At the old apartment, a group of men broke in with all kinds of weapons.
They smashed the place up, overturned every piece of furniture, tore through drawers, walls, anything they could find.
But they didn't find even a coin, let alone a person.
Zen would've been grateful if he had been there.
Because if he hadn't moved fast, he wouldn't be breathing now.
Their new place was a modest one-bedroom apartment.
It was small, but compared to their last place, it felt like a mansion.
A separate bedroom. A real kitchen. A living room that didn't double as a hallway.
Zen settled in the living room, just temporarily.
Just until he had to leave.
But now came the hard part.
How was he going to tell his mother that he, her precious son, was heading straight into the mouth of madness?
That he was leaving for Heichil — a place known for crime, chaos, and death?
Then, Zen came up with a brilliant idea.
Plan for the best. Lie through your teeth.
He'd already deposited most of the money into his mother's account.
As for the source...
"Zen, are you sure you're not doing anything dangerous? Where did you get this money?" Zen's mother wrinkled her brows.
She was less than forty, but time had taken a toll on her beauty.
Zen had already thought of an excuse.
"Mom, even if I stole something, I couldn't get this kind of money."
His mother nodded, but her concern didn't waver.
"Still… it feels like a dream. Which foolish rich man would pay your way into school? You can barely read."
Zen's mouth twitched.
Okay, Mom. No need to go that hard.
She folded his faded shirt with care and tucked it into his old backpack.
"Dron City is near Heichil. That terrifying place. Don't wander around and obediently attend your lessons."
Yeah... that was lie number two.
Zen coughed to cover his guilty conscience and nodded.
"Don't worry. I'm not a cat, I know I don't have nine lives. I'd never even dream of setting foot in that region."
That's what he said.
But the truth is, he did think he had nine lives.
And he was indeed going to school.
Only, the school was right in the heart of Heichil.
Ehehe~
Hic...
The station broadcast a notification.
[Everyone departing for Dron City, please board the train. We repeat...]
Zen only carried a small backpack. He never had much to begin with.
He looked out the train window and waved enthusiastically.
His mother stood on the platform, waving back with a soft, quiet smile.
She watched as the train departed, leaving behind a bustling scenery.
Her son was finally growing up.
Faster than she wished.
She sighed.
But when will he learn to lie properly?
.
.
.
Zen tapped his foot and pulled out his newly bought phone.
Nothing fancy, just a slightly used secondhand touchscreen.
But it was his, and it worked.
And he couldn't just sit here, silently waiting for the unknown.
With a bit of hesitation, he typed in a single word: Heichil.
Sure enough, the top headline was about a billionaire's son who got beaten so badly he was still in the hospital for treatment.
There was even a video.
Apparently, five ribs broken, legs crushed, and some kind of brain injury.
The news was still considered fresh, only a month old.
Wow.
What was a billionaire's son even doing in a place like that in the first place?
He really couldn't read the other news.
So, he tried to scroll through the other results. But most of the videos were either outdated or too graphic.
Grainy street footage.
Masked gangsters running down alleys.
A full-on brawl caught on camera. It looked like a scene out of a movie.
Zen gulped.
If he took one of those punches, he'd be down for a week.
He clenched his fists.
To be honest, he'd been training himself in every way possible since he decided he would be going to Heichil.
At the very least, he wouldn't go down without a fight.
But for now...
Growl~
Zen raised his hand.
"I'd like a bowl of ramen."
The young man pushing the food cart stopped immediately.
"Here's your ramen! That'll be 10 Rei, dear customer."
10 Rei?!
That's daylight robbery!
City folks really knew how to loot people.
Nevertheless, Zen handed the young man a twenty Rei bill.
The other party skillfully returned the change and even bowed politely.
"Please enjoy. Your patronage is welcome anytime."
Zen held onto the pre-made bowl of ramen, and then he awkwardly bowed back.
He wasn't used to people smiling that brightly... or talking to him with such respect.
Zen uncovered the plastic lid, letting a cloud of steam rise into his face.
The smell was incredible. His stomach roared in approval.
He picked up the soggy noodles with chopsticks and took a bite.
Even though the taste was bland by city standards.
It was like premium quality food for someone like him.
.
.
.
It took ten hours to reach Dron City and to get to Heichil, he'd need to take a three hour bus ride from here.
To be honest, he expected Dron City to be more chaotic, given its proximity to Heichil.
But it was surprisingly decent.
The roads were clean.
Market stalls buzzed with hawkers on both sides of the streets.
People laughed, bargained, and lived.
He had two more days before the end of the month.
So, like a true country bumpkin, Zen wandered around the city, gawking at every little detail.
Eventually, he made his way to the bus terminal.
Backpack slung over his shoulder, Zen boarded the bus to Heichil.
The bus slowly came to a stop.
All passengers were ordered to disembark and form a line.
Zen followed.
The tall city wall greeted him as he stepped off the bus.
No one protested.
A checkpoint stood at the gates, flanked by armed guards and scanners.
Zen nervously stood in line.
Even with a lot of people, the place felt too quiet.
Almost like the city itself was watching.