Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

An Xiaohai sped along on his motorcycle, all the way from Binhai Road to Beihuan Road. He heard police sirens several times along the way, but no police cars came after him.

An Xiaohai's lips curled up slightly.

Ah Huo, the traffic police won't really chase after us. At most, they'll just sound the siren as a warning. First, they can't catch up, and second, if they push too hard and cause a serious traffic accident, they'll only be in more trouble.

It's more convenient and comfortable to just wait and collect the bodies of these biker gang members.

This sounds strange and makes one feel inexplicably uncomfortable, but upon closer examination, it makes a lot of sense.

When An Xiaohai had driven halfway down the North Ring Road, he slowed down. He couldn't keep speeding like this anymore; if he continued, he would really get caught, because they were not far from the small checkpoint.

At that time, Xiao Guan in Shenhai City had not yet been removed.

Locals in Shenhai City believe that, apart from Fuhai District and Luotian District, the other districts are called "outside the customs." People from outside the customs who want to enter Fuhai District and Luotian District must pass through a small checkpoint, and the checks at the small checkpoint can sometimes be quite strict.

Of course, most of the time you don't need to be checked when leaving the country.

An Xiaohai's destination is Baoshan District.

At that time, Baoshan District had not yet developed and there was no good planning. There were all kinds of factories everywhere, and the public security was much worse than that of the inner city. It looked a bit chaotic and was like a different world from the inner city.

Although Apojiao Village is also outside the pass, it is a seaside area with many beaches, and it was planned as a tourist scenic area early on. There are not as many factories there, and the environment is much better than Baoshan District.

It was almost midnight, but the streets were still bustling with activity, filled with vendors selling late-night snacks and a constant stream of factory workers.

Among the crowd, you can occasionally see some young faces with exaggerated hairstyles. Soon, people will give these young people a special name: "Shamate".

Previously, An Xiaohai couldn't understand what these people were thinking at all. In An Xiaohai's eyes, their image was both rustic and low-class, as if they were sick.

But now, An Xiaohai understands them very well and approves of them.

These young people are simply using this method to express their resistance against life and the world.

They had no other choice but to resort to this method, and it was the only way they could fight back.

Since we can't change the world, we can only change ourselves.

What bad intentions could such a young person have?

After parking his motorcycle next to a large factory area, An Xiaohai suddenly felt like taking a stroll. The chaotic street in front of him gave him a strange sense of security.

The road was quite dusty, and some sections were not even paved. An Xiaohai walked among the crowd with his hands in his pockets, looking at the lively atmosphere of the street with a hint of curiosity.

Such a scene was rare in An Xiaohai's memory.

In another time and space, when An Xiaohai finally walked out of that prison many years later, the entire Deep Sea City had been almost completely covered by reinforced concrete.

Towering buildings, beautiful gated communities, and wide, enclosed roads divide Shenhai City into a dense grid of small squares, cutting off its vibrant, lively atmosphere.

Back then, the shops along the roadside became more and more exquisitely decorated, and the prices naturally became more and more expensive, eventually becoming unaffordable. You could no longer see those signs that said "three yuan to eat your fill, five yuan to eat well."

Back then, the streets were filled with the smiles of young people who dedicated their youth to this city, but most of them have since disappeared without a trace...

I don't know how long I walked, but the crowds on the street finally thinned out, and the bright lights on the street gradually dimmed.

An Xiaohai looked at a huge village in front of him, where there were densely packed buildings that could be "handshake hands" together, and in the distance, many more buildings were rising from the ground.

An Xiaohai took a deep breath and walked towards the village. His destination was the huge vegetable market on the edge of the village.

The vegetable market is a magical place! An Xiaohai knew about its magic a long time ago. Several years ago, when he was still in middle school, he would often hang out in the vegetable market in Apojiao Village at night.

Vegetable markets are generally not small in size and have no obstructions in the middle, so they have a wide view. However, vegetable markets are often hidden behind a wall, making them relatively secluded.

More importantly, the market has a roof, which can protect it from wind and rain. Most importantly, no one comes here at night.

Except for one type of person: petty thugs.

Small-time thugs love to meet and hang out in the market. Besides all the advantages mentioned above, there's another very important reason: if a machete or similar weapon appears in the market, it won't seem particularly out of place.

The petty thugs in movies and TV dramas are a group of people who frequent nightclubs, bars, video game arcades, or mahjong parlors, but reality is not like that.

These petty thugs are very poor; the vegetable market is their true refuge.

An Xiaohai had just reached the entrance of the vegetable market when he heard a faint commotion coming from inside.

An Xiaohai smiled, exhaled, and stepped inside.

The market was indeed quite large, and the air was filled with a strange smell, a mixture of fishy odor and rotten vegetable leaves. In the middle of the market, a few lights were still on, and under the lights, some young people were gathered together, doing something I couldn't tell.

An Xiaohai's sudden intrusion made the young people tense instantly. They stopped talking and turned their attention to An Xiaohai.

An Xiaohai smiled slightly, nodded to the group, found a relatively clean spot near the exit, sat down, took out a cigarette from his pocket, flicked one out, and put it in his mouth.

An Xiaohai's sitting posture and the way he flicked the cigarette were both popular practices in prisons these days. He just hoped these thugs could understand it. If they didn't, An Xiaohai planned to turn around and run away!

When thugs go berserk, it's no joke. If you get caught and beaten up by them, you'll have nowhere to hide your face.

"I'll throw you away! Get lost..."

Sure enough, a hot-tempered thug started swearing, but he was pulled back by the people around him before he could finish his sentence.

This person looked to be in his early twenties, with greasy hair covering half of his face and a fierce look in his eyes.

This person must be the leader of this group.

"Hey buddy, what brings you here so late?" the gang leader asked, standing up and slowly walking to a spot two or three meters away from An Xiaohai.

An Xiaohai secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed this guy had understood.

"It's nothing, I was just tired from walking around, so I came in and sat down for a bit. Sorry to bother you, I'll just have a smoke and then leave, want one?"

An Xiaohai placed the red box of Polo cigarettes he was holding on the cement bench next to him.

The leader gritted his teeth and stared at An Xiaohai for a while before giving his underlings a wink, and a group of them slowly surrounded him.

"Hongbaolu, not bad!" The boss picked up a cigarette, said "not bad," and then put one in his mouth.

An Xiaohai smiled again and gestured with his chin towards the others.

The leader paused for a moment, but didn't think much of it. He handed out cigarettes to each of his underlings. After handing them out, there were only a few cigarettes left in the pack.

An Xiaohai took out a lighter and personally lit the cigarette for his boss.

"Thanks, brother!" After taking a deep drag of his cigarette, the boss's expression relaxed considerably, and the tense atmosphere eased.

"Hey bro, sorry about that, we've got a tough time tonight. You should finish your cigarette and head over there."

"Okay," An Xiaohai nodded, "Going to take care of our enemies?"

"No, and we can't really call each other enemies."

"Oh, then your stuff isn't suitable!" An Xiaohai pointed with his chin at the basket. This was the basket that the group of people had been surrounding. After the crowd dispersed, An Xiaohai saw the cold light reflected from inside the basket.

"Not suitable?" The boss frowned.

"It's not really suitable. It's too sharp and could easily kill someone. Why bother if you're not dealing with an enemy?"

It's exhilarating, but if you actually kill someone, you'll have to run away, and you might even lose your life. If you're armed, you have to constantly watch your strength; it's too easy to get hurt in a fight.

An Xiaohai's words caused everyone to become suspicious and uncertain. A bitter smile appeared on An Xiaohai's face. These weapons were lessons learned in blood for him.

"Thanks, brother!" The leader clasped his hands in a fist salute to An Xiaohai. "I don't think you came here just to wander around. What's the matter? Why don't you tell us? Maybe we can help."

"It's nothing really. I heard today that a friend of mine has been hanging around this area since he got out of prison, so I thought I'd come and look for him, but I've been looking all day and still can't find him."

"Alright, I've finished my cigarette, I'm leaving, thanks!" An Xiaohai said as he stood up.

"Brother, you're too kind. Could you tell me which friend you're looking for? We all have a way of recognizing the faces of the people in this underworld; maybe we can help you find him."

"Alai, Wang Bulai."

"What?! You're Brother Lai's friend?!"

The leader suddenly stood up, looking at An Xiaohai with an incredulous expression on his face.