heh..." A soft, ambiguous groan escaped from his throat, standing out clearly in the deathly quiet, dimly lit alley.

"So, after all this time, this is the so-called 'authentic restaurant'...?" Zhang Su's voice was terrifyingly calm, devoid of any fear, instead carrying a mocking tone that seemed to have seen through the trickery. "Terry, so this is how you collect your 'guide fee'?"

Upon hearing Zhang Su's mocking snort, Terry licked his lips and said:

“I’m sorry, sir. We need money. We really need it. And you’re a rare outsider, looking weak and vulnerable, and you’ve trusted me too easily. There’s no one more suitable to rob than you.”

"I promise, as long as you hand over all the money, we'll let you go immediately after we get it! We'll also return the suitcase to you! We only want money, we won't hurt anyone!"

Just then, a boy with a rusty iron pipe and a few red bumps on his face greedily eyed Zhang Su's coat, which was definitely considered decent in Migai City, and couldn't help but interject: "Terry, his clothes look like they're made of good material! If we stripped him, we could definitely get some Sola in return!"

Terry turned his head sharply, glared at the boy, and said, "No way! Clothes are a person's dignity! If we strip him of his clothes and take all his money, he'll really have nothing left! He won't even have the last bit of dignity to walk on the street!"

"We just need money to survive, not to force people to die! We certainly don't want to become those scumbags like the 'Blood Finger Gang' who lend money at exorbitant interest rates and drive people to the brink of suicide! We can't do things like stripping people naked!"

The boy with the red bumps shrank back when Terry glared at him, pouted, and muttered under his breath, "Fine, fine, I'll listen to you. You've only attended a few months of free classes at a church school, and you know how to say such nice things."

Zhang Su listened to all of this, and the coldness on his face gradually melted away, revealing a playful, somewhat absurd smile.

"Heh," he chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Terry and his accomplices. "Didn't expect you guys to have a bit of 'honor among thieves'? You even know when to give in? Should I thank you for showing mercy and not stripping me naked?"

“Wh…what do you mean by ‘way’? What do you mean by ‘forgive me’?” another short, stocky boy holding a wooden stick shouted impatiently, clearly not understanding Zhang Su’s words. “Stop spouting this bullshit we don’t understand! I’m just asking you, are you going to pay or not! Just say it!”

He fiercely pounded the wall next to him with a wooden stick, making a dull "thump-thump" sound.

Terry quickly explained, "He meant that we should let people go when it's time to let them go, and not push them to the brink."

He turned to Zhang Su and said, "Sir, we know it's wrong to rob someone. We didn't mean to do this. But we really need the money. We can only apologize to you."

His eyes held a mixture of shame, helplessness, and a desperate, ruthless determination. "If you're unwilling to hand over the money now, then we'll have no choice but to resort to violence. If you manage to call the police and have us arrested afterward, we'll accept our fate! But today, here, we're determined to get it!"

With that, Terry suddenly waved his hand, his voice sharp and youthful: "Move! Hold him down! Search!"

With his command, the encirclement tightened instantly!

Like hyenas that have smelled blood, the six teenagers, wielding sticks and iron pipes, charged at Zhang Su with ferocity and nervousness in the face of adults!

The one with the screwdriver was the most vicious; he stabbed directly at Zhang Su's arm, clearly intending to injure him and render him unable to resist!

Faced with this chaotic yet fierce attack from a young man, Zhang Su's eyes narrowed, and he completely abandoned the idea of ​​reasoning with him.

"Yuan Shu!" he cried out in his mind, "How should I deal with these brats? I can't be too harsh, but I need to teach them a lesson!"

[Battle plan being generated...] Yuan Shu's voice was as calm as ice. [Based on the current environment and target characteristics (both are ordinary teenagers without supernatural powers, wielding rudimentary weapons), the optimal strategy is:]

[Activating the basic trait of the 'Listener-Black Tai Sui' pathway: Steel Bone Charm (weak level)]

[Effect: Instantly condenses a faint but resilient layer of 'talismanic' energy on the skin's surface (visually manifested as a fleeting, extremely faint black mist-like pattern beneath the skin), temporarily and slightly enhancing muscle strength, bone resilience, and nerve reflex speed (improvement of approximately 15%-20%).]

【Advantages:】

[1. Sufficient to easily block and deflect physical impacts from clubs and iron pipes, preventing injury to the user.]

2. Increased speed allows for perfect dodging of attacks from sharp objects such as screwdrivers, and easily seizing opportunities during the opponent's attacks.

3. The power increase is controllable, facilitating precise strikes to non-lethal areas, causing pain and shock, while minimizing the risk of serious injuries such as fractures and internal bleeding.

[Recommended target areas:]

[The buttocks: Rich in fat and nerve endings, blows to the buttocks can cause severe pain and intense humiliation, temporarily restricting movement (due to being spanked).]

[-Face: Especially the cheeks, which are fleshy; a blow to the cheek can cause dizziness, pain, and tearing, and has a strong visual impact (slap). Be careful to control the force to avoid knocking out teeth or fracturing the bridge of the nose.]

[Execution Command: Immediately activate Steel Bone Charm (Weak Level).]

In the blink of an eye, the extraordinary characteristics originating from the Black Tai Sui within Zhang Su's body were instantly activated. A faint energy, like an invisible armor, flowed through his limbs and bones in an instant, and extremely faint black mist-like runes flashed and disappeared beneath his skin.

The world seemed to move a little slower in his eyes.

The trajectory of the screwdriver became clearly visible. Not too fast, not too slow, Zhang Su simply turned slightly to the side, and the sharp metal tip grazed his coat, missing its mark.

The boy wielding the knife used too much force and stumbled forward.

At the same time, two wooden sticks and an iron pipe came crashing down from the left, right, and overhead with a whooshing sound!

Zhang Su made a move!

His movements weren't ridiculously fast, but enhanced by the Steel Bone Talisman, they appeared exceptionally fluid, precise, and efficient. His left hand shot out like lightning, his fingers gripping the middle of the wooden stick hurtling towards him from the left with pincers, a twist and a press of his wrist! The boy felt an irresistible force, a sharp pain in his hand, and the stick slipped from his grasp, easily snatched away by Zhang Su!

His right hand, like a viper's tongue, struck first despite being behind, and with the back of his hand, he slammed the wooden stick outwards from a foot in front of him! With a crisp "crack!" the wooden stick that was coming at him was deflected by a clever force, the boy's arm went numb, and his attack vanished instantly.

The iron pipe above his head fell with maximum force! Zhang Su didn't even bother to dodge, he just tilted his head slightly, letting the iron pipe hit his left shoulder, which was suddenly tense and covered with weak rune energy!

"clang!"

A dull metallic clang rang out! The expected scene of broken bones and torn tendons didn't occur. Zhang Su's shoulder only slumped slightly, as if weighed down by a heavy object, without even a flinch. On the contrary, the short, stocky youth holding the iron pipe felt as if he had struck a piece of cast iron covered in leather. The immense recoil caused him excruciating pain in his wrist, nearly causing him to drop the pipe. He was thrown back two steps, his face filled with horror!

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Su defused the first wave of attacks. His eyes turned cold, and the counterattack began!

He didn't use the wooden stick he snatched with his left hand to attack, but instead casually threw it behind him, hitting the foot of a boy who was trying to sneak up on him. The boy jumped up in pain, clutching his foot.

Then, Zhang Su entered the flock of sheep like a tiger!

He moved with such speed that he almost left a blur in the dim alley. Dodging a wooden stick that came hurtling towards him, he instantly closed in on the short, stocky boy who was still rubbing his wrist, his right hand, fingers together, lashing out like a whip—

"Snapped!"

A crisp, loud, and powerful slap landed hard on the other person's cheek! The sound echoed through the narrow alleyway!

"Ouch!" The short, stocky boy screamed in pain, seeing stars before his eyes. His cheeks instantly swelled up, and the burning pain made tears and snot stream down his face. He was knocked around and spun around before crashing into the wall, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Zhang Su didn't even look. His feet glided half a step away like a ghost, dodging another wooden stick. At the same time, his left leg kicked out backward as if it were spring-loaded!

"boom!"

The kick landed perfectly on the buttocks of another boy who was lunging at them from behind! The force was just right, enough to cause excruciating pain and a powerful jolt.

"Ouch, damn it!" The boy felt as if his butt had been hit by a hammer. He fell face down several meters away in an extremely embarrassing "dog-face-mud" position, his mouth full of mud, and he couldn't get up for a long time.

The remaining teenagers were stunned by this thunderous attack! The seemingly weak and vulnerable stranger they had seen had instantly transformed into a ruthless and efficient fighting machine! Fast and painful!

Fear instantly overwhelmed greed.

"Ghost! Ghost!" someone screamed and turned to run away.

But how could Zhang Su let them go? He darted forward, caught up with the one who tried to run, and kicked him in the backside, sending him flying in the same direction as his companion.