Chapter 449: One City, Two Worlds

Huang Fulai and several hundred officials from Xu Base City had been placed under house arrest the very night they arrived in Haijing City. Under the pretense of a temporary review, they were confined to a modest hotel called the Lijing Hotel.

Meals and drinks were delivered by designated personnel. However, none of them were allowed to leave their rooms or have private contact with the outside world. The treatment of these officials sparked a heated public debate.

The debate was broadly divided into two camps. One side argued that the officials of Xu Base City had failed in their duty to defend the city, resulting in its fall. The severity of their negligence demanded heavy punishment to serve as a warning to others.

The other side countered that the fall of Xu Base City was primarily due to the ferocity of the star beasts and inadequate support from surrounding base cities. Despite the dire circumstances, these officials had done their best within their capacity, successfully escorting 350,000 citizens safely to Haijing City, which was a commendable feat deserving recognition.

The debate raged on, with both sides engaging in a relentless war of words across various platforms. In a short time, the controversy reached a boiling point.

On the top floor of the Lijing Hotel, Huang Fulai stood by the window. Looking out, he saw the bustling Wanmao District just across the street. The so-called Wanmao referred to the Free International Tax-Exempt Trade Zone.

Great Xia allowed nations, groups, tribes, and families from other continents and administrative regions to station a specified number of troops and establish various representative agencies within this designated area. Any force stationed in the Wanmao District was granted the freedom to operate throughout Haijing City and engage in all kinds of business and trade activities.

In stark contrast, ordinary citizens of Great Xia were prohibited from entering the district at will. Violators would face charges of trespassing on foreign territory. Only intermediaries and brokers had the privilege of freely accessing this zone.

From his elevated vantage point, Huang Fulai could see the scenes within the Wanmao District clearly. Rare, high-priced transplanted trees flourished in lush greenery, complemented by vibrant, exotic flowers and elaborately designed water gardens. Streams meandered through the opulent landscape, creating a harmonious and picturesque environment.

It looked like a utopia. Workers from Great Xia in specially designated uniforms toiled under the scorching sun in this idyllic setting, trimming trees and flowers with sweat-drenched brows. Their movements were quick and efficient, constantly monitored by supervisors, leaving no room for negligence.

Whenever a foreigner passed by, the workers were required to stop their work immediately, bow their heads, and offer a respectful salute. An elderly horticulturist, slightly slow to react as he stood atop a ladder, drew the ire of a passing blonde woman.

She berated him harshly, and her bodyguard struck him to the ground without hesitation, leaving him with a bleeding head wound. Nearby Great Xia workers, seething with silent anger, could only bow repeatedly and offer profuse apologies, afraid to escalate the situation.

Witnessing this, Huang Fulai’s face contorted in anguish. The era was changing. People were changing. Yet some long-shattered illusions had somehow returned in this age, bringing with them bitter reminders of injustice.

After a moment, Huang Fulai opened his eyes again. This time, his gaze shifted to the southwest, beyond the bustling Wanmao District. In the southeastern side of the district, a wide, dried-up riverbed stretched over a thousand meters across, acting like a natural chasm. It separated the serene and beautiful Wanmao District from the sprawling slums of Haijing City.

On the slum side of the riverbed, a towering iron fence rose twenty meters high, patrolled by dedicated garrison troops. A single riverbed and an iron wall seemed to divide two entirely different worlds. The slums covered a vast area. Most of the structures within were old buildings from centuries ago; high-rise residential complexes that had been left behind from a bygone era.

These buildings had fallen into severe disrepair. Some were tilted or partially collapsed, while others stubbornly remained upright. From a distance, they resembled abandoned ant colonies or beehives. The old buildings lacked electricity, running water, and basic utilities. Broken staircases and shattered railings made them perilous to navigate.

Martial artists with movement techniques used their abilities to climb into these buildings, claiming the upper floors as their homes. Even in such dire conditions, these buildings were inhabited by children and the elderly.

Once carried to the higher floors by family members, these residents were effectively trapped there, unable to descend. They survived day by day, relying on the food and supplies brought by younger family members who worked tirelessly in the city below.

The slum was devoid of greenery. Gray cement and steel reigned supreme as the main theme. Countless citizens of Great Xia lived packed together like swarming ants. Every morning, they flowed out of the slum through hundreds of gates on its western edge, pouring into Haijing City like a flood to work and scrape together a living in various districts. By evening, they returned, surging back into the slum like the tide.

From afar, Huang Fulai could see a long line stretching outside the slum. The refugees from Xu Base City, who had struggled to enter Haijing City the previous night, were now registering and undergoing stringent identity checks before being allowed to enter the slum.

They would be permanently settled there. But settled was merely a euphemism for banishment. To those in power, these refugees offered little value. Their sole purpose was to be exploited. Like sheep herded into pens, they were driven into the slum one by one.

Huang Fulai felt a dull ache in his heart. He knew all too well that for many refugees from Xu Base City, who had already lost everything, life in the slum would offer no respite. Even within the slum, they would struggle to afford housing, find jobs, or establish any semblance of stability.

After surviving the despair of the wilderness and enduring countless hardships to reach Haijing City, what awaited them was not the safe and stable life they had dreamed of. Instead, it was an even harsher reality of exploitation. When every last drop of their strength and vitality was drained, the only thing that would await them was death.

In the past, Huang Fulai had heard stories of the chaos and corruption in Haijing City. But witnessing it firsthand now was like a knife twisting in his heart. Standing by the window, Huang Fulai shut his eyes in pain. He wanted to change everything. Yet he felt powerless. He, too, was now trapped in this cage.

Huang Fulai thought of the young man in black. The image of the youth’s clear, calm eyes floated in his mind.

"I'm sorry." He murmured with a bitter smile, clenching his fists tightly. "I’ll only disappoint you. I can’t do it."

The small hotel wasn’t enough to physically contain a Five Spirits Realm expert. But it had managed to trap him. Ever since he had been confined here, Huang Fulai had written twenty-eight letters and submitted thirty-six detailed reports outlining the causes and consequences of Xu Base City’s fall.

Every single one had disappeared like stones into the sea. He had repeatedly appealed for a meeting with the city’s chief administrator. But every time, the answer was the same, he needed to wait.

Wait. Wait for how long? He didn’t know. What worried him most was the possibility of dying silently in this place. Death itself didn’t frighten him. What terrified him was dying without meaning. Dying without clarity.

Knock, knock.

The sound of someone rapping on the door broke the silence. Before he could respond, the door swung open and a tall, upright figure strode quickly into the room.

Huang Fulai turned to look. When his eyes settled on the visitor, a surprised and delighted smile broke across his face.

"You? How are you here?" He stepped forward quickly to greet the newcomer.

The visitor was beaming with a bright, cheerful smile. He laughed heartily as he said, "How could I not come when you’re in a tough spot? I still remember every word I said back then. I’m here to keep my promise."