since the red moon appeared

Chapter 15

“Square Transportation Company is one of the largest freight companies in the north of the city. Their main business is the transport of goods between satellite cities, and they can even pick up transportation orders between the main city and other tall walls. Their boss is a lady named Ms. Chen. I heard their business is very big, and their scope of business is not limited to satellite cities. They even have connections to the main city!

“Brother Lu, are we sure… we want to look for them?”

Lv Cheng looked very grateful to have received Lu Xin’s permission to join the project.

He knew that with his own qualifications, even if he had been favored by the director’s daughter, it was still a very difficult thing to stay in this company without any achievements. That was especially when he had tried to steal Lu Xin’s job and failed, creating a situation where everyone in the office resented him and his reputation had fallen greatly. So, he was very attached to this job and showed great interest.

This was also a very important project for the whole company.

Their company was a small trading company, and their main business was the trade between satellite cities. But the project Lu Xin was named to be in charge of was related to the main city. To be able to do business with the main city was the dream of all companies.

Therefore, he not only quickly helped Lu Xin organize the information, but he also decided to accompany Lu Xin to visit the city early.

It was just that when they set out, it became three people.

Princess Xiao Qing also came along. She seemed worried that Lu Xin would ostracize her boyfriend deliberately while working.

Lu Xin didn’t mind. After all, Princess Xiao Qing had a car.

“I’m afraid the Square Transportation Company is not as simple as it appears…”

Listening to Lv Cheng’s report, Lu Xin thought in his heart,

Although the issue of food for most people in modern society has been solved through the discovery of wild grain species and the recovery of some industries, we’re still far from building the previous industrial systems.

One of the major difficulties was the transportation of goods.

The roads outside the high city walls were badly damaged and obstacles were everywhere. Countless madmen, stragglers, and knights surviving on looting resources wandered outside the city, and they couldn’t be cleared away no matter what. Moreover, many dangers couldn’t be expected in advance. So, those who dared to transport goods outside the city were all tough, courageous, and had certain methods…

That was especially because Lu Xin got a lot of inside information from Chen Jing.

For example, the woman named Ms. Chen was actually a puppet of Square Transportation Company.

The real boss was a person from the wilderness, named Qin Ran.

It was because those who were born in the wilderness weren’t given an official identity before living in a High Wall City for three years and had no chance to learn in a school. Before living in a High Wall City for ten years, they weren’t allowed to register a company, let alone work in any administrative department. So, he made one of his lovers act as the boss. As for the business side of Square Transportation Company, it was probably not as simple as just transporting goods!

The people born in the wilderness were definitely not simple, and were even less honest!

…

“Just look for them. After all, not many dare to take on the business of transporting goods outside the city now.”

Lu Xin didn’t explain much. For his own company, this was indeed the project.

But for his other job, reaching out to Qin Ran to see if he had any problems was the real purpose.

Princess Xiao Qing, who was driving in front, rolled her eyes through the rearview mirror.

She felt that Lu Xin was posing a little too much in front of her boyfriend.

But she had already suffered a round of complaints from the director yesterday, so she didn’t dare to say anything at this time.

The car soon arrived at Square Transportation Company in the north of the city. It was a huge factory, and most of the buildings had been demolished. Neat concrete roads were paved, and spiked pickup trucks with heavy iron plates welded on them were parked in the large yard. All the cars were dirty, like big monsters stained with moss and mud.

A call had already been made previously. Seeing Lu Xin and the rest come down, a teenager smoking a cigarette, wearing slippers, and with a half-shaved head, walked over. He swung his stick-thin arms at Lu Xin and the others and walked inside.

As they walked, grim gazes sized them up from time to time.

Among these people were bare-chested gangsterish teenagers and men who looked extremely tough.

“You guys go in first and talk to the manager.”

When they arrived at the office door, Lu Xin smiled and said to Lv Cheng and Princess Xiao Qing, “I’ll be outside. I want to check out their car.”

Lv Cheng and Princess Xiao Qing were a little hesitant, so Princess Xiao Qing tugged at Lv Cheng, and the two of them went in with quick steps.

Before finalizing the contract, looking at the car the other party used to transport goods was naturally something he should do. Moreover, if Lv Cheng finalized the specific terms of the contract, that would also be an outstanding performance in his work. So, Princess Xiao Qing still knew how to see the big picture.

After the two of them walked in, Lu Xin walked around slowly outside.

In the information Chen Jing gave him, it only said seven to eight murders were connected to this company. But it couldn’t be confirmed whether they involved psyche corruption. After all, to them, in their mutual strife and some shady business, murders were very common. As for High Wall Cities, such cases were actually trivial. To a certain extent, they were simply not worthy of attention…

Now, what he needed to do was to determine the truth of this matter.

So, he first went around the company to see if there were any strange sights like the ones he encountered in the previous cafe incident.

“Those who do business outside are indeed tough…”

Lu Xin went around the company a few times and carefully looked at a few trucks, thinking inside.

On these trucks, various marks could be seen. Some looked like they were caused by rocks, some looked like they were caused by knives. One could also see some dark red marks on the tires and chassis. It was unknown whether they were blood.

Lu Xin wasn’t professional regarding such things.

But he felt he should try to seem a little more professional.

So, he looked carefully, thinking about where exactly it was worth suspecting them a little.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Don’t hit people…”

“If you hit people again, I’ll call the police…”

“…”

While Lu Xin was watching, a cry suddenly sounded from a row of bungalows used as offices in front of him.

He walked over hurriedly and saw a few young men kicking Lv Cheng around and cursing. “Who does business this way? Do we run around outside, put our brains on our pants, and fight for our lives to let you pressure us? Stop acting cultured in front of me or I’ll feed you to the madmen outside right now!”

Lv Cheng held his head, begging for mercy while Princess Xiao Qing shouted at the side, but she didn’t dare to go forward to stop them.

“What happened?”

Lu Xin quickly stepped forward and pulled his backpack to his chest.

Princess Xiao Qing cried. “We just think their quote is too high and want to negotiate a lower price. But they started beating us. Also, I saw that their accounts had too many problems. We cannot work with them this way. Working with them will certainly be troublesome…”

Before she could finish her sentence, a woman nearby rushed over, grabbed her by the hair, and started to slap her hard.

“Bitch, who are you saying has many problems?

“If you didn’t talk so much, why would I hit you?

“Ah, say, why did I hit you?”

Princess Xiao Qing’s face was swollen from being smacked, and she didn’t dare to speak anymore, sniffling and crying.

Looking at the way she was slapped, Lu Xin withdrew his hand from the backpack, and his footsteps subconsciously slowed down.

“I’m sorry, guys. I’m really sorry…”

Shuffling and taking a long time to walk up, Lu Xin apologized repeatedly and then asked, “Why did they suddenly start beating you up?”

“Don’t give me any nonsense…”

A bare-chested man with a scar on his face gave Lu Xin a sidelong glance and said, “You’re the leader, right?”

“The call mentioned a Manager Lu? Okay, I was looking for you. You called and said you wanted to use the car. I have prepared the car and also found a driver for you. Now you suddenly go back on your word. Are you playing us? These days, life is tough. If we compromise, we can all survive. But if you’re not willing to compromise, don’t blame us for being impolite…”

“…”

“Big brother is right.”

Lu Xin smiled and replied, “Then, I’ll go back and discuss it, okay?”

He didn’t feel surprised about what happened to Lv Cheng and Princess Xiao Qing.

Their company was a small trading company in a satellite city. In short, their main business was the flow of non-strategic materials between satellite cities. Because the boss made connections with the Ministry of Materials Management, they got a pass. With a little power in hand, the logistics company they normally worked with all sucked up to them, and in some cases, even gave them a small rebate.

Suddenly working with the Square Transportation Company, how would they have thought that this company was different?

Lu Xin still didn’t know exactly why they were beaten up, but it was a normal occurrence when two confrontational attitudes met each other.

“Discuss?”

The scarred man sneered, spat on the ground, and said, “We’re all busy trying to survive, who has the time to discuss with you?”

Lu Xin looked a bit embarrassed and said, “Then, what do you want?”

The scarred man said, “Sign the contract, hurry up and pay for the work, and we will all save our time!”

Lu Xin was silent for a moment and then said, “The contract can’t be signed just like that.”

The scarred man sneered after hearing that. “This little manager’s head is pretty sturdy.”

At this time, the surrounding people came up lazily one by one. Smiling and laughing, they surrounded Lu Xin.

Seeing this scene, Lu Xin slightly hesitated, then suddenly pulled out a gun from his backpack and pointed it at them.

“Gun?”

They looked at it and were stunned for a moment.

Even Lv Cheng, who was kicked until he lay crooked on the ground and didn’t dare to get up, and Princess Xiao Qing, who was pulled by the hair, stared.

No one expected Lu Xin to take out a gun.

“He actually has a gun…”

“Haha…”

“…”

But what followed immediately after was a roar of laughter.

Their expressions became teasing. Even the woman holding Princess Xiao Qing’s hair showed a disdainful expression, and some even quietly drew out iron pipes or pulled out hammers and axes.

“I can’t believe that inside this wall, there are actually people with guns…”

“Hehe, brother. Is your gun legit?”

“…”

The group of people cajoled and laughed, slowly approaching him. A thin and tough teenager was holding a rusty knife.

When people weren’t paying attention, his gaze turned slightly cold, and he suddenly rushed towards Lu Xin’s back.

This time, his eyes were flooded with ruthlessness. As someone who lived on the streets, he understood very well that as a gangster, the most important thing was to get ahead. But the opportunity to get ahead wasn’t easy to find. Other than when they needed to fight for their lives, getting ahead usually depended on who was the most ruthless or attacked the fastest. Right now, this guy was already doomed. So long as he could stab him down in one blow, he would be able to eat meat at night…

But before he could really stab Lu Xin, the seemingly unprepared Lu Xin suddenly turned around.

He held the gun and then fired without hesitation.

“Bang!”

The young man screamed in pain and fell two meters away with blood flowing out of his left thigh.

It was Lu Xin’s first time using a gun, and he was really bad at shooting.

But listening to the sound, the people around were suddenly shocked, stepping backward.

The surrounding area instantly became quiet. All the laughter and mockery disappeared completely, with only the young man rolling around holding his legs while screaming like a pig. He had obviously started crying.

Everyone looked at Lu Xin as if they were looking at a madman. Who would have thought that it was a real gun?

What’s more, how could he really dare to shoot?

This was within a High Wall City and not outside the city. Were the police people to be trifled with?

The people who often walked in the wilderness were tough, but they were also afraid of death. In fact, they were even more afraid of death than normal people.

The youngsters in the city, on the other hand, had the bloodlust and courage to do anything, which was the reason Lu Xin hit him first.

After shooting him, Lu Xin immediately turned around and pointed at a middle-aged woman standing behind the crowd.

“Don’t force me!

“As you can all see, my gun is legit…”

Chapter 15

“Square Transportation Company is one of the largest freight companies in the north of the city. Their main business is the transport of goods between satellite cities, and they can even pick up transportation orders between the main city and other tall walls. Their boss is a lady named Ms. Chen. I heard their business is very big, and their scope of business is not limited to satellite cities. They even have connections to the main city!

“Brother Lu, are we sure… we want to look for them?”

Lv Cheng looked very grateful to have received Lu Xin’s permission to join the project.

He knew that with his own qualifications, even if he had been favored by the director’s daughter, it was still a very difficult thing to stay in this company without any achievements. That was especially when he had tried to steal Lu Xin’s job and failed, creating a situation where everyone in the office resented him and his reputation had fallen greatly. So, he was very attached to this job and showed great interest.

This was also a very important project for the whole company.

Their company was a small trading company, and their main business was the trade between satellite cities. But the project Lu Xin was named to be in charge of was related to the main city. To be able to do business with the main city was the dream of all companies.

Therefore, he not only quickly helped Lu Xin organize the information, but he also decided to accompany Lu Xin to visit the city early.

It was just that when they set out, it became three people.

Princess Xiao Qing also came along. She seemed worried that Lu Xin would ostracize her boyfriend deliberately while working.

Lu Xin didn’t mind. After all, Princess Xiao Qing had a car.

“I’m afraid the Square Transportation Company is not as simple as it appears…”

Listening to Lv Cheng’s report, Lu Xin thought in his heart,

Although the issue of food for most people in modern society has been solved through the discovery of wild grain species and the recovery of some industries, we’re still far from building the previous industrial systems.

One of the major difficulties was the transportation of goods.

The roads outside the high city walls were badly damaged and obstacles were everywhere. Countless madmen, stragglers, and knights surviving on looting resources wandered outside the city, and they couldn’t be cleared away no matter what. Moreover, many dangers couldn’t be expected in advance. So, those who dared to transport goods outside the city were all tough, courageous, and had certain methods…

That was especially because Lu Xin got a lot of inside information from Chen Jing.

For example, the woman named Ms. Chen was actually a puppet of Square Transportation Company.

The real boss was a person from the wilderness, named Qin Ran.

It was because those who were born in the wilderness weren’t given an official identity before living in a High Wall City for three years and had no chance to learn in a school. Before living in a High Wall City for ten years, they weren’t allowed to register a company, let alone work in any administrative department. So, he made one of his lovers act as the boss. As for the business side of Square Transportation Company, it was probably not as simple as just transporting goods!

The people born in the wilderness were definitely not simple, and were even less honest!

…

“Just look for them. After all, not many dare to take on the business of transporting goods outside the city now.”

Lu Xin didn’t explain much. For his own company, this was indeed the project.

But for his other job, reaching out to Qin Ran to see if he had any problems was the real purpose.

Princess Xiao Qing, who was driving in front, rolled her eyes through the rearview mirror.

She felt that Lu Xin was posing a little too much in front of her boyfriend.

But she had already suffered a round of complaints from the director yesterday, so she didn’t dare to say anything at this time.

The car soon arrived at Square Transportation Company in the north of the city. It was a huge factory, and most of the buildings had been demolished. Neat concrete roads were paved, and spiked pickup trucks with heavy iron plates welded on them were parked in the large yard. All the cars were dirty, like big monsters stained with moss and mud.

A call had already been made previously. Seeing Lu Xin and the rest come down, a teenager smoking a cigarette, wearing slippers, and with a half-shaved head, walked over. He swung his stick-thin arms at Lu Xin and the others and walked inside.

As they walked, grim gazes sized them up from time to time.

Among these people were bare-chested gangsterish teenagers and men who looked extremely tough.

“You guys go in first and talk to the manager.”

When they arrived at the office door, Lu Xin smiled and said to Lv Cheng and Princess Xiao Qing, “I’ll be outside. I want to check out their car.”

Lv Cheng and Princess Xiao Qing were a little hesitant, so Princess Xiao Qing tugged at Lv Cheng, and the two of them went in with quick steps.

Before finalizing the contract, looking at the car the other party used to transport goods was naturally something he should do. Moreover, if Lv Cheng finalized the specific terms of the contract, that would also be an outstanding performance in his work. So, Princess Xiao Qing still knew how to see the big picture.

After the two of them walked in, Lu Xin walked around slowly outside.

In the information Chen Jing gave him, it only said seven to eight murders were connected to this company. But it couldn’t be confirmed whether they involved psyche corruption. After all, to them, in their mutual strife and some shady business, murders were very common. As for High Wall Cities, such cases were actually trivial. To a certain extent, they were simply not worthy of attention…

Now, what he needed to do was to determine the truth of this matter.

So, he first went around the company to see if there were any strange sights like the ones he encountered in the previous cafe incident.

“Those who do business outside are indeed tough…”

Lu Xin went around the company a few times and carefully looked at a few trucks, thinking inside.

On these trucks, various marks could be seen. Some looked like they were caused by rocks, some looked like they were caused by knives. One could also see some dark red marks on the tires and chassis. It was unknown whether they were blood.

Lu Xin wasn’t professional regarding such things.

But he felt he should try to seem a little more professional.

So, he looked carefully, thinking about where exactly it was worth suspecting them a little.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Don’t hit people…”

“If you hit people again, I’ll call the police…”

“…”

While Lu Xin was watching, a cry suddenly sounded from a row of bungalows used as offices in front of him.

He walked over hurriedly and saw a few young men kicking Lv Cheng around and cursing. “Who does business this way? Do we run around outside, put our brains on our pants, and fight for our lives to let you pressure us? Stop acting cultured in front of me or I’ll feed you to the madmen outside right now!”

Lv Cheng held his head, begging for mercy while Princess Xiao Qing shouted at the side, but she didn’t dare to go forward to stop them.

“What happened?”

Lu Xin quickly stepped forward and pulled his backpack to his chest.

Princess Xiao Qing cried. “We just think their quote is too high and want to negotiate a lower price. But they started beating us. Also, I saw that their accounts had too many problems. We cannot work with them this way. Working with them will certainly be troublesome…”

Before she could finish her sentence, a woman nearby rushed over, grabbed her by the hair, and started to slap her hard.

“Bitch, who are you saying has many problems?

“If you didn’t talk so much, why would I hit you?

“Ah, say, why did I hit you?”

Princess Xiao Qing’s face was swollen from being smacked, and she didn’t dare to speak anymore, sniffling and crying.

Looking at the way she was slapped, Lu Xin withdrew his hand from the backpack, and his footsteps subconsciously slowed down.

“I’m sorry, guys. I’m really sorry…”

Shuffling and taking a long time to walk up, Lu Xin apologized repeatedly and then asked, “Why did they suddenly start beating you up?”

“Don’t give me any nonsense…”

A bare-chested man with a scar on his face gave Lu Xin a sidelong glance and said, “You’re the leader, right?”

“The call mentioned a Manager Lu? Okay, I was looking for you. You called and said you wanted to use the car. I have prepared the car and also found a driver for you. Now you suddenly go back on your word. Are you playing us? These days, life is tough. If we compromise, we can all survive. But if you’re not willing to compromise, don’t blame us for being impolite…”

“…”

“Big brother is right.”

Lu Xin smiled and replied, “Then, I’ll go back and discuss it, okay?”

He didn’t feel surprised about what happened to Lv Cheng and Princess Xiao Qing.

Their company was a small trading company in a satellite city. In short, their main business was the flow of non-strategic materials between satellite cities. Because the boss made connections with the Ministry of Materials Management, they got a pass. With a little power in hand, the logistics company they normally worked with all sucked up to them, and in some cases, even gave them a small rebate.

Suddenly working with the Square Transportation Company, how would they have thought that this company was different?

Lu Xin still didn’t know exactly why they were beaten up, but it was a normal occurrence when two confrontational attitudes met each other.

“Discuss?”

The scarred man sneered, spat on the ground, and said, “We’re all busy trying to survive, who has the time to discuss with you?”

Lu Xin looked a bit embarrassed and said, “Then, what do you want?”

The scarred man said, “Sign the contract, hurry up and pay for the work, and we will all save our time!”

Lu Xin was silent for a moment and then said, “The contract can’t be signed just like that.”

The scarred man sneered after hearing that. “This little manager’s head is pretty sturdy.”

At this time, the surrounding people came up lazily one by one. Smiling and laughing, they surrounded Lu Xin.

Seeing this scene, Lu Xin slightly hesitated, then suddenly pulled out a gun from his backpack and pointed it at them.

“Gun?”

They looked at it and were stunned for a moment.

Even Lv Cheng, who was kicked until he lay crooked on the ground and didn’t dare to get up, and Princess Xiao Qing, who was pulled by the hair, stared.

No one expected Lu Xin to take out a gun.

“He actually has a gun…”

“Haha…”

“…”

But what followed immediately after was a roar of laughter.

Their expressions became teasing. Even the woman holding Princess Xiao Qing’s hair showed a disdainful expression, and some even quietly drew out iron pipes or pulled out hammers and axes.

“I can’t believe that inside this wall, there are actually people with guns…”

“Hehe, brother. Is your gun legit?”

“…”

The group of people cajoled and laughed, slowly approaching him. A thin and tough teenager was holding a rusty knife.

When people weren’t paying attention, his gaze turned slightly cold, and he suddenly rushed towards Lu Xin’s back.

This time, his eyes were flooded with ruthlessness. As someone who lived on the streets, he understood very well that as a gangster, the most important thing was to get ahead. But the opportunity to get ahead wasn’t easy to find. Other than when they needed to fight for their lives, getting ahead usually depended on who was the most ruthless or attacked the fastest. Right now, this guy was already doomed. So long as he could stab him down in one blow, he would be able to eat meat at night…

But before he could really stab Lu Xin, the seemingly unprepared Lu Xin suddenly turned around.

He held the gun and then fired without hesitation.

“Bang!”

The young man screamed in pain and fell two meters away with blood flowing out of his left thigh.

It was Lu Xin’s first time using a gun, and he was really bad at shooting.

But listening to the sound, the people around were suddenly shocked, stepping backward.

The surrounding area instantly became quiet. All the laughter and mockery disappeared completely, with only the young man rolling around holding his legs while screaming like a pig. He had obviously started crying.

Everyone looked at Lu Xin as if they were looking at a madman. Who would have thought that it was a real gun?

What’s more, how could he really dare to shoot?

This was within a High Wall City and not outside the city. Were the police people to be trifled with?

The people who often walked in the wilderness were tough, but they were also afraid of death. In fact, they were even more afraid of death than normal people.

The youngsters in the city, on the other hand, had the bloodlust and courage to do anything, which was the reason Lu Xin hit him first.

After shooting him, Lu Xin immediately turned around and pointed at a middle-aged woman standing behind the crowd.

“Don’t force me!

“As you can all see, my gun is legit…”