Ch. 42 - The Black Mine

His mother, Nanfei, was a diligent person. In Tianyang's memory, during his childhood, every time he woke up in the middle of the night, he would see his mother crafting handicrafts under the lamplight. Those items served as their family's income for the next one or two days.

During her free time or breaks, his mother would diligently tidy up their shack. She had an almost demanding standard of cleanliness and had instilled a sense of cleanliness in Tianyang from a young age.

This was also why Kaidi hired her to work as a cleaner at the bar, though the main reason was that the retired veteran liked Nanfei.

If his mother had been at home these days, there would be no way that the door would be covered in dust. Tianyang took out his key, opened the door, and found that the shack was dimly lit, with the air feeling somewhat stuffy, as if it hadn't been ventilated for several days.

Tianyang turned on the lights, and when the lights illuminated the room, he saw tables and chairs overturned on the floor. The doors to both bedrooms were wide open. His bedroom appeared normal, but Nanfei's bedroom looked like it had been ransacked, with various items strewn across the floor.

A blanket hung off the edge of the bed, and Tianyang could almost recreate the image of his mother being pulled off it during her sleep.

What was going on? The young man couldn't find any clues in the room, leaving him clueless about his mother's whereabouts. However, a sudden realization struck him, and he dashed out of the shack without even bothering to lock the door.

He jumped onto his electromagnetic motorbike and headed straight for East Street.

East Street in the Lower District was a tumultuous place, with even more chaos than the street where Tianyang's home and the bar were located.

As Tianyang drove into East Street on his electromagnetic motorbike, all the eyes from behind doors and windows, in alley shadows, and in various other places fell on his motorbike. These were eyes filled with greed. However, when they saw his black Night Walker uniform and the Raider Rifle hanging at his waist, those eyes retracted with restraint.

People living in the Lower District, especially on East Street, weren't good people, but they weren't stupid enough to provoke Night Walkers, who were frequent visitors to the underworld. They understood that these black-clothed figures were the real dangerous individuals.

Tianyang's motorbike eventually came to a halt in front of an inconspicuous shop that appeared to be a grocery store. However, there was a medical room at the back.

The owner of the grocery store, whose real name was long forgotten, was referred to as "Cripple" due to a crippled leg.

Legend had it that Cripple used to be an upper citizen and worked as a surgeon in the fortress' medical center. However, he offended a significant figure, so he lost his upper citizen status and had his leg crippled. After that, he was dumped into the Lower District.

Cripple now ran a grocery store and had set up a medical room at the back using various medical instruments he had scavenged from the garbage dump. His medical skills were quite good, and in this part of East Street, Cripple held a considerable influence.

The homeless man mentioned that Kaidi was being treated at Cripple's place, which was why Tianyang came there.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Tianyang knocked on the door of the grocery store, and a yellow light lit up inside. Soon, a figure limped over, muttering, "Here comes trouble. Stop knocking, dammit! Knock my door down, and if I get sick, I won't treat you!"

With a loud sound, the door swung open, revealing a short, middle-aged man. He was bald, wearing glasses, and had a prominent nose. He wore a yellow shirt, and the scent of disinfectant wafted from him.

As he saw Tianyang, he exclaimed, "Night Walker, what brings you to my little shop? Kid, is this stolen clothing you're wearing?"

Tianyang, annoyed, grabbed his collar and asked, "Where's Kaidi? Is Kaidi here?"

"What are you doing? Let go of me; I don't know any Kaidi!" the limping man yelled. "If you don't release me, I'll call for help!"

As a doctor in the Lower District, he had saved many lives and had some influence in this part of East Street. If he called for help, there were plenty of thugs willing to stand up for him.

Meanwhile, from the depths of the grocery store, Kaidi's voice rang out, "Tianyang? Is that you?"

"Kaidi, you're really here!" Tianyang pushed the limping man aside and rushed in. In a room filled with instruments, he found Kaidi.

Kaidi was lying on a bed, receiving an IV drip, and covered in bandages. His chest had a blood-soaked dressing, making it look particularly grim.

Tianyang was shocked at the severity of Kaidi's injuries and gasped, "Kaidi, what happened?"

Kaidi struggled to sit up, even though it made the bloodstains more prominent. "Don't mind me for now, Tianyang. Hurry to the Black Mine; Nanfei, Nanfei has been captured!"

"What!"

Tianyang exclaimed, "How could this happen?"

The Black Mine was located outside the fortress, about thirty kilometers away, and it produced a dark metal that could be refined into black steel. Black steel was the primary material for train tracks in the Parallel World, making the demand for workers at the mine increasingly high.

Initially, most of the mine workers were residents of the Lower District, and the pay was decent as they had to work outside the fortress.

Later, in an effort to reduce costs and increase production, the fortress started sending prisoners to work in the mine. Prisoners at the mine had no rights, and the overseers treated them less than humans. They only provided the prisoners with the most basic necessities for survival. Many of the prisoners were beaten to death by the overseers or worked themselves to death.

Based on the situation at home, if Tianyang's mother had been sent to the Black Mine, she wouldn't be there as a worker but as a prisoner. This was what puzzled Tianyang the most.

After receiving the news from Kaidi, Tianyang rushed out of the grocery store, driving his electromagnetic motorcycle towards the fortress exit.

His mother had been taken to the mine for several days now, and in a place like that, not only women but even strong men like Kaidi wouldn't last long.

Thinking of this, the young man wished he could sprout wings and fly directly to the mine.

For now, all he could hope for was to arrive on time.

Normally, you needed identification to leave the city, but Tianyang was wearing the Night Walker's uniform, and his ID card indicated his status as an Ascender.

So when he arrived at the exit, the two Iron Wall soldiers on duty saluted him and let him pass.

Under the vast night sky with stars hanging upside down, Tianyang pushed his motorcycle to its limits and headed toward the direction of the Black Mine.

Half an hour later, a minefield appeared below the highway. It was already night, but the minefield was brightly lit, with numerous heavy vehicles moving around.

Moments later, Tianyang arrived at the entrance of the minefield. Two searchlights shone on him from above the gate, and the guard's voice rang out, "Who’s there? What are you doing in the minefield so late?"

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