Chapter 12 – Morals

Nick scratched his chin for a bit.

The rat looked with interest at Nick.

"Not interested," Nick said after a bit.

"Oh, come on," the rat shouted, but it still didn't dare to leave its little hole. "It's just five bodies! You don't even need to kill them yourself!"

"No, killing is forbidden," Nick answered.

  "So?" the rat asked. "Who cares?"

"I do," Nick said. "I am a real Zephyx Extractor now. I can't do such shady stuff."

The rat blinked very slowly.

"What?" it asked in a disbelieving and deadpan voice. "Extractors kill the most people. They can basically kill whoever they want. They just need to pay a fine for it."

Nick scratched the back of his head. "I mean, I get it, but I don't like it."

"It feels dirty."

The rat looked like it couldn't believe what Nick was saying.

"What are you talking about? I literally saw you kill that guy from the Insurance Gang and dump his body in the ruins!" the rat shouted.

"Ruins?" Nick asked.

"The sewers! The stuff below the grates you're walking on!" the rat shouted with annoyance.

"Oh, that," Nick said. "Yeah, I killed him, but that was because he was trying to collect information on me. It was self-defense."

"Self-defense? The guy was just looking at your house! You punched his face in before he could even do anything!"

"Yeah, like I said, self-defense!" Nick answered with annoyance. "He went against me, and I answered in kind."

The rat scratched on the grate below it with annoyance. "Okay, fine! It was self-defense! Then, go out and make some enemies and self-defend yourself into five corpses!"

"No," Nick answered.

Silence.

"Why?" the rat asked.

"I don't want to kill people that haven't done anything to me."

"I have morals, you know!" Nick shouted with a serious tone.

"Morals," the rat repeated with annoyance.

"Yes, morals," Nick answered.

"Okay," the rat said. "Then go purchase five corpses or something. Your employer looks like he has money."

"Can't," Nick answered. "We are not allowed to keep the corpses."

"Also, I heard that the entire city is basically looking for you, and if anyone found out that I purchased some corpses to hand them to you, the city would probably kill me."

The rat took a deep breath.

"Okay, okay," it said. "Anyway, my offer still stands. If you are ever interested in some information, just give me some corpses. I don't care where they come from. As long as they are human and have not been killed by Nurse Alice, I am fine with any."

"Anyway, good luck finding a Specter without me," the rat said with a snort before it vanished back into its hole.

When Nick heard that, he furrowed his brows again and scratched the back of his head.

He really didn't like his current situation.

Just now, the Parasite had given him a chance to find a Specter, but he had declined.

In the end, Nick could only sigh and accept his circumstances.

Of course, as someone who had lived in the Dregs for his entire life, Nick was a very practical person.

Naturally, he had considered the Parasite's offer seriously.

However, no matter how he reasoned with himself, Nick just couldn't accept helping the Parasite.

The Parasite was a Specter that killed a great number of humans.

Essentially, it was preying on the weak.

Over the years, Nick had looked at the huge pyramid that symbolized the Inner City countless times, and whenever he saw the difference between it and the Dregs, he felt very similar.

Just based on how the tax system worked, Nick could tell that the rich Zephyx Manufacturers in the Inner City were preying on the weak and poor people of the Dregs.

This created a certain hatred for people who preyed on weaker ones.

If everyone could just give a little of their belongings, there wouldn't be so many dying people in the Dregs.

Naturally, Nick knew that this was a very naïve ideology. Something like this would never happen.

Yet, even if the ideology was naïve, it was still what Nick wished for.

Nick couldn't change the world, but he could live his own life after his own standards, at least.

And Nick wouldn't take advantage of the weak people.

Taking advantage of the ones in power, like the Gangs, sure, but not of the weak ones.

Would it be easier to just accept how the world was and go with the flow?

Of course.

'But I don't need things to be easy,' Nick thought. 'I'm strong enough to have morals.'

Nevertheless, Nick threw one last glance at the hole where the rat had just been.

He felt a bit of regret.

Someone with Nick's knowledge and strength could probably find five corpses without being found.

But in the end, Nick just couldn't do it.

So, Nick just continued walking through the alleyways.

Eventually, the metal below Nick's feet became so unstable that he had to stop. 

By now, Nick was pretty close to the huge wall around the city.

Rows upon rows of silver cameras lined the top of the walls, and they were looking in and out of the city.

Naturally, several cameras were also pointing at Nick at the moment.

However, that wasn't anything unusual.

After a bit, Nick just turned around and left this part of the Dregs again.

Nick looked for a different abandoned part and continued his search there.

Hours passed.

Still nothing.

Nick returned home, ate something, and went to bed.

The next day, he continued searching.

Nothing.

The next day, he went and talked to different people all day.

Nobody had anything of value to say.

Nick also met an Investigator that day, who only laughed at Nick.

The Investigators had already found out that Nick was searching for Specters, and apparently, Nick had become a joke within their ranks.

They found it quite hilarious that some unknown guy from the Dregs was searching for Specters while he was up against several huge companies with hundreds of employees.

Nick didn't talk to the Investigator.

Another day passed.

Another day passed.

Another day passed.

Nothing.

Nick found absolutely nothing.

Yet, Nick didn't give up.

He still continued searching.

There had to be something, somewhere!

If Nick didn't find something, his future would become grey and empty again!

Nick wanted to make something of his life, and for that to happen, he needed to find something.

He wouldn't give up!

No matter how long it took!