Story Reader / Main Story / 28 Polaris Bond / Story
Argh... Zhishi?
There's an emergency—
Ouch!
Zhishi, who rushes through the door, almost knocks Mr. Hu over.
Take a breath. What's going on?
Almost no one noticed the staggering Mr. Hu. All eyes in the courtyard are focused on Ma's granddaughter.
...Attention, attention, dear Kowloong residents...
Pulao's voice echoes through the terminal hanging in the courtyard. It's not just the speaker at No. 5, West Third Street, Hexabridge Port. The entire port and all of Kowloong are listening to the broadcast at this moment.
...Three hours ago, the auxiliary town outside the port was attacked by unknown Punishing creatures. Upon verification, the creatures were confirmed to be what's known as Hetero-Creature...
...We have reached an agreement with the World Government of Babylonia. All Kowloong residents can systematically evacuate and resettle in the Clean Zone...
...Right now, the Pulao Crew is fully engaged in fighting the Hetero-Creatures. The Chaofeng Crew will work with the remaining Kowloong Crew to handle the boarding and evacuation procedures...
...Residents who wish to move to the Clean Zone, please bring only basic items and wait in order in the designated area under the guidance of the Kowloong Crew to board the Nighter...
...And those who... w...
The person speaking seems to be mustering up courage.
...Residents who wish to stay in Kowloong, please remain quiet at home and wait for the alarm to stop. The port is still safe for the time being.
We will do everything we can and fight for Kowloong until the end.
The terminal falls silent, and so does almost all of Kowloong after this broadcast.
But the suffocating silence only lasts a few seconds before it turns into overwhelming shouts and roars—
I knew it! I knew it!
Mr. Gao picks up his briefcase while muttering under his breath. He tries to hide his hands which are trembling from both excitement and fear.
Totally knew it!
Everything in the factory needs to be moved, too. Yes, everything has to go. Everything!
Move it onto the ship. Move it to the Clean Zone...
Hey!
Run! What are you doing standing there like an idiot?!
It's over! All over! Those Hetero-Creatures... How in the world are we supposed to fight those things?!
The man in a suit and tie is shouting furiously at Ma, his lips trembling as he speaks.
The Pulao Crew is just flesh and blood and is impossibly outnumbered. What can they possibly do to those monsters?
Alright—
No!
Slap!
A slap lands on Mr. Gao's face.
Mr. Ma!
What are you doing?!
Zhishi and Yu rush up to Ma to stop him. The only other man, Mr. Hu, can barely hold Mr. Gao back with help from Su.
Tsk... I didn't even hit that hard.
You probably want to check on Mr. Gao instead of holding me here. I'm not going to hit him again.
Cough...
Pulled yourself together?
Better start coming up with a way out!
Mr. Gao covers his burning face and glares resentfully at Ma as Su escorts him inside.
I see you did it again.
The man was frightened like a kid and I was just trying to help him pull himself together.
The man would have headed straight the great beyond if I'd used my other hand.
Is this what brought you back, Zhishi?
Yes.
What Pulao said about the Hetero-Creatures is real?
Zhishi nods but says nothing.
Argh...
How in the world are we supposed to fit so many people into the Nighter?
Chaofeng said things would work if we all squeezed a bit.
Well...?
Mr. Hu looks cautiously at Yu.
Let's go inside first.
Ah... ah, alright.
With that, Mr. Hu and Yu, both looking worried, go inside.
Let's go.
What?
In you go.
Fine...
After Ma, Zhishi enters the east wing.
The east wing has only two rooms, one with Ma's camp bed and the other with Zhishi's single bed.
Ma's room is smaller, but the efficient old man has kept his quarters clean and tidy for years. If not for the overflowing desk and shelf, it would be hard to tell that someone lives there.
I have to go in a bit.
Where are you going?
...
I have to go back.
Zhishi squeezes the words out of his mouth.
...Okay.
Ask Chaofeng for two spots.
What spots?
Spots to the Clean Zone. We are going to board the ship.
What?
You heard me.
Ma is sitting sideways on a stool, patting his chin stubble, his face hard to make out in the shadows.
You want me to leave when they need me at the frontlines?!
You guys are no match for those things!
I heard from He! Those things are dozens of times stronger than the Corrupted. A normal human being's flesh will rot as soon as it comes in contact with one of those things!
But you've never even seen them!
Of course, I've seen them!
Ma's thigh makes the sound of steel clashing when he slaps his thigh out of frustration.
If you think the Corrupted are a nightmare, those monsters out there now are hell!
You're the last of the Mas. You can't go. You have to board the ship with me.
...Humph.
And now you want me to be a deserter with you, just like before!
You little...
Ma raises his calloused hand, but his granddaughter doesn't back down one bit.
You know I'm right!
You little... Do you even know what's coming out of your mouth?!
If you want to leave, then go ahead. But I'm not going anywhere.
They are like two stones clashing. Neither will give in.
Bang!
Ma's raised hand doesn't land on Zhishi's face but sweeps everything off the desk onto the floor.
Get the hell out of here!
Zhishi lowers her head to hide her face from Ma.
As she turns to run out of the room, Ma feels like he sees the last glimmer of twilight flicker and fall that leaves no ripples in the old yet clean room.
The stubborn man hesitates for a moment, but when he rushes to the door, he sees no one in the yard.
That is when he feels like a steel knife has stabbed into his heart, and he stumbles back onto his coffin-like, stiff bed. He gazes at the mess he's made as he awaits death with blood leaving his body drip by drip.
Broken glass, old photo frames, documents with a big red stamp, a mask that can no longer project—these are all his past.
And a gold, star-shaped medal that no longer glimmers, that cannot shine in the last light of the sun—
Raindrops crisscross and fall on the shadowy figures in the night. The neon lights of Kowloong flow over the blades and guns in their hands.
Bian really shouldn't be giving you orders.
Shouting at the unmoving crowd, the man is, too, drenched in the torrential rain that soaks the very people he's shouting at.
This is an emergency situation.
The whole of Kowloong is at stake. You have to be there to defend it once more.
We only have you to count on to rescue our guild since we can't trust Yazi and Chaofeng anymore.
What you do today will not go down in history or be remembered by anyone. You will never speak of this day to anyone.
The pouring rain intensifies.
Let's go. May glory be to Kowloong.
Ma remembers that day. On that day, he wasn't Ma.
The rain was so heavy that it was impossible to make out the Pulao Crew's faces through their masks...
That the blood didn't even pool on the dark ground when bullets and blades pierced chests...
That the dying words of those men were crystal clear...
Qu!
Damn it! This can't be happening!
Why don't you just go ahead and kill me? Are you mocking me!
Leave. I won't be coming after you.
Is that a joke? We stopped being family the moment we raised our weapons at each other!
You're right. You have brought war and destruction to Kowloong.
Then why are you...
But you are still someone I have to protect.
What?
You're unique to this world, and that won't change just because our experiences and ideals are different.
Your resentment and anger are also one of the countless emotional ties around me.
If you die, these ties will be erased. No one will be able to replicate your existence and your emotions.
You—
Yin, it's time you broke free of your family bonds now.
As you said, the country needs only one ruler.
The obsession and pain of trying to become the sovereign will only hold you down. Now, you are free to do whatever you so choose. Just like everyone else.
That faithful rainy night went down in Kowloong's official history records as just one sentence:
...The leaders of the Yazi and Chaofeng Crews were dismissed and investigated because they colluded with illegal forces. To eliminate the said illegal forces, the Pulao Crew conducted a special purge operation.
What "no one" knew was that the real goal was to eliminate the remnants of the rebellious forces of the guild leader's eldest son.
And "no one" knew that the young Ma, known as "Zhongya" at the time, had killed 13 traitors.
He remembers everything clearly. He killed 12 with a submachine gun. When a grenade blew off his left leg, he picked the leg up, found the tactical dagger strapped onto it, and slit the throat of another man who approached him.
He remembers the man in the Chaofeng uniform clearly. The man clutched onto his neck, trying to stop the blood from gushing out, but accomplished nothing except making futile gurgling sounds as rain and blood flooded into his lungs.
It seemed like a living hell, where the rain never let up.
Ma doesn't remember what happened after that night.
He will never forget what he saw when he woke up in the medical ward—
...I see you're awake.
Check his vitals and prosthetic compatibility.
...
He opened his mouth but nothing came out.
Don't talk. Just lie still.
A nurse held his hand, telling him he shouldn't move.
We removed five bullets from your body, including a dum-dum bullet. You're very lucky to be alive.
My leg...
Can you feel your left leg?
He blinked.
Well... I'm sorry. Your left leg was too damaged and too risky to repair. You would be better off with a prosthetic. That is your left leg now.
But it'll take some time for you to get used to it.
There was a small commotion at the door, and a person in green appeared before Zhongya.
...Ma'am.
He tried to sit up like a soldier would but failed.
You can't get up yet! There's minor internal bleeding going on in there!
You did well.
Qu nodded and placed a shining gold medal in Zhongya's hand.
Thank you for your sacrifice and contribution to Kowloong.
You'll recover quickly under the medic's care.
You will be able to return to the Pulao Crew in no time. Rest well for the time being.
Thank... you...
He felt excruciating pain coming from his right arm, from which two bullets had been removed. Every moment tore at him.
He still remembers the smile Qu gave him when he couldn't complete the salute.
Once he recovered, Ma returned to the Pulao Crew to fulfill his duties as a soldier.
Until he lost his right hand, had children, and reached the age of retirement. Until he took off his uniform for the last time and abandoned the name "Zhongya". Until his friends and family started calling him "Ma".
Dad, I got the transfer order yesterday. I'll be back tomorrow to take over the Pulao Crew.
The voice on the other side of the phone was youthful and filled with joy and excitement.
That's good, Chi Ling.
Your old comrades always tell me stories about you.
I've told you those stories when you were little.
I know, but hearing them from them hits differently.
Chi Ling, a soldier's duty is to serve their country and obey orders.
As the head of the Pulao Crew, you're responsible for more than just your own little world.
I understand, Dad.
Alright, let's save the rest for when you're home.
Your mother hasn't seen you for a long time. She really misses you.
We'll talk when you get back. Let's grab a drink and you can tell me about you then.
Okay, I'll be back tomorrow.
Ah! By the way!
It's about time you brought your wife home so we can meet her, hum?
Huh?
What? Why can't I meet my daughter-in-law?
Well... she's still at Factory 122...
Pick a date to bring her here. Your mom wants to chat with her.
It's not like they can't chat over a video call...
Anyway, come back soon.
Once you start your new job, you'll be busy again...
Boom!
A series of deep explosions arrive from afar, shaking the entire room.
The explosions snap Ma out of his thoughts, pulling him back to reality.
(What's going on...)
Black smoke rises from the south, and Ma can clearly feel the Central Purification Filter churning harder.
However, the sun has vanished from the sky. There is a faint glow in the west, but the night, heavy with fear and panic, has already descended upon Kowloong.
Hey... hey! Are you crazy...
The sound of a faint argument between a man and a woman comes in from beyond the yard. The noise grows louder as the door is pushed open.
No, we have to take the factory equipment!
We just need to...
Are those things more important than my life to you?!
You... you go and board the ship first.
No... Are you going to abandon me...? No, we are leaving together...
Hearing the argument, Ma wobbles to the door of the side room and stares at Mr. Gao and his wife carrying large bags.
Are you leaving?
Yes!
Mr. Gao breaks free of Su's grip. He takes out a small terminal from his pocket, stuffs it into hers, and whispers to her, apparently not wanting Ma to hear what he has to say.
I'll move the equipment onto the ship. This is all of our money. You're gonna take it and wait for me on the ship...
But I...
Go.
Su holds back her tears and nods.
You're leaving or what?
Let's go. Let's go... Where's the cart?
What cart?
We need a handcart to move all these things, don't we...
Oh, the cart.
Ma points at the roof of the east wing with his elbow.
The cart has been useless for a long time.
Um... alright.
Mr. Gao hugs Su's head once more to comfort her.
Let's go, I'll take you to the port first. Then I'll find someone to help us move these things to the ship...
Mr. Gao takes some packages from Su and hurries out of the yard.
Tch, not even a goodbye.
Boom!
Dull explosions continue to drum on from afar.
(Zhishi...)
Mr. Ma!
Mr. Hu is standing at the door of the west wing and shouting at the top of his lungs. He seems to be doing so with every ounce of his being.
Hey!
Let's go.
No, we... we are not leaving!
Huh?!
Mr. Hu stands tall, like a man ready for his execution. He spreads his arms to hide Yu and the child behind him.
We've decided to stay.
You... um...
What about Yu?
If war is coming, we will need doctors. Yu will go to the medical center.
What about you?
I... I...
I need to find Zhishi.
I... I don't care what happens to me, but Zhishi has to...
Ma mutters with his head down, unaware that Mr. Hu is leading Yu to the door.
Where are you going?
I'm taking Yu to the medical center.
Are you crazy? What are you taking a child there for?
The broadcast said to stay home!
I... I can't leave her at home alone!
It's okay, Mr. Ma, there are a lot of people outside but it should be fine.
****.
Ma curses angrily without directing it at anybody. He turns to go inside to grab something before quickly walking over to Mr. Hu.
Mr. Ma...
Ma shoves one of the two steel knives he is holding into Mr. Hu's hands.
Think you're any useful when you're all frail and weak? You'll get trampled before you reach the medical center!
Stay here and don't you die. Keep the kid safe and go wherever the Pulao Crew tells you to later.
I'll take Yu to the medical center... Looks like I won't be able to celebrate my birthday today!
