Chapter 334 333: Taxi Driver
There were certain words Divine used to describe the Central Area of the City of Sin.
Serene.
Dazzling.
Utopian.
And Ephemeral.
When Divine described the Central Area as ephemeral, Corey was confused, and he asked why.
Divine's exact words were: "I called the Central Area ephemeral because of the high cost of living. Not everybody can afford to live in the Central Area for a long time."
"There are a lot of people who are only able to live there for a month or two. They are then sent out of the Central Area, and they go through something I call withdrawal symptoms."
"Living in the outer and inner areas becomes extremely difficult for them, and most either go crazy or mad if they're not able to make enough value points to go back to the Central Area."
"The enjoyment, safety, and feeling most residents get from the Central Area is usually fleeting. There are other reasons why I describe the Central Area as Ephemeral, but that's the main reason."
Corey, at that point, did not fully understand why there would be people who get withdrawal symptoms because they were not living in a place anymore.
But, as he looked and observed the appearance and beauty of the Central Area, he finally knew why people would get withdrawal symptoms if they were forced to leave such a beautiful place.
The Central Area of the City of Sin could be said to be a place of Utopia, and although Corey did not know the hidden and dark activities that were done in such a Utopian place, he was sure that the majority of the residents here did not suffer as much as those in the Outer Area and the Inner Area.
As Corey moved around in the Central Area, he had the urge to explore the Central Area, but he pushed down that urge.
He was working on a timer, and he needed to meet up with Divine before the remaining members of the House of Hellfire came looking for him and his allies.
He estimated that he had an hour at most before the House of Hellfire came looking for them.
Although he should have been worried since Dante had survived, he was not overly worried. Dante was a man that was full of pride. Even though he wasn't arrogant, Corey knew Dante had a sort of pride in him that was even greater than that of Zephyr and even Kane.
For a man with such pride, running away from a tier 2 without his weapon and arm must have hurt him to the core.
If Corey's calculations were correct, Dante would not have the face to tell the remaining members of the House of Hellfire what had actually transpired between their two groups.
He would most likely be hiding and recuperating somewhere and would probably think of a way to regain his arm, precious weapon, and pride.
'Unless he's actually a coward and he tells his House a different story.'
Corey thought as he stopped at a taxi rank and entered the backseat of a taxi.
Surprisingly, the taxi was not an autonomous car but was instead driven by a real human.
"Where do you want to go, Sir?"
The male human questioned, and Corey observed him.
First, the male human was a tier 3. He had an average appearance, and there was nothing remarkable about him.
Though Corey noticed one particular thing about him, and that was the presence of dark circles under his eyes. Corey could see signs of exhaustion in the eyes of the man, along with a tinge of anxiety.
Corey raised his brows in curiosity but didn't ask any questions.
"The central hub."
Corey simply said, and the taxi driver nodded.
"Right away, Sir."
The taxi driver started the ignition, and the car silently came to life. It hovered above the ground, and a second later, the car moved at an average speed.
Corey placed his fist on his cheek, and with an expressionless face, he looked at the buildings and people outside.
'At first glance, every Central resident seems happy…' Corey thought emotionlessly, then he glanced at the taxi driver. 'But, now that I take a closer look… Most of them are anxious… extremely anxious.'
Corey's brows furrowed slightly. Then he looked at the taxi driver once again.
"Why are you tense?"
Although Corey did not really care, he was curious… and bored.
From what he could see, it would take approximately twenty minutes before they reached the central hub of the Central Area.
He didn't mind not doing anything for twenty minutes, but since there was a chance for him to learn something new.
He wouldn't mind learning.
"Huh?"
The taxi driver glanced at Corey through the rearview mirror with a startled and confused expression.
"Are you perhaps new here, Sir?"
The taxi driver asked, and Corey nodded.
"Oh. I see now." The taxi driver had an expression of realization, and then he shook his head slightly with a soft sigh.
"To continue living in the Central Area, I have several jobs. I work as a taxi driver, and I also work for an organization. My work for the organization gives me more value points, but it's not a stable and constant source of income."
"So, I have to work as a taxi driver to make ends meet at times. I haven't been given a job by the organization I work for for a while now, and my rent is due in two weeks' time."
The taxi driver replied with a slightly trembling tone, and Corey's eyes moved to the man's fingers, which trembled subtly.
"What organization do you work for? And what work do you do?"
Corey questioned, and the man shook his head.
"I can't answer that, Sir. I can't disclose any information related to the organization and my work."
The taxi driver said, and Corey shrugged his shoulder. He lost interest and went back to looking at the buildings and people outside.
Meanwhile, the taxi driver glanced at Corey, then he spoke:
"If I may?"
He paused, and Corey looked at him with raised brows.
"Can I ask how a tier 2 like you was able to enter the central area? I don't think a tier 2 can ever gather enough value points to live in the central area."
The taxi driver asked while taking subtle glances at Corey.
"I got permission from somebody important."
Corey replied without saying anything more, and he went back to looking at the rapidly passing buildings and people.
Seeing that Corey said nothing more, the taxi driver went silent, and time went by. Some minutes later, the car came to a stop in front of a towering structure.
"We've reached the central hub, Sir."
The taxi driver said, and Corey made a 'hmm' sound.
Beep.
A beeping sound emerged from his U-Watch, and Corey looked at it, only to see a notification of a debit alert.
"There is a system in place which automatically deducts your value points the moment we reach your destination. It makes it easier for us taxi drivers who sometimes pick up powerful people that eventually refuse to pay."
The taxi driver said, and Corey raised his brows slightly.
'That's somewhat efficient.'
Corey thought, and then he walked out of the taxi.
"Goodbye, Sir, and have a great day."
The taxi driver waved at Corey, then he drove off.
Corey glanced at the taxi, and then his gaze moved to the towering structure before him.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m