It's like in a burning furnace, snow descends gracefully.
Tiny pale figures dance, rising and falling amidst the azure fire waves and the shattered sky, carried by the wind to all directions.
In the silent warehouse, that long-sealed door was opened.
The notices piled like mountains, the prepared announcents, the invitations ready since the first day Ji Jue arrived here, finally saw the light of day.
There were no lengthy introductions or praises, just plain and straightforward content, printed in both Federation and Empire languages on both sides, with densely packed words filling every corner.
"The First Major Recruitnt Announcent for the Coast Group Seven Cities Industrial Park."
The Coast Group sincerely invites your joining, with the following positions available: operation, assembly, quality inspection, maintenance, materials, warehouse managent... forklift operators, large truck drivers... shipbuilding, repair, crew, shipwrights... security guards, gatekeepers, janitorial... night school training available... full insurance, preferred treatnt.
They rose and fluttered, soaring lightly in the wind, crossing long distances, sprinkling onto everything burning in the flas, heading toward blossoming places.
Covering the sky and earth, filling everything.
Falling into the mud, falling into sewage and ruins.
Falling into the flas.
Falling into every Mutant hand, delivering this invitation before every pair of hollow eyes, carrying the issued invitation and guarantee by Ji Jue.
"What is this? Can't understand."
"So troubleso."
"It hurts the eyes to look, uncomfortable... unpleasant..." In the narrow alley, the hunched holess squird uneasily, shaking their mutated bodies, muttering vaguely: "The viewers, uncomfortable..."
Subconsciously, the flyer in hand was crumpled into a ball, instinctively torn to shreds.
But another one fell from the sky, irritating him, angering him, tearing it apart, again and again... he avoided the sight, not wanting to see those piercing words, but as he delved deeper into the alley, flyers kept falling on him one after another.
Until he had nowhere to escape, lifting his head, watching the omnipresent snow flying in the sky.
A vague roar like a beast ca from his throat.
He curled up.
Between the falling flyers, he hugged his head, shivering, sobbing mournfully.
Yet he didn't know why he felt so sad and afraid.
It was just instinctive unease.
As if those deliberately forgotten pains and tornts seed to revisit, making him sob uncontrollably.
"Look..."
"Lies, all lies!"
"But..."
"What if?"
"What if it's true?"
A low murmur arose, in the dark trenches, in dilapidated shacks... as if omnipresent, rising and converging together.
A trace of ripple appeared on the dead silent sea of suffering.
"It's aningless, don't think too much, all the sa."
"Again being deceived."
"He left, everything will end."
"People always change."
"All lies!"
The one with nothing tore the paper in his hand irritably, dropped it on the ground, furious: "All liars!"
He staggered, wanting to close the door, wanting to return to his bed, to forget everything, but when he turned back, he saw the broken glass, his own reflection on the glass.
On the face full of cracks, a small flower blood.
For a mont of daze, he seed to have seen, a skinny worker with calloused hands, hunched the sa way, staggering along.
Like another self, another more... envious self.
Head held high, spine straightened, looking at him.
With such serene eyes...
"Mr. Ji paid my wages, not a penny less."
"Mr. Ji treated my illness, only two extra shifts needed to cover it."
In the shelter on Luo Island, the old shipwright wrapped in a blanket gently placed the flower before him into a bottle on the table, admiring its blooming appearance.
"He said, no need to eat carrion when hungry in the future, no need to pray to ancestors when sick."
"At night, no need to be afraid either."
Under the shelter's lights, among the young people unable to sleep and gathered to play cards, when excitent peaked, soone grinned:
"I even want to buy a refrigerator... A smaller one will do..."
Soone said: "Heard if performing well, you can travel to Hai Province, I, I want to visit the Federation."
"Then I need to earn a bit more money, to buy so specialties when the ti cos."
"The first phase has already ended, you registered too late."
"It will take a while longer..."
"Just sleep early, no use staying up, might even have work in the afternoon tomorrow."
"Wasn't it supposed to be a holiday?"
"That ans sleeping a bit more too."
Amidst the slightly crowded and chaotic bunk beds, the old and young faces differ, whether worried or calm, excited or irritated.
Yet, in their expressions, there exudes a kind of... like an illusionary calmness.
When they close their eyes to sleep, there's no fear of tomorrow.
They even have the courage to talk about the future.
As long as you work, you can support your family, as long as you sign the contract, you can care for your household.
As long as you work steadily, there's no worry about being abandoned... No fear of falling into the abyss with no recovery just for a single mistake, a sickness, a fall.
No need to sell life cheap, no need to abandon dignity.
Responses from the soul resounded by each person's ear, telling them:
"We can also have a future."
Making the waves in the mire increasingly dense, countless subrged consciousness surged instinctively, subconsciously resisting, denying, even anger.
"Those are all lies!"
"They're all deceiving you!"
"No one would be so kind!"
But in response, only silence, nothing unsettling.
In those cloudy or clear eyes, still calm, just gazing at those angry and weary faces.
They listened, they remained calm, and they gave their answer:
"But, he did it."
He fulfilled everything he promised.
Every ounce of effort, every piece of harvest. Every drop of sweat, a piece of achievent.
As long as you can get back up, you can keep moving forward.
Even if you are exhausted and can't walk any further, there is no need to worry about being abandoned...
It sounds just like the endless lies repeated by those Dominators, the dreams that can never co true, for the Seven Cities, for everyone, for each of you.
They all talked about such a beautiful future, such a flourishing prospect, yet never ntioned the present.
No one has ever said that you can also have a future.
But now, when a completely different promise along with invitations falls lightly before each person's eyes, the swamp that was supposed to be utterly dead silent actually stirs once again.
Those numb and weary souls lift their heads from despair, gazing at the flowers close at hand.
Excitent, bewildernt, contempt, or disdain.
All different.
But no matter who it was, there was a mont like wanting to speak yet holding back.
As if hearing a sound from afar.
Yet more like it reverberating from within, from the corner even they themselves had completely forgotten about, the self that once held hope and fantasies.
"What if there is still a chance?"
A flyer, a notice, an invitation.
One chance.
No matter how insignificant, even if far out of reach.
Even if you've accepted, exerted, made efforts, struggled with all your might, there may not be a good result, possibly just a flash in the pan.
But as long as you can make the world in front of you, make yourself a little better...
Even if only a little bit.
Are you still willing to make the choice?
At that mont, amidst the dead silence, in the foul landfill, a trembling hand deford into a claw raised up with difficulty, reaching out...
Picked up the paper that fell into the mud.
Carefully held it, brushed off the spots of mud adhered to it, scrutinized it.
Searching word by word for a position that suits them.
Read it once, and again.
Yet for so reason, the world before their eyes grew increasingly blurry, drops of water fell from the cheeks, dripping onto the paper.
He embraced that light sheet, couldn't hold back anymore, cried, wailed!
The long cut-off sobbing resounded once more.
Under the shattered sky, coming from all directions, from every corner, sharp or low, hoarse or loud.
As if, at last, awakened from an endless nightmare.
They opened their eyes once again.
Felt hunger, soreness, pain, fatigue, and bewildernt, therefore, could bear no more, howled in sorrow, tears pouring like rain.
Just like a newborn infant.
Just like...
A real person.
In the swamp of suffering, those who had long had nothing extended their hands once again.
Thus, the Realm of Descent surfaced with cracks.
A loud crash erupted.
Right before Ji Jue, the incomplete Heavenly Body trembled suddenly, as if ravaged by an unseen weight, it shivered, convulsed, bit by bit, bent down, half-knelt on the ground.
No longer can bear this terrifying invisible burden!
It is the countless souls trying to crawl up from the swamp... wanting to pull the Ascending Heavenly People completely down!
In the void, the projection of the Red Sky Banner reappeared, shining fiercely, inch by inch it rose to the pitch-black firmant, like a scorching sun dominion!
The dazzling light kept expanding, expanding, expanding.
Using countless scattered flyers as a guide, using the lighthouse covering Seven Cities as a dium, recklessly eroding the domain of the Realm of Descent, encompassing each soul that stretched out its hand into its grasp.
Increasingly dazzling, increasingly scorching.
Rendering the solemn Heavenly Human Foundation filled with cracks.
The fla blazed wildly, spread rapidly until it completely ignited the night sky burning those poisoned, decayed stars to ashes!
No matter how Fernan struggles with all his might to redy, no matter how fervently the Heavenly Power suppresses, all is to no avail.
When from the muddled descent, the first soul chose to reach out its hand, it sparked an unstoppable chain reaction.
When in all the Seven Cities, one-third of people choose to get up once more, the subtle ripples have already turned into earth-shattering waves.
Those who have forgotten the future, rather face pain again, the erosion of the Fla of Decay can no longer spread.
Even if all they did was bend down to pick up that flyer that fell from the sky.
They have already made a choice.
No matter what awaits them, whether Ascension or Descent.
At least, they can still choose for themselves!
"...A life of significance?"
In the sewer, the dying vagrant pinched the flyer in hand, looked up, his shattered face illuminated by the ray from the sky, so desolate.
Yet in those hollow pupils, a trace of hope erged.
"Sounds...pretty good..."
Coast?
Must be a good place, right?
Seems like hearing people talk about it, too bad it's too far.
If only he could go.
If only...
He pinched that flyer, stared blankly at the gradually blurred sky light, his pupils gradually expanded, losing focus and spirit.
No longer a sound.
On the materialized face, a crack silently spread, slightly raised.
Just like smiling.
So serene.
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