Cyberpunk, but urban

Chapter 21. Back Alley

Every story has an end, and so does the night.

After Ye Lan finished telling the little girl the eighty-third story, daylight returned to the city. It was not until a ray of sunlight shone into the house from the window that Ye Lan saw the little girl's appearance.

She was probably a child with albinism, with white hair, white eyelashes, and even her skin was fragile and pale. The little girl was wearing an oversized white dress, and only her eyes had a different color.

Those were a pair of shining red eyes, and Ye Lan's own appearance was reflected in the irises, which looked very fragile due to albinism. The little girl was also looking at Ye Lan.

Because of her gaze, Ye Lan remembered that when he appeared on this street, he fell into a dirty place. He lowered his head and found that his body was covered with rotten tissue fluid and blood.

"I've been wearing these dirty clothes for so long that I almost forgot that I fell into a pile of dirt." Ye Lan sighed and asked the little girl, "Can I take a bath here?"

She nodded, then pointed to a door next to the living room they were in. Ye Lan followed her instructions and walked into the bathroom, throwing the Lobotomy uniforms he was wearing into the washing machine, which he wasn't sure if they could be washed clean.

He let the washing machine run and stood under the shower. He hadn't showered for three days and enjoyed the feeling of the hot water washing over his body. He turned off the shower and returned to the sink until his body was washed clean by the water.

Ye Lan must not have shaved in the past few days, as a layer of stubble had grown on his face. The stubble made his still youthful face look a little haggard. Combined with the fake smile he had cultivated during tens of thousands of years of reincarnation, he looked like a mentally perverted murderer.

Maybe my heart is the same as this face looks now?

Ye Lan thought to himself, and then took a long bath towel from the shelf beside him and wrapped it around his private parts. He had no clothes to wear for the time being, so he could only make do with this for the time being.

Ye Lan took out his clean uniforms from the washing machine and walked out of the bathroom with them.

“Where can I hang my clothes?”

Ye Lan shook the clothes in his hand that were still slightly dripping with water towards the little girl. After getting the girl's instructions, he hung the clothes on the curtain rack in a bedroom - using the clothes clips that had always been hanging on that curtain rack.

After hanging the clothes, Ye Lan looked at the layout of the bedroom. This room seemed to be the bedroom of the little girl's parents. Ye Lan saw a family photo hanging on the wall that took up most of the wall. The little girl in the photo was holding an umbrella and smiling happily with her parents.

But judging by the dust on this photo, it's probably been a while since anyone has done housework.

There was only a wardrobe in the bedroom besides the bed. With a bath towel still wrapped around his waist, Ye Lan walked over and opened it, wanting to look inside for some clothes that he could wear temporarily.

There were clothes, but they were covered with dust, and some of them were covered with mold. These clothes were telling him one thing - the girl's parents probably hadn't returned to this house for a long time.

Ye Lan sighed. He didn't know whether the child's parents died or abandoned her. But in any case, this little girl helped him in the dark night, and logically, he had to repay this favor.

As for Yu Qing, he didn't know. He had been reincarnated for too long, and that fake smile had been on his face for too long. Although the crowd in the company office proved that he still had the desire to have fun, he himself was not sure whether he had the heart to help others.

As for choosing to help Angela, perhaps it was because of the plot, or perhaps it was because she, like himself, retained the memories of reincarnation?

"It's a pity that there is nothing to wear."

Ye Lan put all these thoughts aside, closed the closet door and returned to the living room. The little girl was still sitting on a bench in the living room, looking at an empty vase on the table without saying a word.

"Come to think of it, I still don't know your name. Would you like to tell me?" Ye Lan asked as he walked towards the kitchen.

The little girl was silent for a while behind him, and then a name popped out of her mouth: "Luna."

"The Moon? What a fitting name for you."

After rummaging around in the refrigerator, Ye Lan took out some vegetables from the freezer and picked up a piece of frozen meat, which should be pork, from the freezer.

Cut all the ingredients into shreds randomly, then throw them all into the pot in the kitchen and stir-fry them to make a simple dish of stir-fried vegetables and meat.

"The rice in the refrigerator is not bad yet. I heated it up. Let's make do with it today. Although my company's current situation is probably not good, my salary card should still be usable. Let's go buy some fresh ingredients and some new clothes later."

Luna, who was eating silently at the table, raised her head and asked Ye Lan, "Do you want to live in my house?"

"Hmm." Ye Lan responded softly, and quickly put the food in his bowl into his mouth. After chewing for a while, he said, "I can't just leave you alone in such a big house, right? The city is not a place with good security."

"I'm not alone. My parents will come back one day." Little Luna pouted, but ultimately did not refuse Ye Lan's request to live together.

She knew very well in her heart that her parents would never come back.

"Speaking of which, is this the back alley we are in? These past few nights I've lost track of where I am." Ye Lan laughed at himself and put his share of dishes into the dishwasher in the kitchen.

Little Luna stretched her head to watch him clean up in the kitchen, and when he was almost done, she said to him, "We are in Alley 9."

"Oh, Alley 9... Wait, is it Sound Alley?"

There must be a reason why Ye Lan specifically asked if this was the Alley of Sound.

The first reason was because of the plot he knew. As the sequel to "Lobotomy Corporation", almost all the plots of "The Ruins Library" were caused by this back alley.

The second reason is that this back alley, as a place where people who love music gather, is second only to the Nest in terms of safety. If death is common in other back alleys, then it is a bit strange that Luna's parents are missing here, and may even be dead.

"Yes, this is the Alley of Sound."

Chapter 22. Now that things have come to this, let’s go get the money first

The Pianist Incident was a distortion phenomenon incident that caused the death of 80% of the population of Alley , a total of people. It was also the first major incident caused by the distortion phenomenon after the incomplete release of the Seed of Light.

The consequences of this incident almost triggered the entire plot of "The Ruined Library". Changing its outcome is equivalent to changing all the plots that Ye Lan knew.

Now, he was in the Ninth Alley, also known as the Alley of Sound. Now that the day and night had just ended, he still had time to change anything he wanted to change.

Change, or not change? The button of choice is now in his hand.

However, for Ye Lan now, he would choose between these two options - going out to buy groceries.

He didn't know when the pianist became twisted, and he didn't know when Roland, the dark-skinned mute, went to District 25 to help his buddies with work.

But no matter what day these things happened, it should not be earlier than when Angela built the library. Although this is just speculation by netizens in Ye Lan's previous life based on the existing information, it can at least be confirmed that the day of the pianist was not the days when the night just ended.

So what he needs to do most now is to settle down in Alley No. 9 first.

After all, as long as we can determine when Olivier, the elder brother of the Hana Association, will go to handle the difficult case in District 25, we can safely determine the time when the pianist will go crazy.

He could even go a step further and take advantage of Mr. Roland's absence to find Mrs. Angelica, secretly protect her and ensure that this pregnant lady, whose death would result in two more lunatics in the city, would not be killed by the pianist.

Therefore, he does not need to be anxious at all. If he wants to change the following plot, then all the problems can be transformed into——

- Transfer the money in the salary card to an account that can be used after the news of the collapse of the L Nest spreads, and then find a way to find out the day when Brother Olivier asks Roland to do something.

Anyway, the plan has been made, and what he needs to do next is to go out and buy groceries.

Ye Lan first went to Luna's parents' bedroom and changed into his own dried Lobotomy uniform, then found a usable umbrella on the umbrella rack near the door and handed it to little Luna who was also dressed.

Little Luna has albinism. Although this gives her an outstanding pair of white hair and red eyes that is very suitable for Ye Lan, a Chinese, it also makes her allergic to ultraviolet rays.

Ye Lan hasn't asked what the little girl relies on to survive, but no matter what it is, she can rely on him now.

After helping her cover her exposed skin with an umbrella, the two of them went to the notary office in Lane 9 to open a new account for Ye Lan so that they could transfer his salary which could be frozen at any time.

After walking through two streets, next to the security area opened by the Zwei Association, the second association, is the notary area they are going to. As a jurisdiction opened by the ?ufi Association specializing in trading, there will naturally be a city bank here.

The currency of the city is called "eyes", and its value is estimated to be similar to the Korean won. But Ye Lan didn't study economics in his previous life, so he couldn't calculate the purchasing power of "eyes".

"Dear sir, what business do you and your little lady have with us today?"

Anyway, he and little Luna walked into a bank in the jurisdiction, and a foreman who was in charge of lobby work immediately left his post to guide them.

It will take some time to investigate the L-wing's announcement of wing failure. His current Lobotomy Corporation uniform is still a very useful tiger skin.

"I need an account that is not affiliated with the company to store the funds in my account. The specific reason is company affairs. Do you understand?" Ye Lan glanced at her, then took out his salary card and threw it to the foreman.

"Understood! Please go to our VIP room with your young lady to rest. Our salesperson will help you immediately."

The supervisor bowed respectfully and left quickly with the salary card. Then two well-dressed and beautiful waitresses led them into the VIP lounge.

Before Ye Lan could speak, the waiters had already placed wine, drinks, snacks and other food on the coffee table in front of them. Each of these drinks was extremely exquisite, and the raw materials of each one were guaranteed to be fresh and clean, without any ingredients that would affect human health.

All these benefits were due to the company uniform he was wearing. As an employee of the headquarters of Lobotomy Corporation, he could be said to be the person with the highest status in L Nest. In fact, the only people above him were the Sephirahs and the supervisor Ayin.

Although it cannot be seen in the Lobotomy Corporation, outside, any one of these headquarters employees can be treated with the second highest treatment in other back alleys or even other nests.

Little Luna looked in surprise at how these bank employees who usually looked down on everyone treated them. She soon realized that such treatment came from the man next to her.

"Is your status so high?"

I don’t know if it’s because they have become familiar with each other, but this little girl’s attitude towards Ye Lan has become much more casual, and she even dares to hit him a few times with her elbow.

"Hmm, it seems to be true?" Ye Lan replied with a brain burst, and then said to her: "Anyway, they have brought the food up, just pick what you want to eat."

"Then I can eat whatever I want..." Although Little Luna said she wanted to eat, after looking at the large and small plates on the coffee table, she turned her head to look at Ye Lan and asked one more question: "Can I really eat it?"

Ye Lan said to her helplessly: "Okay, just eat something to make them feel at ease. We will buy some fresh ingredients and cook for ourselves later."

"Oh." Little Luna responded once. This time, she was ready to try these snacks. The girl looked back and forth for a long time, and finally picked up a few cookies she had never seen before from a small plate and ate them slowly.

After a while, the foreman came in with two cards and respectfully returned the cards to Ye Lan.

One of them is Ye Lan’s salary card, and the other card naturally represents his newly opened card.

"All the funds in your card have been transferred to this new card. Based on your request, I have deleted the specific transaction records and only kept the records of your visit. Is this okay? Do you have any other needs?"

Chapter 23. Miscellaneous Matters

"Well, sure. As for the rest, my little girl seems to like your snacks very much. Please pack one for me and send it to this location."

After saying that, Ye Lan found a piece of white paper on the coffee table and wrote down Luna's home address.

The foreman bowed again and said to him, "Don't worry, these snacks will be placed at your door when you get home."

But Ye Lan, in order to maintain his status as a boss in order to get the service of these bank employees, had to put on a proud look and said to the foreman: "Hey, my house in the back alley can't be considered a home, it's just a place to stay. Okay, I still have to take my girl to buy some fresh ingredients for dinner."

Ye Lan held Luna's hand, waved to these people, then walked straight out of the VIP room and left the bank.

Next, the two of them had to go to the mall, and then Ye Lan had to find those well-informed finishers and hire a few reliable ones to pay attention to the intelligence of the association.

Nothing worth mentioning happened on the way to the mall. Alley 9 was indeed the second best place in terms of safety. Even with a child, he did not encounter any street rats who wanted to rob or kidnap him along the way.

In addition, this back alley is worthy of its reputation as the Alley of Music. Along the way, music can be heard from every open shop. The more upscale the shop, the higher the quality of the music played in the shop.

Arriving at the nearest shopping mall to Luna's home, the two first went to buy a batch of new clothes. The employee uniform he was wearing would soon become a reason for others to attack him, so it was very important to prepare a change of clothes in advance.

And he wasn't the only one who had no clothes. Luna, who had lost her parents and lived alone in Alley 9, also needed more clothes to change into, and they had to be clothes that could minimize the amount of skin exposed.

When he gets back to finish the things here, if there is enough time, he can take this girl to treat her albinism. For the city's technological level, this little problem is just a matter of whether there are connections and money.

After buying clothes on the third floor of the mall, Ye Lan and Xiao Luna went to the second floor. The layout of this mall is the same as most malls. The first floor is basically a luxury goods store, and the second floor is a comprehensive store that sells everything from vegetables, fruits to household appliances. The third floor mainly sells clothing, and the fourth floor is a series of restaurants.

The two walked around the second floor and bought a whole cart of fresh ingredients. While waiting in line to check out, a man in a shabby suit lined up in front of him and caught Ye Lan's attention.

If you were to ask why, this man came to this comprehensive shopping mall but only bought a pack of instant noodles. If you were to ask why, it seemed like he failed in his job search here, so in order not to look too embarrassed, he bought a cheap item to pretend.

Ye Lan thought to himself, "Could this person be a pianist?"

However, he did not have the opportunity to observe the man any longer. The man who only bought a pack of instant noodles quickly paid and left. It was not realistic for him to leave and chase him to observe him. After he paid, it became unrealistic to look for the man again.

Since things have come to this, Ye Lan will not dwell on it any more. He and Xiao Luna took the new clothes and food they bought back to Luna's home. When they came back, the bank staff had already come over and piled a small mountain of snacks and drinks at the door of the house.

I don’t know what these employees did to make the “neighbors” around them stay quiet. No one came to try to steal the food until they came back.

There were still some things waiting for them after returning home. Before dinner, Ye Lan and Luna had to clean the house thoroughly. At the very least, they had to wash the sheets and quilts, and then throw away all the moldy or damaged old clothes.

Sending Xiao Luna to take out the garbage, Ye Lan walked into the kitchen with fresh ingredients. The ingredients in the refrigerator that had been stored for who knows how long also needed to be carefully selected, and this job could not be left to Xiao Luna.

About two hours later, the two of them finally finished cleaning the bedroom and kitchen. As for the living room and other places in the house, they would have to wait until tomorrow to continue.

After hurriedly preparing dinner for Luna and asking her not to open the door to anyone, Ye Lan left the room and walked towards the security jurisdiction of the Second Association.

Although it was a bit strange, he seemed to have unexpectedly adapted to the position of father today, and he got along very well with Luna. With a sincere smile on his face, Ye Lan found a finisher from the Second Association.

After transferring a considerable amount of money to the old man's card, this guy quickly told Ye Lan about the agency he knew that could help Ye Lan keep an eye on Olivier's every move.

Using the meaning of his clothes to warn him to keep his mouth shut, Ye Lan followed his recommendation and came to the Cane Agency. He was quite familiar with the boss of this agency, Nemo, who was quite popular among the players.

After knocking on the door of the office, Ye Lan pushed the door open and walked in without waiting for the person inside to reply. Bada and Martina, two of Nemo's left and right guards, happened to be in the office at the moment.

Nemo was initially displeased by Ye Lan's behavior of directly opening the door, but when he saw the headquarters employee uniform on Ye Lan, a flattering smiley face lit up on the display screen.

"Oh my, an employee from the L company headquarters who has never seen any intelligence before has come to my small office. This is really a great honor for my office!"

Nemo almost jumped over from behind his desk, rubbing his hands and asking Ye Lan, "I wonder what your distinguished guest is here for today?"

"Heh, today I'm here because I have a commission for you to do. I'd like to state in advance that this commission involves an association. But at the same time, I'll give you a price that's high enough for you to be willing to do it."

Nemo's face on the display screen changed to a thoughtful expression. After a while, he asked Ye Lan: "Hiss, do we need to fight with the people from the First Association?"

Ye Lan sat down on the guest sofa in the office, crossed his legs and said to Nemo: "Of course not. I just need you to keep an eye on an association closer named Olivier. Once he goes to perform work related to District 25, notify me as soon as possible."

"Ha, so simple? Of course it's no problem... I wonder how much you are willing to pay?"

Ye Lan gave a number that was far beyond Nemo's expectations. Faced with such benefits, Nemo, who originally thought that this commission was not too difficult, did not even consider refusing. He immediately drafted a notarized contract and signed it with Ye Lan.

Chapter 24. In the city, nothing can be done without strength

Nemo from the Cane Office is not a good guy, but he is not a bad guy in the whole city. The only shortcoming of this guy is greed.

It was precisely because of greed that this guy agreed to Ye Lan's commission and even sent his two right-hand men, Bada and Martina, to keep an eye on the situation, to ensure that as soon as an association sent people to District 25 to carry out a mission, the information would be delivered to Ye Lan.

In this way, there is only one last problem on the road to helping the Congbing couple -

--strength