Chapter 26 - Regions
Safe Area Z4 is divided into three regions, and this division is as clear as the different lines separating a chess board. The first region is the poorest and most miserable, and with reason, the closest to the great walls. This district is called the Forgotten Zone, where decay and poverty spread like a plague. Narrow, dark streets are filled with deteriorated buildings with faded facades and broken windows. The streets are lined with makeshift stalls, where street vendors try to sell low-quality goods to survive. The residents struggle daily to get work, food, and even water.
The Cruel and fatal crimes are one of the biggest issues in the Forgotten Zone. Some gangs and criminal groups of smugglers operate in the shadows, taking advantage of the weaken state of the residents. For this reason, this is the layer of least importance to the Alliance.
The second layer, more central than the previous one, is where the Commercial Zone is located. This region is the beating heart of Safe Area Z4, where commerce thrives and economic activity is most intense. The streets are wider and busier, full of stores, restaurants, and bustling parallel markets. There are many people from different social classes that frequent this zone, and for this reason there are well-divided districts in this area to separate the poor markets from the risks.
Towering skyscrapers rise up all over the Commercial Zone, displaying bright holographic advertisements and modern facades. The lighting is even more intense in this area, with colorful neon lights that illuminate the nights and draw the attention of the citizens.
On the busy sidewalks, people hurry back and forth carrying shopping bags, distracted by weblinks, all the time. There is a vibrant energy in the air, a sense of opportunity.
Commercial establishments compete for customers' attention, displaying high-tech products, trendy clothes, and exotic foods. Yes, even after so many years, the marketing tactics have not evolved much. The sounds of ambient music and lively conversations mingle in a constant buzz.
However, even in this most prosperous region, social inequalities are still evident to the most attentive people. There is a clear division in people's expressions between those who have access to luxury goods and technological advances and those who struggle to survive. While the people who enjoy these benefits always look radiant, the poorer ones have to work seriously, with almost sad countenances.
Kaito moves on, crossing the Commercial Zone with his head down, while thinking that he will have to make careful choices about how to spend his money.
However, the hood and the fact that Kaito is distracted in his own thoughts cause him to suddenly bump into someone, a beautiful woman standing next to a middle-aged man. She drops some papers she was holding and looks angrily at Kaito.
The woman has black hair and wears gray social clothes that seem to have been made for her slender body, but she quickly loses her polite composure when she sees the boy's clothes.
"Can't you pay attention to where you're walking!?" She says in an angry tone as she bends down to collect the papers.
Kaito immediately apologizes, getting down on his knees and trying to help the woman collect the papers. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Allow me to help."
"No, don't touch me-" She was about to say something, already judging Kaito, however, the moment she looks at his face, her voice breaks to silence.
Nevertheless, the middle-aged man, who was earlier walking beside her and seems to be the woman's companion, approaches Kaito with a threatening face. He places a hand on Kaito's chest, pushing him back.
"You think you can just bump into my wife and get away with it?" He questions with a defiant tone. "I don't tolerate disrespect."
"It was an accident. I didn't mean to." Kaito asserts, standing up and dusting off his pants.
Kaito's words only make the man even more angry, because not only does Kaito dare to exchange words with him, but he doesn't seem to be afraid either.
And to make matters worse the surrounding crowd begins to crowd together, forming a circle around the two, which leaves the man with the pressure to protect his companion.
Faced with the mounting tension, Kaito realizes that he will need to decide how to handle the situation. He can try to calm the man with words - which would be unlikely, seek the help of the people around - perhaps impossible, or even opt for a more defensive approach to protect himself.
Kaito quickly decides to act calmly and shrewdly to avoid an unnecessary physical confrontation. Even though he is now an awakened one, he knows that he can get into a lot of trouble just for touching someone in the last zone, the Noble Zone, with bad intentions. Therefore, Kaito takes a step back, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"I'm sorry, it was an accident. I didn't mean to cause trouble." says Kaito, trying to calm the situation.
The man, however, seems unwilling to listen to apologize and begins to raise the sleeves of his jacket, showing optimized iron fingers. He raises his clenched fist, about to deliver a punch towards Kaito's face.
At the last moment before being hit by the punch, Kaito instinctively reacts in self-defense. He ducks quickly, avoiding the punch, and his outstretched right leg knocks the man down with enormous ease.
Everyone around them lets out a surprised gasp, and Kaito, seeing everyone's shocked reaction, doesn't think twice and takes the opportunity to run, pushing the crowd away.
Kaito runs as far away from this place as he can, he runs without looking back.
His heart is racing, mingling with the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He knows that his reaction was instinctive, driven by the need to protect himself in the face of the imminent threat, but he is still worried, and this makes him realize that even though he has become an Awakened, inside he has not changed, nor does society see him in a different way because of this. So Kaito discovers that his journey is just beginning, in every respect.