Chapter 94: Slums of Capital
The Capital, Slums
Like most cities, the Capital of Unity had its slum, also known as the Quarter of the Poors. Most of the underwaged, criminals, and outcasts lived there. The first apartment Miles rented wasnt too far from this area, but compared to here, that neighborhood was like heaven in hell.ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels
In the slums, crime was the norm, and people would ignore it to avoid trouble. The slums were marvelous in a sense, considering how much technology had advanced. AIs were running the city and monitoring people, yet criminals could avoid the authorities and act in a wanton manner. But one of the best human traits was adaptation. Humans could adapt to any situation and thus could circumvent these shackles and these criminals had their own ways to do so.
Luckily, criminals werent the only inhabitants of the slums. There were also people who lucked out to get stronger but were too attached to their birthplace. So they acted as vigilantes, and protected their neighborhoods. One such person was Cale Charlie Chua Cantillo.
Cale wasn't an orphan since birth, he used to live with his family in the slum. His father was an honest man who failed to awaken a strong superpower and was working as an electrician. He wasnt making much, since the technology had advanced too far for him to catch up, and he didnt have good enough superpower to barge into the Portal World to hunt. He could only visit door to door to fix houseware.
His mother was a housewife, taking care of their child. And she would help other people living close by to take care of their children to earn a few extra bucks. All in all, they lived happily. But, when Cale was only a few months old, a criminal syndicate wanted Cales father to help them infiltrate one of the government facilities. Not because he was capable of doing it, but because he had a job assignment there and was given permission to enter. The syndicate threatened Cales father with his child and wifes lives to do their biddings.
The innocent girl could hardly feed her sibling with her job, and if fired, she wouldnt be able to find another job. He couldnt allow it, so he faced the Colonel. But the Colonel was mad already. In his rage, he accused Cale of getting in over his head because of his fame, and charged him with insubordination against him. Cale was fine with it. He thought, If the matter blows up bigger, higher-ups will notice and will stop this madman from firing the poor girl.
In silence, He waited for the trial to come. When he noticed the Colonel went behind everyones backs and forced the girl to quit her job with threats, Cale lost in his rage and fought with the Colonel. Of course, he was too weak to fight against him, but he landed a punch right on Colonels face, and after that, he was kicked out of the R&R program.
He would have even been sentenced to prison, but Malcolm took pity on him and recruited him as his man. In his lifetime, he wouldnt be able to rise in ranks, but he was fine with it. In the face of injustice, he stood straight with his head high, so even death wouldnt faze him.
Hello, Cale. Thanks for helping me the other day. As Cale was walking in the street, an old lady greeted him. Cale smiled back. It is nothing. If you need anything, do call me.
Hey, Cale. Will you be here for the wedding? My daughter will cry a lot if you dont show up. A middle-aged man said with a smile. Her daughter was saved by Cale when she was abducted. Then Cale introduced her to a decent young man. He was basically their benefactor.
Wouldnt miss it for the world. Cale smiled with a heart-melting smile. Many people greeted the kind and judicious neighbor as he walked down the street. Cale walked to the end of the street and saw the coffee place that separated the slums from the lesser slums. He was to meet with his friends there today.