Elder Chen, who had been silently observing, let out a bitter laugh. "Normal? These guys aren't the only ones who mistreat us. But of course, it's nothing new that nobody finds out because we're so few here in the outskirts that statistic collectors don't even bother to come. They simply guess random numbers for their reports."
"That's true, but that's not what they're talking about, neighbor," Reed clarified, wincing as a wave of pain washed over him. "We pretended everything was fine to avoid worrying our son, and although we partly believed that the almost non-existent interest in the area would hide us... It was a mistake."
Wei frowned, processing the information. "I also thought you were well hidden precisely because Ren has a very obscure origin with a very uncommon surname in the records. But this..." he gestured toward the knocked guards, "this seems as if they were waiting for Ren to arrive."
