Cyberpunk, but urban

Ye Lan walked around the game hall but didn't see little Luna and Miss He Lin. He asked the waiter who was accompanying other guests and found out that Miss He Lin seemed to have left with Luna half an hour ago, but they didn't know where they went.

Since this was the case, Ye Lan would not waste any more time here. He was not too worried about Luna's safety. There was no need for this hotel to threaten this ordinary guest with a little girl.

If anything, it was more likely that the two of them were hungry or bored and decided to go somewhere else. So what he had to do now was to return to the first floor and find the lobby manager Lance to ask him to help find the two.

By the time he found the elevator and returned to the lobby on the first floor, Miss He Lin and little Luna were already waiting for him at the front desk.

The Lance manager was still as prophetic as ever, and had even completed the task that Ye Lan wanted help with before he arrived.

"It's amazing."

Ye Lan exclaimed in admiration. This little incident had such a peaceful ending. And in the remaining time of the day, he and Luna did not encounter anything worth mentioning.

After having dinner at the buffet restaurant and packing their luggage in the room, Ye Lan and Luna said good night to each other and spent the day.

The next morning, the two of them checked out of the alley hotel with their suitcases, boarded the bus that Ye Lan had found in advance, and headed for K Nest.

A passenger train like this is naturally much slower than the W Company's warp train, but it is also much cheaper. And most importantly, it does not require the tens of thousands of years of warp train jump journey.

Of course, if he spent a lot of money to buy two first-class tickets, he could put himself in a can and sleep for such a long time. But since there were cheaper and safer short-distance buses, he and Luna didn't need to spend so much money.

Speaking of which, this was the first time that Ye Lan heard about the short-distance bus. After all, this was not mentioned in the original work. Even in "The Twisted Detective", Moses and his friends took the Warp train from District 14 to Nest L.

But in fact, for a not-too-far journey like from Lane 10 to Nest K or Nest J, there are still relevant passenger transport companies in the city that provide services.

But if you think about it carefully, this is more reasonable. Even a world wing like W Company can't spread their singularity technology trains all over the city. The empty areas between the train lines will naturally be occupied by small companies.

Anyway, after a long day's drive, he and Luna finally left the bus they were riding in and arrived at the checkpoint outside K's Nest.

Although they didn't have the right to live in Nest K, Ye Lan's identity as a finisher allowed him to enter the nest for a short time. Anyway, they would line up and ask first. If the guards at the gate refused them entry, they would have to rush directly from Alley 11 to Nest L.

After all, traveling all the time is not a pleasant rest. Considering the little girl's physical strength and albinism, although she should be able to hold on, doing so would be a bit too hard.

The team was advancing very slowly. The intensity of the recent censorship at K Nest seemed to be quite strong. From time to time, unqualified people were kicked out, and some civilians who tried to falsify information to escape the censorship were even killed directly by security personnel.

"Looks like we have to wait." Ye Lan helped Luna, who had taken a nap in the car, to fix her hair and said to her, "But we may not be able to get in. If that's the case, we can only go directly to L Nest through Alley 11."

"Woo, I'm so tired~" Luna muttered, but this was the rule of K Nest and they had no choice but to abide by it.

Chapter 48. Moses Office

After waiting for a while, the team in front of Ye Lan and Luna suddenly dispersed.

It seemed that someone of high status had walked out of the K-Nest to receive someone who was about to arrive from the Warp train.

At the front of the line were a man and a woman. The man was wearing a Seven Association uniform, and judging by the decorations on his uniform, he was probably a member of high status in Section Two.

The other woman was wearing her own clothes and holding a weapon similar to a hammer. Although Ye Lan didn't recognize their faces, judging from their clothes, they should be Han Xijun and Dias.

Then the identities of the two people they were going to receive became clear: they were Moses, Ezra and Yuria from Moses Office.

"Hey, what a coincidence, I just arranged for that lady the night before yesterday, and today I can see her in person." Ye Lan chuckled, then pulled Luna to the side and found a deserted place to stop, waiting for what would happen next.

Luna tilted her head to listen to Ye Lan's story, and asked in confusion: "Who are you talking about, Ye Lan?"

"Hmm, a nice lady. She calls herself the Twisted Detective? Anyway, you'll see her when the Warp train arrives."

"Oh."

Not long after their conversation stopped, a space rift opened up in the teleportation station. The Warp train came out of the rift, and then a dozen cleaning staff from W Company opened the train door and walked in.

About half an hour later, the cleaning staff of W Company left the Warp train talking and laughing. As for whether they would vomit or something after entering the staff area of ​​the teleportation station that was not open to the public, Ye Lan and Luna could not see it now. After all, all of this was invisible to people outside the teleportation station.

Ten minutes later, the two people from Moses Office, Yuria who had turned into a bear, and other passengers got off the bus.

At this moment, from the perspective of outsiders, only a few seconds had passed.

All this is thanks to T Company's singularity technology. W Company allowed the train to continue running in the space cracks for tens of thousands of years to collect time for T Company, and T Company provided singularity technology to help W Company maintain Warp's reputation of being able to reach anywhere in the city in just ten seconds.

In order to ensure the electricity needed for the operation of Singularity Technology, the two companies signed a corresponding contract with L Company and obtained the supply of endorphins through a series of transactions.

However, now that the L wing is broken, they are gradually falling into the dilemma of energy shortage. These two companies plus R Company, the three companies that are in particular need of energy supply, have made preliminary preparations to go deep into the L Nest to investigate the situation of L Company.

However, given their size, it is not so easy to move them.

In short, Ye Lan is more concerned about Moses and her employees now. This twisted detective lady is a very interesting character.

"Welcome, Teacher Moses. You're here after all." As soon as Moses and his group left the teleportation station, the man from the Second Department of the Seventh Association came to greet them.

"Didn't we go directly to the association's office?" Moses choked. The man in front of her named Han Xijun had never been a good person. His lies were annoying to listen to.

"I'm in a hurry so I came to pick you up. ...What's wrong with your right hand?"

Care? He cares about others? Moses thought irritably, and then said to Ezra: "Ezra, I'll leave this guy to you. I'll go to the smoking area for a while."

"Yes! Detective!"

As Ezra spoke, Moses walked towards the smoking area. As for the lady who stood behind Han Xijun because of him, Dias was ready to step forward to stop Moses who wanted to escape.

At this critical moment, Ye Lan touched the ring on her hand, and at an angle that only Moses could see, she summoned the phantom of the Queen of Hate in front of her, which flashed and disappeared in her sight.

"what?!"

Moses was indeed attracted by this phantom of an alien entity that was almost indistinguishable from a human being, and immediately turned around and walked towards Ye Lan.

"...Moses? Really Moses?!"

The female cleaner named Dias pushed Han Xijun aside and walked towards Moses, but at this time she had focused all her attention on Ye Lan and didn't want to pay any attention to the person she least wanted to see.

Unfortunately, if words alone could make Dias give up, Moses would not have to see her annoying face again. In the end, it was Han Xijun who said a few words to persuade the scheming finisher to leave.

Han Xijun pointed to the car driven by his association's cleaner and asked Moses, "Shall we go, Mr. Moses?"

However, Moses, who was still planning to have a "good" conversation with Ye Lan, whose body had no signs of distortion, about the phantom just now, was not ready to leave, so he asked Ezra to stop Han Xijun temporarily.

"Let me smoke a cigarette first, it won't take long."

As she said this, Ye Lan pulled Luna into the smoking area. With the help of a little skill, all the passers-by who were smoking here before had left. When Moses opened the door of the smoking area with his pipe in hand, only Ye Lan and the little girl could be seen inside, each pulling a suitcase.

"…Who are you? Why did you lead me here?"

The red smoke wrapped around the pipe, forming a sharp sword. Moses held the pipe like a sword, staring closely at Ye Lan's movements.

"Don't be nervous, our twisted detective lady. My name is Ye Lan, and I am just a level 5 employee of the Lobotomy Corporation headquarters."

Hearing Ye Lan's words, Moses couldn't help but tighten his grip on his pipe. The Lobelia Corporation is L Corporation. It was the events in L Nest and the consequences of L Corporation's collapse that caused more and more distorted events in the city.

Now, a survivor of the Lobotomy Corporation headquarters stood in front of her, a survivor of the Lobotomy Corporation headquarters who had no trace of distortion on his body but had a child with obvious signs of distortion.

What did he want? What did he want to do? For a moment, Moses wanted to use up his own lifespan and kill the two people in front of him with that cyan smoke.

But in the end, for the sake of... for the sake of that innocent girl, Moses decided to stop Ye Lan from saying something.

"I just want to get to know you, a special person who can see the distortion directly."

Ye Lan used this as his opening remark and spoke to Moses.

Chapter 49. Outside Oak Village

It is now ten o'clock in the morning. Ye Lan holds Luna's hand and stands on the roadside like two ordinary travelers, waiting for the arrival of the twisted detective.

Yesterday, in the smoking room at the edge of K Nest, he made a deal with Moses that was not really a deal. In the name of Moses, he would take him and Luna as helpers and bring them into L Nest together. In return, he would provide Moses with knowledge about distortion.

As for the deeper level, what Moses needed more. He didn't mention it, and Moses didn't ask. After all, he, Luna and Moses were just casual acquaintances, and he even acted very abnormally to attract her attention. Before gaining Moses' trust, further transactions would be impossible.

About fifteen minutes later, Moses came over with Ezra.

"Good morning, Detective, although you don't seem to be in a very good mood." As soon as they met, Ye Lan's greeting made Moses' mood worse.

Of course, Moses was in a bad mood. She and her Moses Agency were a detective agency under the Seventh Association. Because of this status, no matter what commission Han Xijun, who supported Dias, summoned them to perform in the name of the Seventh Association, they could not refuse.

Therefore, they had to go to this village called "Oak Village" today to harvest complete distortion for them.

"...Mr. Moses, it will probably be very cruel. Please come back alive."

Before coming to carry out the mission, Han Xijun said this to her. The guy who never spoke the truth said such an ominous word sincerely, proving that the problem they were about to face was definitely not something that could be easily solved.

"I hope that, as you claim, you have the power strong enough to protect all of us." Moses, who had reunited with Ye Lan, ignored his greeting and spoke to Ye Lan as if to strengthen his trust.

"Don't worry. Even if I make fun of myself, I still have my lovely little Luna with me." After Ye Lan said this, he took Luna's hand and led the way towards the entrance of Oak Village.

Ezra, who was following them, asked Moses, "Detective! Detective! Should we prepare for battle first?"

Based on his many years of experience, Moses said to Ezra and Ye Lan: "We know nothing about this place yet, so we should not show any wariness. We should try to disguise ourselves as travelers as naturally as possible."

"Hey, did you hear that, junior?" Ezra patted Ye Lan's arm in a familiar manner. The tall girl, who was over 1.87 meters tall, was carrying a dimensional bag that was covered with a bunch of colorful stickers like her coat. Ye Lan, who had watched "The Twisted Detective", knew that it contained weapons she had collected from various workshops.

"I'm a junior now?" Ye Lan laughed, and then said to Ezra: "What identity are you going to pretend to be, a big girl like that?"

"I'm a travel writer who searches for delicious food in the back alleys. I'm responsible for evaluating the taste and collecting materials at restaurants. Your little girl...is her name Luna? Just treat her as my granddaughter. Then, Ezra, you and Ye Lan pretend to be my bodyguards. This will also provide legitimacy for you two to use force."

"I have no objection, but don't you plan to let me meet the girl who turned into a bear?" Ye Lan's question was directed at Yuria, the girl who was hidden in Moses' pocket in the form of a divine weapon. Moses and Ezra, who had never exposed this companion in front of him, were both shocked.

"Why are you so surprised? Although you may not be able to see it, it is very obvious to me that Shen Bei is very capable."

Ye Lan didn't lie here, but he didn't tell the truth either. With the help of the ring, he could indeed confirm the divine equipment on others at a glance, but the little bear girl hidden in Moses' pocket was actually something he knew in advance through the plot.

After all, this little bear is not only hidden under the clothes, but it is also just a special posture that Yuria has taken because of the previous events without even knowing it.

In Ye Lan's opinion, it was most likely a self-defense mechanism that developed after she had been mentally shocked by the distorted employees in Taiyong Commodities during her previous adventure there.

Moses subconsciously reached out to touch her pipe, but she quickly realized that her pipe was still locked in Yuria's divine weapon together with the forbidden hunter.

It was a divine weapon in the form of a workshop, where Yuria could quickly make weapons with the help of his own stuffed bear.

Moses said to Ye Lan: "To be honest, I'm already surprised by your performance of Kung Fu." Then, she patted her chest pocket lightly, motioning the palm-sized little bear girl to crawl out.

"Hello, I'm Yuria. Yuria from Yuria Workshop." The bear girl waved and gave a brief self-introduction to Ye Lan.

"Nice to meet you. I'll help you think of a way to get rid of this situation later." Ye Lan poked the little bear's outstretched fist with his index finger, which could be considered as a handshake with her.

"So, shall we go into the village?"

After getting to know every member of the Moses Office, Ye Lan also proposed to them to enter the village. Moses, who no longer planned to spend more time here, also agreed to this idea and entered the village according to the identity he had decided before.

The village is very quiet, with lush flowers and green grass along the roadside. You can see colorful houses and buildings that don't match the gray city. The two- or three-story houses are made of red bricks and have wooden roofs. It's as beautiful and peaceful as a nest somewhere.

Such a peaceful and beautiful village really existed and it was beyond Moses's knowledge. She knew that there were many unknown alleys in the back alleys, but she had never seen such a peaceful place like a fairy tale miniature.

“…Wow!”

Ezra was also shocked by the surrounding scenery. The energetic girl walked back and forth on the empty streets, admiring the surrounding scenery.

"Ezra, find somewhere to eat."

“…Ah! Yes!!”

Ezra walked ahead with great pride, and Ye Lan followed behind her, holding Luna's hand. Moses followed them and looked at the houses around. This village seemed to have about 50 households, and judging from the number of houses, there would be at least people living there. There would always be a restaurant, a cafe, or a bar.

Soon, Ezra found a small shop on the side of the road. There was a sign hanging on the door that read "De Mar Tea Shop".

The shop is not big, only about 15 square meters, and there are only four sets of tables and chairs inside.

Chapter 50. Coffee Shop

"...Oh? Ah, welcome!"

A man's voice was heard from the back kitchen of this small shop. He seemed to have never expected that there would be any customers coming at this time.

“Are you open now?”

Moses asked towards the kitchen.

"Yes, we are. We are open for business."

There was a series of clanging sounds coming from the kitchen. The owner of the store seemed to be tidying up the kitchen utensils. When he was disturbed by them, it seemed that a lot of things fell over.

Moses then asked, "It seems that few people come at this time?"

After another round of clattering noises, the boss who was in the kitchen finally came out. "Ahahaha, our village is so remote that there are almost no guests other than villagers coming to patronize it."

A little embarrassed, and a little wary.

Ye Lan and Moses looked at each other. This village seemed a little closed, and the villagers' distrust of guests was already revealed in their appearance.

"I was also surprised. There is such a beautiful village in such an unexpected place. Let me introduce myself first. I'm Momo, a traveler who looks for restaurants in remote alleys and a gourmet. These are my travel companions..."

Momo...

Ye Lan was a little overwhelmed to hear such a cute pseudonym coming from a lady who was about to turn 50. In order not to laugh out loud, he could only pull Luna around and observe the decorations in the room.

"I'm Momo's travel companion! My name is Yi Yi!"

Ezra also followed Moses and took the same pseudonym. Putting aside whether these two names made up with the first sound of their names had any meaning as pseudonyms, just the fact that they were given such cute names made Ye Lan at a loss for words.