Chapter 1#
Chapter 1#
Playing Innocent is Shameful
Author: Red Mouth, White Teeth
First Release: Jinjiang Literature City
[Earth Calendar 345 · C3 District, D-Class Train Waiting Hall]
“Zhao Xing really got kicked out?”
“I told you guys, but you didn’t believe me, insisted on coming to see…”
“Shh, keep your voices down!”
“What’s there to be afraid of? Still think he’s the Third Young Master Zhao? He’s long been a stray dog, and he’s asleep now, wearing headphones…” Even so, the speaker’s voice dropped significantly.
“Not only did the Zhao family abandon him, but they even bought him a D-class ticket? How pitiful, tsk tsk…”
“Do you really feel sorry for him?”
“…Not really. It’s just… the ups and downs of life are something. And also, Zhao Xing isn’t all that impressive. Strip away the Zhao family’s halo, and he’s just an ordinary person. No, worse than ordinary—a good-for-nothing punk…”
“I heard the K City District 3 where Zhao Xing’s headed is a real shithole. Poor and chaotic, basically a punk concentration camp.”
“Then it suits him perfectly…”
So noisy.
Buzzing like flies.
Kept him from sleeping.
The young man, who had been sitting back in the waiting area chair resting, couldn’t help but sigh and open his eyes.
He was Zhao Xing.
The disgrace of the prestigious Zhao family in C City, the punk leader in everyone’s eyes, the idle and extravagant rich second generation.
Also a laughingstock among his peers and a classic case of failed education.
Now, because of his “mistakes,” he was abandoned by the Zhao family and exiled to the desolate and backward K City District 3 to fend for himself.
His new nickname was “Stray Dog.”
The group chattering behind the pillar nearby were all “minor punks” from families with a bit of money but with no status in their clans.
Once they followed Zhao Xing around shouting “Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao,” but now that Zhao Xing had fallen, they came to see the joke and wanted to kick him while he was down.
How stupid could they be, badmouthing someone right in front of them?
Zhao Xing sighed, feeling he must have been blind in the past.
So he’d been hanging out with a bunch of idiots this stupid all these years?
Then in others’ eyes, wasn’t he just the king of idiots—the King of Fools?
.
The moment Zhao Xing opened his eyes, those little idiots hiding behind the pillar shut up instantly.
When his gaze swept over, one of them was already trying to sneak away.
How could they be this stupid and this cowardly?!
Zhao Xing sighed again.
He took off his headphones and casually tossed them into a nearby trash can.
Then he crooked his finger at his former lackeys.
Their faces went pale.
They looked at the trash can, then at Zhao Xing, who appeared lazy but had a clear gaze, showing no sign of drowsiness. They finally realized a cruel fact—
Zhao Xing wasn’t asleep; the headphones weren’t playing music, and he’d heard every one of their taunts.
Their expressions changed drastically. Two of them even stopped breathing. The quicker-witted one, a blond, turned to run!
But it was too late.
Almost in an instant, the previously relaxed Zhao Xing shed his lazy posture and shot out like a leopard!
“Bang!”
Zhao Xing was tall, at least 187 centimeters, with long, straight legs wrapped in black cargo pants. In just a couple of steps, he caught up to the blond and landed a flying kick to his back. With a scream, the blond flew three or four meters, crashing face-first to the ground, tears and blood streaming from his nose.
Perfect.
The move was pure art, worthy of being filmed in slow motion and played on a big screen.
Zhao Xing silently praised himself.
The remaining three didn’t dare run. They stood with heads bowed, fidgeting with their hands, faces full of fear.
The chaos in the underground train waiting hall fell silent for a few seconds.
Then, like a virus, the crowd scattered, keeping ten meters away.
Those who didn’t want trouble hurried away; the idle slowed down to peek; some secretly called security.
Zhao Xing: “Come on, let’s go to the restroom.”
The three standing immediately followed him obediently, like chicks, toward the restroom.
The one on the ground tried to get up twice but couldn’t, tears streaming down.
As he was about to stand up for the third time, Zhao Xing put his right foot on the back of his head and pressed him down.
His black Marten boot ground the blond’s face into the floor, not hard but not lightly, twisting a couple of times.
Zhao Xing rested his right arm on his bent knee, leaned down to look at the blond with tears and blood mixed on his face, and said gently, “Be good. You don’t need to come. Go watch my luggage for your brother.”
“Th… Thank you, Brother Zhao.”
After Zhao Xing pulled his leg back, as if disgusted by the blood on his sole, he wiped it twice on the blond’s shoulder before striding away on his long legs.
It wasn’t until Zhao Xing entered the restroom with the other three that a passing girl cautiously approached: “Um… Are you and your friend okay? Should we call the police for you?”
“No, no…” The blond shook his head frantically, smiling sheepishly, “No need to call the police. We were just… playing around. I’m not being bullied, really.”
Yet as he said this, the twisted expression of pain and the panic in his eyes when he got up were unmistakable.
Since he said so, nobody else wanted to meddle.
The girl watched the blond limp off to watch Zhao Xing’s luggage. She took out her phone, fuming.
The image on her phone showed a young man in a simple black hoodie, cargo pants, and Marten boots, loosely leaning back in his seat, asleep. Though his posture seemed a bit arrogant, his thin lips slightly pursed, his nose straight, his brows carrying almost sharp handsomeness—a sharp, unruly youthful spirit that seemed to burst through the crowd, break through the screen, and make hearts tremble.
He looked like a sudden, unsheathed black sword sleeping in a crowded exhibition hall.
—This was the photo of Zhao Xing “asleep” that she had secretly taken earlier.
The girl stared at the photo for a moment, then gritted her teeth, steeled herself, and deleted it. She muttered reluctantly:
“He’s just a scumbag, why does he have to be so handsome… No matter how handsome, he’s still trash. Delete, delete…”
.
When Zhao Xing came out of the restroom with the three men, the blond was standing nervously by the luggage, waiting. Seeing Zhao Xing, he immediately tensed up and called out, “Brother Zhao.”
Zhao Xing hadn’t hit them in the face this time, so the three behind him looked decent enough, but they all limped, and the exposed parts of their wrists had alarming bruises.
Zhao Xing nodded casually at the blond, picked up the ticket from the luggage, and glanced at it.
“Ah,” Zhao Xing’s tone suddenly became regretful. “…To say goodbye to you all, I missed my train. What now?”
The four of them were stunned. The blond reacted first: “Brother Zhao, it’s all our fault. We’ll buy you a new ticket right away.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The four took Zhao Xing’s luggage to the nearest ticket booth.
Zhao Xing handed over the original ticket: “Book the next one.”
The staff member looked at the ticket, then at Zhao Xing. Without a word, she nodded and began processing.
“Brother Zhao, why don’t we upgrade you to an A-class train? D-class is beneath you,” the blond fawned.
“Yeah, yeah…” the others chimed in.
The staff paused: “There’s no A-class to that destination—”
“No need,” Zhao Xing interrupted her, glancing at the blond. Nonchalantly, he said, “A-class, huh… You guys are so rich, much richer than a stray dog.”
The group froze. Hastily, they pulled out all the cash left in their wallets, forcing stiff smiles: “Brother Zhao… this is a token of our respect. We came in a hurry and didn’t bring you a farewell gift. Please accept it.”
Zhao Xing took the money, counted it, and said lazily, “This doesn’t look good, like I’m robbing you.”
“Not at all, it’s nothing. Brother Zhao… you used to spend a lot of money on us, too.”
“Yes, yes. Every time we went out, you paid.”
“This small sum isn’t even enough for one of your old outings with us.”
Zhao Xing put the money in his wallet and said flatly, “Oh, really? This much isn’t even enough for one meal you used to have with me?”
They were stunned again.
The blond licked his lips, dryly said, “I… I…”
He gritted his teeth, pulled out his phone, and transferred all his savings to Zhao Xing, smiling more bitterly than crying: “Brother Zhao… I feel this small amount is too stingy, so I transferred everything I have in my card. Not much, please accept it.”
The others followed suit.
Zhao Xing accepted without hesitation.
It wasn’t much—barely a million in total.
Not even enough for what Zhao Xing spent taking them to “Simulated Earth City” last year.
Consider it them paying him back.
.
After Zhao Xing left, the four found a seat to nurse their wounds, wincing in pain.
“It hurts so much… I think my ribs are broken…”
“What now? I don’t have money for the return trip. Do I have to walk back?”
“I’m going to die on the road. Brother Zhao broke my leg.”
“That money I saved for three years… I… I want to cry.”
“Wait, in this situation, can we sue him for extortion later?”
“…Probably not. I put a note on the transfer saying ‘Wishing Brother Zhao a safe journey, a small token, not worthy of mention.’”
“I did too.”
“I also… sent some good wishes.”
“…Damn, we’re all born with slave mentality! Why are you so scared of him?!”
“You’re not scared? You were the fastest to pull out your money; you even wanted to give him the coins from the hidden compartment.”
“…”
“Wait, he’s not the Third Young Master Zhao anymore. Why are we still so afraid of him?”
Silence.
Someone broke it: “We can’t beat him, and resisting gets us beaten worse.”
“Really? Does he dare to beat us to death?”
More silence.
Then a small voice said:
“But… he got kicked out of the Zhao family precisely because he beat someone to death.”
.
“The D-class Train No. 578 to K3 District will begin boarding in ten minutes. Please proceed to Entrance 44.”
A mechanical electronic voice sounded, and Zhao Xing followed the crowd to Entrance 44.
Entrance 44 was the most remote in the waiting hall.
Zhao Xing walked to the far left of the hall, entered a dim underground passage, and descended 578 steps before seeing a huge red warning sign:
“Entrance 44.”
The blood-red huge number was printed above the mottled, crude train tunnel entrance, like a beast swallowing passengers with numb expressions one by one.
Zhao Xing pulled his suitcase and went in.
At this time, only Train No. 578 was about to depart from Entrance 44.
Four mechanical arms replaced the attendants for ticket checking.
Zhao Xing extended his left hand, letting the mechanical arm scan his ticket and wristband.
“Zhao Xing, cleared. Please board the train. Read the passenger guide carefully. We are not responsible for any accidents.”
Zhao Xing entered the carriage.
Zhao Xing usually only took A-class or S-class special trains. Although they were underground trains, they had spacious, comfortable seats, bright environments, friendly human attendants, electronic screens simulating blue sky and white clouds above, and simulated windows displaying beautiful scenery outside, offering the most comfortable travel experience.
But the D-class train he was on now cost one-tenth of an A-class ticket, yet the experience was less than one-hundredth.
There were no attendants, not even the lowest-grade robot attendants.
No ceiling sky screen, no electronic windows.
It was crowded, noisy, and dark.
No seats, only standing room.
People packed together.
“The train is about to depart. All passengers, please hold the handrails firmly.”
Zhao Xing held the handrail as instructed.
A nearby child refused to cooperate, his guardian forcibly pressing his hand onto the rail. The child wailed, spittle seemingly landing on Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing closed his eyes in irritation.
It wasn’t that Zhao Xing couldn’t afford an A-class ticket.
But this was the only train to his destination.
He had no choice.
“Three, two, one. The train is departing. Good night.”
With the mechanical electronic sound, the doors closed one by one, and the indicator lights went out one by one.
“Click.”
Simultaneously, a thin chain extended from inside each handrail, sliding down passengers’ arms to their waists, where it clicked into place—the standing seatbelt.
“Fssss—”
Mist began spraying from the ceiling.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
The first to fall asleep was the crying child, then women and the elderly, and finally the young adults.
All fell asleep.
—Except Zhao Xing.
His constitution was special; all sedatives and anesthetics were ineffective against him.
This meant that while everyone else would wake up at their destination, he had to stand in this dark, quiet place for four hours.
The train started moving. Zhao Xing quietly surveyed his surroundings.
All indicator lights were off. Everyone was asleep.
It was as quiet as a tomb.
When Zhao Xing’s eyes fully adjusted to the dark, he could see the faintly glowing colors on each person’s wristband.
Red, yellow, green, white.
Everyone’s identity wristband had to be worn from birth, but it only glowed under special circumstances.
Clearly, all passengers in Car 578 fell under such circumstances.
Red glow—serious crime, imprisonment for ten years or more.
Yellow glow—minor crime, imprisonment for less than ten years.
Green glow—innocent; family member of a criminal, voluntarily or unavoidably accompanying the criminal (usually children under eight).
Zhao Xing’s wristband glowed the fourth color.
White glow—potential criminal, determined to be a high-risk social destabilizer with a high likelihood of committing crimes.
.
Many thought that Zhao Xing, the laughingstock Third Young Master of the Zhao family, was exiled to the remote, backward K City District 3 because he beat someone to death.
But this account had two errors.
First: Zhao Xing wasn’t simply exiled to K City District 3; he was sent to K13 District, also known as Prison City.
Second: Zhao Xing didn’t beat anyone to death. He was seriously wronged.
Here’s what happened: That day, he happened upon someone who had fallen into the water. Filled with goodwill, he jumped in to rescue the person.
He even performed CPR.
Though his technique wasn’t great and he broke two of the person’s ribs, at least the person regained consciousness.
Unfortunately, that person was a collateral relative of the Zhao family, technically Zhao Xing’s cousin, and had a grudge against Zhao Xing.
His first words upon waking: “Zhao Xing… it was you! You pushed me in, you murderer!”
Zhao Xing: “…”
Zhao Xing couldn’t continue the rescue.
He suppressed the urge to throw the person back into the water, slapped him twice, kicked him once, and walked away.
But fate was cruel: Soon after Zhao Xing left, that person died due to a lack of follow-up treatment.
In the end, the incredibly unlucky Zhao Xing wasn’t convicted of murder but was deemed a potential criminal in urgent need of ideological reform.
.
When the train arrived at the destination, Zhao Xing’s arms were stiff.
The darkness, silence, and long standing left him in an extremely foul mood, plunging him into an indescribable irritability.
In stark contrast, others seemed to wake from beautiful dreams, their eyes blank and calm, like controlled puppets, autonomously choosing surface track trains to their destinations.
Even without supervision, no one attempted to escape, because their wristbands would emit powerful electric shocks the moment they tried.
After an hour of rocking on a surface track train, Zhao Xing finally reached his destination—the entrance to No. 8 Underground Building.
A prison guard scanned Zhao Xing’s wristband at the entrance and handed him an electronic card.
The card clearly stated:
Residence: No. 8 Underground Building, Room 1502.
School: No. 7 Academy.
Factory: No. 5 Factory.
Balance: 0 Repentance Points.
To protect privacy, the card didn’t display the individual’s criminal level, and the colored glow on wristbands only appeared in total darkness and could be easily concealed.
All because of two sentences on the back:
“All Earth people are born equal.”
“Even if we have committed crimes, we can repent and gain new life.”
.
“Your luggage has been inspected,” the guard returned the suitcase to Zhao Xing. “All items are compliant.”
Zhao Xing hadn’t even brought a phone—couldn’t listen to music along the way—so of course it was compliant.
Zhao Xing nodded and handed his bank card to the guard: “Convert all the money inside to Repentance Points.”
Repentance Points could buy almost anything here, more useful than money.
Money here had only two purposes: either freeze it and take it out later, or exchange it for Repentance Points at a ridiculous rate of 10,000:1.
The guard swiped the card: “There’s 1.32 million here. All of it?”
A guy behind Zhao Xing couldn’t help but warn him: “Dude, 10,000 yuan only gets you 1 Repentance Point, but you can’t exchange it back. I heard you get 1 Repentance Point a day just by working. This exchange is such a loss. You’re better off saving the money and spending it outside.”
Zhao Xing ignored him and repeated to the guard: “All of it.”
After processing, the guard handed the card back to Zhao Xing and casually said, “You’re not a first-timer, are you?”
Zhao Xing “hmm’d” and turned to leave.
The guy behind immediately caught up: “Dude, you’re not a first-timer? So you must be pretty familiar with this place… You look young, probably same age as me. My name is Zhou Ming, 19. What about you?”
Zhao Xing had just been annoyed by four former lackeys and didn’t want any more followers.
So he said impatiently, “Get lost.”
Zhou Ming was stunned.
But perhaps Zhao Xing looked too tired to be intimidating, or Zhou Ming really wanted an experienced guide. He hesitated only a couple of seconds, then grabbed his suitcase and ran after Zhao Xing: “Brother, I’ll call you brother, okay? What crime did you commit to end up here? Last time you came, how was it? Can you tell me what Repentance Points are for…”
Chatterbox.
Zhao Xing stopped.
Zhou Ming was overjoyed and immediately leaned in: “Brother, just tell me. What’s so special about Repentance Points that you’d spend that much money?”
Zhao Xing suddenly kicked Zhou Ming in the shin.
Zhou Ming stumbled uncontrollably and fell to his knees. He looked up at Zhao Xing, his face full of shock and pain.
Zhao Xing sneered: “I told you to get lost. Didn’t you hear?”
No one expected that someone would start a fight on their very first day here.
Everyone around looked over.
Even the guard glanced their way.
Zhou Ming’s leg trembled from pain. Struggling, he got up and looked at the guard helplessly.
But to his disappointment, the guard didn’t punish Zhao Xing for his “misdeed.”
At the same time, a “ding” sounded.
A mechanical electronic voice came from Zhao Xing’s card:
“Zhao Xing, deduct 2 points. Balance: 130 Repentance Points.”
Zhao Xing tapped Zhou Ming’s face with his card, his tone malicious and his attitude extremely arrogant: “See, you idiot? That’s how you use Repentance Points.”
With that, he turned and left, leaving the stunned crowd behind.
.
Zhao Xing hadn’t come here for the first time.
Years ago, he had been a criminal’s child, with a green glow on his wristband.
His mother had been sentenced to nine years of imprisonment and gave birth to him here.
Zhao Xing lived here for eight years and once thought this was his home.
.
Zhao Xing’s dormitory number was 1502, meaning Room 2 on the 15th underground floor, a cramped eight-person room.
Only with enough Repentance Points could one get better living conditions.
After standing on the train for five hours, Zhao Xing was exhausted and desperately needed sleep.
But when he reached the dormitory door, he found a crowd gathered around Room 1502, noisy and chaotic.
Zhao Xing scratched his hair.
What’s with all the shitty things happening today?
He roughly pushed through the crowd to reach the center of the commotion.
The troublemaker was a muscular man in a vest, his arms covered in tattoos. He leaned against the doorframe and said gruffly, “Damn it, I took a liking to you, so you should be honored. No matter what you think, you’re coming with me today.”
Zhao Xing: “…”
So, it was a gay guy causing trouble.
Zhao Xing decided right then to continue hating this group.
He turned his head to see who exactly this “femme fatale” was attracting trouble.
When Zhao Xing saw the person, he froze for a moment.
A girl?
No.
Though the person had long jet-black hair, their features and frame were clearly a teenage boy.
He looked about sixteen or seventeen, not short, but his deathly pale skin and skinny build made him appear weak.
Now, his pale, slender right hand—even his fingertips and knuckles had a faint pinkish tint—was tremblingly clutching a piece of glass, locked in a standoff with the man opposite him.
He lifted his head, revealing a snow-white face with strands of hair stuck to it, crimson lips bitten to blood, and clear, cold eyes.
This appearance couldn’t even be described as handsome.
It was simply beautiful.
Like a blood-stained white rose in the snow, tempting people to pluck it.
As soon as Zhao Xing saw that face, his mind exploded with a “buzz.”
He slowly put down his suitcase and walked over step by step. Then, without warning, he kicked the boy in the stomach, sending him to the ground. In the next instant, he straddled the boy’s waist and punched him in the beautiful face, one blow after another.
Once, twice, three times.
Very slow, but extremely vicious.
He grabbed the boy’s pale neck with his bloody hand, leaned down, and whispered in his ear.
His voice was sinister yet gentle:
“Luo Luo, long time no see.”
“Did you miss your brother?”