My Imaginary Technology

The dim streetlights cast a rough outline over the tattered road as Zhu Lan walked along its worn surface.

“Beat him! Damn it, how dare you freeload in my territory!”

Thud, thud, thud—

A burst of fighting echoed in Zhu Lan’s ears.

He frowned and halted, gazing ahead into the murky stretch. This was the only way back to his rented room, but the sounds unmistakably came from a brawl up ahead—when gods clash, mortals suffer.

Having lived here for over two years, Zhu Lan understood well: for thugs, identity meant nothing. If they took a dislike to you, beating you up was minor; sending you to the hospital for months was routine. After all, auxiliary police were their ringleaders—if you got assaulted, there was no one to seek justice for you.

After some thought, Zhu Lan waited at the intersection, not venturing in.

About ten minutes later, seven or eight men, bodies covered in tattoos, staggered out of the alley, reeking of alcohol so intensely that Zhu Lan dared not meet their gaze.

“Hmph, brothers, let’s keep the party going!” The leader snorted at Zhu Lan standing by the roadside, then waved his crew on.

This city was chaotic, but there was no help for it. The resident population barely topped fifty thousand, but the floating population ranged from one hundred twenty to one hundred forty thousand. Over fifteen thousand factories dotted the city, drawing workers from all over the country, and security became a massive issue. Thirteen years ago, when the reforms had just begun, tens of thousands of factories sprang up, an