Gu Yuan didn’t seem surprised by Han Meng’s answer.
He placed a cup of coffee in front of Han Meng and gazed at the kites dancing in the sky, speaking slowly, "Among the nine major domains, Aurora City’s kites have always sold the best. Do you know why?"
Without waiting for Han Meng’s response, he continued, "The Aurora Domain is too cold. For most of the year, it’s winter here, and children spend their childhoods mostly indoors… Only during the one month of summer do they get the chance to go outside and play freely. It’s the happiest time of their year."
"Because this joy is hard-won, parents do their best to fulfill their children’s wishes. During this month, tens of thousands of kites take to Aurora City’s skies every day, carrying a year’s worth of anticipation and hope."
"When summer ends, parents hang the kites in the most visible spot in their children’s rooms. That way, the children know…"
"No matter how harsh the winter, summer will always return."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"No one wants to abandon the seven districts, but we have no choice." Gu Yuan looked at him calmly. "Look at this city. It’s the future and hope of the Aurora Domain. As long as it stands, winter will eventually pass… Perhaps one day, we can rebuild the seven districts."
Han Meng answered hoarsely, "But the children of the seven districts have never even seen a kite… That’s not fair."
After a long silence, he spoke again, "Maximizing resource integration and utilization was Aurora City’s decision to accelerate its own development… Whether this decision is right or wrong, I’m not qualified to judge. But from the perspective of the entire human race, what we’re doing now is undoubtedly correct."
"What does your ‘correct’ have to do with me?" Han Meng stared at him. "My people and my subordinates are waiting for me to return… I don’t have time to listen to your grand lectures here!"
"It’s been too long. District Three has already fallen. Even if you go back now, all you’ll face is endless calamities."
Han Meng’s body stiffened slightly.
"Outside of Aurora City, the auroras across the domain have long since vanished. It’s just that the dense fog has obscured it, making it hard to notice at first glance…"
"Within an hour of the auroras disappearing, at least a thousand convergence points will emerge. Within three hours, convergence points capable of allowing third-tier or higher Calamities to pass will form. In ten hours, the seven districts will theoretically be completely overrun. In twenty hours, the Gray Realm will engulf every inch of land outside the city… with no survivors."
Gu Yuan glanced at his wristwatch. The silver hands moved silently across the star-and-moon dial.
"And now, fifteen hours have passed since the auroras vanished."
"What can you save by leaving Aurora City now? Not only will you fail to reclaim District Three, but you’ll also pointlessly throw your life away there… Han Meng, you’re a smart man. You should know what the right choice is."
Han Meng’s hands on his knees clenched involuntarily, veins bulging. He sat beneath the soaring kites, trapped in silent punishment like a stone statue.
---
On the frozen wasteland, several figures trudged slowly along the railway tracks.
"Dad… I’m hungry." A boy looked up, his eyelashes frosted white by the snow, his eyes filled with grievance and pleading.
Boss Xu’s heart ached at the sight. He turned to his wife and asked, "Do we have any food left?"
"How could we? You rushed us out in such a hurry. I didn’t even have time to pack anything." The woman sighed. "If I hadn’t grabbed a couple of coats on the way out, we’d probably be frozen to death by now…"
A few hours earlier, Boss Xu had heard about what happened in Districts Two and Four and immediately fled with his family, planning to seek refuge in Aurora City overnight.
He knew Aurora City might not take them in, but what if? Right now, they had nowhere else to go.
They had left early and hadn’t heard about the law enforcers heading to the station, so they had no choice but to walk. At the time, many others had also chosen to flee to Aurora City—just from Frost Street alone, several families had set out. Their paces were similar, scattered in small groups along the tracks. By now, they had covered less than a fifth of the distance.
After a long silence, Boss Xu gritted his teeth and quickened his steps, catching up to the figures ahead.
"Boss Li! Boss Li! Do you have any food left? Can… can you spare us some?"
Boss Li, after all, ran a cake shop. His family was never short on food. In this situation, he was probably the only one with supplies left.
Boss Li was also traveling with his family. He wanted to refuse, but seeing the child stumbling along behind him, he reluctantly pulled a cup-sized cake from his bag and handed it over.
"Take it. We’re still far from Aurora City… Make sure the child eats it slowly."
Overjoyed, Boss Xu nodded repeatedly in thanks.
The child took the cake and devoured half in one bite. Before he could take a second, Boss Xu snatched it back and tucked it away. "Good boy, save the rest for later."
The child obediently didn’t fuss, only asking quietly, "Dad… how much longer until we reach Aurora City?"
"...A long time." Boss Xu sighed. "If we had a train, we’d be there in a few hours…"
"Even if there was a train, it’d be packed. No guarantee we’d get on," Boss Li interjected ahead of them.
"True…"
"Wait—am I imagining things, or are the tracks shaking?"
As they spoke, a low, thunderous rumble came from behind them.
Boss Xu froze for a moment before realization struck.
"A train? It’s a train?!"
The figures walking along the tracks all stopped in their tracks, turning in shock. Two blinding beams of light pierced through the mist, and in the haze, a massive steel beast came roaring toward them!
"It really is a train!!" The woman’s eyes lit up. She stood by the tracks, waving frantically. "Save us!!"
"It’s the train to Aurora City!"
"Wait… why is it just a locomotive? Where are the carriages?"
Whoosh!!
Before anyone could react, the lone locomotive shot past them like a gust of wind, its wake sending their clothes fluttering. They stood there, stunned and bewildered.