Story Reader / Main Story / 28 Polaris Bond / Story
Did it work?!
Hmm... I wouldn't say that. These things are still under discussion...
Pulao sits with a wry smile in the duty room of the base, surrounded by members of the Pulao Crew. The members come in all shapes and sizes.
We won't have to work so hard every day if we move to the Clean Zone!
C'mon, I'm sure we'll have to fight battles and help maintain order even if we end up going there.
I've never been there. Say, Uncle Shanxun, what's the Clean Zone like?
I've only seen it from a distance while I was on a transport ship. I saw this tall, blue tower, but I'd never been inside.
This Central Purification Filter we have now seems to be working just fine, though.
What's the point of all these different zones like "Clean Zone", "Conservation Area", "Dead Zone", and "Hetero Zone"? They come up with a new one every day.
Uncle Shanxun, you just don't get it. All these pompous-sounding terms are meant to show how hard they thought to come up with these terms.
I bet they just have nothing better to do...
Most of the Pulao Crew, like the ordinary people of Kowloong, have no clear idea what the "Clean Zone" actually is. They've never been there, and they only know it as a place free of the Punishing.
But with their plate already full as it is, the Pulao Crew doesn't really have the luxury of time to think about the Clean Zone.
Only when the Nighter occasionally sails out for trade do they hear about it from the sailors and transporters. If anything, Pulao is probably the only one who's ever set foot on the Clean Zone.
Ahhh!
Pulao stretches her body for a good few seconds and shouts as she jumps off the chair.
Anyway, none of this is set in stone yet!
I'd rather not talk about this now since I just got out of the meeting marathon in Babylonia!
Pulao clearly wants to talk about something else, except her Pulao Crew obviously doesn't want to let her go.
Argh...
Uncle Shanxun? Aren't we patrolling today?
Oh, yes, right on time actually...
The elder man twists the lid onto the teapot, tucks it under his arm, and flips through his old terminal.
Zhishi's team is on duty now patrolling the area from the Bund to the Southern Station.
Thank you.
Huh? Didn't they just come back? Guess they didn't take a break, then?
Those rambling politicians and piles of paperwork are suffocating me. They always speak in riddles and metaphors... when Babylonia is such a teeny place!
Well, I'd have gone out for a walk if I were them, though.
That's true...
Alright, I'll go patrol with the team! Give me a ring if anything comes up.
With a wave, Pulao quickly vanishes into the crowd.
Well... life's got to be tough for her, no doubt.
The Southern Station is the southernmost end of Kowloong's freight hub and the southernmost point of the military auxiliary city built on reclaimed land. Beyond that, in front of Pulao, lies the vast sea of Kowloong.
Phew...
Haaah!!!!!!
Pulao turns her two weeks' worth of fatigue, irritation, and frustration into a shout, which leaves her alone in the tranquility of the scene when her shout dissipates.
According to Hassen, among the current population still living on the surface, there is a significant portion of it still living in Kowloong, and that's not counting scattered settlements and wanderers.
The population living on the Nighter and in Kowloong alone already amounts to as much as a third of the Clean Zone's current population.
The Nighter's rescue teams sent inland have been receiving help recently from the Church of Machina, making it possible for them to bring back home Kowloong citizens who had been living in harsh conditions on the mainland.
On top of that, Kowloong has started seeing more and more displaced people coming to Kowloong City and the Nighter's port for refuge.
The word "refugee" never crossed the minds of Kowloong people. To them, living on their ancestral land means they can proudly tell people they're "from Kowloong."
Which is why whenever Pulao speaks at Babylonia's meetings, she feels the cumulated weight of Kowloong's some 640000 citizens on her shoulder...
Ma'am!
She hears someone calling her not too far from the coastline.
I thought the sea was talking back to me...
Over the grayish-green coast, three red-and-white figures gradually come into her view...
Is everything okay? We came over when we heard you shouting just now.
M-ma'am... we didn't even know you were back already!
Hey!
Between the two burly members of the Pulao Crew, a girl who looks only a few years older than Pulao stands.
Mhm.
Were you in danger, ma'am?
Ah... Me? No, no...
I mean, people just can't help but want to shout or say something to the sea when they see it, right?
Well, then... Now...
Oh, while we're at this...
Pulao scratches her head and smiles.
Mind if I patrol with you guys?
Uhm, I see...
Are you saying we'll be moving to this place they call the Clean Zone? Pretty nice of those guys up there, no?
Hmph...
Basically, that's how it is.
Pulao sighs, leaving a shallow imprint on the beach with her heels.
If they really make that option accessible to people, a lot of people will probably choose to take the boat to the Clean Zone.
Pulao strokes her chin, looking thoughtful.
I mean... because it does sound like a place where people won't have to worry about the Punishing.
But that doesn't mean we'll all be living happily ever after, right?
I mean, humans and their drama, ya know...
I don't think it's gonna fly.
Hum?
We're finally back home after all these years out there, and it took so many of our people's lives for us to keep our home safe.
This is our land, and it's our blood that's been spilled.
How are we supposed to just, you know, leave...
Not saying we're going to make everyone leave... Honestly, I don't really want to go either.
Like you said, they can't give less damn about us.
We've fought so hard to keep our homeland, and we've lost way too many lives along the way...
Regardless, I think we need to make a collective decision on whether we should leave Kowloong for the Clean Zone.
The shallow imprint under Pulao's feet is now filled with a pool of clear water.
No life-threatening danger, comfortable living conditions, and even support from the World Government... This is definitely a hard one to turn down.
Hey, four-eyes, you're not saying you'll make a run for it!
The silence of the sea breeze is all that remains following Hanzhao's rough questioning.
What do you say?
I'm a soldier, and it's my duty to follow orders.
Your wish is my command, Ma'am.
Hanzhao slaps his chest, looking confident.
I don't want to leave, and I won't leave.
No, no, no, that's not what I meant... I just want to hear your thoughts on this...
I... I don't know.
No idea?!
You little...
Hanzhao.
Hanzhao grabs Jianqu by the collar, but Zhishi immediately stops him.
Cough... My bad.
Hanzhao's calloused hands tremble as he lets go.
No, don't feel bad.
I mean... I really don't know.
The shallow imprint in the sand grows bigger, and the water seeping in from the sea becomes increasingly murky.
...I've once said I'd keep everyone on the Nighter safe.
We all wanted to go back home one day when we were still on the Nighter.
But life doesn't seem to have become any safer since we came home, and I've got even more people to keep safe now.
So, I mean... if we really have to...
A hand tugs at Pulao's sleeve.
We'll be with you no matter what you decide to do.
Everyone has the right to choose, but we'll share the responsibility with you.
Count me in, too!
Nodding his head, Jianqu doesn't say anything.
Thank you...
