Of course, others didn't know their true background.

Therefore, not everyone is fearful of powers hundreds or thousands of times stronger than their own from the outset.

Just like...

"Hey, what are you two doing here? If you're going to pass, then hurry up! Stop wasting our damn time! Still a Federation citizen, huh? Shit, for a moment there, I almost thought you were one of us!"

Just like this minor character who suddenly jumped out, shattering the awkward tension between Wang Zhan and Yao Yao.

He first stood fearlessly before them, then snatched the documents from their hands. Even after reaching his conclusion, he continued to curse casually. Clapping Wang Zhan firmly on the shoulder, he boomed, "Brother, even though you're still a Federation citizen, I reckon you'll be one of us in the Underground City someday! We hit it off right away! Looking at you, you definitely won't last long in the Federation. So, remember me. Next time you come, once you're a person of the Underground City, I'll treat you to the best food and drink!..."

With that, he even thumped his own sturdy chest.

This made Wang Zhan not know whether to laugh or cry. Yao Yao's face flushed slightly as she tried to stifle her laughter.

Sooner or later, they'd become residents of the Underground City... she thought. And he actually dared to point at Wang Zhan's face, implying, not so subtly, that he didn't look like a good person? This lout showed no restraint at all, even slapping Wang Zhan on the shoulder. Did Wang Zhan really look like someone who would eventually throw the Federation into turmoil, find himself with no way out, and ultimately be forced into the Underground City? When had he become so conspicuous!

Of course, Yao Yao wanted to laugh simply because the incident itself was amusing.

Boss Chen also laughed, but it was because he genuinely considered the possibility. He even began to re-imagine Wang Zhan's actions after entering the Underground City, and what complications might arise if an accident prevented him from returning to the Federation. Could this fellow become even more ruthless, more vicious than he was today? Might he even attempt to unify the entire Underground City?

Thinking of this, a profound look entered Boss Chen's eyes.

Although Wang Zhan didn't mind, his heart still tightened slightly. He felt a sensation of being watched, but after careful consideration, he concluded he was just overthinking. This guy was clearly just some loudmouth; what just happened was nothing more than a joke. Besides, how could the Federation have so many hidden experts for him to encounter so casually?

So, Wang Zhan quickly exchanged a few cursory greetings with the enthusiastic man, casually responded to his remarks, and then, with an unchanged expression, passed through the checkpoint, officially entering the Underground City.

But if what came before was merely a preamble, then from the moment they stepped through the checkpoint...

Boss Chen suddenly turned around. With a smile that was welcoming, solemn, and complex, he said softly to them, "Welcome to the real world!"

Immediately, it was as if a scroll painting slowly unfurled before Wang Zhan.

The scene before them was a world even more horrifying than the slums, filled everywhere with stillness and decay. It made Wang Zhan and Yao Yao's expressions grow grave, and they fell silent. After the initial shock of this first scene, they spoke no more, merely observing in silence.

In the final analysis, it was all Boss Chen's way of offering them a stark introduction. He revealed the reality of a world, naturally exposing its side that could not be underestimated.

Poverty, backwardness, decay, lifelessness, torment...

Although people were everywhere, so too were heavy gazes.

Although noise was everywhere, there was little joy in anyone. Instead, there were stumbling gaits, utterly devoid of vitality.

Although conflicts of interest, so common they were no longer surprising, were everywhere.

But in many an alleyway, Wang Zhan saw lives still struggling desperately on a different plane of misery.

Like one small family. The mother lay in bed, filthy and disheveled. But when the woman's hand inadvertently caught one of the rats, she immediately grew excited and shouted joyfully, "My good son, my good son, come home for dinner!..."

Immediately, a boy as skinny as a monkey darted out from the darkness into the light. The only thing visible in his eyes was the feral green glint of hunger as he stared at the prospect of food.

It was chilling.

Or, for instance, a group of ordinary people, clearly without any combat skills. As if fighting over something, they seemed to go mad, wildly hacking at each other with the cleavers in their hands, even if an unarmed woman stood before one of them. They cursed madly, their bodies writhed, and they roared loudly, "Die! Just die!"

Scenes like this were common along the way.

It was only after they seemed to have passed through this district that the similar tragedies Wang Zhan witnessed became fewer and fewer, because more and more robust ordinary people were appearing in the surroundings, helping to maintain order.

「Meanwhile.」

Those living in the deeper zones of the Underground City enjoyed a much better quality of life, with opportunities and resources far exceeding those beyond the clear dividing line they had crossed. At the very least, they didn't have to slaughter each other. Moreover, most people had their own livelihood, albeit often in dirty and disorderly conditions.

Of course, as Wang Zhan observed with an indifferent gaze, credit for this state of affairs had to be given to the men who guarded these streets. Unless one possessed ability or martial strength, all perfectly ordinary people were kept beyond this line of life and death; daring to take a single step across meant death.

So much so that Wang Zhan became somewhat curious. He was quite curious to see what interesting events might unfold if he were to sell fake medicine to those pitiful people in the outermost ring.

But compared to Wang Zhan's indifferent silence, it was only upon reaching this point that the look of pity on Yao Yao's face finally began to recede, though her complexion was a little pale. She had experienced such scenes before, each one vivid in her memory. The weak didn't deserve the right to survival; they were merely lambs to the slaughter. The strong, however, could sit high above, ruling over all beings below. Even though they were all ordinary people, such cruel truths of the human condition were unavoidable.

So, just as Boss Chen turned to Wang Zhan again and asked, Yao Yao's heart also fluttered slightly.

"Brother Wang, do you find all this real enough now?"

Real? Wang Zhan thought. Of course, it was real. What could be more real than humanity's most primal aspirations, or more brutal than the ferocity of humans slaughtering one another? And finally, what could be more real than the truth of these territorial divisions? Though much more barren, this place was, in essence, no different from any other human city. Those living in the outermost ring naturally had the cheapest lives. Move a little further in, and naturally, one no longer needed to live in constant fear as before. But only by entering the innermost core would they discover that, compared to the lives of the truly powerful, even the rats there were portly and sleek, their fur greasy and gleaming. If this was reality... then what could be more undeniably real than a truth that hadn't changed for the entire Human Race in millions of years, just like the world before him now? The issue was, did any of this truly have the slightest thing to do with him, Wang Zhan?

So, facing Boss Chen's inquisitive gaze, Wang Zhan replied indifferently, "The truth of the world, the essence of life... even if this is the Underground City, it's essentially no different from the Federation. Naturally, it's real enough..."

Hearing his somewhat indifferent words, the delicate hand holding Wang Zhan's tightened its grip slightly. In response, Wang Zhan gently squeezed her hand, offering warmth that steadied Yao Yao's heart.

In fact, such questions would be met with scorn by anyone in the New Federation. So what if it was real? So what if it was fair? Everything good they possessed, they had fought for with their lives; it hadn't simply fallen from the sky. So for Wang Zhan, even though he saw through the darkness behind it all, he could only remain indifferent as all of this unfolded. He wasn't some indignant youth who needed to denounce the managers behind this Underground City to find a moment's peace. One should know that he was here only for profit, to make money!

So, Boss Chen stopped talking, looking at him with a self-mocking expression. "Indeed, in this world, only someone as indifferent and ruthless as you can thrive in the Federation like a fish in water. My downfall wasn't at your hands; I've lost to myself once again."

Wang Zhan did not reply, merely standing proud, his eyes cold.

Because Boss Chen was right; Wang Zhan wasn't the only one who was rational yet increasingly indifferent and focused on profit. It was just like the middle-aged man who, ever since Wang Zhan had entered this area, had been stealthily lying in ambush behind him inside a building.

As Boss Chen's words fell, a voice, somewhat world-weary and indifferent, suddenly rang out from behind Wang Zhan, its tone elusive. "You're still the same, your heart's still full of shit. The reason why only people like us can go further and further in this Federation is because we see things more clearly. We understand the truth better than you, it's not because we're indifferent. Besides, do you really think these cheap kinds would be grateful if you endlessly gave alms to them? Decades old, and still an idiot. If it weren't for you, how could our strength have declined so quickly?"

"Actually, I initially thought Young Master Wang might also righteously denounce us, the masterminds behind the scenes. I never expected Young Master Wang to have seen things so clearly from the very beginning!"

Even with Yao Yao's strength comparable to a Martial King, she was startled by this sudden voice. As a fellow expert of similar rank, she sensed it right away.

This was also a Martial King, and a powerful one at that!

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