Chapter 98: Stop Work

“Oh, Officer!”

By the rickshaw, the lean, dark-skinned man grinned. “Where are you headed?”

Chen Ling casually pulled a few copper coins from his pocket and slipped them into the man’s hand. “To Factory Street.”

“Alright!”

The man, his eyes lighting up at the money, immediately picked up the rickshaw and ran towards the edge of District Three.

“It’s only been a few days, and now I should call you Officer,” the man couldn’t help but exclaim. “I’ve never even heard of an enforcer getting promoted so quickly like you…”

This was the same rickshaw driver who had taken Chen Ling to Ice Spring Street in District Two when Chen Ling first became an enforcer. Thanks to Chen Ling’s “guidance” back then, he had earned double the money from Han Meng afterward. Now, seeing Chen Ling, he was as enthusiastic as if he had seen a family member.

“Luck, I suppose,” Chen Ling chuckled.

“Are we still taking the long way this time?”

“…No.”

This time, Chen Ling was spending his own money, so of course, it couldn’t be like last time. Hearing this answer, the man sighed with a hint of regret.

A faint mist shrouded the streets as the man quickly pulled Chen Ling forward. The surrounding houses grew fewer and fewer, replaced by the faint outlines of distant factories on the edge of the aurora, like massive black beasts crouching.

Factories were the core of every major district. They not only provided employment for most residents but also continuously supplied large quantities of materials to Aurora City. However, due to pollution, the factory districts were always located on the outermost edges of the areas, close to the boundaries of the territories.

Chen Ling stepped out of the rickshaw. Before leaving, he gave the man a few more coins as a tip. As an officer now, he naturally wasn’t short on money, and the man immediately thanked him respectfully.

“Just as I thought…” Chen Ling looked at the dense cluster of factories, lost in thought. “More than half of them were shut down.”

Chen Ling had visited the factory district before. Back then, the exhaust fumes from the chimneys alone were enough to dye the entire sky gray. But this time, most of the factories didn’t seem to be operating, and the air was uncommonly fresh.

Chen Ling walked straight into the factory area. As he approached, he saw a large crowd gathered in front of the factory, holding banners and shouting in unison:

“We want to resume work!!”“We demand our wages!!!”“We want to resume work!!”“We want…”

At least a hundred people were packed in front of the factory. Most were young or middle-aged, wearing tattered cotton coats, waving their fists, and roaring with anger.

In the crowd, Chen Ling saw a familiar figure. He was carrying a large flag with the words “Resume Work” emblazoned on it, gritting his teeth and waving it furiously, cursing loudly amidst the crowd:

“Why won’t they let us work?!”“The steel factory is shut down; what are we supposed to eat?!”“Resume work!! We want to resume work!!!”

The man was none other than Zhao Yi, whom he had seen just last night.

The crowd had completely blocked the factory entrance. If the iron gate hadn’t been sturdy enough, they probably would have smashed it down. Inside, several figures behind the gate were whispering, their expressions grim.

“We want to resume work!! We want to resume work!! We want…”

Amidst the roaring shouts of the crowd, a figure approached from behind. The people in the back froze upon seeing the black trench coat, then instinctively fell silent and moved to either side.

The shouting grew quieter and quieter. Those in front seemed to sense something was amiss. Zhao Yi glared back, about to curse them for being useless, when he saw the familiar face.

“…Chen Ling??”

The previously angry and surging crowd had now automatically cleared a path several meters wide. Their gazes, directed at the black trench coat, were filled with awe and fear. For ordinary people in District Three, an enforcer was already akin to heaven… let alone an officer?

“You became an officer?!” Zhao Yi finally reacted, shock appearing in his eyes. Wasn’t he just an enforcer last night? Did he really ascend to the Divine Path in the Ancient Burial Grounds of Weapons??

“Yes,” Chen Ling nodded calmly. “Step aside. I’ll handle this.”

At these words, Zhao Yi’s expression shifted repeatedly as he looked at Chen Ling, from shock to doubt, and finally to helplessness. He took a deep breath, but still spoke firmly:

“Chen Ling, you’d better get us justice!”

After speaking, he temporarily lowered the flag and stepped aside.

Chen Ling stood at the entrance, looking at the people inside. “Open the door.”

Seeing this, the few people immediately stepped forward and opened the door. They dared not show any disrespect to an officer. The man in charge spoke respectfully to Chen Ling:

“I am Meng Shi, the deputy director of the steel factory… How may I address you?”

“Chen Ling.”

Chen Ling entered the factory and got straight to the point, “What’s going on here?”

Meng Shi grimaced and said helplessly, “The factory is shut down, but they insist on resuming work… We’ve told them it’s impossible, but they won’t listen. They’ve been surrounding the place for half a day already.”

“I’m not asking about them; I’m asking about you.”

“Us…”

“Why did it shut down?”

Meng Shi exchanged glances with the few subordinates behind him, then let out a long sigh. “Please come with me.”

Meng Shi and his group led Chen Ling straight into the factory. Just inside the entrance, large gilded characters were engraved on both sides of the steel factory.

On the left: “Tempered by countless hammers, forging steel bones;”On the right: “Enduring hardship is most glorious;”Above the factory, several horizontal characters stood out most prominently: “All for Humanity;”

These characters were clearly old, blurred by the erosion of wind and snow, with some even missing strokes. The factory’s exterior walls were also mottled and damaged, carrying a faint smell of rust.

This was Chen Ling’s first time inside the steel factory. Perhaps due to the fog, everything was damp. He walked into the workshop, where several massive machines were set up, but none were running; they were covered with plastic sheets, like small black mountains.

“Officer Chen, look over there,” Meng Shi said, pointing to a vacant area at the back of the workshop.

Chen Ling looked carefully. “What’s there?”

“Originally, that was where we stored raw materials for steel forging, like ore and coke,” Meng Shi explained, spreading his hands. “Now Aurora City has taken all the raw materials away. I know those people outside want to resume work, but what are we supposed to use? Can they conjure steel out of thin air?”

Chen Ling frowned slightly. “Why did Aurora City take the raw materials?”

“I don’t know. The order came directly from them to the factory director,” Meng Shi said bitterly. “Officer Chen, you know… factories in all seven districts are directly managed by Aurora City, and even the directors are appointed by them. If they want to take the raw materials, we can’t stop them.”

“Where’s the director then? Call him over.”

“He went into Aurora City yesterday with the raw materials,” Meng Shi paused, then added, “It’s not just our steel factory… all other factories are in the same situation. All raw materials and finished products have been moved out, leaving us with just a pile of waste. We don’t want to shut down either… but we truly have nothing left.”