Above the Blood Moon

Daikiri yawned long as he walked beside At, the silver-gray mechanical arm on his shoulder swaying gently with each step.

"Do you always collect debts this early?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Can't you wait until the moon sets? I'm so sleepy."

Att didn't even turn his head.

"Once the red moon sets and the creditors have run away, Daikiri, if you're going to lend money to others like this in the future, why don't you lend me some?"

"So what if they ran away? It's not my money anyway."

"You son of a bitch, you can't utter a single kind word."

The two bickered casually, their footsteps crunching on the debris-strewn street.

Jockley's right hand was in his trench coat pocket, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the torn-open packet of nutritional paste. The aluminum foil packaging felt rough to the touch, and the edges were somewhat sharp.

"Master." Da Huang's voice pierced his ears through bone conduction, audible only to him, "The weapon order has been confirmed, and your account balance is now zero. Hehehe."

Jockley nodded silently to himself.

"The delivery drone is already on its way; I've set its location to the pub."

Jockley didn't respond. He raised his left hand, squeezed out a small piece of nutritional paste, and put it in his mouth. He hadn't eaten anything all day.

But when the smell of the nutritional paste hit him, he almost vomited.

It was an indescribable mixture, like the musty smell of expired flour combined with the artificial sweetness of chemical sweeteners, and a faint metallic odor, like having a mouthful of rusty nails.

The paste melted stickily on his tongue, sticking to his throat. He forced himself to swallow, feeling the clump slide down his esophagus, and a slight burning sensation came from his stomach.

He coughed twice, squeezed out another mouthful, and this time swallowed it with his eyes closed.

"Master, eat slowly. This stuff has a complex composition. Your stomach will protest if you eat too fast."

"I feel like this stuff could choke me to death if I eat it slowly."

Jockley looked up and saw that the three people in front of him had already turned into a small alley.

The alley was narrow, with crooked metal houses on both sides. Some of the walls of the houses had rusted through, revealing the simple living spaces inside, and the smell in the air was even more unpleasant.

So he quickened his pace and followed, but just as he was about to turn into the alley, he heard a voice.

"Please have mercy..."

Jockley stopped and turned to look at the source of the sound. He saw an old man squatting in the shadows at the alley entrance. The red moonlight shone obliquely in from the alley entrance, illuminating half of his body.

It was practically a skeleton wrapped in rags, wearing a tattered cloth garment whose original color was no longer discernible.

What's most unbearable to look at are his eyes; now they are just two deep, hollow holes, with pure darkness at their depths.

The old man stretched out his trembling hand.

"Please have mercy..." he repeated, "I haven't eaten anything for three days, I'm starving, please give me some food, some water, anything..."

He raised his head slightly, as if sensing someone's arrival, his empty eye sockets gazing in the direction of Jockley.

Jockley stood there, watching the old man.

He saw that the old man's bare arms were covered with tiny needle marks, as dense as pockmarks, some of which had scabbed over and turned into dark brown spots.

Several empty nutritional paste packets were scattered on the ground beside him, the aluminum foil bags licked clean, like plates licked by a hungry dog.

People passed by one after another.

A man carrying a huge bundle of scrap metal walked from the other end of the alley. He didn't even glance at the old man and stepped over him, his heavy boots almost stepping on the old man's outstretched hand.

A scantily clad woman emerged from a nearby house, her face adorned with glowing decorative prosthetics, and a price list hanging on her robotic arm: Basic service 0.1 Covenant Credits, additional modules at a different price.

She glanced at the old man, a mocking smile curving her bright red lipstick-covered lips, then turned and walked away, her high heels clicking crisply on the metal floor.

No one stopped, no one gave alms, after all, in this place, food and water are life.

Jockley lowered his head, looking at the half-eaten bag of nutritional paste in his hand. The gray paste swayed slightly inside the aluminum foil packaging. Although it looked disgusting, he knew how precious this bag of nutritional paste was.

Each bag costs 0.1 Star Alliance Coins, and he only has four bags in total. Moreover, he doesn't know how long this mission will take.

He knew he should do what everyone else did, turn around and walk away, pretending not to see, just like the people who had passed by him yesterday.

Isn't the rule here simply to survive, to survive by any means necessary, and to live or die without any concern for others?

Countless thoughts raced through Jockley's mind; morally and logically, he shouldn't pretend to be a rich man and do this good deed.

He then walked forward, preparing to catch up with At's pace.

But Jockley could only take two steps before he could go no further.

"Grass"

Jockley quickly turned around and walked back, not out of kindness or compassion, but because he remembered that feeling.

That burning sensation in my stomach, that dry mouth so bad my tongue was stuck to my palate, that trembling body due to lack of energy, and that blurred consciousness.

That feeling of pure, extreme hunger.

This feels very unpleasant.

When he returned to the old man's side, he squatted down and squeezed the nutritional paste out of the packaging bag completely, then gently placed it in the old man's outstretched palm.

When the old man's fingers touched the warm paste, he trembled violently as if he had been electrocuted.

"Thanks……"

He choked up as he spoke, his voice broken.

"Thank you. May the red moon bless you, may the waste accept your body, and may the red moon illuminate your way home..."

Jockley didn't respond. He straightened up, turned around, and walked into the alley. He walked quickly, almost running, trying to squeeze out a little more from the nutrient paste bag as he ran.

"Master." Da Huang's voice rang in his mind. This time there were no witty remarks, only a calmness that felt somewhat unfamiliar.

"You only have three packets of nutritional paste left."

"I know."

"That old man probably won't live past tonight. Giving him half a bag won't change anything."

"I know."

"Then why are you giving it to me? It doesn't do you any good at all."

Jockley remained silent for a few seconds, not immediately replying to Big Yellow, and silently followed the footsteps of the people in front.

"That's human nature, Rhubarb."

"Okay, I don't know what humanity is. My duty is to protect you, nothing more."

A few minutes later, Ate stopped. Jockley looked around and realized that this should be a commercial street with shops.

Before Ate stood a metal door with an inconspicuous scanner in the center. He raised his hand and placed his palm on the scanner. As the scanner lit up with a blue light, a thin line swept across his palm and then emitted a soft "beep" sound.

The door then opened, revealing the space inside, about twenty square meters in size. It was dimly lit, and there were several shelves in the room, piled high with various metal parts and tools.

A woman was standing in front of the shelves, her back to the door, organizing the items. Hearing the door open, she suddenly turned around.

When Jockley saw her face clearly, he felt his heart skip a beat.

Because it was clearly the face of an Eastern woman, about twenty years old, with regular features and healthy wheat-colored skin that glowed with a warm luster under the dim light.

Her long hair was tied into a simple ponytail at the back of her head, with a few stray strands hanging in front of her forehead, which she casually tucked behind her ears.

But what made it impossible for Jockley to look away was not her appearance but her clothing. The woman was wearing an old Taoist robe and she had no prosthetics.

She was a completely pure human being, just like Jockley.

The woman's expression changed instantly when she saw At.

"It's you again," she said coldly. "I told you I've already paid back the principal. Get lost, I don't want to see you again."

At smiled, a very gentle smile.

"Miss Huang Shuangyan," he said, "the principal has been repaid, but what about the interest?"

Huang Shuangyan gritted her teeth.

"You didn't mention interest to me at the time, and is that a normal interest rate? You're asking for half of my principal in just two months."

"I'm broke, not a single penny left! You bastard, Art, don't even think about squeezing another single Covenant Coin from me!!"

"Then there's nothing we can do."

Yate spread his hands, his movements as graceful as if he were performing.

"According to the rules, I can take valuable items from your shop to pay off the debt. However, the price of those items won't be up to you, Miss Huang Shuangyan. You'd better think it over."

He paused, his smile deepened, and the curve of his lips became somewhat cruel. Huang Shuangyan's face flushed instantly. She grabbed a wrench from the shelf and held it in her hand. The metal wrench gleamed coldly in the dim light.

"Get out of here!" she roared, her voice echoing in the small room. "Now! Or I'll..."

"What else could you do? I'm only refraining from attacking you right away because we're still friends."

Art raised his right hand, and the seemingly ordinary human hand suddenly transformed, with sharp metal claws springing out from the tips of his five fingers, the claws gleaming coldly.

Huang Shuangyan froze, her hand holding the wrench trembling slightly, the veins on the back of her hand bulging. Qiao Keli stood at the door watching all this.

Just then, a deep voice sounded in his ear; it was the priest.

The priest had somehow appeared beside Jockley, his face still hidden by the hood of his black robe, but his voice was clear and low, only Jockley and Big Yellow could hear it.

"Her name is Huang Shuangyan. She is a primitive human, but she belongs to the group of primitive humans who have not awakened superpowers."

"This is not uncommon; approximately 90% of primitive humans never awaken superpowers in their lifetime."

He paused, his dark gray eyes shifting slightly in the shadow of his hood as he looked at the woman in the room, who was trembling and clutching a wrench.

"No one knows when she arrived in Forgotten City, but don't be fooled by her feigned weakness; she's not weak at all. She's a well-known black market dealer in this area, specializing in secondhand prosthetics. Two months ago, she borrowed some money from At to start a new business."

The priest paused here, as if he was choosing his words carefully.

Then he uttered the word, his tone devoid of any sarcasm, only a calm statement.

"Wilderness Travel Project"

Jockley almost lost his composure. Was this place going to be developed into a wilderness travel project?

At this moment, Dahuang's voice rang in Qiaokeli's mind through the internal network. It no longer dwelled on the previous question. Having the same memories of Earth, it was also somewhat dumbfounded by Huang Shuangyan's project.

"Master, the impact of this project on the economic development of Forgotten City is similar to that of Falcon's command, T1's substitute mid-laner, the little purple hero brought by the Great Freeze, and the fire station in Bikini Bottom. (ﾟ∀。)"

Jockley's lips twitched slightly, and he silently replied in his mind.

"That's certainly very influential."

In reality, the situation remains deadlocked.

Huang Shuangyan gripped the wrench, staring intently at At, while At leaned leisurely against the doorframe, arms crossed, his metal claws retracted, transforming back into ordinary human hands.

He still wore that gentle smile on his face, while Daikiri stood behind Att with an expression of watching a good show. He even took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and put it in his mouth.

Finally, Huang Shuangyan loosened her grip, and the wrench fell to the ground with a dull thud.

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving, then raised her left hand. The simple bracelet on her wrist lit up with blue light, projecting a virtual screen into the air. After quickly tapping the screen with her fingers, Huang Shuangyan looked up at Yate.

"The money has been transferred, with interest, not a penny less. Now get out of here, you bastard At, I don't want to see you again."

Art raised his left hand, and the neural interface on his wrist flashed a faint blue light. He closed his eyes as if to confirm something, and a few seconds later he opened his eyes again, his gentle smile returning to his face.

"Received, thank you for your patronage." Art must have received the money, so he turned around to leave.

But just then, Jockley suddenly spoke up.

"Ms. Huang, I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with you."

Huang Shuangyan paused for a moment, then turned to look at Qiao Keli. Her eyes lit up—the look of a businessman when he sees a potential customer. Her expression instantly turned into a smile.

"Business?" she repeated, her tone much gentler, even a little ingratiating. "What kind of business?"

Jockley didn't answer immediately, but turned to look at At, trying to get his opinion, since At should be the rightful leader of this mercenary team.

Art raised an eyebrow, then turned and walked out the door without hesitation.

"Okay, you two talk, we'll wait outside."

Daikiri whistled, took the unlit cigarette from his mouth, tucked it behind his ear, and followed him out.

The priest glanced at Jockley one last time and left. The door closed, leaving only Jockley, Da Huang, and Huang Shuangyan in the room.

A dim, yellowish floor lamp shone from the corner. Jockley took a deep breath, the smell of engine oil filling his nostrils and making his throat itch.

"I want to buy my partner a new body."