"The lower hive is a den of wolves in sheep's clothing."
Emrys, who had just left Jackal, rubbed his temples, a bitter expression on his face: "Jackal, that guy is too dangerous. I should try to avoid contact with him in the future."
Jackal is definitely not as simple as he seems.
Not only can he get middle-hive residency permits, but he can even procure weapons and equipment. His background is simply unfathomable!
Thinking deeper, not only does he know 'gold', but his words subtly implied that he knows Upper Hive nobles use gold to make ornaments.
Just this point alone was enough for Emrys to be certain.
'Jackal' is definitely not, as rumored, a person who was exiled to the lower hive for offending a middle-hive noble.
What kind of middle-hive noble could exile someone suspected of having ties to upper hive nobles to the lower hive?
Unless it was a top-tier noble from the upper hive.
Could Jackal be part of a top-tier upper hive noble's guard, exiled to the lower hive for making a mistake?
That has some possibility.
However, the above is purely speculation, without any evidence.
What truly made Emrys feel tricky was that Jackal gave him an extremely dangerous feeling!
His five senses, amplified by his psyker powers, and even the sixth sense, made him feel a prickling sensation on his back when facing Jackal.
It was like having a knife held to his neck, a sharp and chilling sensation, as if his life could be taken at any moment!
You should know, he is a genuine 'Theta-Class' psyker!
Even across the entire Empire, he might not be considered a formidable individual, but in the lower hive, aside from the cult's psykers, Jackal was the only person who could make him feel such terror.
"What is this guy's background?"
Even if Emrys racked his brain, he couldn't figure out why Jackal was in the lower hive.
Fortunately, Jackal seemed to have no ill will towards him for the time being, which was something to be grateful for.
And this time wasn't entirely bad; at least it made Emrys realize that his disguise, in the eyes of certain people, was as childish as a toddler's!
Wearing clothes, a mask, and lowering his voice—was that considered a disguise?
No, it might fool idiots, but in the eyes of true pros, it was completely showing off.
"I must find time to learn the art of disguise in the future!"
Emrys secretly made up his mind. It's okay to be unskilled, as long as he's willing to learn, right?
After all, the art of disguise would definitely be used frequently in the future.
After solving the biggest problem at hand, Emrys' heavy mood lightened considerably.
He looked down at the Traveler System on his wrist; the status bar still displayed: Searching for available anchor Worlds to travel to.
"It seems I can't continuously travel between Worlds."
Emrys shook his head helplessly. He had originally planned to use the three days Jackal was preparing to go to the next world and earn some 'capital'.
But now it seemed he had thought too much. The Traveler System needed to re-scan for available 'anchor Worlds' after each world traversal, and he didn't know how long that would take.
If it were an already fixed 'Anchor World', there probably wouldn't be so many restrictions.
Unfortunately, his stay in the Boys World was too short, otherwise getting '1000 Source Power' would definitely not have been a big problem.
Actually, he originally had a chance, such as directly killing 'Hughie' or 'Butcher', the two protagonists. Accumulating 1000 Energy Units would surely have been enough.
But when it came to actually doing it, Emrys dismissed the idea.
He could be a scumbag, but he couldn't be a scumbag without a bottom line. This was very important.
"Hey, I'm telling you, a big event just broke out!"
"Big event? What big event?"
Suddenly, the conversation of two people by the roadside made Emrys instinctively stop.
Although the two deliberately lowered their voices, Emrys, whose five senses were amplified, could still clearly hear what they were saying.
"The Hammer Skulls gang in the East District was wiped out by the Iron Crows gang!"
"Holy cow, really?!"
"Nonsense, of course it's true. I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false?"
"You?"
"Don't disbelieve me. I just came back from the East District, from the Hammer Skulls gang's camp. Oh my, it was a terrible sight, blood everywhere!"
"Wasn't the Hammer Skulls gang quite formidable? Just a few days ago, they were fighting the Iron Crows gang back and forth. How could they suddenly be wiped out?"
"Who knows? Anyway, don't go to the East District recently; that place isn't safe."
The two men's private conversation was heard by Emrys, word for word.
The Hammer Skulls gang was wiped out?!
This news reignited his previously settled anxiety.
"Damn it, the Hammer Skulls gang is too weak! They were wiped out so quickly?" Emrys was startled and somewhat horrified: "Isn't the cult afraid of being discovered by the Arbites with such a big move?"
But after thinking about it carefully, it seemed quite logical.
The Iron Crows gang had close ties with the cult, and with The Help of the psyker he saw that day, slaughtering a small gang was as easy as flipping a hand.
Moreover, the demise of a mere lower hive gang attracting the attention of the Arbites had about the same probability as winning the lottery.
The Arbites protect middle-hive civilians, as well as Upper Hive nobles and the elite class. As for the lower hive?
A bunch of worthless scum, a group of bottom-feeders. Unless too many die, it's impossible for the Arbites to care!
"I can't go back, at least not for now!"
Emrys immediately changed direction, turning towards the South District, which was outside the current sphere of influence of the Iron Crows gang.
He did this for two reasons.
Firstly, he couldn't be sure if the cult's psyker that day had clearly seen his face.
Secondly, judging by the hundreds of scavengers massacred in the East District, the cult had already begun preparing the 'sacrifice' ritual. Going back now would be like walking into a tiger's den.
Having made up his mind, Emrys tugged at his hood, trying not to attract attention.
The Bone gang, which currently controlled the South District, was one of the top forces in the entire lower hive, no less than the Crusader gang of the past. It seemed that with the Iron Crows gang's current strength, even with the cult's covert assistance, it would be no easy feat to eliminate 'Bone' in a short time.
Although there were no clear 'districts' in the lower hive, to travel from one gang's territory to another's required paying a 'protection fee'.
Several members of the Bone gang guarded beside a dilapidated, abandoned pipe.
Under normal circumstances, very few scavengers would choose to go to other areas, because no matter where you went, the gang's exploitation existed, with no difference.
"Stop, you, what are you doing?"
A tall man with grayish-white skin and a gas mask raised his gun a few inches, aiming at the shabbily dressed Emrys.
"I, I am a scavenger from the East District. I want to go to the South District, My Lord."
Emrys deliberately showed a fearful expression, and with a dirty hand, pulled out a tube of nutrient paste from his pocket: "This, this is the toll. I know the rules~"
The man glanced at it, then lowered his gun, snatched the nutrient paste from Emrys' hand, and sneered: "Not enough. The price has gone up. It's 30 crowns now!"
What the hell are you talking about? You're just raising the price on the spot! You sonova!
Under the hood, a hint of savagery flashed across Emrys' face, but he quickly suppressed it.
No, I can't argue here!
There were surveillance cameras nearby. If he killed these two bastards, the Bone gang would definitely come looking for him, which would contradict Emrys' desire to keep a low profile and buy time.
He feigned a pleading look, his voice humble: "My Lord, this is all I have. Please let me pass. I promise to pay my respects next time, okay?"
"Get out of here, you bastard, if you don't have money!"
Unexpectedly, the man's face was filled with brutality, and he kicked towards Emrys' face.
Emrys moved extremely quickly, dodging the kick directly, but this action, unexpectedly, directly enraged the other party.
The man, having been dodged, almost did a split on the spot, and was mocked by his companion from behind: "Hahaha, Jason, did you use up all your strength on women last night?"
"Damn it, who the hell told you to dodge?!"
Jason, furious and humiliated, aimed his gun directly at Emrys, roaring: "A trash-picking bastard dares to mess with me? I think you're asking to die!"
"Why can't you just let me pass?"
Emrys pulled a cheap cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a drag, and squinted at the two men: "How about we discuss it? Let me pass, and we'll pretend this never happened, how about that?"
Jason felt his authority challenged, his face grew even more distorted, and veins pulsed on his forehead: "You trash-picking bastard, if I don't kill you today, my name isn't Jason!"
Emrys exhaled a smoke ring: "Right, I was so busy smoking, I almost forgot to beat you."
Psyker powers, activate!
In the blink of an eye, the two Bone gang thugs had their throats snapped.
An Theta-Class psyker, unless directly confronting regular troops, was almost like a 'demon' to ordinary people!
Of course, before making his move, he didn't forget to destroy the surveillance cameras.
"Fuck around and find out: if you won't play by the rules, you're gonna get clapped."
Emrys sneered, searching the two scoundrels and finding dozens of crowns.
Tucking the dozens of crowns into his pocket and retrieving the nutrient paste tube, he stepped directly into the South District, the territory controlled by the Bone gang.
The areas of the lower hive were basically indistinguishable; they all looked the same—dirty streets and alleys overflowing with sewage and radioactive waste, where one could see corpses of those who had starved to death everywhere, as well as emaciated scavengers who had lost the will to live, moving slowly and stiffly like zombies.
Emrys knew that the reason for this was to conserve energy as much as possible and avoid exhaustion.
In his former self's memories, ever since his mother fell ill and passed away, he had often done this, barely surviving on three meals in nine days.
Having changed his clothes, Emrys found a dirty alley that was almost deserted: "This place should be safe from discovery. I'll hide here for a few days and wait for news from Tucker."
Tightening his ill-fitting, loose robe, he lowered his head and walked into the alley.
The brother and sister huddled together in the dirty alley, and the slightly older boy suddenly looked up at the unexpected 'outsider'.
A tense expression appeared on his dirty face.
His eyes were filled with ferocity and wariness, like a beast defending its territory, staring intently at the intruding Emrys.
"I mean no harm."
He lowered his voice, saying in a hoarse tone, "I won't bother you, and I won't come closer."
With that, Emrys stopped explaining and curled up in the corner of the alley, his large robe completely concealing his figure.
Although he was still a few meters away from the siblings, the wariness in the boy's eyes did not lessen.
Emrys knew perfectly well the reason for the other party's caution.
Often, in the eyes of the lower hive's scum, the definition of food encompasses a very wide range!
Especially boys like this, who are already struggling to live, let alone bringing a girl along?
One must know that such a combination, in the eyes of some scum in the lower hive, is equivalent to... emergency rations!
In Emrys' memories, there were several times in his childhood when he almost starved to death and was nearly eaten by some scum.
The lower hive was never a greenhouse; it was a place more cruel than a forest!
And what was laughable was that, even in such a cruel environment, throughout the entire Warhammer Universe, the millions of worlds under the Imperium of Man's rule were considered relatively good.
If there is a hell, then congratulations. This is it!
Using the cover of his hood, Emrys observed the siblings, who were clearly very hungry.
Both were essentially skin and Bone, with no excess muscle. The girl, held in the boy's arms, had not eaten for a long time, and her breathing was shallow and weak.
After a half-second of hesitation, Emrys finally threw the nutrient paste he had in his arms over to them.
He comforted himself, thinking of it as 'rent' for his temporary stay, and besides, this item wasn't as valuable to him now.
He couldn't just watch two people starve to death and do nothing, could he?
He was a scoundrel, yes, but at least within his means and without harming his own interests, helping this pair of siblings was something he could do.
The boy stared at the thrown nutrient paste, a hesitant expression on his face.
He was very hungry, his eyes bloodshot, but looking at the nutrient paste so close, he suppressed his desire and watched Emrys warily.
In the harsh environment of the lower hive, there was rarely kindness without reason.
"Eat it."
Emrys admired the child's composure, his voice hoarse as he said, "That child is about to starve to death."
"Thank you, thank you..."
After several confirmations that the strange person in the alley corner meant no harm, the boy cautiously retrieved the nutrient paste.
He twisted open the cap of the nutrient paste tube, looked at the milky White nutrient gruel, and couldn't help but swallow. Despite his own extreme hunger, he gently brought the nutrient paste to the girl's lips.
Carefully and gently squeezing, he fed the milky White nutrient gruel into the girl's mouth.
The unconscious girl instinctively devoured it, quickly finishing the tube of nutrient paste. Her pale complexion improved slightly, showing a hint of rosiness.
Only after his sister had finished did it come to the boy's turn.
He slowly rolled the tube up from the bottom, not missing a single bit of nutrient gruel, diligently licking the remaining trace of milky White liquid.
Watching the boy's actions, Emrys felt a heavy stone in his heart, unable to speak.
"What are your names?"
He asked on a whim.
"Gawain."
Perhaps due to the nutrient paste, the boy's wariness lessened. He said softly, "My name is Gawain, and she is my sister, Via."
"Oh."
Emrys fell silent, his mind ran, unsure how to continue the conversation.
"Thank you, sir. If it weren't for you, my sister might have starved to death." The boy lowered his head, looking tenderly at his unconscious sister in his arms, and thanked him sincerely again.
"Aren't you hungry?"
Emrys opened his mouth, but found he could only ask this pointless question.
How could he not be hungry?
One tube of nutrient paste, if eaten sparingly, could indeed sustain an adult for seven days.
But, ultimately, it could only fill one person's stomach.
"It's okay, I'm very healthy and don't get sick easily!"
Gawain's dirty face broke into a smile.
Yes, healthy and not prone to illness, so... more able to endure hunger, isn't that right?
Emrys felt inexplicably annoyed. His rationality told him that there were too many such situations; even if he wanted to help, how many people could he assist?
Moreover, he wasn't even safe himself right now, so where would he find the ability to help others?
But, his emotional side, or perhaps the lingering morality from his previous life, prevented him from turning a blind eye.
The clash of emotion and reason was like two little figures arguing in his mind!
'You can help them for a while, but can you help them for a lifetime?'
'But you clearly have the ability to help them!'
'Hypocrisy! Falsehood! What do you think you are? A savior?'
'No, I'm just an ordinary person!'
The conflict ended. Emrys couldn't bring himself to watch the siblings, who shared his past experiences but faced even greater hardship, starve to death.
Forget it, consider it repayment for the scavenger who saved him back then.
Once, when he was about to starve to death, a kind, limping scavenger gave him his last portion of food, and then starved to death himself.
It was precisely because he had received help that Emrys chose to help this unfortunate pair of siblings.
He sighed, pulled out three 10-crown coins, and threw them over: "Take these to buy three portions of nutrient gruel. It should be enough for you to live for a while."
30 crowns was considered a considerable sum in the eyes of many scavengers in the lower hive.
Gawain's eyes widened, an expression of disbelief on his face, as he stammered, "You... you... really giving it all to me?"
"Don't misunderstand, it's inconvenient for me to go out."
Emrys found an excuse and said, "Three portions of nutrient gruel, including my share, understand?"
"I... I understand, thank you!"
Gawain picked up the three coins, looking nervously at him: "I... I will never tell anyone you're here!"
"Mm."
Emrys responded softly.
In fact, he didn't care if Gawain would tell others his whereabouts.
There were many people seeking refuge in the lower hive; even if Gawain spoke out, the Bone gang wouldn't immediately suspect him.
Besides, in the surveillance footage, he was wearing a robe with his face obscured by a hood. Such attire was all too common in the lower hive and couldn't be considered a distinguishing feature.
"Please, could you help me look after my sister."
Gawain gritted his teeth, hesitated, then gently placed his sister, whom he had been holding, in the alley.
This kid... is unexpectedly clever!
Emrys was a little surprised. He could clearly see that the boy leaving his sister was a 'guarantee' that he wouldn't reveal his whereabouts.
Moreover, a child buying nutrient paste with crowns always carried the risk of being targeted.
Leaving his sister not only showed his 'resolve' but also avoided danger—killing two birds with one stone!