The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 466 - 329: Determination and Rebellion

Chapter 466: Chapter 329: Determination and Rebellion

Scavenger girl Ke Ni led Li Yi through the alleys of Philadelphia, obviously familiar with the area, navigating the maze-like alleys with ease. When faced with danger, she would dart into these alleys where enemies could easily lose track of her—a survival tactic for those at the bottom.

However, the alleys always reeked of unpleasant odors, and the ground covered in various industrial wastewater. Walking here required a lot of experience, otherwise inhaling a mouthful of toxic air could knock someone unconscious, likely leading to death if no help arrived.

Li Yi inquired about the situation, Ke Ni mentioned that bodies were found daily in the alleys, some of which belonged to Scavengers, others to murdered Philadelphia citizens. Security here was poor, filled with corruption and chaos.

At some alley intersections, he even spotted some gang members.

These thugs had colorful fluorescent tattoos and were dressed in garish colors, flashing like a carousel, presumably part of a gang.

Ke Ni was wary of these thugs, always trying to avoid them with Li Yi, not wanting to get tangled and troubled.

Because the lowest level thugs always bullied the most vulnerable, whereas the big shots showed no interest in them, nor did they bother to make life difficult for them.

"Ke Ni, stop trying to slip away. You haven’t paid last month’s residency tax, you need to clear the balance today. What’s that in your hand? An energy source? Hand it over, such things shouldn’t belong to you."

Suddenly, as Ke Ni passed an intersection, a green-haired thug recognized her. He yelled and then charged towards her with a menacing air.

Facing the gang member, Ke Ni instinctively panicked and tried to flee with her cart.

But soon, a blond thug appeared at the other end of the alley, grinning as he blocked Ke Ni’s path.

Initially, the two intended to tease Ke Ni, seeking amusement in their tedious lives.

However, their smiles froze upon seeing Li Yi behind Ke Ni—though not sharply observant, Li Yi’s aura sent a wave of fear through them.

"He’s a genetic warrior..."

The thought flashed instantly through their minds.

"This world has blondes too? If you two don’t want to die here, scram," Li Yi stated calmly.

The thugs no longer dared to mess with Ke Ni and turned to flee immediately.

In Philadelphia, a genetic warrior symbolized power and order, meaning they could kill these low-level thugs without the Sheriff holding them accountable. Instead, announcements would be made claiming the thugs were killed for stealing from a genetic warrior.

"Wow, Yi, you are so cool, scaring them off. They certainly won’t dare to demand residency tax from me anymore," Ke Ni exclaimed excitedly on seeing this.

"People are living in sewers and still have to pay residency tax?" Li Yi asked.

"It’s not collected by the Genetic Federation but by the Mama Gang of this area," Ke Ni replied.

"Mama Gang? What a gang, what an awful name," Li Yi remarked.

"Mama Gang is a gang established by a female genetic warrior named Hong Zhen. She adopted many orphans of Philadelphia who affectionately call her ’Mama’, hence the gang’s name," Ke Ni explained.

"Why didn’t you join this gang? It could have saved you from being bullied," Li Yi asked.

"Mama Gang only recruits boys, not girls," Ke Ni said, sounding regretful.

"I see," Li Yi nodded, gaining a rough understanding of the situation.

Soon.

Ke Ni led Li Yi to a large sewer entrance, over three meters high, allowing adult men to enter and exit freely. She pulled her cart and went in as if accustomed to the pervasive smell, without finding it disgusting.

Seeing this, Li Yi thought of his past life in the old district of Tianchang City, similarly suffused with dampness and stench.

Yet, compared to this, his own living situation seemed relatively better.

Inside the spacious sewer, Ke Ni wasn’t the only inhabitant. Further inside, Li Yi found many people had made homes here, building makeshift beds from metal and fixing them to the walls with nails, creating rudimentary homes.

The deeper they went, the more people there were.

Li Yi took a brief look and noticed that those living here were the poorest of the poor, including elderly, women, and middle-aged individuals with disabilities. Few children were seen, making Ke Ni somewhat an exception.

However, his presence attracted a lot of attention.

Pairs of numbed eyes curiously and nervously observed Li Yi, extremely cautious and even afraid to make eye contact. From Li Yi’s armor and looks, it was clear he wasn’t one of them; he was likely a genetic warrior. Why a genetic warrior would follow Ke Ni into the sewers was baffling.

Puzzled.

In reality, Li Yi had no particular purpose for being here, he simply had nowhere else to go. He wanted to stroll and better understand the city, as well as better understand the world of Sector Six.