Unlike the scene in the holographic simulation combat exercise, what Li Po saw with his own eyes now was the real appearance of the La Erjiao district. The buildings in the residential area were old and dilapidated, with peeling walls revealing the gray brick underneath, weathered from exposure to the elements. The streets of the Lower City were full of sewage, and a rancid stench permeated the air, making it almost unbearable to breathe.

Suddenly, a six- or seven-year-old child appeared out of nowhere. The child was covered in grime from head to toe, as if he had rolled in the mud. His black eyes darted around, and when he saw Li Po, they lit up, and he rushed straight toward him.

Li Po, caught off guard, was bumped into, momentarily stunned. He quickly realized a small hand had slipped into his pocket, attempting to grab something.

“…”

The child moved skillfully, but Li Po was quicker. He immediately caught the grimy hand and pulled it out.

The child had clearly prepared for such a situation. Seeing things go south, he quickly yanked his hand free and started to run.

But just as he took his first step, a man with a fierce, intimidating face stepped in, blocking his escape route.

At the same time, the man’s tone was menacing as he questioned, “What are you doing?”

The child had never encountered such a scene before and was instantly frozen in place. The next second, his eyes shut, and his face crumpled as he burst into tears, wailing, “Big brother, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! Please let me go… Waaa…”

Jin Mu had not expected the child to start crying and was at a complete loss, not knowing what to do. He glanced at Li Po for help.

But Li Po also had no experience dealing with children. After thinking for a moment, he awkwardly patted the child on the head and softly asked, “Who told you to do this?”

Fear filled the child’s eyes as he looked up at Li Po, his face full of panic. He sobbed, “Big brother, I… I’m just so hungry. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. Please, let me go…”

Li Po could tell right away that the child was lying, but he didn’t scare him. Instead, he crouched down to the child’s level and gently said, “If you tell the truth, I’ll let you go.”

“Re-really?” The child stopped sniffling and looked at him with tear-filled eyes.

Li Po smiled and patted his head again. “Really.”

The child’s eyes darted nervously before he finally bit his lip and whispered, “It was my dad.”

Li Po was momentarily taken aback. In that brief second of distraction, the child grabbed his sleeve. “Big brother, please, don’t arrest my dad. Without him, I’ll starve to death…”

After hearing that, Li Po fell silent. Eventually, he stood up, ruffled the child’s hair again, and said, “Go.”

The child’s black eyes widened in disbelief as he looked up at Li Po. “Big brother, do you mean I can go?”

Li Po gave a faint smile. “You can go.”

“Thank you, handsome big brother!” The child quickly turned around, shoved past Jin Mu, and bolted away.

Jin Mu, who had been shoved aside: “…”

Lan Deng, watching the whole scene unfold, found it both amusing and exasperating. He glanced at Jin Mu, but his words were aimed at Li Po. “That kid is a repeat offender.”

Li Po’s expression didn’t change as he lowered his gaze and asked indifferently, “Are all the kids here like that?”

Lan Deng shook his head in response. “No, it depends on their gender. You know, every child undergoes genetic testing at birth, so their gender differentiation is basically set. Alphas are treated like prized assets and sent to military schools for training when they grow up. Most omegas are sold to Upper City to exchange for money. Only betas are seen as worthless, so their parents keep them around. If I’m not mistaken, that child is probably a beta.”

Despite his unwillingness, Jin Mu nodded in agreement. “This kind of thing is pretty common in the Lower City, especially in La Erjiao.”

Worried that Li Po might not fully understand, Jin Mu added, “La Erjiao is one of the most marginal areas of the human base. If pollutants attack, this is the first place they’ll invade. That’s why it’s the dirtiest and most rundown.”

Li Po understood and didn’t say anything more. He simply glanced at the two of them and said, “Let’s continue.”

According to the mission briefing, their target was located in the 11 o’clock direction of La Erjiao.

Jin Mu and Lan Deng, both familiar with the area, skillfully navigated through the filthy streets, walking slightly ahead of Li Po on either side to block the homeless people’s stares directed at him.

Throughout the journey, Li Po’s ears were filled with all sorts of noises. At first, he found them somewhat interesting, but after a while, the cacophony became unbearable, even nauseating:

—“Does your stomach have any decency? This is the third one, and it’s still a beta. What bad luck!”

—“Those rich folks in Upper City are so stingy. Just sold an omega a few days ago and only got a thousand star coins! Damn, my neighbor sold theirs for three thousand!”

—“The military school is expanding next year. Do you think our kid has a chance? … Not fit enough? That’s okay, the black market sells those kinds of drugs, though they’re pricey. Sigh, we’ll have to have another omega this year. Once we sell them, we’ll have money for the drugs.”

—“Do you think I’m blind? This grain’s gone bad, and you’re still charging three star coins a pound? … What? Five star coins for two pounds? Fine, fine. It’s not like spoiled food can’t be eaten. I’ll buy it.”

—“You’re already 18 and still can’t make money. We raised you this long, and this is how you repay us? Do you want to starve us to death? … Can’t find a job? Go left from here for 300 meters, the Flower Willow Hall will definitely want a beta like you!”

—“What? Upper City is opening recruitment channels again? This time they’re adding 100 slots? Hurry and sign up our kid! He just failed the military school selection, so we have to seize every chance to make it!”

…

Li Po’s frown didn’t ease up the entire time. His gaze drifted over the dirty homeless people before settling on a manhole cover.

In the next second, the manhole cover suddenly lifted, and a few black rats scurried out. They squeaked as they darted right in front of Li Po, vanishing from sight.

Li Po felt a wave of disgust. To distract himself, he asked, “What’s the Flower Willow Hall?”

As soon as he spoke, the two men walking in front of him abruptly stopped. They turned around almost in unison, giving him strange looks.

Li Po: “…?” Did I ask something I shouldn’t have?

Jin Mu opened his mouth to say something but hesitated. He wasn’t thick-skinned enough to explain the term, so he quickly shut his mouth, leaving it to Lan Deng.

Lan Deng scratched his blond hair awkwardly before asking, “Where did you hear that?”

Li Po responded frankly, “I overheard it just now on the street.”

Lan Deng sighed in understanding. Forcing a smile, he explained, “It’s basically a brothel. They just call it Flower Willow Hall to make it sound nicer, less vulgar.”

“Most of the people working there are betas, though there are some omegas too, but they’re rare. Still, you shouldn’t go to a place like that, Li Po. They might be cheap, but they’re all really dirty.”

Hearing this, Li Po raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. Under Lan Deng’s intense gaze, he simply gave a soft “oh” and continued walking forward.

Back where they stood, both Lan Deng and Jin Mu suddenly felt that something was off.

Wait a minute, isn’t Li Po a bit too calm? Shouldn’t an omega, upon hearing this kind of topic, be blushing and embarrassed, maybe even vowing they’d never go to such a place?

Why was Li Po so composed, as if nothing had happened? Something about this was definitely strange.

While Lan Deng and Jin Mu were lost in thought, they unknowingly reached their destination.

La Erjiao was divided into several intersecting streets, with iron gates serving as barriers between them. Typically, the gates were wide open, allowing easy passage, but the gate to this street was tightly shut.

The three of them approached the iron gate, staring down at the rusted lock.

The scene was very similar to the one Li Po had experienced during the holographic simulation. There was the same three-meter-high iron gate and the same rusted lock. The only difference was that it was daytime now, whereas it had been night during the simulation.

Clang—

Suddenly, the sound of metal snapping rang out, and the lock fell to the ground.

Li Po glanced up and saw Jin Mu holding a silenced handgun. As Jin Mu holstered the gun, he pushed open the heavy gate.

Despite Jin Mu’s strong arms, his veins bulged as he pushed. Once the gate was fully opened, a foul stench hit them.

This wasn’t the smell of sewage or spoiled food. It was something Li Po had never encountered before, a completely unfamiliar odor. The moment it reached his nose, his face turned pale, and he felt like vomiting.

Suppressing the nausea, he forced himself to move forward. He couldn’t help but notice how unnaturally quiet this place was. Aside from the sound of their own footsteps, there was nothing else. Other streets still had the occasional noise from the homeless, but here, it was eerily silent, like an empty alleyway devoid of life.

The street only had a few scattered houses. Li Po surveyed the surroundings, trying to locate any sign of pollutants, when he noticed Jin Mu pushing open the door to one of the homes.

“…” Private trespassing? Very lawful, he thought dryly.

Although Li Po didn’t understand why Jin Mu was doing this, he knew there must be a reason. As they got closer, the foul stench grew even stronger.

Jin Mu and Lan Deng entered the house, and Li Po followed behind.

“Wait.” Jin Mu, leading the way, suddenly stopped.

He glanced back at Li Po, his face looking a bit grim. “Maybe you and Lan Deng should wait outside. I’ll handle the pollutants myself.”

As soon as Lan Deng saw his expression, he knew there was something bad inside. Without hesitation, he prepared to lead Li Po outside.

But Li Po didn’t budge. Standing firm, he calmly refused, “It’s fine, I can handle it.”

Jin Mu hesitated. “I’m worried you’ll throw up.”

“…” Li Po shot him an expressionless glance, saying nothing.

Seeing that, Jin Mu finally gave in. “Alright, but be careful. Don’t throw up on yourself; combat suits are hard to clean.”

Without further delay, Jin Mu swiftly moved to the inner room, raising his silenced gun.

As Jin Mu darted forward, Li Po finally saw what he had been trying to hide—

A man lay sprawled on the ground, his body covered in blood, with not a single patch of intact skin left.

Beneath him, the floor was crawling with countless pollutants.