As Ning Yongxue saw it, the behemoth was slowly climbing towards the clouds, and not only was it the first clearly recognizable spacecraft he had ever witnessed, but even without its gun armament, its status as a commercial vessel alone was breathtaking. No matter how absurd or nihilistic one's inner feelings about anything else might be, the sight before him was undoubtedly a marvel of technological advancement.
At the moment, the ship looked like a suspended mountain towering above them, its spindle-shaped bottom cascading interlocking columns of deep blue light, weaving a dreamy landscape of light and shadow against the darkening sky. These lights and shadows reflected in the evening sun, as if nature and human wisdom jointly painted a beautiful picture scroll.
On the side of the ship, the words "Qu's Trading Company" were clearly written, signaling that this huge ship belonged to a family business giant. At this moment, Ikarus had just recovered from his trance, while Ning Yongxue was in deep thought.
For a long time, he stood motionless, gazing up at the sky overhead where light and shadow intertwined. Under this magnificent curtain, he almost lost himself, forgetting where he was and where he was going, the only thing that was left was the emotions welling up in his heart that were hard to express.
As the spacecraft gradually disappeared into the clouds, as if the dawn had been swallowed up by the night, Ning Yongxue paused on the concrete road under the bridge, reminiscing about the mind-blowing moment he had just experienced. Ikarus held his hand tightly, as if he was worried that once he let go, his consciousness would dissipate and disappear in this momentary trance.
At that moment, his mind was filled with memories of the scene he had just seen, like a believer finally getting to see the god in his heart, leaving him unable to extricate himself for a long time.
Suddenly, a pale face appeared above them like surfacing from the abyss, blocking their sight. This person was a middle-aged man with a fake smile and a dirty beard, dressed in oil-stained dark blue cloth that reeked of sweat. His scrutinizing gaze made Ning Yongxue immediately realize that he and his companions might have been targeted by the traffickers.
"The good boy has gone home now." The man's voice was low, trying to disguise itself as gentle and friendly, but it always carried a hint of decay.
The cruelty of real life was laid bare like this, and Ning Yongxue couldn't help but feel a pang of irony. The space ship before was like a phantom on a movie screen, and now that the screen had fallen, a door that could never be opened closed in front of him, the true face of life emerged.
Here, real life means high unemployment, poor law and order, as well as ethnic conflicts and terrorist activities triggered by historical legacies. For people like Ning Yongxue, those magnificent spaceships are nothing more than beautiful illusions, and even if they were real, how would they be any different from the scenes in the movies? Both are illusions of varying degrees, that's all.
On the one hand, there is the ideal world across the screen, and on the other, there is the social class divide. Those spaceships that symbolize technological progress ultimately bring ordinary people nothing but empty feelings and fantasies of escaping reality.
A few elites are responsible for performing the ideal good life, which is shown to the public through the media and the screen; while the majority of people are sitting in the mud pit, watching and immersing themselves in that kind of life that doesn't belong to them, feeling the illusory beauty.
However, reality will not change because of any touching, just as the human traffickers behind the scenes will not disappear because of this touching. Human traffickers existed to prey on the innocent, as ruthless as the commercial space ships expanding capitalism into the universe.
Ikas held his hand more tightly, as if telling him silently: no matter how treacherous the road ahead is, we must face it hand in hand.
It's quiet all around, with no sign of street surveillance cameras and no sign of patrol officers. The shortage of personnel caused by the terrorist attack has made the security problem here more and more serious. As the crowd disperses, it seems that the injured, unwittingly left behind by Spindler Rescue, have become part of the "business opportunity" in the eyes of some people.
Ning Yongxue was only a teenager, and his body was so weak that he could hardly resist any threats. A middle-aged man silently appeared behind them, his left hand resting on his back, his right hand gently pressing on the top of Ikarus' head, and easily pushed the two of them into the narrow gap between the two high-rise buildings. Even through the clothes issued by Spindle Corporation, Ning Yongxue could feel the small dagger hidden in the other party's hand. This cramped space seemed like a scar on the city, separating light from darkness.
While the alley was neat and orderly, the inside was filled with huge trash bins, blocking the line of sight while creating a forgotten corner of the city. "Where are your parents?" The man asked in a voice of feigned gentleness, "This is not the place for you to be."
"Over ... the bridge." Ikas stammered, pointing a finger in the direction they had come from. The man faked a glance, then looked back with a smile, bending down to look Ikas straight in the eye, "Is that so, little one?"
"No." Ning Yongxue's reply made the other man freeze for a moment. At this moment, he seized the opportunity to capitalize on the other party's gullibility and his own preparations, splashing corrosive acid from his hand, the liquid quickly splashing onto the other party's eyes. The man instinctively closed his eyes and covered his injured eye socket, but the dagger in his hand did not let go, instead he tried to fight back.
In the face of the crisis, Ning Yongxue did not retreat. He fell to the ground, the glass bottle was broken, his spine was scratched, and his fingers were cut, but he could not care about the pain, and stabbed the other man's heel with the broken glass. He then rolled away clutching his head to avoid more serious injury. Blood oozed from the trafficker's Achilles tendon and soaked his pants leg, rendering him immobile.
Nonetheless, the man brandished his dagger in self-defense. The small space limited his movement, but it also increased the danger of getting close to him. Ikas watched from the sidelines, looking surprised that no substantial damage had apparently been done. She realized that she might be considered a high-value commodity, so the man had not made a move against her. At this moment, Ning Yongxue realized that in this sinister world, even criminals knew how to distinguish the value of commodities.
"He looks like ...," Ikas whispered. Ning Yongxue didn't have the heart to think about metaphors much as he pointed at the trash can, signaling for Ikas to climb up and try to distract the other party.
However, Ikas had a different idea: "I think we should deal with your wound first, the records say there's a risk of tetanus if you don't, and you still have broken glass in your hand." Ning Yongxue knew that her concern was right, but in this situation, the importance of the terminal was more pressing. He shook his hands, trying to stop the bleeding.
Ikarus stood his ground and ripped open his sleeve to bandage his wound with professionalism and precision. She carefully plucked out the shards of glass embedded in his palm, searching for a non-existent disinfectant. In the absence of resources, she cleaned the wound with her own saliva, that soft tongue like a small pink snake, licking over his fingertips and palm, bringing tingling sensations.
Each heartbeat made him feel weaker. He realized that the girl in front of him was far more than she appeared. She had taken care of the other children in their original environment, playing the role of leader rather than mere victim. Were those children she had once protected no longer there? The answer to that question might be hidden in the nightmares of the Toller space station.
"Well, how do we deal with him?" Ning Yongxue asked Ikas, "Do you have any ideas?"
Ikas followed his gaze to the trafficker trapped in the corner. Despite his blindness, the other man remained vigilant, and he knew he had to be quiet at the moment, listening to the movements around him. He had temporarily stopped the flow of blood from his foot, and despite his critical condition, he would be able to hold out for a while. It was extremely risky for two children who were weak and one of them was injured to approach.
"I don't know what to do ...," Ikas said with a frown. Ning Yongxue mentioned her so-called "jumping god" earlier, but Ikarus denied it, explaining that she was only trying to get Ning Yongxue to follow her orders at the time, but was unsuccessful.
"That thing?" Ning Yongxue was puzzled in his mind, but there was no point in discussing this at this point. He understood that the "friends" that Ikarus had mentioned actually referred to those who were willing to sacrifice themselves for a "noble" goal. In this difficult time, they had to rely on each other to face the difficulties in front of them.
In this world, every choice is critical, and every step can be the difference between life and death. They need to find a way to solve the current crisis without falling into greater danger. And most importantly, they need to hold on to the bottom line of their hearts and not let the darkness consume their souls.