Warhammer: Empire Reboot

"Gangs fight over water, drugs are sold on the black market, corpses are dragged into recycling trucks, children sleep in pipes, and adults use knives to decide who crosses the alleyway first."

She swept the clean floor.

"This place is like a model that the upper echelons have brought here for them to see."

They continued walking.

There aren't many shops on either side of the street, and most of them are practical businesses.

Shoe repair shops, filter exchange points, small pharmacies, workwear repair shops, public bathhouses.

Skills registration window.

The monthly announcement was posted on one wall.

The 19th evaluation of lower-level civilized communities has entered its final three days.

[Top three in the evaluation: additional funding for public lighting, extended hot water hours in public bathhouses, increased nutritional subsidies for children, and improved priority for maintenance.]

When Ilancia saw this line of text, her expression turned strange.

Civilized Community Evaluation?

Descending from the nest?

Putting these two things together made her feel like she was listening to an orc discussing poetic meter.

Before she could speak, a quarrel suddenly broke out in front of her.

The voice was loud, fierce, and contained a lot of profanity.

Ilancia stopped.

The unease and discomfort she felt finally eased somewhat.

That's what it means to descend into the nest.

No amount of cleaning agents can mask the tension in the lower strata of society.

She looked at Lawson, as if trying to prove with her eyes that she hadn't seen wrong.

Lawson smiled without saying a word and led her toward the place where the argument was taking place.

The sound came from the entrance of a crossroads.

There were dozens of people gathered there.

Two groups of people were facing off across a row of garbage bins.

The person on the left is wearing a blue-gray armband.

The person on the right is wearing a yellow and black armband.

Neither side was young; most were nearby residents, workers, repairmen, canteen helpers, and a few elderly people who were just watching the commotion.

Two burly men stood at the very front.

One of them had old knife scars on his face, a thick neck, sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, and arms covered in old wounds.

The other one had a shaved head, was wider, and had a repair wrench hanging from his waist; his fingers were so thick they looked like they could bend a steel pipe.

The burly man with the scar pointed at the other man's nose.

"Have you no shame, Dongsan Community? You dumped contaminated filter cartridges at our recycling point at 2 a.m., and even wrapped them in tarpaulin. Do you think our night patrol is blind?"

The bald, burly man immediately roared back.

"Bullshit! We just replaced the main filter in Dongsan last month. The contaminant filters all have serial numbers. Who would be stupid enough to throw them at your doorstep?"

"Did that pile of garbage grow legs and walk over there by itself?"

"Who knows if you threw it yourself and then framed us? Are you resorting to dirty tricks because you can't afford to lose in a competition?"

"We can't afford to lose? Who was it that last time, trying to get more hot water, scrubbed the entrance of the public bathhouse so clean your stupid face was reflected in it?"

"That's called being hardworking! Unlike you guys in West Kowloon, you can't even close your trash can lids properly, and you still have the nerve to compete for the top three?"

"Try messing with my community, and I'll shove your head down into organic waste today!"

"Come on! You make the first move! Everyone's watching, it was the West Kowloon manager who started this trouble!"

The scarred, burly man immediately spread his hands behind his back.

"Did you hear that? He admitted he wanted me to do it! This is a conspiracy!"

The bald, burly man stared wide-eyed.

"Screw your conspiracy! You were the one who said you were going to shove my head into the slag pit first!"

Did I say that? Who heard me?

Immediately, some people in the crowd started to jeer.

"We all heard it!"

The burly man with the scar turned around and cursed.

"What the hell did you hear! If you don't speak up for your own community members, do you still want more hot water coupons tonight?"

An old woman with a cane stepped forward.

"Don't try to scare people with hot water tickets. Last time you came in second place in the competition, you got twenty minutes more hot water, but your wife took fifteen minutes to soak her feet. The whole building knows about it."

The crowd burst into laughter.

The burly man with the scar blushed.

"Grandma, let's talk about this when we get back."

The bald, burly man immediately seized the opportunity.

"See that? They're illegally occupying public hot water! I demand this be recorded in the performance evaluation!"

"Shut up!" the scarred burly man roared. "Your brother-in-law secretly tapped into the electrical wires to cool the wine cellar last year, causing the entire street to lose power. And you still have the nerve to say that?"

The bald, burly man immediately became anxious.

"That matter has already been punished! Old cases that have already been punished cannot be counted again; this is Article Twelve of the evaluation regulations!"

"Oh, you're even memorizing regulations? If someone with a brain like yours can memorize regulations, it seems the Cornerstone Master did a good job educating you."

"What's wrong with me reciting it to you? You dare touch me and see what happens!"

"Put your face out here!"

"You reach out your hand first!"

"Don't shrink back!"

"Don't be a coward!"

The two burly men drew closer and closer until their chests were almost touching.

People around started backing away, but no one was really scared.

Ilancia's gaze was subtle.

The two were hurling insults fiercely, but their movements were always carefully timed.

He raised his hand and then lowered it.

They push forward with their shoulders, but don't push first.

They were clearly trying to provoke each other into making the first move.

This little bit of cleverness is quite clever, but the content of the argument is outrageous.

Garbage sorting and civilized community evaluation.

For a moment, Ilancia was at a loss for words.

Just as the argument was about to escalate, footsteps came from the other side of the crossroads.

The Cornerstone Sequence patrolman approached with four local security officers.

The burly men, who had been butting heads like two bulls, stopped almost simultaneously.

The scarred, burly man immediately took a half step back, his fierce expression vanishing in an instant.

The bald, burly man also tucked the wrench behind his back, his expression turning serious.

The surrounding crowd spontaneously made way for them.

The cornerstone sequence has been established.

He glanced at the armbands on both sides, then at the recycling bin on the ground.

Who reported the patrol?

A young man wearing a blue-gray armband raised his hand.

"I."

The burly man with the scar immediately interrupted.

"Sir, you've come at the right time. Those scoundrels from Dongsan Community are throwing contaminated filter cartridges into our recycling point, causing us to lose 2.7 points in sanitation scores this month. 2.7 points! Our community has been working hard to clean the pipes for this evaluation, with everyone from the elderly to children, and these scoundrels are up to no good, playing dirty tricks at night."

The bald, burly man immediately jumped up.

"Sir, don't listen to his nonsense! Our filter cartridges in East Three are all numbered when they leave and enter the warehouse. Any bastard who dares to throw them away carelessly, I'll hang him from the pipes and make him reflect on his actions. West Nine is just trying to blame us for its own lax management."

The burly man with the scar patted his chest, his voice suddenly becoming aggrieved.

"Sir, look, he's threatening me. He just said he'd hang me from the pipe."

The bald, burly man's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Have you no shame?! You were the one who tried to shove someone's head into that slag pit just now!"

The scarred, burly man immediately raised his hands and pulled back.

"Sir, he swears, he's emotionally unstable, and he has violent tendencies."

The bald, burly man's face turned red with anger.

"I'm violent? You even rolled up your sleeves just now!"

The burly man with the scar looked down at his arm and immediately pulled his sleeve down.