Could we possibly choose a less eerie place for our date?

After leaving the abandoned classroom, Chiyo Yashiro caught sight of Chen Shang leaning against the wall, waiting for her.

“Why are you still here?” Chiyo shot him a glare, her voice cold.

Chen Shang replied, “You turned down his invitation, didn’t you?”

“Were you eavesdropping?” Chiyo frowned.

“I was a bit curious,” Chen Shang stood up and approached her, probing, “Don’t you think he’d make a better travel companion than me?”

It was true—Xu Qing fit the mold of a flawless, overpowered protagonist in every way: wealthy, charming, the very image of a privileged young master. In contrast, Chen Shang was nothing more than an ordinary high schooler, perhaps a bit sharper than most, but clearly not someone to be taken seriously.

Any sensible woman would know how to choose between the two. In the game, the odds of the player winning the heroine’s favor over Xu Qing were practically zero.

Yet, from the look of things, Chiyo seemed utterly uninterested in Xu Qing, the archetypal second male lead, and instead was relentlessly pursuing him, the actual protagonist.

To Chen Shang’s question, Chiyo crossed her arms and snorted, “That Xu Qing guy…”

“He’s indeed superior to you, but someone like him… He disgusts me.”

“Disgusts you?” Chen Shang’s curiosity was piqued.

“The uncanny valley effect—you’ve heard of it, right?” Chiyo explained succinctly, “He’s too perfect, almost artificial. Being around him unsettles me.”

Even with this explanation, Chen Shang’s confusion lingered. “But this city is full of cyborgs and radiation-modified people—do they make you feel the same way?”

Chiyo shook her head. “If I had to put it into words, it’s that he’s too slick, too predictable. He’s so adept with words that I can always tell exactly what he’s going to say.”

No, this isn’t right. You’re supposed to fall for the oily types, aren’t you? Chen Shang inwardly grumbled as he stroked his chin.

“But you’re different. Crude and insufferable as you are, I can never quite read your mind.” Chiyo fixed her gaze on Chen Shang, the corners of her lips curling into a dangerous smile. “I’m interested in you. I’m willing to spend some time observing you. Does that answer satisfy you?”

Chen Shang lowered his head, muttering behind his hand, “Looks like I really did break your brain…”

“What did you say?” Chiyo was instantly alert.

“Oh, nothing.” Chen Shang squinted his eyes, then continued with feigned seriousness, “I really am busy during autumn break, but tomorrow after school I can spare some time…”

“If you want, I’ll spend it with you.”

“Wha…?” Chiyo’s body stiffened as she murmured, almost involuntarily, “A…date…”

“That’s right, a date,” Chen Shang snapped his fingers, “Not interested?”

Whether Chiyo Yashiro’s mind was truly off-kilter, Chen Shang would have to observe further. If she was genuinely obsessed with him and had no interest in Xu Qing, Chen Shang wouldn’t mind taking her on as an ally.

“You think one little after-school date is enough to make up for refusing me?” Chiyo huffed, turning away with an air of reluctant disdain.

“Suit yourself if you’re not coming. Less trouble for me,” Chen Shang shrugged, ready to leave.

But Chiyo arched a brow and stopped him with a raised hand. “Tomorrow after school, I’ll be waiting for you at the café next to campus…”

“If you dare mess with me, I’ll make sure you end up at the bottom of Radiation Bay.”

…

The next day after school, Chen Shang said a quick goodbye to Nayuta and headed to a modest café near the school.

The café was usually a haunt for students, mostly for group study sessions. But with autumn break starting the next day, no one had any mind for academics, and the place was deserted.

As soon as he entered, Chen Shang spotted her at the window: the heiress in sunglasses and a facemask, her long hair tucked into a beret.

Chiyo had already shed her uniform in favor of a brown trench coat, looking for all the world like a spy on a covert mission.

“Why do you look like you’re up to something shady?” Chen Shang sat across from her, struggling not to laugh. “Are you embarrassed to be seen on a date with me?”

“I don’t care, but the family wouldn’t see it that way,” Chiyo brushed her bangs aside, lowering her voice. “Less talk—where are you taking me?”

Chen Shang pulled out his phone and opened the map. “The Black Cage District.”

“The Black Cage District?” Chiyo’s face froze, her teeth clenched. “Are you insane?”

“What, scared?” Chen Shang’s lips curled into a mischievous smile.

“Hmph, why would I be scared?” Chiyo feigned indifference. “I’m only worried you’ll get yourself killed.”

“Then we’re all set,” Chen Shang rose slowly, grinning. “Let’s get going.”

…

On a wide avenue, a jet-black sports car sped toward the most chaotic part of Night Pivot City.

Chiyo Yashiro was behind the wheel, hands steady, foot never letting up from the gas. In the passenger seat, Chen Shang felt his insides rattle and the wind whip his face as though he were on a roller coaster.

The buildings grew shorter and the surroundings more desolate. In the distance, Chen Shang vaguely saw a towering iron wall, with smoke rising behind it.

The Black Cage District sat in the slums, encircled by walls as high as a maximum-security prison, bristling with automated guns and electrified fences. Calling it a slum was generous—it was more like a battlefield, or more accurately, an arena for the city’s magnates to let their criminals loose.

All crimes were legal within its bounds. Murder, robbery—none would be prosecuted once you left the district.

Because of this, it became a paradise for outlaws and cyber-psychos: the city’s only sanctioned dumping ground for crime.

To enter or exit the Black Cage, one had to pass through special checkpoints, each guarded by security droids and armed sentries. Trespassers would be obliterated by heavy machine gun fire.

“I still don’t get it—you brought a girl here for a date?” Chiyo grumbled as she eased the car into the checkpoint lane.

Along the way, Chen Shang had seen several five-meter-tall combat mechs patrolling, each with a semi-translucent cockpit in its chest.

“That’s what makes it exciting… cough… Where’d you learn to drive like that?” Chen Shang slumped in his seat, trying to recover from the queasiness.

“Learned on the Hawaiian artificial island in the central district with my uncle,” Chiyo replied offhandedly.

As they chatted, they reached the gate, where an armed thug in a gas mask stopped them.

“Hey, show me your IDs!”

“ID? You mean a business card?” Chiyo turned to ask Chen Shang.

There was no such thing as an ID in Night Pivot City; someone of Chiyo’s background would carry an electronic business card instead.

“No, he means this—” Chen Shang pulled out his phone and opened his Twiblog account.

“That’s right,” the thug nodded. “Flash your social accounts—Twiblog, B-Hand, TokTube, whatever!”

“Huh? Social accounts?” Chiyo was baffled.

“What, you never watch live streams, little lady?” the thug explained impatiently. “Most people coming here now are just here to shoot videos and stream!”

“Shoot videos… live stream…” Chiyo looked more bewildered than ever.

She’d never been to a place like this, but even she knew it was hell on earth. Who would come here to stream?

Chen Shang simply snorted, unbothered. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll see soon enough.”

Still doubtful, Chiyo logged into an infrequently used Twiblog account.

The two of them held their phones up to the scanner at the gate. Instantly, their user IDs were projected in the air:

“Twiblog User: Dev Wants to Play a Game”

“Twiblog User: Fox-chan”

Immediately, a long list of “Recommended Follows” popped up, all accounts specializing in outdoor streaming and bloody stunts.

“Alright, go on through! Good luck making it out alive!” the thug waved them in, bored.

With the guard’s permission, the sports car rolled through the steel gates.