Chapter 107: Chaotic Zone
The Chaotic Zone was sandwiched between the Government District to the west and the Co-governed District to the east, with long, narrow terrain that varied along the river.
It didn't have the tidiness of the Government District or the liveliness of the Co-governed District. It was like a stinking ditch, the darkest corner of the entire Starstream City.
I set out from Platinum Haven Hotel and drove south for over two hours to reach the upper stream of the river. This was the northern entrance to the Chaotic Zone.
The wire fence wall stretching for miles was covered in rust. Thin weeds growing from the ground wrapped around the wire and kept climbing upward. After withering, they hung on the wire, and over time, draped the fence wall in a layer of "fur."
Inside and outside the wall were plastered with all kinds of advertisements. A familiar black car was parked under a huge milk billboard.
Adrian was driving today. He looked at Lucas standing in front of the black car, then glanced at me through the rearview mirror and asked, "Ms. Sorelli, should we stop?"
"The entrance is right here. If we don't stop, should we turn around and go back?" I wasn't surprised to see Lucas at all. I was even getting used to running into him in various places.
But after getting out of the car, I didn't greet Lucas. Karen was waiting for me by the gate, waving excitedly. I walked quickly toward her.
"Why are you alone? Where's Jonathan?" I grabbed her hand, my eyes dropping to stare at her belly. "You need to be careful when you're pregnant!"
In my peripheral vision, I caught Lucas's footsteps hesitating as he walked toward me.
"I'm not pregnant!" Karen laughed awkwardly. "It's all Jonathan's fault for making a big fuss. I just ate too much barbecue and threw up by accident."
I recalled how Jonathan had called me in a panic the night before last, waking me from sleep, saying Karen was pregnant but vomiting badly. I immediately prepared to go see them, but after changing clothes, I got another call from Jonathan, vaguely saying everything was fine and I didn't need to come over.
Although I knew they could be unreliable sometimes, I never expected them to confuse overeating with morning sickness!
I couldn't help but laugh. "Jonathan just cares about you too much."
Karen laughed too. The bright sunlight shone on her face, and I could clearly see the sweetness and happiness in her eyes. "He's an idiot, but he loves me very much. Of course, I love him too."
"Stop showing off your love. Let's go." I stepped through the wire fence gate, looking around curiously.
Several footsteps followed closely behind us. Karen pressed close to me and asked quietly, "Why is he here too?"
Lucas had good hearing. Before I could speak, he answered Karen, "I'm here to find someone. Just happens to be on your way."
Karen hummed softly, clearly not believing him, and continued questioning me with her eyes.
She had no grudge against Lucas. She disliked him purely because of me.
I spread my hands, somewhat helpless. "You can try to make him leave."
Karen shook her head vigorously in small movements. "Forget it. If you can't handle him, I definitely can't either."
I linked arms with her and said with a calm smile, "Just pretend he doesn't exist."
Recently, Lucas came looking for me whenever he had free time. As soon as he approached Platinum Haven Hotel, the security team would expel him following Marcus's orders. Not only did Lucas not get angry, he cooperatively parked his car on the street and had Alfred occasionally bring cigarettes and alcohol to the security team to build rapport, but he didn't ask them to disobey Marcus's orders. After a while, he had almost won over the security team.
My feelings when facing him were always conflicted, so I simply avoided seeing him. Lucas was far more patient than I imagined. He stayed in his car handling work remotely, occasionally getting out to walk around. The spot he chose was right outside my office. Nine times out of ten, I could see him just by walking to the window.
As my thoughts drifted, Lucas walked up to me and said in a low voice, "I know the safe route. Follow me."
I snapped back to attention and refused coldly, "No need."
Karen put her hands on her hips and glared at Lucas rudely. "I've already figured out this place inside and out. We don't need your help."
I also had confidence in Karen. Lucas didn't insist, just curved his lips into an ambiguous smile. "Alright then."
As we walked inside, I was curious—there wasn't a single guard by the gate. What was the point of the wire fence wall?
Karen answered quietly, "You think there are no guards, but actually the houses on both sides are full of people watching us."
I looked at Cole and Adrian. Their hands never left their weapons, and they nodded at me with tense expressions, confirming Karen's words.
"Ten o'clock direction," Lucas suddenly said.
I instinctively looked to the left front. A dusty three-story building looked quite ordinary, with all windows covered by curtains. Behind one window was clearly a human figure. Seeming to realize we'd spotted him, the figure quickly moved away.
I didn't see the person's face clearly, only saw the curtain tighten and sway slightly.
The houses near the iron gate all had their windows covered with curtains. If there was a person standing behind every window, just thinking about it gave me the creeps.
"Don't worry," Lucas said, looking at me reassuringly.
"I'm not worried," I reflexively contradicted him.
Although Lucas was a jerk and cold to people he didn't care about, when he cared about someone, he would do his best to make them feel his sincerity.
But whenever I thought about how I never experienced this sincerity during our three years of marriage, I couldn't help but want to complain and resent him.
"You really don't need to worry. No matter what happens, I'll protect you," Lucas shrugged and said casually.
I knew he was telling the truth. Not long ago, he had even taken a bullet for me.
The resentment that had just risen in my heart dissipated. I took a deep breath, pushed the messy thoughts to the back of my mind, and focused on what was in front of me.
Although the houses in the northern part of the Chaotic Zone were old and generally low, you could still see the outline of a city. The further south we went, the more dilapidated the buildings became.
Karen led us through narrow alleys, saying as we walked, "The north is considered the 'wealthy area' of the Chaotic Zone. The south is a complete slum!"
"Although Jonathan and I could keep our photo studio running in the north, business was mediocre, and people kept coming to extort protection money. One gang would come today, another tomorrow. We couldn't make any money in a day."
Karen pointed at the cold and deserted streets and alleys, saying, "And the people here don't dare go out after dark. Even during the day, not many people go out. We just closed the photo studio."
When Doyle and I traveled and practiced medicine together, we also visited quiet small towns, but those places had small populations. The Chaotic Zone was different. There were many people here, but they were all hiding. The silence was filled with a tense atmosphere.
Lucas also took out his gun and held it casually in his hand. Here, if you had a weapon, you absolutely couldn't hide it. You had to show it to deter those watching from the shadows.
I also took a gun from Adrian. Karen carried a submachine gun with two thick, wide ammunition belts across her body. If she didn't have enough confidence, how would she dare walk alone in the Chaotic Zone?
"Where are you planning to go?" Lucas asked.
Karen walked purposefully toward the southeast. "To meet the leader of Night Wolves—Matteo Burke."
When we arrived at the agreed meeting place, there was no one there. Karen called Matteo. A long busy tone came from the receiver, over and over, but no one answered.
Lucas watched from the side. Karen's expression gradually became embarrassed. Somewhat annoyed, she dialed two more times in succession, but the result was the same.