Chapter 105: An Extremely Good Start!
“Jia Wen, Jia Si!”
Having bought their corn, Lilin and Lina sprinted out of the restaurant and called out to the two brothers.
Knowing Big Sister Boss was fine put the girls’ minds completely at ease. As for the ancient history the adults were gossiping about back there, they had zero interest and could hardly remember it anyway.
Their real passion lay in digging up wild vegetables.
That stuff traded for cold, hard cash!
“Lina!” Jia Si waved enthusiastically. “Are we still doing the competition today?”
“Of course we are! The loser has to treat the winner to sugar-roasted chestnuts!” Lina stuck strictly to yesterday’s stakes.
“Deal! Huh? Where’s Brother Long Shi? Didn’t he swear he’d avenge his loss today?”
Jia Si craned his neck, looking around.
“Brother Long Shi and the others said they’d head over a bit later,” the older Lilin explained. “Auntie Qian wanted them to check the bulletin board at the plaza first to see what the official notice about the Chinese Restaurant actually said. They told us to head over ahead of them.”
With the city guards now securing the route, there was no need to wait around for the whole group to assemble before setting off.
Even the trail connecting the Chinese Restaurant to the farmlands had guards posted at regular intervals.
It was entirely safe.
“Alright then! Ready… go!”
Jia Si gave his own countdown, hoisted his trowel, and dashed off like an arrow.
“Ah! Wait for me!”
Lina immediately grabbed her sister’s hand, and the two took off in hot pursuit toward the farmlands.
Bringing up the rear was Jia Wen, trudging along behind a wooden cart as he hurried to catch up with a resigned sigh.
Those kids sure knew how to sprint. Did they even remember who was stuck hauling the vegetable cart?
“Bro, hurry up!”
Far ahead, his younger brother spun around, brandishing his trowel to urge him on.
“I’m coming!”
…
Long Shi and his group had just stepped out of the large timber lodge belonging to the Dark Star syndicate at Row 2, Unit 17.
“Auntie, according to them, even ordinary folks like us could become Awakeners?”
As he spoke, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Long Qian gave a slow nod, her expression turning complex.
Having just walked out of that lodge, she was practically certain that Dark Star and the Red Flag Society putting out recruitment notices on the exact same morning was backed by official sanction.
Once the ruling brass was involved, did this signal a quiet policy shift, or did it herald massive upheavals on the horizon?
And would that upheaval bring crisis, or opportunity?
Long Qian possessed exceptionally sharp instincts.
“Qiu Jie, what’s your read on this?”
she asked.
“I don’t know…” Qiu Jie replied honestly. “I can’t tell whether becoming an Awakener under these circumstances is a blessing or a curse.”
“It’s a blessing, no question!” Long Shi scoffed. “We’ve all seen those Awakeners sent to cull mutant beasts around Seed City. Monsters that chased us until we cried our lungs out were wiped out with a flick of their fingers. If we become Awakeners, at least we’ll have real teeth to protect ourselves!”
“It also means facing far greater lethality,” Geri countered. “How many operatives did Dark Star used to have? Did you see how few were left inside that room just now? People said Dark Star was co-opted by the authorities, and I used to wonder what the administration could possibly need Zhou Xue’s crew for. Turns out it was all for their abilities.”
“You mean the brass will use Awakeners to take down the nastiest monstrosities?” Old Hu asked.
“Most likely. Greater power brings greater peril.”
“Auntie Qian, what do you think?”
“We observe for now,” Long Qian said calmly. “You heard Zhou Xue clearly. If you want a higher survival margin during awakening, you must have an ample reserve of detoxifying food on hand. Whether we choose to awaken or not, our priority is hoarding enough City Coins to buy provisions from the Chinese Restaurant.”
“True enough…”
“Wait, isn’t that Long Ya?”
Mid-stride, Long Shi’s eyes caught a familiar silhouette ahead.
“Sis! How did you get out?! Did you sneak away? Did you break out of prison, Sis?!”
The others followed Long Shi’s gaze and sure enough, there was Long Ya—who was supposed to be serving hard labor in the Black Fields right this second.
She was hauling an enormous canvas bundle on her back. Halting at the shout, she turned toward the group.
“Auntie Qian?”
“Long Ya?”
“Sis, when did your guts get this massive? You actually dared to make a break for it with such a huge pack! Are you hurt? Now that you’re out, turn over a new leaf—quick, follow your brother back to hide…”
Long Ya shoved the prattling Long Shi aside with an unceremonious palm, turning to the astonished Long Qian and the others to explain the situation in a few concise sentences.
The penal regime in the Black Fields had been overhauled: all conscripted laborers were discharged the instant their assigned plots were cleared of mature iron black wheat.
Long Ya had been exceptionally fortunate, finishing among the very first wave released.
“The administration is downsizing the Black Fields? Is it connected to the Chinese Restaurant?”
“It has to be. But could we maybe not discuss this right under their noses?”
Old Hu cast a wary glance at a patrol of city guards marching past nearby.
“Auntie, what’s going on in the city? Walking over from the north, I didn’t see a single soul heading toward the North or East Walls. Everyone is pouring west.”
Long Qian nodded. The city had undergone massive shifts over the past two days, none of which she had detailed in her smuggled letters.
“Let’s walk you home to drop off your gear first,” she said. “We’ll talk on the way.”
“Alright.”
“Why is that pack so massive anyway? What’s inside?”
Long Ya: “The blanket Long Shi sent me.”
“A blanket?! Hold on, isn’t that my quilt that went missing?! Long Shi! When I was tearing the place apart looking for it, why didn’t you say a word instead of muttering that it wasn’t lost?!” Geri roared in outrage.
“Well, it wasn’t lost, hehe.”
Long Shi ducked, having already slipped several paces out of reach.
…
Inside the timber lodge.
Having seen off yet another wave of curious inquirers, Zhou Xue pressed her temples with weary fingers.
Since returning last night, she and her awakened subordinates had barely closed their eyes.
They had trudged back into the city past three in the morning, nearly four.
Upon arrival, they had been dragged into a briefing with the Commander that lasted until past five. After less than two hours of shut-eye, they were out pinning notices to the board by seven-thirty.
“Captain, most of them seemed skeptical. Only that group led by the woman with the broadsword felt genuinely solid.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” Zhou Xue took a sip of water.
The emergence of the Chinese Restaurant had rippled through Seed City in subtle, complex, and profound ways.
The mortality rate during awakening was merely one of the metrics rewritten overnight.
Thus far, Dark Star had used the restaurant’s provisions to pull seven failing comrades back from the brink of death, and another operative had successfully transitioned last night after ingesting a crystal.
Zhou Xue had no idea how the administration was faring on their end, but it wasn’t hard to deduce: any solution Dark Star could devise, the authorities had certainly figured out as well.
The emergence of Awakeners among the common populace of Seed City was merely a matter of time.
Putting up those notices today appeared to be a public recruitment drive.
In truth, it was a calculated move to bring the existence of local Awakeners out into the open.
Yves wanted Dark Star and the Red Flag Society to spearhead the initiative, ensuring that whenever citizens awakened down the line, they could be regulated, sheltered, and guided.
It also sent an unmistakable signal: going forward, Seed City would no longer surrender a single Awakener to the Three Great Cities.
Seed City was openly building an Awakener faction of its own.
Yves sat reviewing the after-action report from last night’s awakening operation run by the special strike team.
Another operative had successfully awakened in the small hours of the morning.
An extremely good start.
“What’s the date today?”
“July 18th, Commander,” Keith answered promptly.
“Still a full month before the Rainy Season hits,” Yves remarked in visibly high spirits. “Between now and then, Seed City’s operational strength will surge by leaps and bounds.”
