Chapter 275 – Joining the Army
The torrent of alien beasts swept across the beautiful planet, and countless star beasts fell from the sky. The once peaceful inhabitants were forced to endure the flames of war.
The army arrived in an instant but retreated months later after being overwhelmed by the beast horde.
Rose Star was abandoned.
The teleportation devices built by humans were all destroyed, and those who had not managed to escape were completely trapped on the war-torn planet, struggling to survive beneath the feet of the alien beasts.
The roses turned to mud, and the Wasteland Star was born.
A few years earlier, some managed to repair the teleportation devices and escape from the barren star, but in recent years, no living person had come out of the barren star.
The beast tide grew increasingly arrogant; after Rose Star, two more planets fell into desolation.
Those scattered on the barren star became a burden for the remaining three planets.
“How did you escape?” Liu Wan’s voice was choked with emotion.
“I went out as usual to find food and saw something glowing beneath the ruins. I went over to take a look, and unexpectedly, it was a teleportation device, which transported me here.”
After retrieving her memories, Tu Ran responded very calmly.
Liu Wan asked her several more questions, and Tu Ran answered one by one, portraying herself as a pitiful figure who had escaped from death through great hardship.
During this time, Liu Wan even wiped away tears several times.
Finally, he took out a key and unlocked the handcuffs on Tu Ran’s wrists.
Just when Tu Ran thought she could leave smoothly, she was transferred to the Ideological Mobilization Department.
Indeed, the pre-war Ideological Mobilization Department.
Along with her were two young people who were about her age.
“Children, our Haenden star system has reached a critical moment of life and death! Three beautiful planets have fallen into desolation, and hundreds of millions of our companions have perished beneath the hooves of alien beasts. Isn’t that enough to awaken your hatred and your fighting spirit?!”
The one leading the mobilization was the department head, whose voice was passionate and filled with hope. She exuded positivity, completely devoid of the oppressive atmosphere that Tu Ran had sensed from others.
“You are in your prime, the most beautiful years to serve the Haenden star system, and the age with the greatest potential to defeat the alien beasts! Your bodies are agile, your minds sharp, and you can operate the most invincible mechas! Your love for the Haenden star system should also be fervent! Join us and become contributors to Haenden!”
Her impassioned speech resonated with the two young men standing beside Tu Ran, who clenched their fists and raised them to the sky.
“Reclaim the barren star!”
“All for Haenden!”
“Reclaim the barren star!”
“All for Haenden!”
The two shouted with great enthusiasm, one on each side of her.
Tu Ran shrank between the two of them, feeling the expectant gazes of the Ideological Mobilization Department staff around the room upon her. Unable to avoid it, she joined in, pretending to shout a few phrases along with them.
The department head looked at the three of them with satisfaction, took three sheets of paper from the table, and handed them in front of the trio, along with a pen.
With a ‘swish swish swish’, the first two quickly completed their forms, but when it was Tu Ran’s turn, she stared at the paper in front of her, feeling immense pressure.
This was a conscription consent form.
When she signed her name, it meant she voluntarily committed to contributing forty years of her life, from age sixteen to fifty-six. During this time, she would be assigned to various roles: fighting alien beasts on the front lines, joining the mecha manufacturing assembly lines in the rear, or engaging in mining, farming, or weapon production.
Wherever she was needed, she would go, ensuring no day would go to waste.
Seeing her hesitation and the fact that she hadn’t written anything down, the minister personally walked up to her. “What are you hesitating about? We can help you with anything. Your parents, your children—we will take care of them. You can leave without any worries.”
Just as Tu Ran was about to speak, a staff member behind the minister leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Minister, she just escaped from the barren star today, and her parents have passed away.”
Tu Ran pressed her lips together. Perhaps the minister would take pity on her and allow her to rest for a while. After ten days or half a month, the “gate” would likely open, and she could leave.
She didn’t want to disappear suddenly after integrating in; that would attract too much attention, and someone else would have to fill the void she left. The world was already grim enough, and she didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble.
Upon hearing about Tu Ran’s experience, the minister was first shocked, then excited. She looked at Tu Ran and changed her tone, “Then you should join even more! I’ll take charge and let you join the army directly, go to the front lines, and avenge your deceased parents!”
Tu Ran was taken aback. “???” This wasn’t what she had imagined at all.
“Oh, right,” the minister clapped her hands. “I just remembered, General Ye has just returned from a recent victory and is eager to recruit people. You can report directly to her!”
Tu Ran felt like crying but had no tears left, almost being forced to write her name down.
The minister happily collected the three conscription consent forms.
Next, Tu Ran boarded a vehicle heading to the training ground of the so-called invincible General Ye, sent personally by the minister.
Tu Ran found it hard to resist her enthusiasm.
…
The training site was desolate, with the vehicle traversing solid yellow earth for over an hour before finally revealing a towering building reaching for the clouds.
This structure was completely different from the gray, dilapidated buildings she had seen before.
It resembled a long sword pointed straight at the sky, standing majestically on the bleak and barren land. The sword’s body was covered in black crystals, and in the backdrop of the setting sun, it radiated a grandeur and splendor reminiscent of heroes facing death fearlessly.
This world was not backward; it had once conquered space, discovered five planets suitable for human habitation, and transformed its originally barren lands into a home where roses could bloom.
This world had once been prosperous and filled with great ambition.
Unfortunately, all those grand visions had turned to dust with the emergence of the alien beasts.
The arrival of the beast horde dealt a heavy blow to this rising space power.
In order to resist the attacks from the alien beasts, the rulers of the Haenden star system immediately concentrated the forces of all six planets to develop mechas capable of withstanding the alien assaults. They mass-produced these mechas, carving out a path for survival, but at the cost of exhausting too many of the planets’ resources.
The alien beasts reproduced rapidly and exhibited high levels of mutation. Humans could only continuously upgrade their mechas, dig for energy, and expand their ranks to have a fighting chance against the beasts.
As energy consumption increased, casualties on the front lines rose, and the birth rate plummeted. The Haenden star system had reached a point where everyone was mobilized for war, with all resources prioritized for the front lines.
The safe zones in the rear were left with only the elderly and children, and infrastructure was only maintained to the extent that it was functional, without wasting resources on repairs.
This was the scene that greeted Tu Ran upon her arrival.
As she stood on the hard ground and looked up at the unsheathed sword towering above, she felt the weight of this world pressing down on her.
another dystopia in different font