Within hours, the storm had completely taken over, blowing a heavy blanket of snow across Belium City. Su Zheng and Pei Luo led the group deep into the East District, a sprawling sector where the city's rawest, roughest elements lived out in the open.
Here, the neon lights buzzed with a harsh glow, red lanterns flickered outside crowded bars, and the low thrum of music bled through the thin walls of concrete buildings.
Despite the freezing chill, people drifted onto the streets, some catching the falling snowflakes with genuine smiles, while others simply stared up at the dark sky with quiet melancholy.
The safehouse apartment they reached was clearly scarcely lived in, coated in a light layer of dust and furnished with the bare essentials.
Once inside, an awkward, heavy tension settled over the room. Instead of blending together, the group naturally cracked, everyone choosing to stand or sit closely with their own partners.
