The Enigmatic Native

Jack Li never imagined that after walking along the road for an entire day until the sun sank below the horizon, he still hadn't reached the city's edge. 

A healthy person could walk five kilometers per hour, but in his condition, Jack Li estimated his pace at barely three. After seven hours of trudging, he'd covered roughly twenty kilometers. Dizziness blurred his vision, his legs trembling with every step, momentum alone propelling him forward. 

Just let me die a little later… 

Another ten minutes of stumbling brought him to a crumbling building. Nightfall meant risking encounters with those eerie "insects" lurking outdoors. Though their danger remained unclear, avoiding unnecessary risks seemed wise. 

Jack Li used Officer Liu's lighter to ignite a small fire. Spreading the *Paradise Port* map on the ground, he dipped his finger in dried blood to sketch his journey. The city's scale defied logic—instead of thinning into wilderness, the skyline grew denser, as though he'd walked from suburbs into downtown. 

"Most cities don't exceed fifty kilometers in diameter…" He muttered, blood-stained fingers tracing hypothetical paths. "If I keep going, I'll reach the edge by tomorrow afternoon. Then we'll see." 

Curling near the flames, he lay on the cold floor. His clothes, stiff with dried blood, reeked of iron. The burns Taylor had cauterized throbbed and itched, denying him sleep. 

Dawn found him dragging his ruined body upright. Rest hadn't restored him—every cell screamed exhaustion. No water. No food. No medicine. He almost envied Tony's clean death. 

Shredding scraps of paper, he forced them down his throat. *Better than collapsing from hunger before seeing the edge.

The morning sun baked cracked asphalt as Jack Li staggered onward. The central plaza's clocktower lay far behind, its chimes inaudible here. "Zodiacs" grew scarce, replaced by increasing numbers of listless natives shuffling through streets. 

For a chilling moment, Jack Li realized his gait matched theirs—the same hollow stare, same mechanical steps. Are these people failed escapees? Souls who walked this road before collapsing? 

By midday, fever burned through him. The cauterized wound radiated heat—infection setting in. Each step blurred into the next, eyelids leaden. 

Not here. Not yet.

Half an hour later, he collapsed against a rusted taxi. Gasping, he squinted at the endless road ahead. So close to answers…

Then he noticed her. 

The woman in the driver's seat blinked. 

Alive.

"Native…?" Jack Li rasped, comparing the hard ground to the taxi's cracked leather seats. If death came, better to meet it comfortably. 

He slumped into the passenger side. The car smelled faintly of jasmine—a stark contrast to the city's rot. 

"Never thought a car seat would feel like heaven…" 

"Destination?" The woman spoke flatly, fingers drumming the steering wheel. 

Jack Li barked a laugh. "Where? The edge of this godforsaken place?" 

Humming a half-remembered tune—*Drive to the city limits, roll down the windows, trade speed for relief*—he slapped his thigh rhythmically. 

"The edge?" The woman tilted her head. "You'll need to navigate." 

She jammed the key into the ignition. On the fifth try, the engine coughed to life. 

Jack Li stared. Her cheeks held color, her movements purposeful. No native's emptiness. "You're… a driver here?" 

"Jokes won't pay the fare." She shifted gears smoothly. "Seatbelt." 

He fumbled with the frayed strap, its buckle rusted shut. "You realize this place isn't normal, right?" 

She glanced at the fractured skyline. "Overcast. Unusual for this season." 

*Delusional clarity.* Newly turned native, perhaps. 

"Name?" Jack Li gestured at the taxi license displayed beside him. 

Driver: Billy 

The cab lurched forward, carrying them toward mysteries even the Zodiacs feared.