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“Move out!”

A loud command coupled with a fierce thunderclap resounded in the air. Footsteps marched in union while sharp blades from the bayonets glared extra brightly under the dark clouds.

“Summer is ending.” Yang Kong stood before the window, gazing into the dark sky. He should be looking at the last storm of the summer. He believed that after a few violent storms, the fresh autumn breeze would take over, leading the season of red leaves silently.

However, in Safety Sector No. 17, autumn was shorter than other seasons. Its arrival would mean that the long winter was just around the corner.

Pak!

He closed the window and turned around. Fei Long limped toward the sofa like a cripple. He was not at all interested in the squadrons of elite warriors marching through the streets. It was a little over a month, yet he was a lot thinner. His unshaved beard and mustache did not add credit to his already dispirited looks.

“The one leading the troops is Arhan,” Yang Kong said to Fei Long.

Arhan? The unit captain who eagerly led the troops to slaughter the people of the settlement? He was good at grasping the timing to show off his loyalty.

After the words entered Fei Long’s ears, his mouth curled into a sneer. His hand searched the tea table messily, eventually grabbing a half-flattened cigarette box. Then, he took a crooked cigarette out.

Yang Kong walked over, lighting the cigarette for Fei Long calmly. “The operation will expand. Are you being deployed later?”

Fei Long blew a puff into his squinted eyes and said, “I’m not going.”

“Haha. How can you escape your responsibility? You are the general captain, the leader of the Purple Moon Warriors.” While Yang Kong was not loud, his tone was filled with ridicule.

“Huh? The general captain? The leader? I’m nothing but an empty vessel. In the past month, those who don’t side with the traitors and their scum have been silently isolated. Moreover, even if I’m not robbed of my authority, I won’t show up today. Must I dye my hands with the blood of those who have really taken a stand? No, I can’t do that.”

“That is why I’m sick. I am very sick and unfit for any mission.” Fei Long looked at Yang Kong with a conflicting gaze as his emotions hurt him.

“Being sick, hmm, that’s not a bad excuse.” Yang Kong stood up, his heart filled with helpless sighs. He could not afford to call in sick since he was the only scientist-to-be in the whole safety sector and he would only have two options in the future.

One was to endure even more pressure than Fei Long and pick a side.

Secondly, since they were completely isolated, the factions and forces behind the scene would air-drop a real scientist in Safety Sector No. 17.

Yang Kong cared nothing about his future anymore. He only knew the Safety Sector No. 17 would never have its own independent saying after this. Maybe after today, the whole safety sector would become an appendage of a certain faction, following its master’s will and becoming nothing but a mere puppet.

A particular ideal that came in the form of hope from 20 years ago seemed to have strayed further away.

The sky was smothered by dark clouds as if the light was shrouded by endless darkness.

******

“Worf, what do you think you will preserve? A safety sector that’s a mere puppet and a peaceful life? No, no no, the safety sector might get more resources and you’ll rise higher in the ranks.” An arrogant voice was speaking loudly in Worf’s office.

The office hidden deep in the Cliff of Hope was big. It was built throughout the cliff and one could see the entire battlefield ruins on the far left. The far-right was facing the whole Safety Sector No. 17.

Right now, Worf was standing in front of the huge glass window on the right. Glory Hall and the square were visible from where he stood. There were squadrons of elite warriors who were each led by a Purple Moon Warrior.

The commander for the troops had once been the unit captain. He was the Purple Moon Warrior with the signature red cap, Arhan.

Soon, Worf would have to promote Arhan as general captain. However, he found the thought ironic as he released his clenched fists and a lock of black energy threads danced out and disappeared into the air. He turned around to the man who had spoken to him, “Zorwen, is this how you speak to your castellan?”

“Oh ho? Are you still the castellan? Do you still remember that you are the castellan?” Zorwen did not even care about Worf. He scoffed at the castellan instead.

Worf helplessly remained silent against this man who had been through life and death with him numerous times and was also an old friend of almost 40 years.

Of course, he still remembered his identity as the castellan. He also remembered that winter night when the late castellan had placed his withered hand into his own like it was yesterday.

‘Safety Sector No. 17 is my life’s work. Neither can I give it away to my incompetent son, nor can I hand it over to my greedy younger brother. The biggest reason for its existence is to provide shelter for the people drifting in this era, to provide a roof over their heads so that they can be safe from the storm.

‘Worf, I know there are injustice and unfairness in this world. I know how pitiful are the people in the settlement. Alas, I cannot do better than this, but I hope you can carry my will and surpass me. Do better.

‘Do you understand? Carry my will until that day when people can live a peaceful life in the safety sector and understand that all the suffering that happened back then was all worth it. It...It is for...the happiness of our future generations.’

It had been many, many years, yet the memories were vivid when he recalled them. Worf even remembered the shape of the fire in the hearth, the wrinkles on the late castellan’s face, and the feeling of his hand.

Bitterness spread in his heart silently. He had disappointed the late castellan because he was not as competent as the late castellan had hoped for.

All these years, he never stopped searching for the right path. In order to strengthen himself to become the shield of the safety sector, he left to train and it had been 10 years since then. Unfortunately, he was not able to stop what was coming. All he could do was...

The thought lingered in his mind when he looked at Zorwen. “I have to. I suppose you understand that I...”

Worf strode to the desk in the office. On the wall behind the desk hung a delicate-looking sword.

Zorwen watched as Worf grabbed the sword and swung it in the air before saying, “The castellan sword is still in my hand, so I’m still the castellan. As long as I stand until my last breath, even if I’m just a puppet, I’m still the castellan and there’s a meaning to my existence.”

Zorwen looked burdened all of a sudden, but he stood straight and said, “Castellan, are you going for the last line of protection?”

“What last line of protection? The protection is always here and I will never fall. I want to see what will that faction do against Safety Sector No. 17 that still has the seed of hope buried deep within it.” A fierce glare flashed over Worf’s eyes.

******

The familiar melody filled the room. Aber’s hands were in his pocket as he stood before the window. He loved the melody a lot. Listening to it while watching the operation today, Aber suddenly felt like he would be the triumphant man that stood on top of a mountain of bodies and a sea of blood.

Covered in blood, he looked down like a condescending emperor speaking in a rough voice, “Massacre? No, that is never my will.”

People would then kneel before him.

But that’s not the shape of my heart, is it?

Aber’s eyes grew more profound. The scene that played out today would not be his will either.

Who would want to become a puppet at the bottom of their heart? Even if he could stand at the peak of Safety Sector No. 17 by giving himself in, it would be meaningless.

He, Aber Agnes, with outstanding talent and equipped with both brains and brawns, would become a master of his own. He would rise to the top and become the real master with his own will.

Would the methods used in the process matter? Would history matter? History was written by victors after all.

Of course, had it been before this, his life as a puppet would have been strenuously long, but now? He would take the most important credit for himself.

A puppet? No, it was the Agnes family’s job to become a puppet, not his.

With the important credit in hand, he would voice his request to the faction behind all this, the Stardust Council.

He would get the opportunity to truly rise in the ranks.

The thought excited Aber. Nothing will go wrong. We are in the endgame now.

******

Looking at the retreating back, Andrew squinted his eyes and said to Hank beside him, “I have a feeling that Aber has his own plans and I’ve somehow become a pawn in his game.”

Hank did not say anything since he was not good at politics or fighting over authority. He was tidying up his military backpack, his uniform, and his weapons without a care for the conflicts going on. He knew there would be a fierce battle that was unlike any others coming his way, so he had to be prepared.

However, Hank’s composure failed to infect Andrew. His gentlemanly bearing was lost and he was very grumpy at that moment. He stood and kicked the longsword away. The blade twirled several times in the air before embedding itself into the wall of the cave.

Unfortunately, it was not enough to vent his emotions. Andrew walked to the wine cellar and picked out the harshest liquor, uncorking it and gulping a third of the alcohol in one go.

He was never an alcoholic and would remain calm and stay under control regardless of the situation, but he was incapable in the current circumstances. He could not do anything before his opponent who was numerous times stronger than himself. His wisdom, his hard work, and calculations had all failed him, and he felt helplessly defeated.

A hand gripped Andrew’s shoulder and took the bottle away from him.

“What are you being grumpy about? You know the differences between you and Aber from the start.” Hank was usually calm. Shouldn’t Andrew have accepted the fact a long time ago?

However, his words infuriated Andrew who glared at Hank. “Alcohol! Give me the alcohol.”

Hank hesitated, but he reluctantly returned the bottle to Andrew.

Andrew took another strong gulp before he gasped. “I’ve always accepted the fact, but I never expected the fact to be so cruel.”

“Hank, something is wrong with that Tang Ling, do you know? There’s something very wrong with him. Didn’t you hear what they said just now?”

“I heard. Tang Ling should be a very powerful person,” said Hank as he unconsciously turned to the lobby of the cave. The stone wall in the lobby had the ranking of the First Reserved Camp carved on it. Hank’s name occupied the first place firmly and Tang Ling’s name was still at the bottom.

“Powerful? No, no, no, no! It’s not important to me at all.” Andrew shook his head before taking another big gulp of the bottle. He continued, “The important thing is that Tang Ling is an opportunity!”

“Do you understand? There is something very wrong about him and it means a huge opportunity, but Aber seized the opportunity for himself. Judging from his actions, I won’t be credited anymore for whatever he is going to do...” Andrew was getting riled up. He crushed the bottle of liquor in the end, making his hand bleed. “The worst thing is that I still have to work for him and help him to achieve his goal...How can I adhere to that?”

Andrew hugged his head in depression while Hank remained quiet. He held Andrew’s hand and tended to his wounds. After he stopped the bleeding, he said, “If you don’t agree, why must you follow what he says?”

Andrew’s gaze was blank, but when he heard Hank’s words, the vitality in his eyes slowly recovered.

He laughed all of a sudden as he held Hank’s hand tightly and said with gnashing teeth, “Yeah, why didn’t I think of that? All I need to do is to trifle with something and I can go against his will. Aber will fail. His plan will fall short!” “Hank, you are the one with great wisdom! I can never be as smart as you.” Andrew sank in his maniacal laughter.

Hank shook his head. He had no idea what Andrew was going to do.

The storm had arrived. What kind of quake would it cause in the end?

******

Su Yao panted vehemently as the high-speed sprint pushed his heart to its limit. He could barely endure the violent beating. He carried a great secret with him and had to stay away from the public eye for now.

However, what about Tang Ling? Would he be fine? Judging from the secret intel, Tang Ling was not targeted, so he would be safe for the time being.

Su Yao stopped sprinting, thinking that he should be safe after running this far. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and released his clenched fists. There was a paper in his hand with a single line of sentences: ‘The purge has started. Run. Who are you?’

The sentence had two meanings. Su Yao could not help but bitterly chuckle. He sat down to adjust his breath. Then, he grabbed a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

As the smoke circled his face, he started to talk to himself, “How long has it been? 22 years? Or 23? I guess the folks there have forgotten me...Well, even I’ve almost forgotten myself.”

While he talked to himself, he took something out from his arms. It was an aged metal box covered with heavy mottled rust.

Su Yao stroked the rusty box emotionally while past memories were flashing in his eyes.

He suddenly felt the sun from 30 years ago and saw the carefree guy from his memories wearing those patched clothes, squatting on a pile of firewood with a straw of grass in his mouth. The guy looked at him. “Hey, look at this. My clothes are made from real fabric. Wanna touch? It feels great.”

“Hmph, dickhead.” Su Yao chuckled in reminiscence as he opened the metal box.

‘Why are you so stupid? If you can’t win, run! Why did you fight them with your life? Let me have a look. Shit, there’s blood all over your head!” The carefree guy tore a piece of cloth from his precious clothes and simply wiped the blood on Su Yao’s head, then the blood on himself.

Run? Of course, I want to run. The problem is that I can’t outrun them! And that dickhead stayed in the end. He turned around and stood by me to fight the bunch of bullies from the village.

Why would people follow another person wholeheartedly? Was it because of strength? Or because of a wealthy background or potential benefits?

Neither.

Su Yao did not regret following that guy in his memory. It all started when the guy turned around and stood by him and when he tore a piece of cloth from his precious clothes to wipe his blood and try to patch his injuries.

Sometimes, when you followed a person wholeheartedly and could even give him your life, it was not because of how powerful the person was. It might just because the person following was a dickhead.

Su Yao chuckled. He took a vial of liquid from the metal box. The liquid inside the vial was glistening and appeared captivating, especially in a dark room like this.

He also held another transparent sculpture in his other hand. It seemed like an intricately sculpted masterpiece. The shape of the sculpture was an ugly dog head.

I guess only that dickhead is stupid enough to create such a lame symbol.

“What do you know, dumbass? This dog was a pet of mine when I was young. I found it in the forest. You don’t even know how loyal it is. It pledged its loyalty to me and would protect me for life. Likewise, I also have the burden of protection. I must protect this era, this planet. Hey, look how cute it is. It’s such a cute dog.”

“A dog head, eh?” Su Yao’s fingers rubbed the dog head repeatedly and he eventually held it tightly.

The past was like a cloud of smoke, floating in the air. You could not touch it and it could not scatter away either. This silly dog head sculpture once shone across this world.

It has been a very long time., I guess the people have forgotten about it, but...it doesn’t matter.

Su Yao exerted his strength and the transparent dog head sculpture started to crack, ultimately breaking into pieces.

It had returned.

A kid named Tang Ling had also appeared.

Let’s hope that kid isn’t a dumbass because the dumbass before him failed. Does the era belong to the cold-blooded but smart and strong people?

Maybe he is a dumbass like the one before him...There’s no evidence to prove it now, but will there be any more in the future? The kid still has the dumbass’s blood in him anyway.

******

Squadrons of elite warriors were marching fiercely throughout Safety Sector No. 17 from the inner city to the outer city.

The line that shaped the identity of the people of the sector vanished at that moment. Whether you were a noble or a civilian, whenever you were taken away, you would officially become a convict, a death convict at that.

“Lord Arhan, must we cuff Lord Morlin with the death convict shackles too?” An elite warrior looked at Arhan with unease.

Arhan had a handkerchief over his nose because he detested the stench in the rural area. His eyes were deep and sinister when he looked at the warrior. “What is this? Sympathy?”

“No, my Lord. I’m just...” The elite warrior wanted to defend himself, but the strong denial in his throat silenced him.

Lord Morlin was loved by the people. He was one of the few nobles who would never look down on civilians. He would go down to the outer city frequently and provide food and daily resources to the people suffering from poverty. He even took the time to teach and raise the children who were born into a poor family or were abandoned in the messy outer city. All in all, he was the embodiment of kindness.

“Cuff him. I suspect that he’s a rebel,” Arhan said easily.

The young elite warrior was then cuffed with the gray shackles, indicating that he was labeled as a death convict. His body started to shake while his face turned gloomy and was smeared with disbelief, but when he saw Lord Morlin’s calm gaze, he received a sense of comfort in the desperate situation.

“Let’s go. I didn’t even know there are so many filthy fleas in the sector before we started the purge.” Arhan’s complaint seemed to show that he was tired.

Then, he said, “Three days later, Glory Squad will be very busy since many death convicts will be executed there. Will it start a plague? A virus in this era is no joke.” His words made the long line of death convicts behind him look even uglier.

Arhan hinted, “If someone is willing to spill valuable information, people won’t have to die.” He glanced over Morlin when he said that.

Morlin was elderly with white hair. He was still as calm and elegant as ever, and his blue eyes showed a trace of kindness. When he locked gazes with Arhan, his body trembled for a moment before he recovered.

Arhan was delighted. Scared, eh? You persistent old man.

If he could get valuable information from the upcoming interrogation, his future would be bright. Even though he knew he would eventually become the general captain of the Purple Moon Warriors, he fantasized about a higher position. Maybe the deputy speaker or something higher?

Arhan was drowning in his own fantasy.

He did not know that Morlin trembled not because of his intimidating gaze but because the pendant around his neck shook and cracked.

******

At the legendary blacksmith, the owner of the blacksmith was not tall but was exceptionally buff. He felt nothing about the sudden purge that happened in Safety Sector No. 17.

He guided his disciple to forge a new batch of hoes. No matter what happened politically, the most basic tools were always needed by the safety sector, so the owner’s business would not be affected.

The clanks and clunks rang out in the blacksmith as usual while the owner was forging a sword in the inner chamber.

Maybe because he exerted too much strength in his hammer, one of the precious obsidian beads that he wore on his wrist cracked.

The owner stopped while narrowing his eyes. He stroked the cracked beads with a meaningful gaze. Then, he strode to the outer chamber to announce, “Guys, things might not be peaceful today. Put a hold on your work and go home. I’ll be closing for two days.”

The Mysterious Garden Restaurant was a high-class restaurant favored by the nobles located in the inner city. They had several specialty dishes that must be booked beforehand. Otherwise, it was impossible for one to taste it.

The great purge had started outside, but there were many who distanced themselves from the matter. Even though the Mysterious Garden Restaurant’s business was affected, it was within an acceptable range.

Many nobles who pre-booked the dishes were waiting patiently in the lobby. They were waiting for the Mysterious Garden Restaurant to open the dining room so that they would be able to taste the alluring dishes.

However, the restaurant owner came out. He was dressed very much like a noble, and his golden hair was neatly tucked behind his ears. His beard was neatly combed and his mustache was styled charmingly, granting him a gentleman’s bearing.

“Dear respectful lords and ladies, I’m so sorry to announce that our restaurant is closed for the day due to the special operation happening in the sector right now. I apologize for the inconvenience caused, and to make it up to everyone, the Mysterious Garden will compensate double the amount for everyone who has waited. Your time is precious to us.”

After that, the owner bestowed them with a smile before he walked away. He was well-mannered and his gentlemanliness won acceptance from everyone despite it being regrettable.

Was it really regrettable though? The owner did not care. His hand was holding his favorite little jade sculpture, and upon a closer look, the little jade sculpture seemed to have cracked.

Meanwhile, in a secluded bar located in the outer city, business was already bad for the bar during the usual days, and now, with the great purge going on, the business had dropped to zero.

The owner was a strange person. That was Tang Ling’s comment on him after visiting the bar twice.

The owner was indeed strange. He never cared about his business, let alone the chaos on the street.

With the warriors chasing people, the wails and screams that echoed throughout the street, people being beaten and civilians whispering in a discussion about what happened, it was total chaos outside.

The owner poured himself a sweet leaf wine, the unique beverage of Safety Sector No. 17. Only those who visited the bar knew that the sweet leaf wine was the owner’s specialty because, in the whole safety sector, only he could produce the most authentic and local sweet leaf wine.

As he took a sip from the glass, he was wiping a strange item in his hand with a piece of cloth. It looked like a sword, but its blade was rounded and had a hole at the tip, resembling the muzzle of a gun.

If people saw what he was holding, they would cry out in surprise, “What the hell is that?”

It had been a long time and people tended to be forgetful, but there were fewer and fewer people who could name this item over time. It was the Viper Strike.

The owner was getting carried away with the cleaning. He stared at the old clock hanging over the wine cellar. The old clock carried a special air even though it was not good at telling the time. At the 12 o’clock hand, instead of the number 12, there was a small red ruby.

The color was nothing stellar but it was still a gemstone, yet at that very moment, the ruby had cracked.

“It’s time.” The strange owner stopped his wiping and stood up. The moment he got up, an explosive aura emanated from his rather lazy and hunched back.

The same scene happened in many other places throughout Safety Sector No. 17.

Some were nobles while some were gangsters in the slums. There was even an inconspicuous lady working in the washing bay and a bawd leading a group of helpless young ladies.

All of them chose to stop what they were doing and waited patiently.

All kinds of items that they had with them cracked. When they secretly shoved the cracked pieces away, a peculiar dog head would be revealed inside.

Like what Worf said, what would happen to Safety Sector No. 17 that still had the seed of hope buried deep inside? What would they do against the impending changes?

******

Wooooooooooorn!

The long and unique sound of a horn sounded from the Hope Barrier. It was the horn of a Class 1 defense situation.

It was at that moment that the warriors on the battlefield, working on the farm, on a mission or even resting, every single one of them reacted to the battle horn.

Every one of them flocked back to the Hope Barrier as a scary battle was about to happen.

What really happened? Everyone was filled with anxiety. The Class 1 defense situation horn was a symbolic alarm, no one expected to hear it all of a sudden or even at all.

The meaning of the horn was unlike others. Not only was the Hope Barrier was alarmed, but even the whole of Safety Sector No. 17 would also be notified.

“What happened?” The people in both the inner and outer areas of the city started to grow uneasy. The long horn seemed to have caused a chain reaction as fear and anxiety started to infect everyone.

“What happened?” Yan Kong also heard the long horn.

“It has begun.” Fei Long sat up straight.

“It has begun.” Worf squinted his abysmal eyes. Zorwen ran to the window facing the battlefield ruins, clenching his fists tightly. “In this kind of despicable way? It’s so them.”

“It has begun.” Aber, enjoying the melody in his room, started to dance strangely.

“It has begun.” The strange owner of the bar reacted too.

“It has begun.”

“It has begun.”

...

Since it had begun, all that was left was to wait. Everyone was waiting for things to explode and waiting for the outcome to happen.

“Damn it! What the hell happened? Tang Ling, did I hear it correctly? Was that a Class 1 defense situation long horn?” Orston widened his eyes. The first thought he had was to confirm what he heard with Tang Ling.

Tang Ling also opened his eyes. Did I hear it correctly? Was that really a Class 1 defense situation long horn?

Following the blare of the horn, a burning sensation engulfed Tang Ling’s body whole. If it was not a sense of danger, would it mean that he could not escape what’s coming in his way? He was not sure what the anxiety was about.

“Let’s go. It’s time to go back to the Hope Barrier.” Tang Ling stood up and snuffed the fire out with a stomp.

“Then, these...” Should they take some spoils back with them?

“Leave them behind.” Tang Ling looked at the Hope Barrier. It was just a single glance, but the anxiety materialized into a burning fire that consumed his body and smeared sweat all over his forehead.