Wang Bao was dragged to an alley they had run past and the guard threw a heavy punch to his stomach. He groaned and coughed before his body was pushed against a brick wall. Wang Bao’s first thought was that the guard had been sent by his Mother, but he quickly found that wasn’t the case.

 

“I just got a call from my brother, he said some young guy and Giant shot his leg. Luckily I was able to find you so quickly. If you think you can do something like that and walk away, you’ve got another thing coming.”

 

Another punch was about to land on Wang Bao’s face when he reached into his pocket. There were no thoughts in Wang Bao’s head as he pushed the dagger into the guard's side, the dark uniform hid any signs of blood but the man groaned in agony. Wang Bao’s hand holding the dagger was soon covered in blood and the guard reached for his gun. Wang Bao twisted the dagger inside the guard's side, causing the man to drop his gun from pain. Suddenly Nakai raced down the alleyway in time to see the man drop. Wang Bao stared down at the bleeding out guard in horror. His hand holding the dagger shook as the air left his lungs. 

 

Blood began to pool at Wang Bao’s feet and Nakai quickly pulled him away. Using old packaging paper from a bin, Nakai wiped the blood from Wang Bao’s hand and dagger while Wang Bao’s eyes were stuck to the guard. He noticed how the man’s breathing was becoming uneven until it stopped completely. Nakai quickly stuffed the dagger back into his own pocket before twisting Wang Bao’s pale face to face him.

 

“Don’t feel bad, okay? You’re not the type of person to kill for sport. Know that it was either you or him in this situation.”

 

Nakai didn’t know what had happened between Wang Bao and the guard but there was no time to sit down and figure it out. They had only 5 minutes to get to the factory station and he didn’t know if they would make it. Wang Bao dumbly nodded at what Nakai had told him and a little colour returned to his face. Without wasting any more time, Nakai held onto Wang Bao’s arm as he guided him back onto the streets, almost dragging Wang Bao thanks to his trembling legs. Nakai dragged Wang Bao through the gate they had walked through earlier and stopped. I knew it. Wang Bao ran into Nakai’s back because of the sudden stop and shook his head. In front of him, Nakai spoke out in frustration.

 

“The train is already leaving.”

 

“Can’t we run like last time?”

 

Wang Bao went to move forward but he was stopped.

 

“The train is gaining too much speed for us to catch up and people in the factories will see us trailing after it anyway. We’ll have to find another way out of the city.”

 

“Where can we stay tonight?”

 

Obvious panic flashed on Wang Bao’s face as he pictured the man he had just killed, he also thought of the men screaming in pain back at the park, as well as the endless amounts of people that had thrown profanities at Nakai. Wang Bao quickly crouched to the ground as he cradled his head, his breathing becoming uneven again. Nakai quickly tried to think of another way to leave the city in order to avoid staying the night, suddenly Nakai had an idea and said to Wang Bao.

 

“Get up, we need to go.”

 

Wang Bao was having a full breakdown as tears streamed down his red face. Hearing how calm Nakai was tipped Wang Bao’s fragile emotions over the edge, and he shouted loudly while standing up.

 

“Where? Where can we go? I-I killed someone back there.”

 

Wang Bao brought his hand that had held the dagger to his face, remnants of blood could be seen and made his stomach churn. Nakai didn’t have the patience to coddle Wang Bao and stepped closer, taking a hold of his small head in both of his own large hands. 

 

“Shut up. We have to leave now or we risk being caught. You think the city is dangerous now, wait until nightfall and you’ll have to kill more than one man.”

 

The harsh words were hard to take but they forced Wang Bao to recover his train of thought, and he quickly calmed down enough to properly listen to Nakai who continued talking.

 

“We’ll hide in one of those carriages beside the tracks. If there is another train, we’ll get on, even if it’s not going to the border.”

 

“O-Okay.”

 

Wang Bao dried his face and followed behind Nakai. They were lucky that the carriage they picked was empty since it meant no security would come to check the contents. Inside the carriage, Nakai reached up and opened a small escape door to let in some light. Wang Bao was busy using a little of his water to wash his hands clean, once there were no signs of blood his mind felt a little more at ease. From behind him, Nakai asked quietly.

 

“Are you hungry?”

 

Wang Bao shook his head as he passed the water back to Nakai and sat down. Through the small door in the ceiling, he could see grey clouds hang over the city. He couldn’t help but share his distaste for the city out loud.

 

“Why my Father willingly travelled here I’ll never understand. I’ve never seen a more barbaric place.”

 

Nakai was quick to defend the violent city as if he was from the area.

 

“It wasn’t always like this. The city used to be open to everyone but over time the people became bitter and closed off.”

 

Wang Bao listened carefully before replying.

 

“I’m surprised Lei didn’t do anything about this. He always spoke highly of all humanoids. To be honest I was shocked when he announced the war against the Giant’s, but I know that was a lie now.”

 

Nakai hummed quietly to show he understood Wang Bao before shutting the opening above their heads, rain droplets had begun to fall into the carriage and the temperature was dropping. The rain slowly picked up and not too much time passed before a heavy downpour started. The rain hitting the metal sounded loudly in the carriage, making any form of conversation close to impossible. The loud rain also made it hard to fall asleep. Wang Bao had taken his robe out of his bag and tried using it as a blanket while resting his head on his arm but no matter how long his eyes stayed closed, sleep didn’t come. Nakai was leaning against the carriage wall with his eyes closed too, but Wang Bao didn’t know if he was asleep or awake.

 

The temperature continued to drop and Wang bao curled into a ball while trying to keep warm. His stomach let out a shooting pain from the punch he had received earlier, but Wang Bao chose to endure it for warmth. He didn’t know how but Wang Bao finally entered a light sleep. Nakai had been only resting his body instead of trying to sleep in case a worker stopped by the carriage.  

 

The night slowly passed for Nakai and soon he heard the rain stop. Nakai stood up and moved around to keep himself awake while not disturbing Wang Bao’s sleep, after some time he heard a train pull into the station. After checking the time, Nakai saw that it was only 4:00 am. To check if they would catch the train that had pulled in, Nakai opened the carriage door and stepped out. He kept hidden behind the carriage while peeking around the corner. To his surprise, the train that had just pulled in was a palace train. Nakai watched closely as numerous guards left the carriages in formation. He could see their uniforms were white, not matching the usual palace attire. Wang Bao was still half asleep as he walked beside Nakai and asked.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

Before Wang Bao could make too much noise, Nakai placed his hand over Wang Bao’s mouth and dragged him back to the carriage. Nakai quickly closed the door, afterwards Wang Bao waited for an explanation.

 

“I think your Mother has finally figured out you’ve left the palace.”

 

“Wh-What?”

 

Nakai briefly explained the guards leaving the train that had pulled in only a few minutes ago. He hadn’t gotten much of a look thanks to Wang Bao but he knew this made leaving the city ten times harder. Wang Bao thought of Mr Liu and Old Liu, hoping they were safe and well. Nakai started to think out loud as he tried to come up with a plan.

 

“If we were on the other side of the city we could have caught a boat over the harbour. The trains from now on will most likely be checked once they come into this station too.”

 

Wang Bao listened quietly since he didn’t have any knowledge of his surroundings during this time, the only place he knew like the back of his hand was the palace. Nakai stood up and opened the door slowly. He motioned for Wang Bao to stay put and left the carriage, closing the door behind him. Nakai weaved his way past the many carriages until he came to a metal bar fence, on the other side he could see another factory but it looked like it had been abandoned. Nakai walked along the fence line to properly see their surroundings before heading back, on his way he scoped out the train as well. The lines of guards had stopped exiting the carriages and were now making their way into the factory; multiple guards were also standing stationary on the platform.

 

After watching the guards for a little longer, Nakai made his way back to the carriage. Inside Wang Bao was waiting with a worried expression. Once Nakai returned he explained the new plan to the anxious man.

 

“There is another factory behind us, it looks abandoned too. We’ll jump the fence and have a look around. Maybe there will be a vehicle we can use.”

 

“Where will we go from there?”

 

Wang Bao had no idea where they were going from the very start, and it made him anxious to think he solely depended on Nakai when they were barely on friendly terms. Nakai grabbed his bag while answering Wang Bao.

 

“If we can get a vehicle, we can circle around the border of the city and head towards the sea.”

 

With nothing more to talk about the two men left the safety of their carriage. Nakai moved quickly through the darkness until he reached the fence line, Wang Bao also tried to move as quietly as he could. The fence was too high for Wang Bao to climb or jump over and Nakai squatted down, his back facing the fence.

 

“Come here and step on my hands.”

 

Wang Bao did as he was told and Nakai firmly held his feet while pushing Wang Bao over the fence, in one swift move, Wang Bao was pushed over. Everything had happened too fast and Wang Bao ended up landing on his butt while Nakai landed beside him smoothly. They quickly ran over the baron section in front of the factory before running through a door that had rusted off of the hinges. Inside was a large warehouse filled with various boxes and heavy equipment, the lifeless building looked as if the workers had simply walked out of work and never returned. While looking around, Nakai told Wang Bao.

 

“We may not be able to stay in an inn for the time being, look around for anything we can cook on. I’ll look for a vehicle and anything else we might need.”

 

Wang Bao made his way up the stairs to his right while Nakai searched around the ground level. The scent of dust was thick in the air and Wang Bao couldn’t help but cough as he walked around. The first floor was mainly small offices still filled with numerous stacks of paperwork. 

After checking the offices Wang Bao walked through a small hallway with two doors on either side. Through the first door was a small bathroom. Wang Bao was about to leave without looking at anything, but thought against it and checked the cupboards under the sink. Hidden under the sink was a metal box as well as a first aid kit. Wang Bao picked up both boxes then continued to the other room.

 

The last room was the staff room and Wang Bao searched the cupboards for anything to cook on. One pan had rusted until a large hole had appeared in the middle while another had been left on the stove top with food remnants. Enough time had gone by for the food to have been turned to a pile of dusty lumps but it still made Wang Bao uncomfortable. He almost gave up hope when Wang Bao found a medium sized pot in a random food cupboard. Once both boxes were placed in the pot for easier carrying, Wang Bao exited the room and made his way back to the bottom floor. While he was walking down the dusty stairs, Wang Bao heard a loud shout then a thud. His steps instantly paused as he scanned his surroundings.

 

Suddenly a metal object of some form was thrown towards him and Wang Bao sprinted down the last few steps. Wang Bao hid behind a piece of dusty machinery while trying to look around for Nakai. During his seated search quiet footsteps were heard nearby and Wang Bao panicked. Placing the contents from the pot onto the floor silently, Wang Bao jumped up and swung his arms with as much force as his untrained body could muster. The pot collided with the head of a man, knocking him unconscious. Wang Bao jumped in fright from what he just did before putting the boxes back inside his pot. Wang Bao tried scanning the large warehouse again but there were still no signs of Nakai. More grunting and shouts came from the left side of the warehouse and Wang Bao ran towards it, thinking it was Nakai fighting off more men.

 

Wang Bao was about to run through the open door when a large hand wrapped around his mouth, his body pressed against the cold metal wall. Nakai used his other hand to place a finger over his own lips, signalling for Wang Bao to stay quiet then let go. Nakai seemed to already know what was on the other side of the door since Wang Bao saw he had removed both guns from his waist.The sight of the weapons chilled Wang Bao’s blood and he quickly shut his eyes. Nakai moved silently towards the door and before the people on the other side could react, he shot mercilessly. Nakai didn’t stop shooting until everyone he intended to kill was lying on the cold hard ground, taking their last breath. 

 

Wang Bao opened his eyes in time to see Nakai walk into the room he had just shot into and followed behind slowly. His eyes widened at what he walked into. Humanoids of different kinds were all chained to the floor with no clothes while dead humans laid scattered around them, their blood pooling together. Wang Bao felt light headed all of a sudden and he struggled to ask.

 

“What is this?”

 

The humanoids looked terrified at the sight of Wang Bao and they quickly averted their gaze. Nakai answered Wang Bao’s question as he went around breaking the chains holding the humanoids.

 

“Slave ring. The reason why this city has turned toxic is because it’s the main trading place for slaves of all kinds.”

 

The humanoids all thanked Nakai quietly before returning to their own groups of people. Wang Bao had only ever seen human’s his whole life, the other humanoid species he had seen were all from books. Winged people, Sea people and Werebeast people were all in front of him. The only one that was missing was the Giant’s and dwarves but this didn’t surprise Wang Bao. He stood by the door silently, taking in the terrifying sight of everything instead of walking further into the room since it was obvious his presence made everyone uncomfortable. Continuing to break the chains, Nakai spoke in a stern voice.

 

“There are vans outside that garage door, take them and return to your land, don’t stop until you reach your own borders.”

 

Nakai broke the last chain before searching the dead men on the floor, handing the keys he found to a member of each group. Nakai received another round of thanks before everyone left the room. Nakai made sure to keep one set of keys for himself and beckoned Wang Bao closer.

 

“We should leave quickly too, people will come by soon to make purchases and once they see this scene the whole city will turn into chaos.”

 

Wang Bao agreed as they made their way outside. The vans Nakai had talked about earlier weren’t anywhere to be seen aside from one, leaving the last one for them. Nakai opened the back door of the van and stepped inside before handing the keys to Wang Bao. 

 

“I can’t fit behind the wheel, drive while I give directions.”

 

After staring at the keys in confusion, Wang Bao walked to the driver's seat and placed the keys in the ignition. Only after putting his seatbelt on did Wang Bao speak out.

 

“Why can’t the van be self driven? I've never driven anything in my life.”

 

Nakai wasn’t surprised at this new information and sat against the back of the passenger chair, speaking quickly so as to not waste time.

 

“All self-driving cars have a tracking system, for traffickers that’s the last thing you want. Turn the keys.”

 

Wang Bao turned the keys and the engine started, he was grateful there was no gearbox. Nakai instructed him to push the hand brake down then to shift from park to drive with his foot on the brake. Wang Bao followed the instructions, but his foot was resting on the wrong pedal. As soon as the van was put into drive it rushed forward. The van went from speeding forward to a complete stop as Wang Bao screamed loudly, a ringing noise sounded in Nakai’s ears while he pointed his large finger at the pedals.

 

“Left is stop, right is go. Now hurry, we're running out of time.”

 

The sound of Wang Bao’s heart was beating loudly in his ears but he slowly released the brake and pressed on the accelerator, Nakai reminded him to turn the wheel since they were headed towards a fence and soon they were driving towards the exit of the factory. Wang Bao felt he was a fast learner and couldn’t hide his excitement.

 

“Ha ha, not too bad eh?”

 

A bucket of ice water dampened his excitement when Nakai said.

 

“Pick up the pace grandpa and focus on the road.”

 

Wang Bao grumbled to himself as he pressed harder on the accelerator, the increase in speed scared him a little but Nakai urged him to go faster. The van picked up speed and the factories around them soon faded from view.

 

“Good, continue at this speed and stay on this road. I’m going to take a nap, once you reach an intersection wake me.”

 

Wang Boa started to panic again as he asked loudly.

 

“Huh? How can you sleep during a time like this?”

 

Nakai didn’t answer and he rested against the empty passenger chair. Wang Bao felt this was unfair as he tried to focus on the road, to his left the sun was beginning to rise, illuminating everything for another day. Wang Bao sighed before looking back at Nakai briefly. He couldn’t help but feel a complicated feeling towards the Giant beside him. On one hand Nakai was willing to take him to meet Wang Lei, and had also protected him from the ongoing danger they had walked into but on the other hand, Nakai was blunt and hard to get along with while also using Wang Bao’s body as payment for his good deed. With a small voice, Wang Bao spoke to himself.

 

“What sort of man are you really Nakai Ta and what is your connection to Lei?”

 

Nakai opened his eyes and saw Wang Bao staring at the road ahead with sharp eyes, the rising sun sent a soft golden glow over Wang Bao’s face and hair. He then closed his eyes again before finally getting some much earned rest. Wang Bao also stopped talking to himself as he continued driving. The industrial scenery around them gradually turned into an open road surrounded by trees and paddocks, the city fading behind them.