# Chapter 3037: The Silent City
The drizzling acid rain pierced through the dark, heavy clouds, corroding every corner of the city. The buildings along the streets, the moving vehicles, and the pedestrians all bore a blurred, decaying feel after being eroded.
In such an environment, most people walking on the streets hurried along with grim expressions. Only occasionally a few drunkards stumbled about, but they were quickly sobered up by the acid rain, appearing briefly before disappearing.
Beneath the rain, the entire city seemed very silent.
"Stop running!" Suddenly, shouts came from a street corner in the distance, and then a person in a raincoat rushed out. She was clutching a small bag to her chest, running with all her might while looking back at her pursuers.
There were special mechanical devices on her legs, so her speed was not slow, and she could accurately avoid obstacles. The people behind her used the same devices, yet they couldn't catch up to her for the time being, only able to curse continuously.
The woman didn't dare to let her guard down. Even though she had widened the distance, she didn't slow down. However, as she passed through an intersection, she collided head-on with someone holding an umbrella. Inertia prevented her from stabilizing herself, and she was about to fly forward, but the person she bumped into kindly pulled her back, saving her from injury. However, the bag in her hand flew out!
A miniature metal net shot out from the device on her arm, managing to catch the backpack, but it still hit the ground with a dull metallic thud.
"Are you alright?" the man asked.
The woman hugged the bag with concern, but with pursuers behind her, she didn't want to get entangled with him. She only cursed, "Are you blind?" before hurrying away.
The pursuers behind her cursed and grumbled as they passed by the umbrella-holding man, habitually wanting to tell him to get out of the way. However, the man took a step back in advance, yielding the path to them.
But they only glanced at the man from the corner of their eyes before swallowing their words and quickly passing in front of him.
Xu Huo looked up at the increasingly thick clouds and walked along the street to a small shop with a sign reading "Big White Dental Clinic."
There was only an old master inside. When he saw Xu Huo, he waved his hand and said, "Nothing to do here, go away."
Xu Huo put down his umbrella and stepped inside, handing over a business card. "Someone recommended me to come here. They said you have a way into Yangtao City."
The old master finally showed some interest. He put down the mutant tooth he was grinding, wiped his hands haphazardly, walked around to the cluttered office desk, and pulled out a fist-sized square device. After operating it a few times, a projection appeared in midair.
"I have three ways here."
"Good-looking, not good-looking, and skilled."
"Which one are you?"
"Does it matter whether male or female, young or old, player or non-player?" Xu Huo asked.
"In Yangtao City, it doesn't matter," the old master said. "Good-looking ones can sell their bodies, not-so-good-looking ones can sell their labor, organs, or limbs. For skilled ones, it depends on what kind of skill. Some require a lot of money to get in. But if you have a recognized technical certificate from an A-level wormhole point, then finding a job will be easy. You might even get a house assigned."
Xu Huo took out a freshly printed psychotherapist grade certificate. "Will this work?"
The old master looked at it. "There are already enough psychotherapists in Yangtao City. It might be hard to get in."
"I know the price." Xu Huo placed a stack of white notes on the table.
The old master glanced at it. "I suggest you choose another skill. Garbage recycling is not bad. I can introduce you to a reliable contact. You don't need to worry about the certificate. Certificates from me are guaranteed authentic."
"No need. Just this one," Xu Huo said.
The old master didn't insist and said bluntly, "You'll have to pay more."
Xu Huo paid the amount he asked for. The old master's face showed a hint of a smile. "You pay half first. You pay the contact the rest when you arrive in Yangtao City. Find a place to stay nearby. When the sign says 'Closed,' come within an hour. If you're late, no waiting, and no refund on the deposit."
Xu Huo left half the money and departed.
This city couldn't be considered backward, but it wasn't particularly good among A-level wormhole points either. Many of the instruments used in the city were discarded from super-large cities.
The overall environment of this district wasn't good. Early in its development, the district government had divided the area into regional grades. The first-grade region concentrated the vast majority of the district's wealth. The second-grade and third-grade regions were mainly supply areas—instrument manufacturing and material supply usually came from the second-grade region. The third-grade region had the largest population and primarily provided labor.
In large districts where machinery was widespread, ordinary people didn't really need to work. Some districts were like that—basically, all residents didn't need to labor hard, with welfare maxed out.
But limited by cultural history and the strategies of those in power, some districts divided people into different grades. Those who occupied resources could enjoy the best treatment, while ordinary people had to expend labor to maintain their lives—even though technology had evolved to the point where so much manual labor wasn't needed. In this district, there was a rigid policy requiring that ordinary people be provided with employment opportunities.
Perhaps this policy was initially intended to make life better for ordinary people, but as time went on, it became a means for the upper class to exploit those at the bottom.
Although people in the first-grade region could already meet their daily service needs with simulated robots, what did it matter? If you don't use it, you lose it.
After all, it was an A-level wormhole point. People in the second and third-grade regions weren't living in dire straits either, but the stark contrast caused severe psychological pressure for many. People in the first-grade region didn't need to suppress those in the second and third-grade regions—they only needed to display their good life to make those in the lower regions exhaust their life's efforts to migrate.
Take the city Xu Huo was currently in, for example. The city's infrastructure was quite good, and there were city welfare benefits. It wasn't comprehensive in every aspect, but a person could live with dignity from birth to death.
However, being close to Yangtao City in the second-grade region, nothing was more tormenting than having a better life seemingly within reach. In such an environment, many people lived unhappily, as if only a better life counted as living—they were merely existing.
The places in the city that needed repairs weren't beyond repair; they were selectively ignored.
Thus, within the entire district, the psychotherapy industry was very prosperous, and the number of people engaged in this profession was also very high.
Xu Huo checked into a fairly clean and tidy hotel. A waiter brought him a plate of not-so-fresh fruit, saying it was complimentary.
He had no desire for a tip. He just routinely delivered the fruit, took the small amount of white notes the guest casually gave, and left.
Compared to these people, the ones getting drunk and causing a ruckus on the streets, and those chasing each other, were more like living people.
This was a city that had had its soul drained away.