Boom!
Boom!
The dense thud of air from the bottom-dump bays of the colossal trash-hauling aircraft rumbled like thunder.
Massive blocks of scrap, shattered high-tech components, and rusted metal casings cascaded to the ground from a height of dozens of meters, creating a literal rain of garbage.
The weight of tons of waste slammed together with sharp metallic clashes, sending up thick clouds of dust that tore through the early morning fog.
Once the cargo bays were empty, the gigantic spacecraft revved its engines, slowly altered its course, and flew straight toward the brightly lit core zone of the next-generation corporations, leaving behind three brand-new mountains of trash right in the center of the Dark Zone.
— “It’s here!
Pick up the pace, old man!” Shin shouted, being the first to charge like the wind into the still-steaming pile of scrap.
Old man Akaisin trudged behind, lugging his ragged burlap sack while constantly muttering curses at his adoptive grandson’s monstrous speed.
Shin frantically dug through the wreckage, his sharp eyes quickly scanning past trivial items.
Suddenly, a uniquely shaped metallic mass caught his eye.
Using all his strength, he pulled it hard out of a tight crevice.
It was the upper torso of an old-generation robot.
Its outer alloy casing had peeled off, exposing several wires, and the LED lights in its eye area flickered with weak, unstable blue glimmers from time to time.
— “Look at this, old man!
The upper half of a robot!
Its system seems to still be flickering, I wonder if it can be fixed?” Shin held up the heavy piece of metal to show off.
Meanwhile, old man Akaisin was also busy rummaging in another corner of the scrap mountain.
The clanging sound of his iron cane poking through the debris echoed around.
Suddenly, he pried up something soft and brightly pink, yet covered in mud.
He lifted it up to inspect, and his eyes immediately widened, his face flushing red with sheer annoyance.
— “Yikes!
What on earth is this?!
Good heavens, how disgusting!
Why is a woman’s bra sitting proudly in a place like this?” The old man hastily threw the item far away, wiping his hands against the hem of his shirt with intense disgust.
Shin turned around to look, and seeing the absolute, gut-wrenching embarrassment painted all over his adoptive grandfather’s face, he couldn’t help but burst into hysterical laughter:
— “Hahaha!
What a wonderful find, old man!
Look at that pink, I think it suits you perfectly!
Why don’t you take it home and try it on?”
— “You miserable little brat!” The old man barked, leaning on his cane as his beard bristled.
“I am absolutely not suited to wear such ridiculous things!
Focus on finding something valuable!”
After a grueling morning of competing, squeezing through tight spaces, and being quicker and sharper than dozens of other scavengers around them, the grandfather-grandson duo finally managed to gather a decent haul.
They dragged along two massive sacks stuffed to the brim with microcircuit components, rare metal scraps, and composite waste.
Their next destination was the rundown black market near the junkyard, lined with temporary shacks belonging to underworld scrap dealers.
As the two entered a familiar shop, the chubby owner, who was sitting with his feet propped up on the table counting cash, looked up.
— “Oh ho!
You two made a killing this morning, huh?
Two whole large sacks!” The shopkeeper grinned gleefully, flashing his yellow teeth in welcome.
Shin slammed the two sacks onto the floor with a loud thud and tilted his chin up, saying:
— “Check how much you can take these for, boss.
The old man and I gathered this all morning.
It’s all prime stuff, fully intact components of all kinds.”
— “That’s right, the quality of these two sacks is quite decent.
How are you going to calculate a fair price for us, boss?” Old man Akaisin chimed in, tapping the sack with his cane.
The owner stood up, pulled out a massive hanging scale, and began sorting, weighing, and measuring the total metal and circuitry of the duo.
After clicking away on an abacus for a while, he drew a stack of distinct, glossy black metallic coins from a cabinet—this was Dark Currency, the primary currency circulating in the dark and the underworld.
— “Your total comes to 30 Dark Coins.”
Shin eagerly snatched the money.
The cool sensation of the coins in his hand made him completely forget the exhaustion of the entire morning.
But just then, the owner’s gaze locked onto the bulky cloth bundle strapped to Shin’s back, and he asked curiously:
— “Hey, is that upper half of the robot for sale too?
I’ll give you a good price.”
— “Ah, this half-robot isn’t for sale,” Shin hastily waved his hands.
“I plan to take it home and tinker with it to see if it can be repurposed for anything.”
Old man Akaisin stood nearby and curled his lips, lecturing him:
— “You brat, since when do you know how to assemble things?
Let me assemble it at home.
I guarantee this robot will run smoothly, and we can sell it for double the price!”
Hearing this, Shin’s face went completely blank, and he stared at the old man in pure horror:
— “Please, no, old man!
Anything that lands in your hands ends up turning into a bomb!
Don’t you remember last time with the component assembly machine?
You said you’d fix it, but somehow it exploded, leaving my face and Kento’s pitch-black?
It almost blew our ragged shack right off the map!”
He patted the metallic mass on his back, landing a critical hit:
— “Let me handle the assembly.
At least it won’t blow up under my craftsmanship!”
— “Why, you little rascal!” Old man Akaisin blew his top, his face flushing crimson.
“How dare you insult my craftsmanship?
Let me give you a thud on the head to cure your insolence!”
THWACK!
A resounding sound echoed.
Even though the old man looked decrepit, his strike was so precise and fast that Shin couldn’t dodge it in time.
It was so painful that stars flashed before his eyes.
— “Ouch!
You stubborn old geezer, why did that hit hurt so badly today?!” Shin clutched his head and grimaced, rubbing the bump while muttering angrily.
“How annoying, just you remember this!
When you’re craving alcohol later, I will absolutely not buy you a single drop!”
The scrap shop owner watched helplessly as the grandfather and grandson bickered right in front of his store.
Scratching his head, seemingly all too familiar with the chaotic dynamic of this duo, he waved his hands to dismiss them:
— “Alright, alright, if you two keep arguing in front of my shop about who’s better at assembling, you’re going to scare away all my customers.
Hey, you two have money today, so go to the neighboring market and buy some meat to upgrade your meal.
They’re slaughtering pigs at the market today.”
At the mention of “meat,” Shin’s stomach threw a minor protest.
He grumpily stuffed the robot back into the sack but still turned to tell the old man to accompany him to the meat stall.
In the Dark Zone, meat was a luxury item.
A kilogram of meat cost a whopping 8 Dark Coins.
Gritting his teeth, Shin decisively spent 16 coins to buy 2 kilograms of the finest cut.
The remaining 14 coins were carefully tucked away into a secret pocket inside his shirt, ensuring old man Akaisin wouldn’t catch a glimpse—otherwise, he would swipe it all to bet on cockfights in an instant.
By the time the grandfather-grandson duo excitedly carried the two kilograms of meat back home, it was already close to noon.
Inside the shack, Kento was busy cleaning and sweeping up the scattered components his older brother and the old man had left a mess of over the past few days.
In another corner, little Loona was fully absorbed, searching through a pile of old scrap metal.
Her small face was slightly smudged with dirt and engine grease from digging through the previously salvaged components, but her ink-black eyes sparkled with innate curiosity.
She was trying to build something.
BAM!
Shin pushed the door open and walked in, holding up the bundle of meat that was still dripping a bit of fresh blood, bragging loudly to his two younger siblings:
— “Kento!
Loona!
Look what I brought home!”
Kento, who was holding a broom, saw the massive bundle of meat and his sleepy eyes instantly went wide.
He jumped up in pure ecstasy:
— “Oh wow!
Big brother Shin!
Did you hit the jackpot today or something to buy meat like this?
Does this mean we get to eat meat today?!”
— “How about that?
We’ve got good food today!” Shin laughed heartily, radiating the proud energy of a family provider.
“Get ready to cook the meat.
There’s still enough rice in the jar, we’re having a completely satisfying meat and rice feast this noon!”
Standing nearby, Loona couldn’t help but gulp as she stared at the meat.
It had been ages since she last smelled meat, and her tiny stomach let out quiet rumbles of protest.
She politely ran over, looking up at the two with wide, round eyes:
— “Did you and grandpa have a very hard day at work today, big brother Shin?
Let me get some water for you both to drink!”
Shin reached out and ruffled her messy hair, his heart swelling with warmth:
— “No need, little sister.
I must have brought home such a sweet little sister today that good fortune smiled upon us, which is why we made so much money!
Wait for me to cook the meat, then we’ll all eat together.
You two must be starving, right?”
Both Kento and Loona chorused, their faces beaming with an unprecedented joy:
— “Yeeees!”
Meanwhile, old man Akaisin was stealthily handling the robot’s upper torso, his weathered fingers itching to poke at the circuit boards inside.
But the moment he touched it, Shin screamed from the kitchen like a sudden thunderclap right next to his ear:
— “Old man!
Get away from my robot!
Don’t you dare touch it!”
— “Hmph!
Fine, keep it then, why are you being so tense, you brat!” The old man grumpily threw the robot aside, muttering as he went off to check if there was any cheap alcohol left in the house.
After everyone dispersed, little Loona tiptoed over to the half-robot lying abandoned on the floor.
Loona tilted her head, carefully examining every broken wire and mechanical joint.
She squatted down, her hands swiftly gathering available screws, copper wires, and miscellaneous components around the shack, starting to try and repair and reassemble the robot into a completely new configuration.
Kento walked in from outside, intending to grab more tools, when he noticed Loona’s small figure working so intently that she was breaking a sweat.
Curious, he walked over to see what she was doing.
But the moment Kento peeked in, a shocking sight unfolded before his eyes.
Whir…
Spark…
Snap!
The LED system in the robot’s eyes suddenly lit up with a steady, solid blue light, completely free of flickering.
The internal shoulder gears moved smoothly, and then…
the robot’s metallic arm slowly lifted, moving fluidly under the control of a small circuit board Loona had just wired up.
— “How…
How did you do that, Loona?!” Kento’s jaw dropped, the broom in his hand nearly falling straight to the ground as he shouted in astonishment.
“The robot is actually moving!
You…
how are you this amazing?!”
— “Keep it down, big brother Kento, or big brother Shin will scold me if he finds out.
Can you help me find a screwdriver and a small power cell in that pile over there?” Loona looked up, her face smudged with engine oil, and giggled.
— “Yes, of course!
Let me find it for you!” Kento was ecstatic.
He immediately sat flat on the floor beside Loona, willingly turning into her assistant, cooperating perfectly with his little sister.
Whatever component Loona needed, Kento quickly dug through the pile to find it for her.
The two siblings threw themselves passionately into the spectacular resurrection of the scrap half-robot, their bright laughter echoing through the broken shack.
Just as the major mechanical surgery was drawing to a close, the kitchen curtain was pulled aside.
Shin stepped out, carrying a plate of aromatic braised meat with thick steam rising from it, alongside a pot of hot rice, shouting out loud:
— “The meat and rice are ready, you two!
Go wash your hands and eat…
wait…
what on earth is that?!”
Shin’s voice suddenly choked in his throat as he witnessed the scrap robot, which was supposed to be clinically dead, now sitting firmly on the ground.
Its mechanical head turned slightly to look at him, and its robotic arm even lifted up…
waving hello like a living creature.
Shin stood frozen like a statue at the doorway, his hands holding the steaming plate of braised meat nearly letting it slip from his grip.
He blinked repeatedly, staring hard at the upper half of the scrap robot that was supposed to be nothing but a mindless piece of junk metal, now mechanically waving its iron hand to greet him.
Gulping, he hastily moved forward, slamming the plate of food and the pot of rice onto the wobbly wooden table, then squatted down next to Loona, his face filled with utter disbelief:
— “Oh my god…
Loona!
You actually fixed it?
How are you so incredibly good at this?!”
Loona timidly pulled her hands back, lowering her small face as a faint blush of embarrassment crept up from her brother’s enthusiastic praise.
Shin excitedly turned the robot’s arm over and over, clicking his tongue in slight regret:
— “But looking at it again, having just an upper body like this looks a bit monstrous and weird.
Alright!
Just leave it there.
Next time I go to the junkyard to scavenge, I’ll hunt down some solid mechanical legs for you to attach, okay, Loona?”
The girl’s ink-black eyes lit up, and she nodded obediently:
— “Yes!
Thank you, big brother Shin!”
Shin’s excitement immediately morphed into a triumphant grin.
He snapped his head toward old man Akaisin—who had just managed to find a leftover jar of cheap rice wine and was taking a small sip, his face thoroughly blissed out by the alcohol.
Shin tilted his chin, throwing out a loud, mocking jab:
— “See that, old man?
Take a good look!
The foster sister I just brought home resurrected a scrap robot in less than a morning.
Talk about young talent, unlike a certain someone who’s only good at blowing things sky-high all day long!”
Old man Akaisin let out a loud “Hmph!” upon hearing that, slamming the wine jar onto the ground.
Scratching his red, tipsy nose, he snapped back:
— “Hmph!
You little brat, so what if she got the arm to move?
Pure luck, kiddo!
When it comes to craftsmanship and experience, your old man is still a step above her!”
— “Yeah right, stop talking out of your ass!” Shin clicked his tongue, curling his lips in utter disdain.
In contrast to his eccentric exterior and defensive mouth, a violent storm was brewing deep within old man Akaisin’s mind.
His senile eyes subtly flicked toward Loona’s small figure sitting quietly next to Kento.
Within the old man’s head, fragments of advanced techniques and profound knowledge from a peak era began to automatically piece themselves together:
”This child…
is only 13 years old.
In this impoverished corner of the Dark Zone, she certainly has never gone through any formal training or mechanical polytechnic schools of the elites.
Yet, using just a few pieces of discarded junk, she understood the microcircuit operational principles of an old-generation robot…”
Old man Akaisin’s aged eyes suddenly narrowed as a shocking deduction manifested:
”Could it be…
she belongs to the legendary race of The Intellectuals?!
But clearly, this race possessing transcendent brains was virtually wiped out after the great purge by the factions of the GEN-PRIMAL ERA (Generation Y) years ago?
No, my deduction definitely isn’t wrong!
My intuition doesn’t lie.
This girl is the sole remaining living treasure of that race!”
— “Hey, old man!
Are you coming down to eat or what?” Shin’s irritated shout abruptly cut through the old man’s train of thought.
Shin planted both hands on his hips, looking impatiently at the old man who was staring blankly as if he’d lost his soul:
— “What are you sitting there spacing out for?
Next thing you know, the kids will starve to death waiting!”
— “Alright, alright, you brat, always rushing me like a ferry captain!
Just give me a second, why are you so wound up!” Old man Akaisin immediately retracted his sharp gaze, resuming his decrepit posture as he staggered back toward the dining table.
All four of them sat around the wobbly wooden table.
Amid the impoverished environment of the rusted corrugated-iron shack, the plate of aromatic, savory braised meat rising with thick steam was the ultimate luxury they had ever tasted.
The pieces of meat, drenched in a rich sauce, allowed Kento and Loona to eat heartily, their chubby cheeks chewing away in sheer happiness.
Old man Akaisin, while picking up a piece of meat and chewing to ease his craving for wine, began his usual habit of bragging endlessly and talking big whenever he had a bit of alcohol in him:
— “Ah!
Eating this meat reminds me of my glorious past.
Do you kids know, back in the day, I used to be the Sect Master of a massive, renowned sect!
Back then, I lacked absolutely nothing when it came to exotic delicacies on this earth.
The disciples under my wing numbered in the tens of thousands, respectfully calling me ‘Master’—it was incredibly heartwarming!”
Slam!
Shin slammed his bowl onto the table, bluntly pouring cold water all over the old man’s face:
— “Save it, just focus on eating your food!
Every time you open your mouth, you talk big without an ounce of shame.
Aren’t you afraid your hot air will blow the corrugated roof right off this ragged shack?”
— “Mind your business, you brat!
What do you know!” Old man Akaisin widened his eyes, tapping his chopsticks against the rim of his bowl with utmost seriousness.
“You two siblings must listen to me.
Train your Sophion!
You have to awaken and practice it so you can have a future later on, to become people standing at the peak of society, majestic and awe-inspiring just like your old man here, hahahaha!…
Cough…
cough cough…
wait…
choke…
choking on rice!!!”
Due to laughing excessively with his mouth still full of rice and meat, the old man immediately choked, his face turning bright red as he coughed violently, almost spitting out grains of rice.
Kento hastily patted the old man’s back, while Shin could only clasp his forehead in helplessness, shaking his head in dismay:
— “I have no desire to learn that yet!
If we don’t focus on going out to the junkyard to secure food right now, and instead spend all day meditating to train that ‘Sophion’ of yours, we’ll all starve to death with gritted teeth before we ever make something of ourselves!”
After rubbing his chest and panting heavily to recover from the choking fit, old man Akaisin snorted and argued:
— “Huh?
You shallow brat!
We can just split the day up, can’t we?
I’ll set up a training schedule for both of you, don’t worry about it.
Learn while going out to make a living, it won’t affect the family budget!”
Speaking up to this point, the old man’s gaze suddenly softened, carrying a flash of boundless nostalgia and regret.
Propping his chin up, he sighed softly:
— “In the past…
I also taught a disciple.
That kid possessed an extraordinarily excellent talent for Sophion, easily a once-in-a-century genius.
Even though he was young back then, his potential was limitless…
And yet, now, for whatever reason, he has gone completely missing without a trace, absolutely no news of him.
Sigh, what a tragedy…”
The room fell silent for a second, but Shin—whose mocking nature was practically hardwired into his DNA—instantly broke the atmosphere with a painful counterattack:
— “What kind of Master or Sect Master has to fire-sale his own sect just to get cash to pay off gambling debts?
More like a Beggar Sect Master!
It’s all absolute nonsense!”
— “You…
What do you know about the art of betting and…
and high-risk investment?!” The old man was tongue-tied, stammering with a flushed face as he tried to find an excuse.
— “Nonsense!” Shin judged coldly.
— “Hmph!
There you go again, you brat…” Old man Akaisin stomped his foot.
— “Nonsense, hot air, blowing the house down!” Shin continued delivering a combo that caused the old man to completely erupt.
— “Hmph!!!
You insolent little brat!
Someone is having a serious conversation here, who gave you permission to keep interrupting your elders?!” Old man Akaisin couldn’t take it anymore.
He stood up abruptly, raising his withered hand.
“Today, your old man is definitely going to give you another thud on the head for your disrespect and lack of manners!
Today, I must hit you at least three times, otherwise, my name isn’t Kuroko Akaisin!”
Realizing that the odds were no longer in his favor and the old man was genuinely charging forward, Shin, with the sharp reflexes of a seasoned scrap snatcher, immediately dropped his bowl and chopsticks, leapt back a long step, and bolted outside at full speed.
— “Get back here, you brat!
Hey, stand still and let your grandfather hit your head once!” Old man Akaisin gripped his cane.
Though his legs were unsteady from the wine, his pursuit speed was frighteningly fast as he chased right on Shin’s heels.
— “I’m not stupid enough to stand still for you to hit me!
If you’re so tough, come and catch me, you back-aching, knee-sore old geezer!” Shin taunted, running around the shack’s pillar while turning back to make a face to provoke the old man.
And so, the grandfather and grandson plunged into a chaotic chase, running circles around the ragged shack.
The heavy thudding of footsteps mingled with the old man’s curses and Shin’s mocking laughter, creating a deafening racket.
Meanwhile, at the dining table, a completely contrasting scene unfolded.
Throughout the entire ordeal, little Loona and Kento maintained absolute silence.
Keeping their heads down, they casually kept eating their meat and rice while glancing at the grandfather and grandson chasing each other like cats and dogs, ensuring they didn’t get dragged into the mindless conflict.
Looking at the warm and humorous spectacle, Loona couldn’t help but giggle, her small shoulders shaking slightly with joy.
Kento, on the other hand, had a completely blank face; he was all too familiar with this sight for over a decade now.
If these two didn’t bicker for a single day, the sky might as well fall.
Loona and Kento focused on neatly clearing out their portions of rice and meat.
Once they finished eating, the siblings wiped their mouths, quietly carried the dishes away to clean up, and returned to the corner of the room to dive back into repairing and upgrading the scrap robot.
Before getting to work, Kento looked out at the two figures still chasing each other to the point of raising clouds of dust in the yard, cupped his hands around his mouth, and yelled a loud reminder:
— “Hey!
I left the rice and meat for both of you on the table!
Remember to come back inside and eat after you’re done chasing each other, otherwise the meat will get ice-cold and the fat will congeal, so don’t blame me if it tastes bad!”
Kento’s shout echoed through the Dark Zone junkyard, closing a noon filled with the laughter of four unfortunate souls who had just found each other under one roof.
END OF CHAPTER 2