3.similar kind

An hour after Matt left, Lynn finished writing the first short story of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" on the only manuscript paper she had.

The first draft was rough overall, but fortunately, detective novels focused more on ingenious ideas and logic, and the requirements for writing style were not too demanding. Lynn planned to wait for Matt to buy back a batch of manuscript paper, do a revision, and then find a way to submit it.

After finishing the urgent work, Lynn was ready to have a good sleep, and then go out for a walk with her brother Matt in the afternoon.

Suddenly, an unpleasant singing voice came from the alley.

The singing grew louder and louder, and soon, a drunken alcoholic appeared at the window, pounding on it and shouting at Lynn inside the house, "You cripple! Why are you still alive? Huh?"

Lynn glanced at the alcoholic and ignored what he said.

This alcoholic was their neighbor. Almost every night, he would go to the tavern to drink and stumble back home when it was dawn.

On his way back, he would often curse Lynn, who was even more down-and-out than himself, to vent his own frustration.

The original body hated the alcoholic deeply, but never told Matt about the alcoholic's troubles. The alcoholic was also very aware of the situation and never caused trouble when Matt was around.

Lynn had no comment on the previous body's choice not to tell Matt and instead choosing to respond himself to maintain his pathetic dignity. Anyway, he was too lazy to even bother responding to the alcoholic.

Firstly, it was meaningless and a waste of words, since he was going to leave this terrible place sooner or later.

Secondly, the alcoholic's depravity level was as high as [75]. If he provoked the alcoholic and made them angry, they might lose control and kill him, which would be far too much loss for little gain.

"Dead waste! Not even a word in days.

"Are you too scared to even speak? Haha! If it weren't for your brother, you would've died already, you piece of trash!" The alcoholic laughed maniacally while pounding on the window.

Lynn moved to the bed and lay down.

After shouting and venting his anger, the alcoholic realized that Lynn was still not responding and felt bored, so he cursed and left.

Time flew by, and it was soon afternoon.

When Lynn woke up from hunger, Matt still hadn't returned, so he had to make some bread for himself to eat and struggled to go to the bathroom outside.

It was seven o'clock before Matt finally... (the sentence ends abruptly, so I'll assume it was meant to say something like "Matt finally arrived home or Matt finally calmed down").

panting heavily, "Huh... Huh... Brother..."

Taking the newly bought writing paper and ink from Matt's hands, Lynn gestured for him to sit down on the bed and rest. "Why so late?"

"The street supervisor over there insisted that we stay and clean all the chimneys in the street!" Matt huffed. "Working ourselves to death every day for those rich people, why? We don't need this one day's pay... Come on, brother, let me take you out for a walk."

"You rest first, take your time," Lynn said, seeing that Matt's breathing was still uneven, and waved his hand to indicate that they should wait a while longer.

In addition, he noticed something strange.

Matt's Degeneracy Value had increased again.

It was [-40] the day before yesterday, [-30] yesterday, and today it had become [-25].

Since the day before yesterday, it had basically increased every day. At this rate, it might surpass that alcoholic who often came to harass them within a week.

Even with the added bonus of his previous life's memories, Lynn didn't have a very deep connection with this brother whom he had truly known for only about four days. Nevertheless, he didn't want to see such a usually enthusiastic and upright young man degenerate into such a state within just a week.

"Have you encountered anything... these past few days?" Lynn tried to probe.

"...No, why do you ask?" Matt exchanged a glance with Lynn, then smiled, "What could possibly happen to me? My job is tiring, but many people would give their right arm to have it. Don't worry, bro."

"If anything happens, you must tell me. I might be able to give you some advice." Matt still didn't reveal anything, and Lynn sensed that forcing the issue wouldn't yield any good results, so he had to put it aside for the time being once again.

"Alright, bro, it's about time. Let's go." As the evening grew late, Matt, who couldn't sit still any longer, still hadn't regained his composure, and stood up to push Lynn out the door.

Lynn tightened his worn-out overcoat helplessly and asked, "Where are we going?"

"To... Reddy's Tavern. I heard it's going to be really lively there today, with drinks and performances to enjoy." Matt was in high spirits, having been busy with work all day and not having relaxed in a long time.

"Okay." Lynn was also quite interested in the tavern.

Not all the roads in the slums were bumpy. About a quarter of the area was once inhabited by the wealthy, but later abandoned, so it still retained a certain level of infrastructure.

Infrastructure like telegraph lines, relatively smooth roads, and barely functional sewage pipes were still present.

The largest tavern in the slums they were heading to, Reddy's Tavern, had been converted from a small building abandoned by the wealthy.

After leaving their secluded area and entering the heart of the slums, the smoother roads made it easier for Matt, who was pushing the wheelchair, to maneuver. He had some free time and excitedly spoke to Lynn about the tavern: "Bro, do you know who's territory the tavern is now?"

"Whose?" From memory, Lynn's former self had been paralyzed for several years and hadn't been to the tavern or paid attention to the changes in territory.

"The Bazel brothers," Matt replied. "The same ones you used to work with at the canning factory."

"Them?" Lynn recalled his former self's experiences. When he still had his legs, he did work with a pair of brothers at the canning factory. At that time, the two brothers were often bullied.

"Exactly. Who would've thought that those timid brothers would turn into the owners of Reddy's Tavern and become influential figures in our area within just a few years?" Matt said with deep emotion.

The city they were in, Zvord, was considered a medium-sized city in the Vayne Empire. However, Despite this, the city hall had never considered allocating any decent law enforcement to the slums, resulting in the area being not only backward, poor, and dirty but also a lawless land filled with daring and ruthless individuals.

Precisely because the laws and morals in the slums were so weak that they seemed non-existent, a rule emerged where whoever had the hardest fists and the strongest power could basically walk around freely and carve out their own territory.

Later on, the mixed bag of local gangs and underworld figures took over the small buildings that the rich despised and considered outdated, turning them into their prized possessions. They built the most luxurious places that the common people could ever reach with their own hands: casinos, taverns, and restaurants.

"It's okay, our future will be better."

If I were in the original body, upon hearing Matt's words, I would most likely have said with a downcast expression, "I never expected to have sunk so low within a few years," making the atmosphere awkward.

However, as a newcomer, Lynn is still quite confident about the future.

"Absolutely!" Matt is delighted that Lynn has regained a positive mindset.

It didn't take long before the two arrived near Reddy's Tavern.

This place could be considered the liveliest spot in the slums, especially on Christmas Eve, when a large number of civilians gather around to chat and have fun.

Lynn took the opportunity to look around and noticed that the depravity values displayed by most civilians exceeded [0].

People like Matt, with negative depravity values, were not just rare but truly scarce.

Having such a large amount of data for comparison further proves that this otherworld is not a utopia.

Most people are sinking into depravity.

As for why so many people's depravity values exceed [0], Lynn, based on her memory and analysis, unhesitatingly concludes that it is a problem of the times.

Therefore, more accurately, this is an era of depravity.

"Bro, let's go inside. Inside, there are taverns, casinos, and restaurants. We can eat something first, and then buy some drinks to enjoy while watching the shows. Don't worry, it won't cost much. Let's just relax for once." Matt had a great plan. Such a fulfilling yet 'luxurious' night was a rare treat for people like them.

"Sure." Hearing Matt's inquiry, Lynn readily agreed.

Compared to the huge royalties he would receive in the future, this small expenditure now was nothing. He didn't want Matt to bear the immense pressure of saving money to treat his leg. After a year of hard work, he deserved to have a drink and relax a little.

Carefully, they approached the small, brightly lit building adorned with festive decorations.

Just as Matt was pushing the wheelchair towards the entrance, Lynn suddenly grabbed the wheels with both hands, halting their progress.

"Bro?"

With his eyes wide open, Lynn turned his head to see a man passing by him, walking away from the building.

The man's body not only displayed a "Corruption Value: 100" but also bore a unique "Awakened" mark, identical to his own!