June 11, 2489, it was a cloudy day in the Port of the Dead.
It's always been like this.
The thick fog that never dissipates during most of the year blocks the sunlight, making the sky always look foggy.
Fifteen-year-old Mira Han believes that there are many places in this world where the sun shines brightly and flowers bloom all year round, but the Rock of the Dead planet is not any such world. Unrestricted industry has destroyed the planet's already fragile ecology.
System, the sewage flowing into the rivers and lakes is like the poison injected into the blood of the Rock of the Dead.
Mira and her co-workers walked on a muddy road that had become muddy due to rain, heading towards a high-energy gas refinery that was spewing thick smoke. Without exception, these workers were all wearing clothes made of polyester and masks.
Wearing a waterproof canvas jacket and rubber rain boots.
There were about forty or fifty workers traveling together, one-third of whom were children and women around thirteen or fourteen years old. The elderly were still working - before they completely collapsed.
Although generally uneducated, workers are well aware of what is poisoning their planet's atmosphere.
Moreover, these pollutants will one day fall and fall back on the heads of the residents of the Rock of the Dead through the atmospheric circulation system. Even if these pollutions cannot have an indelible impact on the people of the Rock of the Dead, retribution will eventually come.
fall on their descendants.
But no matter what, humans are so short-sighted, or the top managers of the company clearly know the terrible impact this will have, but they just ignore it.
After they have discovered all the value of the Rock of the Dead, the planet and the people on it will be immediately abandoned. Maybe the workers here will be transported to other planets as cheap labor, but the Rock of the Dead will definitely gradually
Reduced to a forgotten ruin.
A few years ago, the Tyranid Federation Governor of the Rock of the Dead had just signed a secret treaty with several super-corporations across the galaxy. Since then, the interstellar cargo barges parked here have begun to dump in the wasteland of this planet.
Industrial waste and many scrapped interstellar ships were eventually towed to this planet.
Unseen by the residents of the Rock of the Dead, their home is slowly turning into a garbage dump and a graveyard of spaceships. The truth may not be revealed until a few years later, but by then it will be too late.
"how so?"
A young worker walking next to Mira Han, who looked not much older than her, complained loudly: "I receive the lowest wage in the entire Kopulu District, eat food that can only guarantee the minimum physical activity, and work hard without complaint.
Working the hardest and most mind-numbing job, fourteen hours a day.”
“What do we get in the end? The consequences of intense work, disease, disability, and the poverty that comes from not being able to work.”
"We work hard, but all the money goes to those sitting in the office."
"What's the use of complaining?" Another person said: "The Rock of the Dead can no longer grow food, and even the rivers can dry up. If we don't enter the factory, what can we do? Even if we work as servants, there will be no one."
want."
"Our ancestors gave this planet a very unlucky name when they came here. I dare say there must be something wrong with the intelligence onboard the colonial mothership that mistakenly identified the Port of the Dead as a habitable planet.
."
"Go to O'Bannon, there's bound to be some work." Another older voice said.
"Many of the boys who worked under him made a lot of money, but I also heard that many people died trying to make illegal money."
Mira Han shook his head. Everyone knew what this black money meant: drug production and trafficking, human trafficking, organ trafficking, prostitution, money laundering... They did all the evil things imaginable.
Ever since the Rock of the Dead became more and more unsettled, the situation of the people has become worse and worse. Those who can't survive or are unwilling to endure the life of factory slavery have either saved up enough money and left, or gone to work in jobs that are not so hard.
A job that pays more.
People complained about the hard life in the factories, but with the turmoil in the stock market caused by the Battle of Kailian and the Korhal 4 Uprising, companies on the Rock of the Dead withdrew their capital one after another, and soon the workers here would even lose their stable jobs completely.
In the dreary, class-solidified Rock of the Dead, people no longer have a future to speak of.
"Guys, I heard that Korhal 4's revolutionary army is recruiting troops in the Port of the Dead." A voice that sounded happier and was not affected by the general environment said.
Mira, who was pulling her boots out of the mud, looked up and saw a big boy wearing ragged overalls: "They pay their salary every month, and it's higher than that of the Federal Marine Corps."
"Revolutionary army?" An old man shook his head: "It's the rebels! Do you know what they do? They burn, kill, loot, and do all kinds of evil. They kidnap children and rob women... They're so bad."
"I think they are very kind..." The cheerful voice said hesitantly: "I think Gustav Mengsk of the Revolutionary Army must be a good person."
“He gave bread to children and had doctors who accompanied him treat people. His engineers built water towers and replaced new water pipes for people in industrial areas. He recruited workers of any origin and gender to the newly built recruiting buildings and
When working at a port, there is never any delay in getting wages paid.”
"He gathered many people and told us how people can truly live."
"Are they still recruiting workers?" Many people were asking this question, and they didn't even care whether Augustus' men were rebels.
"Now they are only recruiting new soldiers...or revolutionary fighters." The reply sounded a bit lacking in confidence.
"But his name is Augustus, you remembered it wrong." Someone questioned the cultural level of the workers: "You can spell this word, right?"
"What about the requirements?" asked the old man who had previously denounced the rebels angrily: "What about the requirements for conscription? I'm not old yet."
Now people in the Rock of the Dead have several ways out of their hometown. Only a few people can pass the rigorous test of the mercenaries. The difficulty may be only lower than that of selecting Spartan warriors. Every time, someone is trying to pass the mercenary test.
To die during the selection, the successful person must not only be physically strong, but also be proficient in using weapons and have excellent battlefield adaptability.
In comparison, the requirements for conscription sound much easier.
As for whether he will die, for those who think that life is worse than death now, that is simply not a big deal.
"You just need to be healthy and able to complete the recruit test. It's not difficult at all. Many people signed up, even the sheriff went." The young man who raised the issue was excited to get the attention of others.
"Where?"
"404 B-23rd Street, NW."
With a crash, all the workers immediately ran away.
"Wait... I seem to have forgotten something." The young man's voice was no longer happy.
"What is it?" Mira Han walked up to him.
"Revolutionary consciousness...I don't understand anyway. How does he rely on us to believe that we have this consciousness?" the young man said after hesitating for a moment.
"Okay, then I'm going to have a look." Mira looked at him and said, "Well? Why don't you go."
"I'm afraid...I'm afraid of death." The young man was dejected.
At this time, the young man saw clearly the Mira Han in front of him, whose hair was dyed bright pink. Even the long bangs could not hide her playful and beautiful eyes. She had a slim figure and was made of rough fabrics.
The coat seemed to be covering the burqa on the body, the hem reached to the calf, and it was covered with mud.
"Then, this is your own choice. Haha - why are you so downcast!"
Mira Han slapped the young man on the shoulder hard enough to make him cough.
"Smile, life is not that difficult." Mira made a face and said.