Gun of Ashes

”Feeling quite nice, huh.”

The man who had injected the drug swayed, savoring the bliss, and couldn’t help but speak.

In the shadows of Old Dunling, this hallucinogen had already become essential; for a modest price, you could enjoy a happiness that this steel city could never provide.

Though the authorities had tried to crack down multiple times, the greed for money and pleasure only made it more stubborn. In today’s martial state, the price of hallucinogens soared, turning these goods into their golden opportunity to earn.

The mounted patrol officers patrolled overhead, oblivious to the fact that they hid here, transporting goods in this manner.

”Don’t use too much. I won’t carry you back,” the other person said.

This remark seemed to sober the man up a bit, as just a few days ago someone overdosed on the drug, lost consciousness, and fell into the canal. Whether he was saved by some interception net or drowned, or even thrown directly into the furnace.

”Whew... this new batch is really good.”

He rubbed his eyes vigorously, as if it was a stimulant, feeling strength surging through his entire body.

”I’m a bit curious about where these things are made.” He picked up a vial of hallucinogen, the exquisite container holding a liquid of wealth.

”I hope you drop that thought; it involves the wealth of some big figures.”

The leader spoke, his tone was extremely cold. They were rats living in the shadows, unable to bear even a glimmer of light.

”I know, I know... but these things are really superb.”

The man gently stroked the cold surface, under the remaining light from the searchlights, the liquid inside burst into vibrant colors. Whether it was a result of the hallucinogen or the liquid itself, it seemed to glimmer with starlight, multicolored.

They continued transporting the goods. It was deep underground, near one of the furnace pillar’s exhaust systems. The high-temperature steam constantly threatened their lives.

Luckily, they had done this many times before—complex routes had grown familiar, and the old corroding ladders had been reinforced by them again.

Perhaps due to a safe terrain, a delight in profits, and other factors, they hadn’t noticed the addition of a strange shadow in the darkness, neither too far nor too near, maintaining a delicate balance.

Lorenzo walked in their blind spot, cautiously approaching, trying to overhear their conversation.

The instant the man injected the hallucinogen, Lorenzo clearly sensed the presence of a demon, or perhaps the scent of Secret Blood.

Hallucinogens mixed with Secret Blood was a trick only Lawrence had done before, but now he’s dead, so where are these drugs coming from?

Thinking of this, Lorenzo couldn’t help but wonder at the eerie connection. The Purification Mechanism had been searching for answers for so long, and Lorenzo just stumbled upon it, or perhaps those dark hands propelled them together, just as Lorenzo initially abducted Eve, triggering the beginning of the story.

From the smallest details, gradually reaching the center of the vortex.

Lorenzo might trace these goods back to their source, to Lawrence’s accomplices.

For this reason, Lorenzo suppressed the urge to kill that had just arisen in him. He needed these people alive, at least to lead him out of this underground maze, to see where they intended to send the goods.

The folding blade and firearms were hidden beneath him, and there were no extra metal parts on Lorenzo’s clothing, preventing any reflection in the darkness. He held his breath, shadowing them like an apparition.

The darkness housed similar shadows following Lorenzo, rats crawled from the shadows, climbing and feeding back and forth on the men’s interception nets, consuming dead fish and discarded garbage—a feast for the rats.

Teeth gnawed, emitting a faint crunching sound, reminiscent of metal lightly cutting against metal.

The men were long accustomed to the presence of these rats; they permeated the underground, while the ever-following Lorenzo took notice due to all this, his expression grave.

Now, for Lorenzo, there was a more complex conundrum.

Who is the Rat King? What exactly does he intend to do? What else does he know?

Lorenzo, a man steeped in darkness, possesses a curious attraction to everything related to the dark; they tug at each other. Even if you live quietly, you will be disrupted by the sudden appearance of a demon—it’s all like this.

Thus, Lorenzo had gotten used to it, yet this incident still chilled him. Since he saw Kamu searching for the informant merchant... or perhaps even when he went to find Pres, picking a case right after.

An ordinary case ultimately merged into the darkness; rather than saying it’s an almost impossible coincidence, it’s more like everything was predestined.

Lorenzo would mischievously pick up that case, with event after event spiraling deeper into the heart of the dark.

Strange things attract one another, plunging into the whirlpool of darkness, meeting at that profound center.

They’re about to leave, but some remained behind. After operating here for so long, this place had already become akin to a base. Searchlights illuminated the other end, where a tall ladder ascended along the iron wall, appearing as the exit route for a few of them.

Some departed while others maintained operations here; some even gathered around the interception net, drove away the rats, looking if there was anything valuable amidst the trash.