Chapter 57: Cleanup Operation

Sitting on the return train, holding the gift box in her arms, Hixia felt as though she were living in a dream.

This was her first time traveling far away alone, going to an unfamiliar and fresh place to attend an event. The last time had been when she was very young, when her father carried her to her older sisters' academy to watch their winter solstice evening gala.

Outside the train window was the endless and desolate Gobi wilderness. The evening breeze blew gently, carrying the dusk-enveloped world into the carriage, which was filled with an orange-yellow glow, bringing a touch of coolness and refreshing comfort.

The rails beneath her made a rhythmic clicking sound as the train sped along. Inside the carriage, some students leaned against their seats for a quick nap, others whispered softly to their companions, and some opened their personal terminals to browse through data and pages, creating a momentarily quiet atmosphere.

After the second-round exams, although official notices had not yet been issued, many students already had a pretty good idea of their standing. Some rejoiced while others worried, discussing their future destinations and lamenting the passage of time. In the blink of an eye, the season had arrived to part ways with classmates.

Holding her personal terminal, Hixia also opened her class chat group, which she hadn't looked at in a while.

Jones: "My second-round scores are out, I've been accepted~"

Everyone: "Congratulations! Congratulations!" xN

Dudu: "Are you treating us?"

Bonn: "Dudu is trying to bleed Jones dry again."

Dudu: "What do you mean? It's rare for Jones to get into his ideal high school, celebrating it is only right."

Jones was a core figure among the boys in the class. He loved sports, and although his grades were average, he was always well-liked and hosted many activities.

Jones: "Alright, alright, I'll take a big hit this time. Give me some recommendations for good restaurants, but nothing too expensive, or I won't be able to afford it."

Everyone: "Boss Jones is mighty and generous~" Many chimed in with teasing remarks.

Hixia swiped across the screen, then closed the page, leaning against the gift box and looking sideways at the night view outside the window, enjoying the feeling of the evening breeze brushing past.

Although it had only been a month since graduation, it felt as though a long time had passed. The images of her classmates in her mind were beginning to blur. She had always spoken very little in class and rarely participated in group activities, eventually growing accustomed to staying quietly in a corner by herself.

Having completed the secondary examination at Iris Court Academy today, she should be able to pass. Unfortunately, because the schedules overlapped, she had no choice but to pass on Erin Academy.

Originally, according to the life trajectory she had once planned, she should have gone to that medical college for her secondary exams and become a doctor in the future.

Unwittingly, her life had veered onto an entirely different fork in the road.

"Bip," a message chimed from the personal terminal beside her hand.

[Cindy: How was it today, Hixia? Did you pass the academy's assessment?]

[Hixia: Mm, the secondary exams went pretty well...]

Her fingertips hesitated slightly, but Hixia ultimately refrained from typing out the words "Iris Court Academy." Doing so would likely invite another barrage of endless questions; she would tell everyone after official admission. Still, Hixia held a deep fondness and nostalgia for her former elementary school classmates.

They had spent six wonderful years together in that joyful school, playing and participating in activities together. Many past events remained vividly clear in her mind to this day.

[Cindy: That's great! Let's all get together soon then. The time has been set for the afternoon of June 12th, at the Breeze and Dew Restaurant on Spinel Street.]

[Hixia: Mm, I got it.]

[Cindy: You have to come, okay?]

[Hixia: I will (*^▽^*)]

At the same time, the other class chat group on Hixia's end had also settled on the time and location for a gathering in the near future.

Jones: "Then it's settled for the afternoon of June 12th, see you at the Breeze and Dew Restaurant~"

Everyone: "No problem~" xN

Unfortunately, by this time Hixia had already closed the notifications for the class chat, and the next time she checked, it would probably be several days later.

——————

In the underground world of Paeonia City, the cleanup operation was advancing step by step.

The huge double-spiral drill bit bored continuously downward, kicking up a violent roaring sound. The hard rock shattered constantly under the ten-meter-wide colossal drill, while water mists designed to suppress dust sprayed ceaselessly. The crushed stone powder was swept upward along the drill's spirals and shifted to the sides.

While drilling downward, the two drill bits also rotated against each other, continuously expanding the opening.

There were now six such large-scale drilling equipment units distributed across the lowest level of Paeonia City. They would continuously expand downward, piercing through the underground rock layers and completely connecting the hidden subterranean worlds of the past. These six passages were also heavily guarded, with rows of 'Viper-S52' tanks standing guard at the entrances and exits of each underground level.

Squads of soldiers equipped with exoskeleton armor began clearing each level one by one. Any violently resisting elements were directly executed on the spot; they showed no mercy to these underground denizens, who were not regular citizens raised under the education and values of the Federation.

The question of what constitutes a 'human' had been fiercely debated as early as the Fifth Era, even sparking major wars as a result. Now, having reached the Sixth Era, the interstellar nations had reached a basic consensus:

Only residents legally born within their own country and having received normal primary education would be granted human rights. Other humanoid creatures, regardless of their intelligence, would not be granted national human rights.

This seemingly simple statement had triggered countless bloodshed and painful lessons behind the scenes.

"Drop your weapons and come out one by one. The countdown starts now."

In front of an underground gang stronghold, two 'Viper-S52' tanks aimed their main guns at the front entrance. Behind the tanks were two squads of fully armed soldiers holding electromagnetic rifles, their bodies covered in white exoskeleton armor, shouting warnings to the stubborn holdouts inside the stronghold.

Inside their enclosed helmets, various indicator data floated across the pale gold transparent metal visor, and the data scanned by the forward detection devices was simultaneously fed within.

"Report, Captain, there are 21 people inside the stronghold. Among them, 12 are Sequence 2, 3 are Sequence 3, 1 is Sequence 4, and the rest have extremely faint transcendent magic."

"Received. Wait another 40 seconds. If the enemy doesn't respond, have the tanks breach the outer layer, and we will begin clearing them directly."

"Copy that, understood." The communication then went silent.

Meanwhile, inside the stronghold, the gang members were having their final argument.

"Tiger Brother, what should we do?"

A group of people looked toward the bald man sitting in the center. His face was covered in numerous scars, with two metal bone studs on the side of his head, and a golden fierce tiger tattoo branded across his body. The essence of such a tattoo was embedding specially treated metal wires into the flesh to form a kind of transcendent branding, thereby enhancing physical strength. Although the effect was exceptional, the side effects were numerous, and generally only those wandering the gray areas adopted such methods.

"Surrender? Absolutely impossible." He pressed his hands against his knees, his voice grim and low.

"Allowing me, Archie Tiger, to walk out like a dog and beg for my life? Hehe, if I were to agree to that, why would I even be sitting here? Twenty years ago, I swore to stand in opposition to the Federation, to turn it upside down and humiliate it thoroughly."

Having said this, his blue-gray eyes slowly swept across the people in the room; several of them could not bear his gaze and lowered their heads to dodge it.

"Hmph."

He knew in his heart that many of these fellows were afraid of death. If he gave the order to surrender, these people would likely be overjoyed and rush out immediately.

Would the Federation military really be so merciful as to let them go? Having opposed the Federation for so many years, he was crystal clear on that matter. Unfortunately, there were still those among them holding onto wishful thinking—truly pathetic, though he couldn't be bothered to remind them anymore.

The shouting outside sounded once more, signaling the final time limit.

"Pick up your weapons and charge out with me. Since you joined the gang, you must abide by gang rules, even unto death. Do you understand!"

"Tiger Brother... We understand." Though a few were eager to move, intimidated by the man's long-standing ruthless deterrence, none of them dared to voice any opposition.

"Very well, follow me now." Lifting the giant machine gun by his feet, the gang leader led the men step by step toward the outside.

Soon, intense gunfire broke out, and the federal soldiers outside began their counterattack.

Two minutes later, the gunfire ceased, and federal soldiers began entering the stronghold to clean up the remaining gang members.

"Don't kill me, I surrender, I want to live."

In the corner of a certain room, a skinny man raised his hands and cried out in a tearful voice, but the federal soldiers still kept their guns leveled at him in strict readiness.

Bang! Bang!

After two gunshots, the man collapsed with an expression of disbelief, dark red blood slowly pooling around him.

Just as the man earlier had predicted, in this operation, every squad of soldiers had received orders to execute underground gang members on the spot, under no circumstances dragging it out to a detention phase.

In fact, had they not considered that completely 'cleansing' everyone might easily agitate normal citizens within the Federation, they might not have left a single one alive. Once an individual or a group has long detached themselves from the society and institutions of the Federation, they are no longer regarded as 'human.'