章 7: The Dark Streets
(AN: If you read the previous version of this story, then from this point on, there will be a lot of changes.)
The girl in the plain white pajamas stood in the middle of the busy street.
The street bustled with festive people, no one even caring to look at her. In awe, she stared at the world around her. It was the first time she had seen anything like that. Her past life was in a different and much less advanced world of magic, and in her current one, she spent all her years sheltered in her expensive mansion or locked in the hospital.
"Look where you are standing, kiddo!" A man in a red tuxedo, blue cape, and suit of shiny, metallically looking fabric pushed her out of his way while murmuring, "Fucking, junkies..."
Initially, she had been concerned about standing out too much in her white pajamas. However, as she observed the passersby with their frequently amusing and diverse outfits, she came to the realization that her worries were unfounded.
'Thank goodness, it is a New Year festival. Streets are full of people, and everyone is drunk and dressed in festive clothes.' It was as if the goddess of luck herself stood on her side, helping her with her escape.
'This is not part of the city for me... Sooner or later, someone will spot and report me. Cameras are everywhere, so it is only a matter of time before they find me.'
Soon her eyes fell on a disheveled man in dirty and tattered clothes and long, greasy hair that looked like they had never seen even a droplet of shampoo, 'Follow the poor, and you will find a place where no guards dare to go.'
With unwavering determination, she seamlessly melded into the bustling crowd, discreetly shadowing the intoxicated man who stumbled through the tightly packed streets.
As she continued onward, she found herself venturing deeper and deeper into the heart of the city.
Gradually, the jubilant throngs of celebrants began to dwindle, replaced by a darker, more somber atmosphere.
Here, the streets were dimly lit, and beggars lay despondently on the sidewalks as she persisted in her pursuit. The murky, foul-smelling water pooled in puddles, reflecting the flickering neon lights emanating from the abandoned buildings and shady businesses.
The tattooed men and women smoked and drank in the corners, guns, knives, and metal poles hanging on their waists. The sparsely clothed woman, looking so plastic and fake they could be mistaken for an android, was waving, shouting, and sending kisses at the passerby.
She hated it, but it was her best hope. Recalling articles from the local news she had read long ago, she remembered warnings about the growing problem of the city downtown 'Not even planetary guards dare to come here casually if they don't want to get shot. Gangs are the rulers here. There is no surveillance they could use to track me down as the local gangs already took it down.'
As she ventured further into the depths of the city's underbelly, a peculiar transformation occurred. The once grimy and litter-strewn streets now showed signs of better maintenance, and the presence of beggars faded away, gradually replaced by an enigmatic crowd of shady-looking individuals.
They all walked in silence, their watchful eyes constantly scanning for any threat, yet no one made any overtly aggressive gestures.
She surmised that she had entered a shady place, a fragile peace held together by an unspoken understanding among its residents and visitors.
They curiously observed her, her out-of-place pajamas marking her as an outsider and potential trouble. However, she felt that as long as she did not disrupt the peace, no one would bother to report her to authorities.
She saw a similar dark society hiding beneath the surface in her past life and already knew its rules and customs.
'This is the dark side of the Federation... You have rights and freedoms, but at the same time, there is no social security, and the planetary guard can barely protect the rich and middle class, leaving the rest to fend for themselves. The poor had to make their own laws.' From the day she was born, she was raised and groomed as a federation citizen of the upper class, leading her to believe it was the best place to live.
However, now she felt nothing but disdain as she experienced the corrupted justice system on her own skin and the treatment of the less fortunate. And now she saw all the people who were thrown away by the system after being used and deemed useless.
"Ahhh!" Shouts echoed through the murky, neon-lit streets as a bunch of goons in a shadow beat a man with metal poles again and again.
"Please, I will get you your money! Ah"
Tia continued to walk deeper and deeper into the shady, poor parts of the city, shivers passing down her body under the cold evening air. Her nose wrenched at the disgusting smell of human filth in the air.
Human eyes constantly stared at her, but no one dared to move, the pulsing blue glow of her plasma pistol working as a strong deterrent.
'Where to go?' She escaped, but she was alone and wanted, without any money. Her stomach audibly grumbled in hunger.
Suddenly, a thunderclap rumbled above her head, and heavy rain descended. The raindrops drummed on the metal and concrete roofs.
'Are you kidding me?'
She looked around in search of shelter as the cold droplets of water soaked her hair and clothes.
Then the sound of rotors hummed in the sky, catching her attention. The bright red and blue light flashed above her head, the bright searchlight lighting the street behind her.
The crowds dispersed like rats in an instant, all people vanishing into buildings and stores, leaving only her, the dirty beggars outside as the planetary guard drone slowly approached.
The metal bars and shutters closed on the stores with loud ringing sounds, and the lights dimmed down.
With disgust, Tia looked in the direction of a dark and dirty sidestreet, the squealing of rats, moaning of junkies, and coughing of sick homeless coming out. She shuddered just at the thought of entering there, but there was no other solution as the drone quickly approached, the bright flashing light getting brighter and the humming of engines louder.
'On this main and empty street, there is no way they would not detect me here.'
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