Colonial Suit

"Squeak... Squeak..."

From above the cold hall, came the sound of the ship's steel plates twisting and deforming. A group of people huddled together in the darkness, sitting with their arms around their knees.

In the darkness, there were old people and children, insignificant members of this immigration army. They lacked food, they lacked water, they even lacked warmth, but they still retained a glimmer of hope.

A little boy hid in his mother's arms, silently gazing at the ceiling. He knew what the sound meant; he had understood much from the conversations of the adults around him.

Three days... Ever since the human fleet rushed into the maze, this sound had gradually appeared, from a negligible beginning to now becoming clear and immense.

The external force field was penetrating the outer warships protecting them, threatening the immigration ship bit by bit.

"Mom, can we still survive?" the little boy asked softly, but there was no sadness or despair on his face. It was as if he were asking a simple, ordinary question.

"Of course, baby. We can survive." The mother reached out and touched the boy's hair, then hugged him tightly. "We will definitely survive because someone is fighting for us."

"Many, many people..."

"Are fighting for us."

The mother's voice was low but firm, as if convincing the little boy, and also convincing herself. But before she could finish speaking, a man next to her spat with disdain.

"Bah, fighting? Who knows what those people outside are doing? So many days, and they haven't even found the lower entrance. And they call themselves space warriors. I've had enough. We were living a good life on the American Thoth Star, but they had to gather us together, saying the Black Tide was coming, that we needed to take refuge and migrate. But instead, we were sent to this place, and we don't even know where the end is... We've been scared all the way, encountering so many things. Storms and darkness. I'm scared to death. And there's no wine or cigars. Do they think I'm made of wood?"

The man's voice was loud, filled with unrestrained anger. He thought it would resonate with many, but strangely, as his voice faded, it was quiet around him. No one responded to him, not even a glance.

All the immigrants treated him as a transparent man, as air.

The man felt ignored, so he rolled his eyes and threw out another piece of news.

"You better not put your hopes on those people. Do you know who that guy who went out a few days ago was? It was Lord Binos. You don't know him, right? He's a very famous space pirate in the Rickel Starfield. It's said that he hijacked three long-range fleets in a month, extorting tens of millions of star coins in ransom. But in the end, he didn't let a single person go. They were all killed. His reputation in the Rickel Starfield is enough to scare children into silence. It's too naive to put your hopes on him."

"Those space warriors, which one isn't high and mighty? Would they care about us? What a joke... I'll tell you the truth. The reason we're still alive isn't because of their protection, but because they need tribute... A lord without subjects isn't a lord. To put it bluntly, they're doing it for themselves!"

Speaking of this, the man finally couldn't suppress his anger and spat again.

"Bah! A bunch of cowards!"

"You're lying," a clear voice rang out. It was the little boy. He struggled to poke his head out of his mother's arms, glaring at the man.

"Space warriors are not cowards! They are all heroes!"

"Ha, kid. Be realistic. There are no heroes in this world. Everyone has desires. It's just that their world is too far away from you, and you can't see it. Power, money, resources, women. Which space warrior doesn't need these? Do you think you're important? A little kid like you, if you run into a space warrior with special hobbies, watch out for your butthole."

Saying that, the man laughed, as if despising the little boy's ignorance.

Just then, a voice came from the crowd. "Since they are so evil, why do you dare to speak ill of them? Aren't you afraid of being heard by the space warriors?"

"I'm about to die, what am I afraid of?!" the man said loudly, puffing out his chest as if that made him more of a man. But he didn't know that while he was complacent, there were already many hostile eyes in the crowd.

"Since you're not afraid of death, why are you still here? Go out..."

"A big man, squeezing in here with women and children, doesn't he know it's shameful? I remember this is a Level 5 residential compartment, specially prepared for the elderly, women, and children. Didn't the men all go down to work?"

"That's right... And saying bad things about adults. I don't know who let him live until now."

"Who?!" The man was furious, revealing a threatening look. "I have money. Can't I buy a seat? Who's chirping there? Have the guts to stand up!"

The crowd was silent... The world of ordinary people is like this... They are all old, weak, women, and children. Faced with trouble, who is willing to stand up?

However, in the silence, a clear voice rang out.

"Me!"

"I said it, you're a bad person!"

The little boy stood up angrily, glaring at the man. His small body was like an arrow about to be shot out. The world of children is pure. Perhaps at this moment, the little boy didn't think too much. He just wanted to fight for the heroes in his heart, just like in the cartoons.

The man was also stunned. He didn't expect the little boy to dare to say that, but he laughed in anger. He raised his hand and made a fist, showing a hint of a grin to the little boy.

"Kid, you'll get beaten for talking nonsense. Didn't your mother teach you?"

"You're right, you do get beaten for talking nonsense."

Suddenly, another man's voice came. Then a hand appeared and grabbed the man's fist. The man was shocked and looked back, immediately seeing a burly figure. The figure was wearing a crew uniform, his eyes full of anger.

The man immediately softened, hurriedly putting on a smiling face, and said cautiously, "Ha... Haha, I was just kidding, kidding with the kid..."

"I'm just kidding with you too," the crew member replied, then reached out and grabbed the man's collar, lifting him up like a chicken. "But what these people said is right. This is indeed a Level 5 residential area. You don't belong here. I found you a new room. What do you think of the engine room's pipes? You can even help with cleaning when you have nothing to do."

"You can't do this to me!" The man struggled. "I paid for it!"

"Does spending money make space warriors risk their lives?" The crew member sneered, his face full of contempt. He carried the man towards the door, saying to him.

"You think too highly of yourself. Also, even if there are good and bad among the space warriors, and they all have desires, it's not for you to judge."

"Because they are fighting, fighting for people like you, for everyone who speaks ill or well of them..."

"Do you think space warriors care about your evaluation?"

"What a joke."

With a bang, a fireball erupted outside the porthole, and another warship exploded. The firelight was reflected on the crew member's face through the porthole, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, stretching and elevating the crew member's figure.

The crew member glanced outside, said nothing more, and carried the man out of the cabin...

He still had many things to do, many, many things.