Deep in the Living-Chapter 227 - 216: Moon City

[Earth-Moon Orbital (LTO)]

This is a straight tunnel connecting Capital City to Moon City, and it uses the very rare magnetic levitation train for transportation (trains are basically not used for nationwide transportation).

If one were to look down from high above Earth City and Moon City,

both cities would appear circular, and the tunnel is the shortest straight line connecting the two "circles".

The total length of the tunnel, about 50km, takes less than ten minutes by train.

However,

while it’s easy to travel to Moon City, the return trip is rather troublesome.

The security coefficient and management model of the two cities are worlds apart.

Any tourist* (limited to regular tourists) wishing to return from the Moon to the Capital must undergo a very tedious human body inspection, and the pass rate for inspections is extremely low.

Therefore, many refer to the Earth-Moon Orbital as the "One-way Orbital," as you can only go but not come back.

≮The train for Moon City has now arrived; residents and passengers who have completed identity registration, please board within ten minutes≯

The current time is 2 a.m.

Considering that few people travel to Moon City, and now that it’s late at night.

Luo Di thought he would have the train to himself, yet, surprisingly, the platform inside had quite a few others traveling to Moon City at this time, and their expressions were dim and joyless, with faces full of sorrow, and even a few had eyes flickering with despair.

Everyone boarded the train in turn after scanning their wristbands.

It was Luo Di’s first time using this mode of transport; lacking a concept of the last row, he chose to sit as far back in the corner as possible.

Each train car had a fully armed security officer, equipped with firearms, power blades, and portable restraint devices, both armor and weaponry bore the mark of [Atomic Military Industry].

The boarding passengers were all silent, with looks of confusion.

Rather than transportation between cities, it felt more like a prisoner transfer.

The electronic goggles of the security personnel could directly access the "information" of each passenger.

But when looking toward Luo Di in the corner, a completely different set of personal information immediately appeared, most of which was hidden as confidential.

The security personnel was extremely surprised. Normally, people with special identities, the "big shots" traveling to Moon City, wouldn’t be found in a regular carriage. This kind of situation was a first.

Moreover, the person in question appeared to be a young man in his early twenties, and even his name was hidden as confidential.

Though curious, the officer did not approach to ask.

Just then,

perhaps feeling the gaze upon him, the young man in the corner suddenly shifted his eyes, looking through the goggles and into the officer’s eyes.

With just a moment of eye contact, the security sweated coldly and subconsciously nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

≮We have arrived at Moon City, resident passengers please head to the right-side exit, tourists please head to the left-side exit≯

Luo Di’s identity was determined as a [tourist].

He was the only one heading toward the left exit.

All other passengers were tagged as ’residents’ and headed to the right side; Luo Di more or less guessed what was happening.

Tourists weren’t subject to any inspections, and just by passing through the empty exit corridor, they officially arrived at Moon City.

There wasn’t the usual light that greets you in other cities, but rather a "normal night," and the sparse street lamps provided only faint light, even less illuminating than moonlight.

All the street buildings visible in front of him were below ten stories, and older in age, one could not tell if their old appearance was intentional.

Although it was just a journey less than ten minutes, there was a feeling of descending from the bustling Capital to an 18th-tier small town, a stark contrast.

But Luo Di liked it here more.

Quiet, sparse, and suitable for one’s life alone, it was also more fitting for... hunting.

Perhaps due to the integration with the pituitary gland, Luo Di himself preferred darker environments now.

Luo Di stood at the exit, pausing to check the map information on his wristband when... from the corridor to the side of the exit, something seemed to walk out silently from within.

The thing initially moved very slowly but gradually accelerated upon seeing Luo Di.

The ceiling lights of the corridor seemed to have gone without maintenance for a long time; many completely broken or cluttered with insect corpses, limiting the already limited lighting.

In the dim corridor,

the unknown thing approached swiftly

By the time it emerged fully from the darkness, it had come quite close.

It was an elderly woman with white speckled hair,

standing beside Luo Di wearing a pair of old cloth shoes that had been mended several times,

with her lips slightly lifted, pulling at the dry wrinkled skin, the lighting only revealing her lower face.

While Luo Di didn’t feel a threat, he was still prepared to kill.

One of the old woman’s hands reached into her pocket, searching for something.

The other hand reached out towards Luo Di... It appeared slow but then suddenly accelerated, grabbing his arm.

Slap!

As Luo Di was about to react, he saw the old woman take out a piece of advertisement paper from her pocket.

It had four big characters in bright red on it.

[Lodging & Taxi]

And there were four more of such papers, each in different national languages.

"Master, from another country, eh! Do you need a place to stay? The price is affordable and there is wifi. If you need it, I can introduce you to a young lady, the price is negotiable.

If you need a taxi, my old man’s car is just outside the station, Huaxia people do not cheat Huaxia people."

"Can I take a taxi? No need to order online?"

Luo Di encountered such solicitation for the first time. Anyway, he needed a taxi, so he accepted the other party’s offer.

"No need to place an order, just follow me! Pay as much as the distance is."

The old woman grabbed Luo Di’s suitcase in one hand and dragged it towards a black car not far away, showing surprising agility for her body.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Luo Di followed behind her, sizing up the old woman from different angles. He did not detect any characteristics of a Pseudo-Person, nor did he smell any hint of malice.

"Old man is still sleeping! We have guests, hurry up and get up!"

The old woman kicked the car, which already had many scratches, showing its age, and it was a very rare gasoline car to boot.

An almost bald old man hurriedly ignited the engine and forced a smile at Luo Di, a hard-won guest.

"Where to, handsome?"

"To..."

Luo Di glanced at his bracelet for information about the private residence arranged by Headquarters and hesitated for a moment, then his gaze shifted towards the old woman outside the car window.

"You also offer lodging services, right? Is long-term stay possible?"

"We usually do daily rentals, but long-term is not a problem either, I’ll give you a discount... How long are you thinking of staying?"

"For a week first, and I’ll extend if needed."

"Alright!"

Hearing the potential for a longer business deal, the old woman immediately got into the car.

The townhouse apartment was right next to the train station.

It was no more than seven stories high and had no elevator.

It was somewhat similar to the resettlement district where Luo Di had once lived, only the apartment looked even older.

"Young man, do you want a single room or a suite? The single room is 60 a day, the suite 100 a day. If you rent for a week, I’ll give you 30% off."

"Suite please."

Luo Di transferred the money without a second word, even adding 20% as a tip. Mainly because Luo Di had many questions about Moon City, and he could use this to inquire with the elderly couple.

And such expenses were way too low for Luo Di; after all, a single paid activity on a vacation island could cost thousands.

Upon receiving the sizable transfer, the elderly couple thanked Luo Di repeatedly.

"Young man, do you want to live lower down or up high?"

"Is the top floor available?"

"Yes, yes, generally people who stay don’t like to climb stairs, so the top floor is always vacant. But don’t worry, we clean once a week, it won’t be dirty.

Keep the key safe, don’t lose it!"

"Key?"

An old key with peeling paint was placed in Luo Di’s hand, with the room number[701] pasted on it with tape and paper, a method of opening doors generally found only in retro movies; nowadays, electronic locks are the norm.

Declining the elderly couple’s offer to send him off.

Luo Di went up to the top floor alone with his suitcase, truly feeling a sense of returning home.

The so-called suite was a one bedroom with a living room, and the furnishings were quite old, reminiscent of products from the last century.

Luo Di was not picky about his environment. He intentionally chose not to stay in the room arranged by Headquarters in order to remain "independent," blending in as an ordinary person in this special city to uncover more of its secrets.

After organizing the contents of his suitcase, Luo Di took out the diary that was below everything else, planning to spend the rest of the evening indoors, not going out hunting, but instead catching up on the diary entries he had missed recording.

In his spare time, he would also visit the horror website[4hs].

Surprisingly,

When Luo Di’s login location was recognized as[Moon City], the website seemed to have changed slightly, with an inconspicuous "Moon Zone" added to a small, non-prominent corner at the bottom right.

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