Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen

Dariboton was Drippoton—dirty, sprawling, dark, winding Drippoton—flowing with decay, but with a life that Ricky was sure he had never been in Sichuan. This vitality has been found elsewhere on Tuo.It was the kind of vigor that might not be found in the whole of the Empire, even though Ricky had never been to any world except Trantor.The last time he saw Dagger Botton was when he was in his twelfth year, but the people here still seemed to be the same as ever, still a mixture of lowly people and rude people, full of artificial arrogance and murmurs. Resentment, the man has a thick black mustache, and the woman wears a bag-like suit, which is really a bit self-defeating in the eyes of Ricky who is now sophisticated and well-informed.How can a woman dress like that to attract a man? —But that's a stupid question.When he was twelve years old, he already knew exactly how fast and easy it was to put on and take off that kind of cloth bag.So he stood there, immersed in thoughts and memories, passing a street made up of shop windows, trying to remind himself of the memory of the old place, and he suspected that there might be some people in the crowd who he knew once, but they were old eight years.There might have been pals from his teenage years—though he was deeply disturbed by the fact that, while he remembered some of the nicknames he exchanged, he could no longer remember anyone's real name.In fact, the gap in his memory was surprisingly large.Although eight years is not a very long time, for a twenty-year-old person, it is two-fifths of his life. There was a world of difference in the past, and the memory of the past has faded like an old dream without trace.But the smell is still the same.He stopped outside a bakery, low and dingy, and the air smelled of coconut icing—something he couldn't smell anywhere else.He'd bought coconut icing biscuits elsewhere, too, and although advertised as "Dahl's," they were mere knockoffs—that's all.He felt a strong temptation.Yes, why not go in?He had money on him, and Dors wasn't around, so she didn't have to worry about wrinkling her nose and complaining loudly about how unclean the place was.In the past, who cared if it was not clean?The store was dimly lit, and it took Richie's eyes a while to adjust.There were a few low tables with a few broken chairs at each side of the shop, where no doubt people usually used refreshments, such as coffee and baked cakes.A young man sat at one of the tables with an empty glass in front of him. He was wearing a T-shirt that had been white, perhaps looking dirtier in good light.A baker, or perhaps a waiter, came out of the back room and said gruffly, "What do you want, boy?"

"A coke ice," Reach replied in the same gruff voice (if he behaved politely, he wouldn't be a Dribotun), speaking in the old street jargon that he remembered.It seems that this jargon is still in use today, because the waiter brought him what he asked for, and he took it directly by hand.This kind of practice was taken for granted by Rui Qi when he was a child, but now Rui Qi finds it difficult to accept. "Want a bag?" "No need." Rui Qi said, "I'll eat here." He paid the bill, took the coke ice from the waiter, took a full bite, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

It was a big meal in his teenage years—sometimes he bought it after begging enough money on the street, sometimes it was a bite to share from some casual rich friend, more often It was stolen by taking advantage of people's unpreparedness.Now he can buy as much as he wants. "Hi!" a voice called. Richie opened his eyes.There was a man sitting at his desk glaring at him.Richie said softly: "Are you talking to me? Little brother." "Bullshit. What the fuck are you doing?" "Eat coke ice. It's none of your business?" Naturally, he talked to people in the way of daggers.No worries. "I asked what the hell were you doing in Dribbon?"

"I was born here and grew up here. I just grew up sleeping in a bed. It's not like you grew up sleeping in the street." The hurtful words blurted out, as if he had never left his hometown. "Is that so? You're dressed too well for a Daribotun. You're a pretty boy. You can smell perfume on you." He raised a little finger, implying that Richie was sissy. "I don't like the smell of sweat on you. I've traveled the world." "What's traveling the world? Ladida." Two more people entered the bakery. Richie frowned slightly, he wasn't sure if they were summoned.

The man at the table said to the two newcomers, "This fellow has traveled all over the world. He says he's a Daribotun." One of the newcomers staggered over, gave a mysterious salute, and smiled maliciously, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Isn't it fucking great? It's always good to meet a Daribotun who's traveled the world. Give them a chance to help their fellow poor folks. Money, for example. You're always happy to split A penny for the poor? Hi?" "How much money do you have, sir?" said another, the smile on his face gone. "Hey!" yelled the man behind the counter, "get out of here you guys. Don't make trouble in my shop."

"No trouble." Richie said, "I'm leaving now." He got up to go, but the man sitting opposite him blocked his way with a leg stretched out. "Don't go, friend. We still want your company." (The man behind the counter, obviously afraid that things might get worse, hides in the back room.) Ricky smiled and said, "Guys, I was walking with my mom and dad one time in Dribbon, and there were ten guys blocking our way. Ten, I counted. Finally We had to get rid of them." "Really?" said the person who spoke earlier, "Your father packed ten people?"

"My dad? To hell with you. He doesn't want to waste time. My mom did it. I'm better at it than she is. And there's only three of you. So, if you're sensible, get out of here, don't Get in my way." "Okay. Hand over all your money. You still need to take off some clothes." The man at the desk stood up, holding a knife in his hand. "Really," Richie said, "you're just wasting my time." He had finished his coke ice and half-turned.Suddenly, with lightning speed, he leaned on the table, kicked out his right leg, and hit the knife-wielder's groin with his toe.

The man fell down with a scream.And Rui Qi grabbed the table and knocked the second person against the wall. At the same time, he swung his right arm like lightning, and the edge of the palm cut the throat of the third person fiercely, and the person coughed and fell down. It took only two seconds for everything to happen, and now only Rui Qi was left standing there in the store, holding a knife in each hand, and said, "Who else wants to stretch their muscles and bones now?" They stared at him, but did not dare to move. So Rui Qi said: "In that case, then I have to go."

But the waiter who had just retreated to the back room must have called for help, because three more people entered the store, and the waiter shouted, "Troublemakers! Troubles all!" The three newcomers were dressed very similarly, apparently in some kind of uniform—although Rich had never seen a uniform like this before.The trouser legs are tucked into the boots, the loose green T-shirt is belted, and the strange hemispherical hat is buttoned on the top of the head, which looks quite funny.The letters JG are printed on the front left shoulder of the T-shirt. ①They look like Dar people, but their beards are not quite like Dar people.Although their beards are also black and thick, they have been carefully trimmed and kept neatly above the lip line, and they are not allowed to grow uncontrollably.Ricky sneered inwardly.Their beards lacked his exuberance, but he had to admit they did look neater.

The leader of the three said, "I am Corporal Kunbo. What happened here?" The three Kilibotun people who were knocked down stood up one after another, obviously being beaten hard enough.One was bent over, the other was rubbing his throat, and the third seemed to have twisted his shoulders. The corporal inspected them wisely, and two of his men tactfully blocked the door.Then he turned to Ricky - the only one who seemed to be unhurt. "Are you a Daribotun, little boy?" "I was born and bred here, but I lived in another place for eight years." He toned down his Daribotun accent a little, but still kept some. The corporal also had some accent, which was almost the same as his.In addition to the Dhari Botun, many other areas in Dar District still yearn for civilization.

Ricky said, "Are you security police? I don't seem to remember your uniform—" "We're not vigilantes. You'll hardly find vigilantes in Dripperton. We're the Joronan Guard, and we're keeping the peace here. We know these three guys, and they've been warned. We Will take care of them. But you're a problem, kid. Your name. ID number." Ricky told them. "What happened here?" Ricky also told them everything. "What are you doing here?" Rui Qi said: "This. Do you have the right to ask? Since you are not a security policeman—" "Listen," the corporal snapped, "don't ask about power or not. We're in Daggerpodun, and we're in power, so we have power. You say you beat these three men, and I believe that. But you Impossible to take us down. By law we are not allowed to carry blasters, but—” said the corporal, slowly drawing a blaster. "Now tell me, what are you doing here?" Ricky sighed.If he had gone straight to the district hall in a peaceful manner—if he had not caused nostalgia for Daribotun and Coke Ice by accident—he said: "I have something important to see Mr. Jo Ruonan, since you see To be a member of his organization—” "Want to meet the leader?" "Yes, Corporal." "With two knives?" "It's for self-defense. When I go to see Mr. Qiao Ruonan, I will naturally not bring this kind of thing." "In that case. You're in custody, sir. We'll get to the bottom of it. You may be wronged for a while, but we'll find out." "But you have no right to do that. You're not legal police—" "Hehe, find someone else to complain. Until then, you are ours." So the knife was confiscated, and Ricky was detained. 【Annotation: ①JG——The abbreviation of Joranum Guard (JoranumGuard). 】