The slum was divided into nine sectors, with each sector having at least one mob syndicate as its underground ruler, but among them all, Sector 7's Dark Shadow gang was the weakest in the Slums.
Nevertheless, Jake refused to leave Sector 7, even though Alice had told him to do so on a number of occasions.
Of course, he knew there would be a high possibility that the Dark Shadow gang would stop bothering him if he decided to leave, but Jake had his reasons for not leaving.
Alice actually had an idea about what his reasons were, even if he didn't want to share them with her.
It was because, in the Slums, Sector 7, unlike every other sector, was the only place where the cost of living wasn't as high as the other sectors.
Everything in Sector 7 was simply a lot cheaper compared to other sectors, be it food, housing, or anything you could possibly think of, so it made sense that Jake was reluctant to leave Sector 7.
However, this wasn't the only reason why Jake hadn't left yet.
The main reason why Jake hadn't left Sector 7 was that he knew that if he were to leave, the Dark Shadow gang would most likely turn their attention to both Helen and Alice, and Jake didn't want to imagine what those thugs would do to the two most important girls in his life.
Jake finally snapped out of his thoughts and noticed the book Alice had placed on her bedside table, right after he had entered, so he asked.
"What were you reading?"
"A novel."
"A nurse gave it to you?"
"Mmhmm." Alice nodded. "I was bored so she thought it would help to provide some form of entertainment."
"So? Was it good?"
"Nope."
"Why not? Wasn't it entertaining?"
"It's a novel about a farmer suffering from dementia, how is that supposed to be entertaining?"
Jake's lips curved into a smile as he tried his best not to laugh.
From the way Alice had sounded just now, it was very obvious that she was unhappy and frustrated with the book the nurse had given her, but since she didn't have anything else to read, she had no other choice but to keep reading it.
Alice glanced down at the book before returning her gaze back to Jake, but just before she could speak, a gentle knock pulled their attention toward the doorway.
*Knock Knock*
"Visiting hours are over." A nurse informed them as she stepped into the room.
Jake nodded in understanding before turning back to Alice. "I'll see you tomorrow." He assured her.
Alice smiled faintly and nodded in response, but anyone could see how sad she was.
She had been happy with her discussion with Jake and she didn't like how the nurse had interrupted their precious time together.
Of course, Jake knew this, so he decided to stay with her for a few more minutes before quietly leaving the room.
As he stepped out of the hospital, Jake shoved his hands deep into his pockets while looking around the street.
Sector 7's hospital district was a lot calmer than any other area in the sector, like the market district, which was always noisy. Thus, he was able to walk around easily without being disturbed by noise.
But Jake wasn't returning home yet.
There were still a lot of things weighing down on his mind and he knew he had to think of what his next course of action would be, especially since he had just lost his job this morning.
The reason why he had lost his job was actually very easy to guess.
Since he owed the Dark Shadow gang a huge sum of money, many employers were wary of allowing him to work for them and no one wanted to have anything to do with that gang.
*Sighs*
Jake let out a deep sigh as he took a long path that led to a river rather than taking the shortcut that would lead him back home.
The river could barely even be called a river because it was completely black and it smelled so much of oil, but Jake was already used to it by now.
He was living in the slums, so things like these were normal to him.
He simply crouched down at the edge of the river to pick up a flat stone before flicking it over the water.
The stone made three skips before sinking and Jake bent over once again to pick up another stone.
While doing this, Jake couldn't help but ponder what job he should try next.
Initially, he had been working at Bram's Gear & Salvage, helping them to sort busted machine parts, but now that he had been fired, Jake knew he had to find a new job soon before Dark Shadow found him again.
"Hmm, I wonder what job is available for me to do."
"I could try working as a night guard, but I doubt the pay would be half as good as my previous job."
"But then again, I could also try hauling metals for the docks."
"At this rate, anything's better than letting those bastards turn their attention to both Helen and Alice."
Jake's grip on the stone tightened even more because he couldn't help but wonder just how long he would have to continue this endless cycle of finding a job and getting fired within three months of his employment, all because of his debtor-creditor relationship with the Dark Shadow gang.
The problem right now was that this wasn't the second job he had lost, and it certainly wasn't his third or fourth either; therefore, there were already a lot of people in Sector 7 who knew that he owed the Dark Shadow gang a lot of money.
In other words, it wouldn't be long before everyone in Sector 7 knew about it as well.
And no one would be willing to hire someone like him once that time came.
But if that day truly came, what then would he be able to do to earn a living?
'Won't I have to leave sector 7?' He wondered.
'No, I can't do that.'
'Anything but that.' Jake gritted his teeth before tossing the stone in a rage.
He picked up a third stone and was about to throw it once again, but he paused mid-throw because he suddenly noticed how everything around him had become quiet.
Initially, he could still hear the sound of cars nearby.
But now, all he could hear was silence.
Jake turned around and wondered what was going on, but then he heard a sound.
*Thump*
It sounded like the heartbeat of a person but it wasn't his, and it echoed loudly in his ear as though someone had placed a living heart right next to him, as its rhythmic beats grew louder.
*Thump*
*Thump*
It echoed in his mind several more times, allowing Jake to easily pinpoint where exactly the sound was coming from.
He swiftly turned around once again and noticed that it was coming from the black muddy edge of the river, a few steps away from where he was.
So, he stepped forward and saw a shiny obsidian wristwatch which was half-buried in the muck.