Excerpt from Lyle Shiff’s bestselling travelogue, “Thirty Destinations You Should Die Before Visiting” published by Valco Press.

Pallad City is a sprawling metropolis perpetually teetering on the edge of chaos. Many officers in the PCPD have taken to calling Pallad City “DANGER ZONE ONE” due to the ever-increasing crime rates and hazardous environment in which they have to work. Despite its notoriety, the city is home to many megacorporations, fosters a booming economy, and has a thriving industrial sector. Regardless, many citizens (and some PCPD officers) look at these megacorps with disdain for their tendency to operate above the law.

A large portion of Pallad City underwent major reconstruction twenty-five years ago after the Kurtow earthquake, which left much of the area devastated and uninhabitable. Today, the Kurtow district—a massive section of wasteland cityscape that has yet to be remodeled—stands as a grim testament to the catastrophe two decades earlier.

Unbelievable as it may be, Pallad City has never topped the annual “Worst City” poll. That distinction goes to the neighboring megatropolis of Nu Metropol, one of the largest cities in the world. That said, Pallad City is still a far cry from the prestigious status of Old Metro or even Silica City.

Danger Zone One. Story by Midnight. Art by Katsu.