Chapter 868: Longyou Shuangzixing (2)

The workers relaxed, leaning against the rock walls or their tools in twos and threes, taking these few precious minutes to catch their breath.

The mechanical overseers' red lights swept over them, confirming there were no abnormal gatherings or disturbances, before continuing their tireless patrols.

Axing took off his breathing filter and took a few deep breaths of the relatively "fresh" but still dust-filled air; his throat was parched and smoking.

He unhooked his ration canteen from his waist and carefully took a small sip of the murky purified water.

He saw Laoka sitting alone on a section of abandoned track, holding an old Data Pad, staring at the scrolling data on it with a furrowed brow, muttering to himself, his complexion looking even worse than before.

Axing hesitated for a moment, then walked over.

"Uncle Ka," he asked in a low voice, "... is the algorithm adjustment really that troublesome?"

Laoka looked up, saw it was Axing, looked left and right to confirm no overseers were eavesdropping nearby, and then lowered his voice.

"Troublesome is an understatement... the new algorithm doesn't just increase the Efficiency Coefficient, it also fucking introduces a new 'Fluctuation Variable'... they say it's to simulate... to simulate the 'Battlefield Material Consumption Rate'... it's insane!"

"Battlefield consumption rate?"

Axing didn't understand the term at all.

"It means..."

Laoka's voice carried a hint of anger.

"... the higher-ups might not be asking for ore for routine reserves or commercial orders... they seem to be making emergency material reserves for a... a large-scale, high-intensity war!"

War?

To Axing, war only existed in propaganda films; it was a symbol of the endless glory of the Fengqi Star Alliance, something happening in the distant stars that had nothing to do with mining dregs like him.

"But... what does that have to do with us?"

Axing was bewildered.

"It has everything to do with us!"

Laoka almost shouted, but forced himself to hold back, his face turning beet red.

"It means the quotas won't be relaxed anymore, they'll only get heavier! It means our lives, in their eyes, aren't even worth as much as consumables, just... just fuel! Fuel to be thrown away once burned up!"

Laoka's words were carved into Axing's heart.

For the first time, he felt so clearly what his own life, and the lives of the thousands of people in this mine, truly meant in the eyes of those high-and-mighty rulers.

Not people, not even slaves, just... fuel.

The bell signaling the end of the break rang again, interrupting the topic.

The workers put their filters back on, picked up their tools, and returned to their respective positions to start laboring.

But Axing's heart could no longer be completely calm.

As he mechanically swung his Vibrating Pickaxe, he subconsciously looked up.

In the sea of stars... what exactly was happening?

Longyou Shuangzixing · Kafu-Long Planet · Diqishisihao Kuangqu Jiluo · Living Unit.

After finishing a day's work, Axing felt his body no longer belonged to him.

Returning to the cramped room called "home," the lighting in the corridor was dimmer than usual.

Each "living unit" was only allocated a cave of less than ten square meters, containing only the most basic Sleep Pod that emitted the smell of disinfectant and a ration machine that dispensed Nutrient Paste once a day at a set time.

Axing pushed aside the greasy canvas that served as a door curtain, and a wave of air mixed with the smell of mold, sweat, and faint disinfectant rushed toward him.

Inside the cave, his sister Ayue had already returned and was standing with her back to him, operating the ration machine in the corner.

The machine made a clucking sound and spat out two standard portions of grayish-brown Nutrient Paste.

Hearing the movement, Ayue turned around.

Her complexion looked even paler in the dim light, and the dark circles under her eyes were so heavy it looked like she had been beaten.

The work at the refining pretreatment plant was even more devastating than mining; the corrosive acid mist and fine sorting took a great toll on the eyes.

"You're back?"

Ayue's voice was weary as she handed him a stick of Nutrient Paste.

"How was today?"

Axing took the sticky paste and slid down the wall to the floor, seemingly lacking even the strength to chew.

"Same as usual..."

He said dully, his voice muffled through the filter.

"... Buen said the quota algorithm was adjusted again, it's tighter. Uncle Ka said... the higher-ups seem to be stocking up for a war."

Ayue's hand paused, and her brows furrowed tightly.

"A war?... No wonder..."

"No wonder what?"

Axing looked up, noticing his sister's strange expression.

Ayue hesitated for a moment, walked to the entrance, carefully lifted a corner of the canvas to look outside, confirmed there were no footsteps of mechanical overseers patrolling nearby, and then sat back down beside Axing, lowering her voice.

"Things weren't peaceful at the plant today either. The 'Quality Inspector' came three times, one more than usual, and was extremely picky. Batches with the slightest flaw were sent back for rework without any extension of working hours. Several sisters almost fainted from exhaustion."

She paused, her voice dropping even lower.

"And... I heard Mara, who is responsible for cleaning the management area, say secretly... she saw some torn document fragments in the wastebasket, and they seemed to have words like 'Highest Priority', 'Wartime Control Regulations', and 'Production Efficiency Maximization'... and also..."

"And what else?"

Axing's heart tightened.

"Also... minutes of a discussion regarding 'Non-essential Loss Acceleration Processing'..."

Ayue's voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling.

"Non-essential loss... acceleration processing?"

Axing didn't react for a moment.

Ayue looked at him, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"It's... it's us, Axing! When we are exhausted, sick, and can no longer reach 'maximized' production efficiency... we are treated as 'wear and tear'... 'accelerated processing'..."

A chill shot up Axing's spine to the top of his head.

He understood.

The "fuel" Laoka spoke of meant this—disposable upon burning, and even the burning process must be accelerated!

Silence spread through the cramped space, leaving only the faint electrical hum of the ration dispenser and the roar of the circulation system in the distance.

After a long while, Axing finally spoke.

"... Is there anything else? You said 'no wonder' just now; did you hear something else?"

Ayue took a deep breath, her voice still kept extremely low.

"This matter is even stranger... Mara also said she overheard two technical supervisors who came down for an inspection from Mi-You Star chatting... saying that over on Mi-You Star, it seems they are preparing to welcome some massive figure these past few days, the entire 'Liuli City' is under martial law, the security level has been raised to the highest, and even those Star Alliance officers who usually throw their weight around are incredibly nervous."

"A big shot?"

Axing blinked.

"Bigger than the City Lord?"

"I don't know..."

Ayue shook her head.

"But from the tone Mara heard, it definitely wasn't City Lord Huolakesi. It seems to be a big shot with an extremely high status from... from the core region of the Star Alliance. One of the supervisors even muttered something like, '... this lord suddenly descending upon such a remote mining star definitely bodes no good... it might be related to the recent tensions...'"