Chapter 871: Longyou Shuangzixing (5)

"It... it's a Star Alliance ship!"

"And a 'Dark Star'-class Frigate! That is a warship directly under the Internal Affairs Unit!"

The Internal Affairs Unit! The armed force directly subordinate to the Liquidators!

Lia felt a wave of dizziness.

It really was a big shot from the core of the Star Alliance, and they had even brought the Liquidator's lackeys along!

The spacecraft did not stop at the spaceport outside the dome, but instead passed directly through the dome's designated docking port, landing on the exclusive landing platform at the very top of the city.

That was an area the lower-level residents could never set foot in.

The crowd quieted down again under the soldiers' shouting, but everyone was guessing what the arrival of this big shot actually meant.

Were they here to audit efficiency? To execute an "optimization"?

Or... just as the rumors circulating in secret said, had the Star Alliance encountered major trouble and come to squeeze the last drop of blood from Longyou?

Time passed slowly in the oppressive Silence.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps one standard hour, perhaps two—the giant screen at the assembly point suddenly lit up.

The face of City Lord Huolakesi appeared on the screen.

He was a typical Fengqi Star Alliance bureaucrat, his skin an unhealthy pale from long-term coddling, wearing a magnificent uniform covered in medals, struggling to project an air of majesty, but the slight twitching of his eyes betrayed his sycophancy.

"Residents of Liuli City!"

His voice came through the loudspeakers, carrying a hint of a tremor.

"Today, we are incredibly honored to welcome the distinguished Special Envoy from the Fengqi Star Alliance, Lord Grendel!

Lord Grendel's visit today is to inspect the outstanding contributions of our Longyou Shuangzixing to the Star Alliance's war effort, and to bring the Star Alliance's commendations and care!"

The screen cut to a different camera angle, focusing on that "Lord Grendel."

He stood beside Huolakesi, tall and thin, wearing a well-tailored, unadorned deep black uniform, with the insignia of the Internal Affairs Unit on his shoulder straps.

Beneath his three eyes was a look of scrutiny, as if he were examining inventory.

"……Under the wise guidance of Lord Grendel, we will further optimize production processes, improve resource utilization, and contribute more strength to the Star Alliance's great victory!"

Huolakesi was still rattling on with empty platitudes.

But that Special Envoy Grendel seemed to grow impatient; he raised his hand slightly, interrupting Huolakesi.

He stepped forward half a pace, his gaze seemingly piercing through the screen to stare directly at the thousands of tiny residents below.

His voice was steady and clear.

"Assets of the Fengqi Star Alliance."

The very first sentence set the tone.

Not "citizens," not "residents," but "Assets."

"The value of your existence lies in the efficient, unconditional execution of the Star Alliance's will.

The war is at a critical juncture; every bit of resource concerns victory.

From this moment on, all production activities on Longyou Shuangzixing will transition to 'Extreme Efficiency Mode.'

All quotas are increased by twenty percent.

All leave and rotation systems are suspended.

Energy supply for non-essential life-support systems is reduced by thirty percent."

No commendations, no care, only more cruel exploitation.

A commotion broke out in the crowd.

An increase of twenty percent?

This was practically going to work people to death!

Grendel seemed not to hear any reaction, continuing in his emotionless tone.

"To ensure efficiency, the Internal Affairs Unit will dispatch Liquidator teams to be stationed in each major production unit.

They possess the highest level of Xu Ke to handle all inefficiency, redundancy, and unstable factors.

Those who cooperate will continue to serve the Star Alliance. Those who obstruct..."

He paused, his three eyes narrowing slightly.

"... will be treated as wastage and cleared immediately."

The screen went dark.

Silence enveloped the entire assembly point.

Then, it was unknown who was the first to let out an irrepressible sob, followed immediately by more sobbing and sighing.

A twenty-percent quota increase, Liquidators stationed directly on-site, the reduction of already pitiful energy rations... this was no longer living; this was being pushed directly onto a countdown to death.

Lia felt ice-cold all over.

She saw the last bit of color fade from the faces of the colleagues and neighbors around her, leaving only a deathly pallor.

Even the "Grey Dog" soldiers holding weapons seemed to have wavering expressions beneath their masks; many of them had relatives in the factories or mines as well.

"Dismissed! Return to your respective residences immediately! Wait for further work assignments!"

The officers began to loudly disperse the crowd, their voices more brutal than before, as they tried to use volume to cover their inner unease.

Lia followed the flow of people back, her steps unsteady.

Just as she passed a fork leading to an abandoned maintenance tunnel, her arm was suddenly touched lightly.

She was startled and whipped her head around to see a man with a filthy hood covering most of his face quickly retract his hand, having seemingly stuffed something into the pocket of her uniform.

The man moved extremely fast, immediately lowering his head and disappearing into the crowd.

Lia's heart began to pound wildly.

She dared not make a sound, nor did she dare to check immediately, so she could only force herself to remain calm and continue walking forward.

Not until she returned to her cramped living unit and locked the door behind her did she lean her back against the metal door panel and tremblingly fish that thing out of her pocket.

It was a folded, rough-textured piece of paper.

In the age of electronic data, using paper to transmit information was in itself a way to evade surveillance.

She unfolded the paper, which had a few lines of text printed in a crude typeface.

"They are going to squeeze out our last drop of flesh and blood to fuel their damn war! The Liquidators are coming, and we will all be cleared out as 'expendables'! If you don't want to turn into Ashes in the mines, then rise up! Seek the 'Survivor'! Unite! Survive!"

The handwriting was scrawled, and one could feel the writer's irrepressible anger in those few short lines.

Lia's hands were shaking so hard she could barely hold the paper.

Survivor?

She felt as if she had heard that name somewhere before.

That was it; in the last few months, whispers about a mysterious symbol or organization called the "Survivor" had been vaguely circulating among the workers in the Lower District.

Some said it was a mutual aid group, others said it was a gang of thieves stealing rations, and still others... whispered that they were rebels wanting to resist the tyranny.

She had always thought it was just a legend made up by desperate people, a story used to comfort themselves.

But now, this piece of paper that had suddenly appeared, along with the inflammatory words on it, had brought the legend into reality.

Resist? Overthrow the City Lord? Oppose the Star Alliance Special Envoy and the Liquidators?

This idea was too crazy, almost equivalent to suicide. The power of the Fengqi Star Alliance was overwhelming, and they were merely ants...

But... what if they didn't resist?

According to the new orders, sooner or later they would also be worked to death, starved to death, or cleared out as "unstable factors."

Lia slumped onto the floor, the paper fluttering down to her feet.

Outside the small porthole for observing the external conduits, the light of the city dome was simulating the arrival of "night," becoming even dimmer.

The footsteps and engine sounds of the Patrol Squad rang out more frequently than ever, and the air was filled with an unprecedented tension and oppression.

She thought of those people mining deep in the Kafu-Long mines, like the child of her distant cousin; she didn't even know if he was still alive.

Their situation would only be worse.

Seek the Survivor?

What should she do?

She raised her head, her gaze falling once again upon that piece of paper.