Gods, Ashes Descend

Chapter 21 starts with a gunfight.

Late at night, with the moon high in the sky, sitting on a mountaintop in the wilderness, enjoying the cold wind, was Li Wei's favorite thing to do. If he felt like it, he would set up an iron pot and stew some soup. If his sense of taste became dulled, he would just add a bag of salt.

Anyway, ashes won't get any kidney stones or anything like that, so you can create them however you want.

More often, however, they sit on the mountaintop feeling lost, realizing how much they have changed and unsure of what path to take in the future.

The worst thing I ever did was not help an elderly lady cross the street and spit on the ground.

Now, driven to madness, he can still open a corpse's skull, remove flesh and bones, and rummage through parts without batting an eye.

"Li, what are you doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Are you worried about getting work tomorrow and can't sleep?"

Li Wei turned to look at Karl, who was struggling to climb up, and thought to himself, "This is the first time he's ever called me in the middle of the night. Usually, he's snoring loudly at this time. Who's the one who can't sleep?"

He reached out and pulled Karl, who was supporting himself on the ground, up, and asked in return.

"You don't sleep? You're over forty years old, and you think you can compare to me?"

Karl plopped down next to Levi, gazing at the brightly lit Night City.

"So what if you're forty? It's the age to work hard."

After rambling on, Karl hesitated for a moment and said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Okay, I'm still a little nervous."

As he spoke, he picked up a stone, stood up, and threw it toward Night City.

"You know what? My mom used to say, 'Don't go into dark alleys. If someone starts shooting, run away as fast as you can. Live a peaceful and safe life.'"

I've always listened to my mom and lived a mediocre life until now, going from a street thug to a garbage collector, spending over a decade in this junkyard.

I know you're not an ordinary person, Li, but how should I put it, you're not on the same path as me. You'll leave sooner or later, I understand.

But why do you aspire to be an ordinary person?

Why? Of course, it's because of the nine years of compulsory education. Well, Li Wei didn't know either. He just felt that he should be an ordinary person, instead of leading a bunch of guys who wouldn't die to go around being robbers.

Seeing Karl fall silent, Levi asked a question in return.

"Isn't it good to be an ordinary person?"

Carl patted his pockets, indicating that he was cleaner than a dog.

"Well, it's not so bad, but look at me now, I have nothing. I used to have a wife, but she died. She was walking down the street when a brick fell on her and killed her. Haha, you never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first."

"I don't even know what I've lived my whole life for. Was it just to listen to my mother?"

After sitting for a while, Karl let out a long sigh, stood up, and stretched his body.

"Damn, it's a bit cold. You young people are always so hot-blooded. I'm going down first. I don't mean anything by it, and I'm not trying to persuade you to become a big brother. The ending is already decided. The scenery along the way is what matters. Just don't regret it."

As Carl prepared to leave, Levi suddenly wanted to ask a question, intending to hear what he would choose if he were in his situation.

"Wait, Carl, let me ask you something. I have a friend who's just an ordinary person. One day, he got kidnapped, and when he woke up, he was told to steal things from other people to save the world. What would you choose?"

Carl had wanted to hear what Livy had to say, but instead he told him a fairy tale about saving the world.

But since that question was asked, Carl gave his own answer.

"I would slap him without hesitation. What right does an ordinary person have to save the world?"

Li Wei continued to ask questions.

"What if I gave you an immortal body, to devour souls like a demon in exchange for power, and to command an army of demons?"

Carl answered without hesitation.

"Is there such a good thing? Only an idiot would refuse. I'm the king of the world."

Suddenly, Karl froze on the spot, then looked Li Wei up and down with a strange expression, and asked incredulously.

"Wait, could this friend be you? After all, you're like the protagonist in a game, with a magic bag."

Yes, I am the idiot you're talking about, and I'm being dramatic. What the hell have I been doing this month?

An ordinary person's life is only a few decades long. It doesn't seem so bad to live with passion and enthusiasm for the present moment.

But Li Wei couldn't possibly say it out loud; he had to save face.

Having figured it out, Li Wei stood up, dusted himself off, and replied.

"I was just rambling because I was bored. If I were really that awesome, I wouldn't be here. Let's go, I'm going down too. Let's get some sleep. We need to find a middleman to take on some work tomorrow."

On the way down the mountain, looking at the distant Night City, I forced a smile.

You wouldn't believe it, the living devil who could only be seen on screen has suddenly appeared.

................

The next day, Night City's first job was a double-cross. If Levi hadn't reacted quickly and shot the guy who was about to draw his gun after taking the goods, Carl would have been dead.

The game started with a gunfight. Li Wei used the corner of the apartment building as cover, sticking out half of his body and firing two shots with a revolver at the opposite side. The broken-winged butterfly shot used against elephants was incredibly powerful, blasting a scavenger who was using a trash can as cover into the ground.

He pulled back, began loading the revolver, and cursed repeatedly.

"Damn it, I knew that middleman was unreliable. I'd never even heard of that name. Aren't there only one middleman in Badlands—a woman named Dakota Smith?"

Karl, carrying his DS1 pulse submachine gun, which he had bought for a "huge sum" of 6 euros and whose number of hands was unknown, squatted behind a concrete block and blindly fired into the alley with one hand raised.

"Don't take it out on me. How am I supposed to know this bastard gave us the Cleaners' order? Dakota Smith, is he some kind of middleman I could possibly know? He could kill me with a single fart."

Don't stick your head out, you want to get shot? You don't have much subcutaneous armor.

"I didn't yell at you. I just want to go back and shoot that bastard to pieces. He wants us to come to him with him and our goods."

After saying that, he stretched out one hand and fired six shots into the alley, then began to reload.

After all, Li Wei didn't want to return to the sacrificial site too early.

"Don't count me in. My heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys are worthless. It's probably because that bastard saw you as a natural person that he decided to sell you. A young man like you is worth a lot of money if you're dismantled."

"That's why I'm picking a fight with him; he messed with the wrong person!"

Several more shots were fired, sending things flying through the alley. The .44 caliber bullets left large craters in the walls; the thin cover offered no protection whatsoever.

There was nowhere to hide in the narrow alley, and the cleaners were the first to be overwhelmed, huddled in the corner and dared not move.

After changing the magazine, Karl called out to Levi.

"The gunfire on the other side has stopped!"

Li Wei immediately reminded him.

"Don't show your face. We're not gone yet, just being suppressed. I'll keep suppressing them. Go get the car!"

Carl ran towards his car, bent over, while Levi was there providing suppressive fire.

The two sides exchanged fire for several minutes, and the cops didn't care at all? As long as the shooting didn't happen on the main road or in a wealthy area, even if the cops heard Li Wei and his group in an alley, they wouldn't care.

After all, everyone can buy cheap, low-quality guns here; all you need to do is find a vending machine.

Or spend 100 euros to buy a "single-shot gun" from "Affordable Firepower," and your martial spirit will be exceptionally high.

Supermarkets or convenience stores also offer a lot of basic weapons, which may meet the needs of some customers who are not knowledgeable. Li Wei can only say that they are very beautiful and firm.

He absolutely loves this place.