The mascot of the wishing shop is a cat.

Bathed in the bright moonlight, Lin Xiyue and Mo Luo walked one after the other through the narrow alley.

They had just crossed the bridge connecting the slums and the safe zone.

This bridge is so large that if you stand on one side of the bridge and look to the other side, you can't see the other side. Besides connecting the slums and the safe zone, this bridge is also one of the largest roads connecting the safe zone to the outskirts.

This world is not actually a very peaceful one. In safe zones, people live prosperous lives; in slums, people struggle to survive; and in the suburbs, it is a no-go zone for humans.

The suburbs are teeming with alien races who have built nests there, and unlike the cities where entrances are only occasional, the suburbs also contain many entrances to the Otherworld. The Otherworld has even more alien races, and they even have their own cities.

This is why so many people in slums would rather live a difficult life than resist, because they know that the current government has already tried hard enough, just not good enough, and they can see their lives improving.

Most importantly, they don't have to face other races directly; this is all because someone is bearing the burden for them.

It's not that there are no upward mobility paths in the slums, it's just very difficult. For example, one could develop supernatural abilities to become a law enforcement officer, and outstanding performers are eligible for a spot, which can include their families. This is one of the reasons why the slums have such a large population; everyone's mindset is like a lottery, thinking, "What if I win? Maybe if I win a lot, I'll get one."

Ironically, the number of people with supernatural abilities in the slums is indeed much higher than in the safe zones. The specific reasons are unknown, but perhaps the higher-ups are aware of it.

..............................

"Squeaky-"

Another series of mouse squeaking sounds rang out near Lin Xiyue. Her initial startled scream had subsided to a desperate attempt to avoid being touched. ╮(─▽─)╭

There were just too many rats in the slums, rats of all sizes, with big rats leading a string of smaller ones. The biggest rat I ever saw was about the size of a seven or eight-month-old kitten!

When Lin Xiyue first saw such a large rat, she almost jumped onto Moros; it was truly terrifying.

"Hey, how much longer?"

Lin Xiyue nudged Molos's waist. She felt like she had been walking for a long time, mainly because the alleys here were narrow and oppressive, and it felt like she was always going around in circles in the same place.

"We'll be there soon, don't be afraid. And Yueyue, you can't just touch a man's waist like that~(￣▽￣)~*"

Melos didn't turn around, but his hand reached back precisely and grabbed Lin Xiyue's hand that was poking his lower back.

"Okay, okay! (〃?w?) Hurry up!"

Lin Xiyue abruptly pulled her hand back, blushing as she told Mo Luosi to hurry up.

About ten minutes later, it was already past 3 a.m.

"arrive."

Moros led Lin Xiyue to a shack. This shack was not much different from the others, but it was very clean. It was the kind of clean that people would wash and live in even if they were wearing patched clothes.

The shack was small, probably no more than five square meters. The pillars were steel bars and wood of varying sizes, and the ceiling was made of scrap materials piled up, with a large piece of waterproof cloth weighed down by stones. A small bunch of yellow wildflowers hung on the door of the shack, showing that the owner of this shack had put a lot of effort into decorating his home.

"Boom boom boom——"

Meros went up and knocked on the door.

"..."

No one answered.

"Boom boom boom——"

Meros knocked on the door again, this time with almost the same speed and force as before.

"..."

Still no one answered.

"Boom boom boom——"

Meros knocked on the door again, just like before.

"...Is that Brother Mo?"

This time, instead of remaining completely silent, a small, tentative sound emerged from within.

"it's me."

Meros replied.

"crunch-"

The dilapidated door of the shack was opened. To be honest, I don't know if this door is really effective in preventing theft or providing protection. It feels like any strong man could push the whole shack down.

A small, dusty, and grimy face peered through the crack in the door. Only after recognizing it as Meros did the door open.

Only then did Lin Xiyue notice that all the exposed skin on the child's body was covered in soot from the bottom of a pot, and his hair was cut unevenly. In the pitch-black night, only his bright white teeth and the whites of his eyes were visible when he smiled. He was wearing a large shirt covered in patches, but the patches were carefully made up of the same color, like flowers of different sizes.

"Brother Mo, and this lady, please come in and sit down."

Moros and Lin Xiyue followed the child into the shack. The shack was rather small; Moros even had to stoop to enter. The child excitedly brought over two small stools—one of which clearly showed a limp, which he had patched up himself with wood—and invited them to sit down. The shack, which had been somewhat cramped standing up, felt more spacious after they sat down.

After sitting down, Lin Xiyue glanced around the shack.

The space was divided into two areas by an old cloth curtain. One was where Lin Xiyue and the others were sitting. In the middle of them was a candle holder made from an empty beer bottle, with a candle that was almost half-burnt on it. This was the only point of light emanating from the entire shack.

There were some cooking utensils and stored food nearby. A small folding table stood in the corner, next to which were boxes of various sizes stacked to the ceiling. Judging from the situation, the other side of the curtain was the sleeping area.

It was clear that this wasn't the first time Moros had met the child. After sitting down, he didn't look around but asked the child directly, "Where's your father? I heard from Grandma Luo that he's sick?"

"Yes and no."

"what happened?"

“I… I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve studied the alien manual. Sometimes I feel like my dad has been infected by the aliens, but other times I don’t. His most obvious symptom is lying there weak, but he’s still conscious. And these past few days, he hasn’t wanted to see me. He asks me to put his food behind the curtain and not let me in. I… I’m a little worried about him, but he won’t let me in no matter what he says. He even tells me to go out and tell everyone he’s seriously ill.”

The child was a little nervous, unconsciously gripping his clothes tightly with both hands. When he talked about how his father didn't want to see him, his voice even sounded a little tearful.

No matter what, he's still just a child.

Lin Xiyue patted the child's head, took out a few candies from her bag—candies she always kept in every bag to prevent sudden low blood sugar—and handed them to the child.

"It's okay, don't worry. Here's some candy for you, it's my favorite."

"Thank you, thank you sister."

Perhaps because Moros brought Lin Xiyue along, the child trusted her quite a bit. She took the candy, carefully ate one, and a smile spread across her face.

"Okay, I understand. Your father is waiting for me. I'll go see him first. This is Sister Lin Xiyue. You can spend some time with her."

After listening to the child's words, Moros thought for a while, then stood up, entrusted the child to Lin Xiyue, and lifted the curtain to go inside.

When Meros lifted the curtain, Lin Xiyue peeked inside out of curiosity.

It couldn't possibly be very big inside, but it was incredibly dark, so dark that you could only vaguely make out a simple bed with a human figure lying on it. The moment the figure appeared, Meros pulled down the curtain, obscuring everything.

There is no light here, and I don't know if Meros can see it.

Lin Xiyue inwardly pursed her lips, thinking with some dissatisfaction.

..............................

Now, only the child and Lin Xiyue remain on this half.

"Well, little friend, now that you know my name, you can call me Sister Yueyue. But I don't know your name yet, can you tell me?"

Lin Xiyue was always quite gentle with children, but she couldn't be said to completely like them. To be precise, she only liked well-behaved, spoiled children who wouldn't throw tantrums for no reason.

Anyway, she had experienced the frustration caused by unruly children and their parents, and she had also received comments like, "Why are you, an adult, arguing with a child?" But she immediately retorted, "Who isn't a child too? Why should I indulge him?"

"Sister Yueyue. My name is Anqing. My mother gave it to me because she said it meant I was born under a clear sky. My father likes it very much too! He loves to hold me and call me Qingkong (Clear Sky)."

The child, no, An Qing, answered Lin Xiyue's question very obediently, and even explained the origin of her name. It seemed that she liked the explanation her mother gave her about the origin of her name.

"That's a very nice name. How old is Xiao Qingkong this year?"

Lin Xiyue praised An Qing's name, which indeed reflected a beautiful mother's aspirations for her child.

"I'm twelve years old this year, and I'm old enough to go out and work here! d(^^*)"

An Qing was very proud; she felt she could already help her father.

"!"

Lin Xiyue was speechless for a moment. It wasn't that An Qing was speaking badly, because she knew that twelve years old was indeed a big child in the slums. However, An Qing looked only eight or nine years old, thin and small, and had gotten herself all dirty.

"Little Sky, can you tell me why you painted your face black?"

Lin Xiyue patted Qingkong's little head.

"Because my mom, dad, and Mo Ge all say it's not safe for girls to be here, I want to make myself look more like a boy. Do I look like one?"

Qingkong straightened its back, nuzzled its head against Lin Xiyue's hand, and looked at Lin Xiyue with starry eyes, much like a little puppy seeking petting.

"So true! Little Sunny Sky is amazing! o(￣▽￣)d"

Hehehe (????)

"..."

Lin Xiyue and An Qing chatted for about half an hour. At first, Lin Xiyue thought that the shack must not be soundproof, and she wanted to secretly listen to what Mo Luosi and An Qing's father were saying inside. But she couldn't hear anything at all, as if there was a black hole behind the curtain.

Later, as Lin Xiyue chatted with An Qing, she felt that the child was too well-behaved. She saved all the candies that Lin Xiyue had given her, except for the one she had eaten at the beginning. She told Lin Xiyue that her father said that sometimes in the slums, candy could save lives, and it was already a luxury for her to taste it. She wanted to save the rest.

Just as Lin Xiyue and An Qing were chatting happily, the curtain was lifted by Mo Luosi. He didn't come out, but stood at the boundary between light and shadow, saying to Lin Xiyue and An Qing, "Yueyue, come here for a moment. Qingkong will call you later."

Lin Xiyue got up and walked towards Molos, also curious about what was inside the curtain.

Lin Xiyue stepped through the curtain, and the moment the curtain was lowered, she felt an energy shield envelop the small area. It seemed that this energy shield blocked all the sound.

"Ding--"

Moros turned on the flashlight that came with the terminal, and the scene here finally came into Lin Xiyue's view.

! ! ! ! !

Lin Xiyue was shocked the moment she saw it; the scene was too distressing.

This isn't a feeling of being different, but a more complex feeling.

Honestly, if Lin Xiyue had to choose, she felt she would rather see the alien species, because they all had a strong sense of inhumanity. The humanoid creature lying on the bed, An Qing's father, looked like his lower body had been forcibly severed and sewn onto the body of a giant rat, or rather, his lower body had grown into the shape of a headless giant rat.

No wonder he didn't dare let An Qing see him. Grandma Luo once said that although he was a hoodlum, he was a good father.

Lin Xiyue covered her mouth to prevent herself from crying out, while thinking about the cute and sensible little girl outside the curtain.

"Hello, I am An Qing's father, An Sanxi. I'm so sorry to have you see me like this. I can't help it. I can feel that I'm about to die."

The father, lying on the bed, spoke to Lin Xiyue with a face full of guilt and apology. His lower body twitched uncontrollably from time to time. His upper arms, thin as skeletal bones, gripped the sheets tightly, as if he were enduring something.

"Hello."

"I heard from Boss Mo that you can hypnotize. I have a request, and I hope you can help me. I hope you can hypnotize An Qing so that she can see a normal me. I have some things I want to say to her before I die. I know I'm not a good person, but this is my last request as a father. Please."

An Sanxi choked up as he said these words; he really wanted to appear in front of his child again as a normal person.

"……it is good"

Looking at the emaciated and deformed man before her, and seeing the expectation in his eyes, Lin Xiyue truly couldn't bear to say anything to refuse him. Moreover, this might be the real reason why Moros had brought her here.

Moros stood silently to the side until Lin Xiyue agreed to An Sanxi's request, then he spoke up: "I will help you, don't feel pressured. I didn't bring you here for this reason at first. When we got to Grandma Luo's place, I heard her say something, and I realized something was wrong, but I didn't expect it to be like this."

Moros seemed worried that Lin Xiyue might misunderstand, and even offered an explanation.

……