Chapter 8 - Fragments and Rattle

Ed: Hello everyone its me again! As have you noticed the upload is getting less frequent right, but i have a reason though and that is i was busy reading a HI3 fanfic. Yes HI3 fanfic from webnovel and i can't stop reading it!

If you want the name, it's called "Honkai: your telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3rd?!" And the other one is "Herrscher of Dominance in Honkai, Starting with the abduction of kaina" uploaded by R_Arven

I genuinely recommend this 2.

Anyways.... Author has gone mad!? Enjoy the chapter ❤️!.

Note: 2k words or 3k words? Chose please!

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After confirming that W hadn't left any hidden surprises, no explosives, no last-minute traps. Xian finally allowed himself to relax. The tension that had been clinging to his shoulders eased as he let out a slow breath. She really left.

With the weight of the previous night's events settling, he decided to focus on something simpler, breakfast.

As he made his way to the kitchen, he muttered, "Meeting someone like W is already exhausting. Hopefully, I won't run into another lunatic like her anytime soon... or ever."

Though, deep down, he was relieved. Despite her unpredictability, W had actually stuck to their agreement. The discussion they'd had last night played back in his mind, and for the first time since she barged into his life, his anxiety finally loosened its grip.

In the kitchen, he gathered the necessary ingredients and put together a decent meal, nothing fancy, but good enough to keep him going. Once he finished eating, he cleaned up, dressed, and headed for the door that led to the front of his shop.

Stepping through, he reached for the clipboard hanging by the back door, scanning today's to-do list. Back to business as usual.

Xian scanned the clipboard, checking the demand dates of the repairs lined up for today.

As he went through the list, he muttered under his breath, "Mrs. Zue's broken electric stove… already fixed. Old Mark's TV… also done. Mrs. Ein's big freezer… handled that yesterday. What else—"

He flipped another page when a loose paper slipped out, fluttering down. Thankfully, his reflexes were sharp enough to snatch it midair. Letting out a sigh, he caught a glimpse of the content.

A rent notice.

Sir Banlak's handwriting was unmistakable. It was the same notice he received the other day, reminding him about the shop's rent. Technically, his home was rented space, and due to the rising conflicts and increasing cost of daily necessities, Banlak was demanding extra payments.

Xian exhaled through his nose, his grip on the paper tightening slightly. _That old man's using the situation as an excuse again. Sure, it's written in the agreement, but unless I renew the contract, it shouldn't affect me just yet._

He grumbled, flipping the paper back onto the clipboard as he made his way around the shop, grabbing his tools. "Earth or Terra, it's the same thing. Different world, same landlord problems. At least back home, I could argue about legal clauses and rent stabilization.... and here, I'm just a guy paying whatever number they decide to throw at me."

Shaking his head, he reached into his left pocket and pulled out his phone an old, dark red flip phone. The paint was slightly worn at the edges, and the buttons had softened from years of use, but it still worked.

Flipping it open, he dialed a number. The call connected almost instantly, and a familiar old voice crackled through the speaker.

"Yo, old man, you free today?" Xian asked, his tone respectful yet casual. Having grown up with his grandparents while his parents worked, he naturally had a soft spot for the elderly.

The voice on the other end hummed thoughtfully before replying. "Depends. What are you roping me into this time?"

Xian chuckled. "Nothing illegal, promise. Just need a hand lifting something heavy."

A low sigh came from the other end, followed by a gruff, "Fine, fine. I'll be there."

"Appreciate it. See you soon." Xian ended the call, snapping the phone shut before tucking it back into his pocket.

He then walked toward the workshop area, where he stored and repaired broken appliances. After checking today's deliveries, he separated the finished repairs from the pending ones, organizing them accordingly.

Once that was done, he reached for the small garage door in front of him and pulled it open. A warm breeze filtered in, bringing the faint scent of metal and oil.

Satisfied, he turned back, grabbed a chair, and sat down. Now, all that was left was to wait.

Time passed as Xian waited, leaning against the right side of the small garage entrance, arms crossed, eyes lazily scanning the street. The occasional sound of distant chatter and the hum of passing vehicles filled the air.

Then, from down the road, a pickup truck came into view, rolling closer with a familiar presence behind the wheel. As it pulled up in front of him, Xian pushed himself off the wall and stepped forward.

The driver's side window lowered with a quiet whirr, revealing the weathered face of an old lizardman, a chameleon-like Terran, his rough yet familiar features half-hidden under a well-worn scarf. His outfit was simple but decent, layered just enough to keep out the morning chill, a common attire for those in the lower-class districts during cold days.

Xian greeted him with a nod. "Morning, Mr. Frank."

The old lizardman gave a toothy grin. "Morning, kid." His voice had that usual raspy yet warm tone, like an old radio that had been playing for years but still worked just fine.

This was Mr. Frank, the man Xian had contacted to help deliver Mrs. Ein's repaired big freezer, and someone who had been assisting him with heavy deliveries for the past half a year.

Frank chuckled, glancing toward the garage. "So, Mrs. Ein's freezer, huh? Big one this time?"

"Yeah, fixed it yesterday." Xian rolled his shoulders. "Heavy thing. Good thing you're here."

"Hah, well, good thing for me too," Frank said, rubbing his belly. "I still haven't eaten breakfast yet, so this works out—I'm heading over there anyway after this."

Xian smirked. "Oh? Delivering and grabbing a free meal? Sounds like you planned this."

Frank let out a low chuckle. "What can I say? Experience."

With that, they got to work, moving toward the freezer. Despite Frank's age, his strength hadn't faded much, and together, they efficiently maneuvered the heavy appliance onto the back of the pickup truck.

As they worked, their conversation continued.

"You ever think about getting one of those lifter carts?" Frank asked, wiping his hands on his coat.

Xian let out a small laugh. "Yeah, and then I remember how much those cost. I'd rather deal with the heavy lifting than go bankrupt."

Frank shook his head, amused. "You really are a stubborn one, huh?"

"More like practical," Xian corrected.

Once the freezer was secured, Xian locked up the garage. With their job done, they both climbed into the pickup truck's cabin, the old seats creaking slightly under their weight.

Frank turned the key, and the engine rumbled to life. With a glance at the road ahead, he shifted gears.

"Alright, let's get this thing delivered."

As they drove through the streets, Xian rested his arm against the car door, gazing out the window. Fewer people were outside than usual. Those who were walking around moved cautiously, some sporting bandages or bruises, injured but already treated.

Seeing this, Xian frowned and turned to Frank. "Another fight broke out?"

Frank sighed, keeping his eyes on the road. "Yeah. Last midnight. It was bad."

Xian's brows furrowed. He'd been noticing a lot more wounded people lately, and now he had a reason why.

"Let me guess," he said, crossing his arms. "The local council clashing with the rioters… and some Infected getting caught in the middle?"

Frank let out a dry chuckle. "Bingo. But that's not all, some of the local gangs took advantage of the chaos. Broke into stores, looted what they could, then disappeared before the cops could pin them down."

Xian blinked, momentarily speechless. That explains why I saw more ambulances and patrols yesterday…

Leaning back against the seat, he exhaled. "No wonder things felt off. Even last night, it was like a damn typhoon was hitting the city."

Frank nodded. "That's because while the council and rioters were throwing punches, the gangs were using the mess to cover their tracks. Got in, robbed the shops, then slipped away before anyone could react."

Xian sighed, rubbing his temple. "Fantastic. Just what this city needs.. more chaos."

Frank glanced at him briefly before returning his attention to the road. "That's why you better watch yourself. These streets aren't getting any safer."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Xian replied, waving a hand.

Frank continued, his voice steady but firm. "Told Mrs. Ein the same thing earlier. She's got good instincts, but even she needs to be careful."

Xian hummed in response, his mind already running through the implications of what he'd just learned. If things were escalating this quickly, it was only a matter of time before this city hit a breaking point.

Xian shifted slightly, resting his head against his right arm as he leaned against the car door, his gaze drifting out the window once more. The city passed by in a blur-worn-down streets, cautious pedestrians, the occasional patrol vehicle rolling by.

Yet, in his mind, he wasn't here.

He was somewhere else. Somewhere far from Terra.

As a child, he was always alone. Not literally, his grandparents were always there, watching over him, taking care of him but still, there was a quiet, persistent solitude that never quite left his side.

Other kids had friends, siblings, someone their age to talk to, to run around with, to share moments of laughter and mischief. He had no one. He never understood why, but there was always a distance, something invisible yet tangible that separated him from others.

Maybe it was because he didn't know how to approach them. Maybe it was because they never approached him either.

So, in those years of quiet isolation, he found solace in the rain.

Whenever the sky darkened, whenever the first droplets began to fall, he would sit by the front door and watch.

Heavy rain, strong winds, the rhythmic sound of raindrops tapping against the roof, the swaying of trees as they danced with the storm, it was peaceful. A kind of peace that drowned out everything else.

And sometimes, when lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the world for just a fraction of a second before fading into darkness again, he would wonder..

_Why do I feel like this? Why does this kind of loneliness exist?_

Now, here in Terra, he had his answer.

That quiet, lingering emptiness he once questioned as a child no longer felt like an unsolvable mystery. Instead, it felt… inevitable.

He exhaled, his voice barely above a whisper, meant only for himself.

"Not everything comes immediately. Not everything… is meant to be granted."

It wasn't just about wishes. It wasn't just about fate.

It was about inevitability.

His gaze unfocused slightly as his thoughts shifted. People in Terra. His childhood. His present reality.

No matter where he was from Earth or Terra, the inevitable was always there. Looming. Waiting. Unavoidable.

And then, like a shadow creeping in from the edges of his mind, a familiar fear resurfaced.

_What if it happens again?_

The accident. The one that changed everything.

Even here, in a different world, a different life. Would fate still find a way to take everything away again?

Xian's fingers curled slightly against his arm. He took a slow breath, forcing himself to shake off the rising anxiety.

But no matter how much he tried to suppress it… the thought remained.

As Xian drifted through his thoughts, something clicked in his mind.

Memories.

Not just old ones from Earth but additional ones. Fragments. Pieces that surfaced ever since he arrived here.

He straightened slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping against his arm. Right… he did gain some memories. Not complete ones, not a full life's worth, but enough to make him question what exactly happened when he "teleported" or whatever it was that brought him here.

His own understanding of dimensional travel was limited. Did he slip through realities? Was he rewritten into this world? He didn't know. But what he did know was that the memories he received weren't his from Earth.

They were from his version in Terra.

Though fragmented, these memories covered certain things of "his" life in Terra, how he ended up in Chernobog, and his daily routines before his arrival.

But among all of them, one thing stood out the most.

He had siblings.

One in Chernobog.

And another in Lungmen.

Xian let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temple as the realization settled in.

He had almost forgotten.

A quiet, ironic chuckle escaped him. Here he was, thinking about loneliness, reminiscing about isolation, and yet… he wasn't actually alone. He had siblings, actual family in this world.

And I was just sitting here, lost in thought, trying to be philosophical about it again.

His mind drifted once more, comparing the contradictions. Loneliness. Connection. Inevitable loss. His thoughts had been spiraling, yet reality had already given him an answer, one that had been in his memories all along.

Xian exhaled, resting his head against the car window. His expression now mirrored someone who hadn't had a proper night's sleep, eyes slightly dim, shoulders a little heavier than before.

As the pickup truck rolled to a stop at a red traffic light, Frank glanced over, catching the shift in his mood.

"You good, kid?" the old lizardman asked, his tone casual but laced with concern. "You look like you just remembered something you didn't wanna remember."

Xian blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. He turned to Frank and forced a small smirk. "Nah, just thinking about work. Some deadlines I nearly forgot."

He kept his tone light, brushing past the real reason behind his expression. No need to bring up the extra rent Sir Banlak was squeezing out of him. That problem could wait.

Frank gave him a skeptical look but didn't push. "Hah. Figures. You do work yourself too hard sometimes."

The light turned green, and the truck started moving again.

As they continued down the road, still a fair distance from Mrs. Ein's place, Frank sensed that Xian's tired mood hadn't lifted.

Thinking of a way to break the silence, the old lizardman kept his eyes on the road but recalled something from earlier.

"Hey, kid," Frank called out.

Xian, still leaning against the car door, turned to him. "Hm?"

"You hear about that warehouse incident?"

Xian blinked at the mention of it. Warehouse incident? His mind immediately flashed to W. It was almost instinctive, but he quickly dismissed the thought. She's long gone by now.

"Yeah, I saw it," he replied, keeping his voice neutral.

Frank grunted. "Tch. What a mess. They finally released some footage of the fight. Turns out, that whole thing didn't just end with a busted-up warehouse. It's why prices are rising at the market, too. Supply chains got hit hard."

Xian nodded along, occasionally responding as he processed the information. This was just another sign that Chernobog was getting more unstable by the day.

But then

The next words that came out of Frank's mouth shocked him.

Frank exhaled, gripping the wheel a little tighter. "They found the injured person from that fight."

Xian's breath hitched for a split second.

He already knew who it was.

Because he was the one who treated W's injuries.

His expression remained neutral, but his mind was already working fast. _She got away… That meant she had slipped through their grasp, but not completely._

Frank continued, unaware of Xian's internal shift. "Didn't last long, though. The person managed to escape last night. Now the police and some special forces are on high alert, tracking them down."

Xian forced himself to stay relaxed, nodding as if this was just another piece of news. "They got any leads?"

"Oh, plenty." Frank scoffed. "Enough to say they're closing in. And guess what? They even put a price on it."

Xian glanced at him. "How much?"

Frank sighed. "300,000 Ursus Dollars. Anyone who captures or gives away the person's whereabouts gets the reward."

Xian didn't react immediately. He simply stared out the window, his expression unreadable.

W was still out there. And now, Everyone including the police, and desperate local was going to be looking for her.

Xian kept quiet, pretending to just listen. Back barely stiffened, but inside, his mind was already spinning.

_300k UD._

He let out a slow breath and leaned back, closing his eyes as if uninterested. Outwardly, he played it off like it was just another bounty on some dangerous criminal.

Inside, though?

Turmoil.

_Three hundred thousand Ursus Dollars? That's not just some 'oh no, I lost a wallet' kind of money! That's 'an entire squad will hunt you down and never let you breathe again' kind of money!_

His thoughts immediately shifted to calculations. Thanks to the fragmented memories of his supposed "Terra self" from his teenage years, he had a rough understanding of currency exchange.

Not because he cared about the economy, but because living in Ursus meant learning how to survive its damn financial system.

Ursus Dollars to Lungmen Dollars… The exchange rate fluctuates, but if I go by the last numbers I remember…..

He did the math in his head.

UD was strong within Ursus but weak outside of it. Compared to Lungmen Dollars (LMD), it had little value in international trade. If i were to convert it…

1 UD ≈ 0.4 LMD.

1 LMD ≈ 2.5 UD.

That meant… 300,000 UD was roughly 120,000 LMD.

_That's more than what my shop earns in a damn year!_

He wanted to scream.

"Crazy, right?" Mr. Frank chuckled from the driver's seat, completely oblivious to the storm raging inside Xian's head. "A 300k UD bounty. You'd think only the big shots would get that kind of price on their heads."

_I let that bounty sleep in my home._

His mind was racing. This wasn't just some petty criminal fee, this was Ursus throwing a financial nuke on someone's existence.

And he had let her in to treat her injuries. Fed her. Kept her safe only for a night.

He felt a cold sweat forming on his back.

A reward that large was enough to cover months of living expenses. His shop's rent. Repairs. Hell, he could even afford new tools, equipment, or hire extra help if needed.

_All of that… for turning in W._

Xian kept his expression still, not letting any of those thoughts show. But the weight of that number settled heavily in his chest.

Xian let out a quiet sigh. Now that his mind had settled, he could finally see things clearly.

Sure, 300,000 UD was a lot of money, more than enough to ease his financial burdens. But in the grand scheme of things, he wasn't interested.

Not that he didn't want the money, he absolutely did, but W was too important.

She wasn't just some rogue mercenary or a fugitive on the run. She was a significant player in this entire story. Someone who needed to be exactly where she was meant to be.

Nodding slightly to himself, he reaffirmed his decision.

Unfortunately, Frank noticed the nod and mistook it as agreement.

"See? Even you get it," the old lizardman chuckled, still focused on the road. "300k for a single person… makes you wonder just how much trouble they're worth, huh?"

Xian didn't bother correcting him. He just hummed noncommittally.

Because right now, he had bigger concerns.

The investigation.

The local government was already on the move, but what really made him uneasy was the mention of Special Forces.

_Special Forces? Why the hell are they getting involved?_

The more he thought about it, the worse the feeling in his gut became.

If they were taking this seriously enough to deploy Special Forces, then it wasn't just about a simple fugitive hunt anymore.

Something bigger was happening.

Xian didn't move, he didn't react and was still his casual, loafing demeanor remained perfectly intact.

But inside?

He was rattling like a maraca.

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