Chapter Forty: The Capital's Advantage

To be honest, Ye Chen now felt that there was no place, whether inside or outside the city, that could truly be called safe. In this mutated world and twisted society, savage mutant beasts roamed outside the city, while within, the high-ranking officials of the Inner City Prefecture treated human life with callous disregard.

The Inner City Prefecture already wielded immense wealth and power, yet now even extended their reach to living people. No one could fathom exactly what they hoped to gain from this. Still, that did nothing to lessen their growing disgust at a world that seemed to plunge ever deeper into darkness.

Thus, Ye Chen's dream, which had once been simply to have a small place to call his own, gradually shifted. Now, it was about how to survive in this perverse world—and how to ensure his loved ones survived as well. All of this, perhaps, would depend on his ability to become someone no less capable than anyone else.

The little tavern’s atmosphere had grown heavy and subdued. At that moment, Ye Shanshan emerged from the back kitchen, wiping her hands and smiling brightly. “Ye Chen, I heard you’re planning to visit the Inner City in the next few days. Have you decided when? I really want to go too!”

As soon as the topic of visiting the Inner City was raised, Jin Yinghui’s interest was piqued. He grinned and said, “That’s right, you’re an Awakened now. It’s time to claim your benefits.”

“I’m not going for a stroll,” Ye Chen protested. “I’m going to be tested for my Inner Potential value.” Internally, he couldn’t help but grumble—just as much as women love shopping, men love bathhouses.

Zhou Peng, with a touch of nostalgia, joined in, “So that’s it. Now I know why Team Leader Dai wanted you to wait a few days. He probably isn’t in the Outer City right now.”

“Who’s that?” Ye Chen asked, puzzled.

“You’ll meet him soon enough. He’s quite a character—one of the patrol officers from the Fourth Squad.”

Jin Yinghui chimed in at just the right moment. “Ye Chen, since this is your first time entering the Inner City, there are some things you need to watch out for. Listen carefully and remember them.”

“Why didn’t you give me any pointers when I entered the Inner City back then? Are we not close enough?” someone complained.

Old Jin chuckled, “That’s right, we weren’t close. But you could always try bribing me! Once you’re inside the Inner City, you’re only allowed to move freely in the commercial district. The Transcendents’ Hall that does the testing is in the administrative district, and someone will have to take you there. As for the residential district, since you don’t own property in the Inner City, you won’t have a pass—so you can’t go there either.”

“There are two other places you absolutely must not approach,” he continued.

The more Ye Chen listened, the more his brows knitted together. Why were there so many rules just to get into the Inner City? It was as if the Inner City was determined to guard against people from the Outer City.

Before Old Jin could continue, Zhou Peng spoke earnestly, “The two forbidden zones are the City Lord’s district and the Factory district.”

Ye Chen paused. It was only natural that they wouldn’t allow people near the City Lord’s residence. But why was the factory district off-limits as well?

Seeing Ye Chen’s confusion, Jin Yinghui began to explain seriously, “To answer that, we have to look at the bigger picture. Right now, there are four major capitals on the continent: the City of Energy, the City of Steel, the City of Ore, and the City of Elements.

“These cities trade with each other constantly. People in the Outer City might not notice, but those in the Inner City feel it keenly. Much of what they use isn’t produced in the City of Energy itself. You’ll see for yourself when you get there.

“Every city has something in common, but each also has its own unique strengths. None of them is completely self-sufficient. For example, our city isn’t particularly advanced in certain fields or industries, so we have to import a lot of goods from elsewhere.”

Ye Chen nodded slightly. Although he didn’t know the specific strengths of each city, he’d often heard street vendors boasting about items from the City of Ore or goods that had been hauled all the way from the City of Steel—always at sky-high prices. As for whether those claims were true, only the vendors themselves knew. In any case, Ye Chen never bought those overpriced imports.

Old Jin gestured with his hand as if holding a pistol. “Take this, for example. It’s not something we can produce here. The City of Energy only plays a small part in its creation.

“And when I talk about productivity, I don’t just mean the tiny workshops you see in the Outer City. I’m talking about the key manufacturing technologies that determine a city’s overall strength.”

Jin Yinghui took a proud swig from his cup and continued, “So, do you know what the real advantage of the City of Energy is?”

The wily old man was quite the storyteller, always leaving a bit of suspense to keep everyone wanting more. He even paused deliberately, making everyone itch with curiosity.

Everyone wore looks of surprise, though they all had a vague guess in their hearts. Since their city was called the City of Energy, its strength must be related to energy. And when it came to energy, everyone immediately thought of the energy cores used in every household.

“Do you all know where those energy cores you use every day are produced?” he asked.

They nodded, playing along.

“But what you probably don’t know is that nearly half of all energy cores on the continent come from our city. Isn’t that amazing?”

“Whoa!” This time, the exclamations of astonishment were entirely spontaneous.

Old Jin frowned slightly—not quite the reaction he’d hoped for.

Ye Chen and Ye Shanshan stared at each other, both seeing disbelief in the other’s eyes.

Zhou Peng was equally surprised. He couldn’t help but ask, “So… how does the Inner City manage that?”

Jin Yinghui pointed with his cigarette-stained fingers toward the window, gesturing at the great spear-like structure that towered over the Inner City. “I can’t explain the technical details. Maybe it’s because our city sits on a huge energy reserve, maybe it’s our extraction efficiency, or maybe our formula for using energy is just better than the others’. Either way, this is probably the city’s greatest secret.”

For once, Old Jin was humble.

“That’s it? You don’t even know the secret, so what’s the point of bragging?” Boss Zhou said with disdain, getting up to fetch more wine. He’d heard enough.

Jin Yinghui muttered after him, feeling that his aura of wisdom had been sullied.

Ye Chen walked over to the window. Outside, the wind and snow were swirling, flakes dancing in the lamplight. Through the storm, Ye Chen gazed at the great spear that loomed over the Inner City, his heart heavy with emotion.

If the energy core factory in the factory district was the lifeblood of the City of Energy, then it was right to declare it forbidden ground. And if one day that factory were to cease production, would it mean the city itself was doomed?