Chapter 1 He Can See
Termite City, Black Light District.
At night, the fog was as thick as ink, filling the streets of this underground city, and it was pitch dark.
The tangled green copper rails looked like twisted and hideous dark brown scars on the ground in the darkness, as if the blood had dried up and formed a scab.
There were no street lights on the roadside because the fog people in the bottom city could not use such expensive light.
"Hiss~"
Qiao Tiegen shivered in the cold wind and quickly tightened his clothes. The hot air coming out of his collar caressed his throat and he felt some warmth.
He decided not to wait any longer.
Taking out a flashlight, Qiao Tiegen swaggered forward, where there was a row of dilapidated low buildings, which was also his target for tonight.
He was not worried that the light of the flashlight would alarm the owner of the house. This was the Black Light Zone and the people living here were all Fog People. Even if a blazing torch was lit in front of them, they would not be able to see it.
Qiao Tiegen is also a Fog Citizen, but unlike other Fog Citizens, he has some small opportunities of his own, and therefore has gained some things that other Fog Citizens do not have.
For example, he can see.
With the help of the faint light from the flashlight that penetrated the thick fog, Qiao Tiegen quickly arrived in front of one of the remote and dilapidated low-rise buildings.
This low building is obviously a single-family structure. From the two guide ropes at the door and the information he obtained during his visit, he knew that only a mother and son lived here.
There are no young men in the family, and they are all fog dwellers. Qiao Tiegen touched the slightly heavy blade in his pocket and felt that even if an "accident" occurred, he could solve it quickly without causing too much noise.
"Damn, it stinks, it's even more unhygienic than me..."
As soon as he approached the dilapidated building, Qiao Tiegen smelled a rotten, acidic stench sweeping in the cold wind, and he couldn't help but curse in his heart.
He held his breath slightly and tiptoed closer.
It was quiet in the small building.
He leaned against the wall and listened carefully for a moment. After confirming that the mother and child in the room had rested, he was about to take action when he suddenly heard a young man's voice coming from inside: "I don't know, it should be someone passing by."
His voice has the youthfulness of a teenager, but it sounds dry and low.
These words were extremely abrupt. Qiao Tiegen was startled and then became a little annoyed. He subconsciously reached for his pocket.
Was it discovered?
Damn, the Fog People’s ears are really useful.
Qiao Tiegen was a little annoyed, but then he straightened his body. Since he had been noticed, he simply didn't bother to and just came clean.
If you can’t steal, then rob!
He has the ability now.
He had made such a plan before taking action, and this was not the first time he had done so. He deliberately chose this remote area because even if two people died here, the patrol team would not notice it for ten days or half a month.
"Invite him in? Forget it. It's so late."
At this time, the boy's voice came again.
Qiao Tiegen raised his eyebrows, suspecting that he had missed something. He suddenly remembered that he had heard the same incoherent sentence before. Should the boy be talking to his mother?
Could it be that his mother's voice was too soft?
But in any case, he was definitely discovered.
Looking at the slightly heavy iron gate in front of him, Qiao Tiegen coughed lightly and cried in a pitiful tone: "Please be kind, my guide rope is broken, I'm lost, and I broke my leg. I finally followed your guide rope to get here. Can you help me bandage my wound? I'm bleeding a lot!"
"There's nothing to be pitiful about. Who can you blame for your guide rope breaking?" said the young man inside, but from his tone, it seemed that he was persuading his mother.
Qiao Tiegen: “…”
This damn kid, how could he be so unsympathetic? !
Wait and see how Master Gen will deal with you!
Since the self-torture tactic didn't work, Qiao Tiegen prepared to break the window directly. He wanted to make a quick decision and with the help of the flashlight, he should be able to make them shut up completely before they could scream.
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to mom."
At this moment, the young man's slightly helpless voice came from the room, accompanied by a sigh. Qiao Tiegen heard footsteps slowly walking towards him from the depths of the room.
Qiao Tiegen was stunned, but secretly happy in his heart, as it turned out that women are indeed soft-hearted.
Although he was a little confused as to why he didn't hear the mother's voice, when he heard the footsteps getting closer and closer and reaching the door, he immediately took out the dagger from his pocket and was ready.
Once the door is opened, that ruthless little devil will never be able to be "arrogant" again!
Snap!
There was the sound of the door lock being turned, and the iron door was opened a crack.
Cautious little devil... Qiao Tiegen just complained in his heart and felt suffocated.
A stench of decay that was so strong and sickening that it rushed out from the gate, almost causing his brain to be deprived of oxygen and go blank in an instant.
The stench was like rotten pork offal mixed with fermented feces, creating an unbearable, twisted smell.
Even Qiao Tiegen, who had suffered from the harsh environment of Dicheng since childhood, couldn't bear it for a moment and felt like he couldn't breathe.
Qiao Tiegen reached for his pocket, then quickly covered his nose with his hands. At the same time, he shone the flashlight and saw the appearance of the hateful boy clearly.
He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, thin and obviously malnourished, but his face was no different from that of other Mist People: his chin, lips, nose bridge... and above that, his hairline.
The area between the bridge of the nose and the hairline is a complete piece of skin.
No eyes,
No eyebrows.
These are the native fog people, who cannot see and do not need light.
"If your leg is broken, just rub it yourself. Don't bother others if it's not necessary. We don't have any hemostatic medicine at home." The boy said expressionlessly.
“…”
Qiao Tiegen's face turned a little purple, and he didn't know whether it was because of the stench or because he was angry at the boy's words.
"Be kind!"
Qiao Tiegen gritted his teeth and just as he opened his mouth he felt a foul odor pouring into his mouth. It felt like he had swallowed countless rotten and smelly fish all at once, and he had a nausea-like feeling as if his stomach was moving.
He quickly closed his mouth, glared at the boy fiercely, and took out a dagger from his pocket without any hesitation.
At the moment he took out the dagger, the boy seemed to have heard something and said helplessly: "Mom, do you really want to bandage him? Okay, then listen to mom. I'll go back to my room first."
After saying this, he sighed, as if he felt sorry for his mother being too kind.
"snort!"
Qiao Tiegen snorted coldly, not intending to let the brat go. Just as he was about to rush up and stab him in the back, he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the door.
What followed was an extremely vague "chuckle", bright and moving.
The laughter became clearer and clearer, coming from far away and then getting closer, as if it was approaching rapidly from an extremely far away place.
Gradually, the laughter turned into a woman's voice: "He heard it, he heard it, he could hear it!!!"
Qiao Tiegen's hair stood on end. He shone the flashlight into the darkness of the room. His pupils suddenly contracted as he saw the most horrifying and most regrettable scene in his life.
…
In the early morning, the sunlight penetrates the thick fog and shines on the rows of houses in the Heiguang District.
In the bedroom, the boy got up on time at seven o'clock.
He stretched his body, then got out of bed and put on his clothes very skillfully.
Although he had no eyes, his familiarity with his room made his movements extremely skillful. He did not need a guide stick and did not bump into any corners.
When he reached the door, he paused for a moment, then, holding onto the wall with one hand, he followed the guide wire on the wall and came to his mother's room.
The structure of the room allowed him to reach the bed easily. He touched it and found that his mother's skin was becoming softer and softer.
Perhaps it was because of his movements that his mother's voice waking up came from the side, with a bit of laziness and gentleness of waking up: "Xiao Shen, are you up already? Are you hungry? Mom will go cook for you now."
"I'm fine, not very hungry." The boy withdrew his hand and said softly.
"You have to eat though. You're still growing. How can you skip breakfast?" The mother scolded him, and then the boy heard rustling sounds of footsteps leaving the room.
"Mom, where is the guest outside the door yesterday?" The boy asked casually as he felt his way back to the living room, sat down at the dining table.
"That person has already sent him away." Mom said with a chuckle.
Send away… The young man’s mouth twitched, and after a short silence, he sighed and said, “In the future, we should not let people like this in. We can tell at a glance that they have bad intentions. Maybe they are faking their broken legs!”
"Xiao Shen, you can't talk like that. Didn't that person also say that we should be kind and we should... help those in need!" Mom taught gently.
The young man's mouth twitched slightly, but in the end he said nothing and returned to his expressionless look.
Not long after, a portion of food with a rich aroma was handed to the table in front of the boy.
"It's ready, take your time to eat."
The boy reached for the chopsticks on the table and fell silent.
“Why don’t you eat?” The mother seemed to notice the boy’s pause and said gently, “This is the same food you ate before. The taste is the same as before. The vegetables I bought today are not very fresh. Leave them for me to eat later. You are still growing, so I won’t let you eat those things without nutrition…”
"I know." The boy said expressionlessly, "I just stayed at home for too long and wanted to go out for a walk."
"Why do you have such an idea again?"
My mother's voice sank slightly, and she seemed a little angry: "Didn't I tell you that it's dangerous outside? Isn't it good for you to stay here and have your mother take care of you every day?"
It’s dangerous outside… The young man’s mouth twitched slightly. Home is the most dangerous place…
He said: "It's good to have my mother to take care of me, but staying at home every day is not a solution, so I'll go out and play for a while..."
"How many times have I told you it's dangerous outside, very dangerous! Why don't you understand?" Mom's voice suddenly became sharp and filled with anger.
Perhaps because he was too excited, the boy felt his mother's saliva splashing on his face.
He reached out and wiped it away; it was sticky and wet.
Seeing his mother lose her temper, the boy quickly said, "Mom, don't be angry. I just stayed at home for too long and felt a little bored."
"Bored?" Mom sounded a little puzzled, as if she was lost in thought. After a long time, her voice became gentle again, and she said, "Xiao Shen, do you need a playmate? I'll find some for you later."
The boy quickly said, "No, no, no, Mom, I just want to relax by myself, I don't need a playmate, I hate being with people the most!"
"Yeah, people are so troublesome..." Mom said to herself.
Just as they were talking, suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps was heard outside the small building.
"Another lost person with a broken rope?" The young man was stunned for a moment, then he sighed lightly.
"Not this time..." came the mother's voice, restraining the tenderness she showed towards the boy, and instead carrying a strange coldness.
