Gene from the 13th Department of Bright City

July 1, 2215

In July, many areas in the middle and lower tiers were baptized by heavy rains. This was the largest heavy rain in several years. Congress did not announce the specific reasons. Fortunately, the overall terrain of Brilliant City is built on a huge mountain range. , the rainwater has flowed into the gully in just a few days.

Now standing on some high-rise buildings in the middle, you can already see a dark ravine forming in the east, north, and south.

There was a rumble, and trucks were passing through the streets. Many people were wearing masks. There was a pungent smell everywhere in the city. A large amount of construction materials had been transported to various parts of the city a few days ago. Trucks coming out of the factory areas in the west are transporting supplies day and night.

The material delivery lines that have been planned before are unobstructed, and most vehicles are not even allowed to enter these roads at certain times. Congress has passed a serious warning in traffic laws. All vehicles are strictly prohibited from dismantling AI systems without permission. In urban AI systems Under the command of the police, many vehicles are unable to enter these transportation routes.

The factories in the west, from the middle to the lower floors, are already in full operation. This is why the pungent metallic smell can always be smelled in the air in the city. The sky in the west seems to be shrouded in dark clouds all day long.

Pollution has inevitably begun. There have been several heavy rains during this period. Someone has tested the components of the rainwater and found that the pollution has been very serious. Except for some workers, most people can only stay away from the west.

Congress is giving some televised speeches every day, telling residents not to worry. This is only temporary. There is already a detailed treatment plan for factory pollutants. Now some important construction materials must be moved to the corresponding areas. put.

Starting from November this year, the factory will completely shut down and begin the construction of underground projects directly. The construction will be completed within three months at most. In this way, the waste from the factory will not be discharged, but will flow directly through underground pipes to Go into the ravine.

But what many people complain about is that the originally relatively stable climate has become completely chaotic since March this year. Many people find that although the sun is visible in the morning, it is not hot at all. You can feel the warmth only at 11 o'clock at noon. On the contrary, it is the grain base in the east. According to some people working in the grain base, the grain base will be very hot starting in the morning.

Some people immediately realized that it was Congress that controlled the sun's radiation area and radiation quality. Finally, amidst the huge public voice, Congress also admitted this, in order to increase food production.

Nowadays, 80% of the tens of thousands square kilometers of land in the eastern grain base has been reclaimed, and prisoners in prisons have almost become the main labor force, working on the farms day and night.

In some remote agricultural bases, crops have even rotted in the fields. In order to alleviate the serious shortage of labor force, Congress can only allow some industrial companies to use Mimic X to produce most of the harvesting machinery.

There are now a large number of job advertisements in the city on the Internet and on some advertising screens on the roadside.

Some factories have even raised workers' wages to 20 yuan per hour. Such conditions are too tempting, but there is still a serious labor shortage.

All walks of life have ushered in the largest growth and explosion in history. Due to construction, consumption has begun to grow like crazy. Most goods are in short supply. Some merchants have begun to take the opportunity to increase prices. It is not a price increase on goods, but a priority on services. Increase in costs.

On the streets and alleys, there are people wearing workers' safety helmets and holding measuring equipment everywhere, conducting inspections everywhere. A light and shadow geological detection machine can detect the density of rock formation structures within a certain range of hundreds of meters underground.

Along with the appearance of these workers, barrel-shaped robots would float across the sky from time to time. Their nearly one-meter-long bodies had a white halo in the middle.

The construction project was carried out from the bottom up. Today, only the upper level has not been affected. Most of the streets on the upper level are still as bustling as ever, and there is not much change from the past.

The only change is that the rocks around the white building located in the easternmost area of ​​Area 1 on the west side of the upper floor have been cleared out, and a huge white fan-shaped square has been built.

Most workers are waiting for their wages to be settled. Many people can't wait and want to rush to the factory areas in the west because they have heard that workers' wages there have skyrocketed.

A giant white 7-story building covering an area of ​​more than 2,000 square meters has been completed. In the middle is a smooth hall with a glass wall structure from bottom to top. On both sides are a large number of rooms with different patterns and structures. .

Many people are discussing that this will be the new office of the Congress, but behind this building, an 800-meter-long staircase has been built on both sides that extends to the top of the mountain. The top of the mountain is still white. The desolate land is like a sea of ​​sand.

Locke Jiahui stood quietly in the white hall, looking at the workers who were packing their luggage. Groups of workers had been working here for many years. The General Affairs Department was officially built.

"Thank you for your hard work. It's good to go back and rest for a few more days. There's no need to rush to work in the west."

"Master Luo, you don't know. The wages in the west are very high now. We are going to a factory today and we can start working right away."

Looking at the workers with smiles and weather-beaten faces, Locke looked around helplessly and reminded some workers to take a rest.

At this time, a lift landed on the white square, and the section chiefs, secretaries, and some directors from the 11 departments came over. Hawke had already bear the brunt of running over.

"It's finally built."

Hawke looked at the smooth and elegant hall. The kitchen was at the bottom. This was Locke's request. The canteen was built directly here so that the staff who came to work could fill their stomachs as soon as possible, whether it was breakfast or lunch.

"Let's go!"

Locke nodded and looked at the section chiefs and secretaries of 11 departments, including some council officers, who came over. Nearly 300 people came over.

Today is also an important moment in the city. Most of the students received orders from the gods early this morning to spread the dark film. People from Section 10 are already waiting above. Everyone will go up to help later.

"Fat brother, congratulations!"

Alpha said with a smile as soon as he came over. Many people were congratulating Locke, but it was a pity that he was not happy at all.

"Let's go!"

Locke said, leading a group of people up the stairs on the right. Many people were discussing some things, most of them work-related issues. Locke glanced sideways and sighed helplessly.

"I asked you guys, can you relax a little bit."

But soon Locke could only shake his head helplessly. Now the 12 departments are busy because they need to plan their own department's facilities throughout the city.

Section 1, Section 5, Section 7, Section 8. In addition to the district where the headquarters is located, there will be a management office in each of the 119 districts in the city. Section 8 is the Law Hall. Among them, the area of ​​the management office of Section 5 is the largest. Before Niya came to the General Affairs Department to find him. Locke heard from Niya that Alpha basically only slept 4 hours a day, and would discuss the planning issues of the management office with Jill and other governing officers.

Section 5 is an extremely important public security management section. Each management office in the district must be set up at a point that can be reached as quickly as possible in the area. Each management office also needs to be equipped with at least 5 small lifts and 2 large lifts. Lifts and landings, as well as the weapons and equipment of the officers, 24-hour patrol routes, personnel arrangements, etc.

Section 2 only has one headquarters in the eastern part of the upper level, and R has already chosen a place. The headquarters of Section 3 and Section 5 are in two adjacent districts in the northwest, 5 kilometers apart. Section 3 is mainly stationed in four guard stations.

In addition to the headquarters, Section 4 and Section 6 will select an area in four places, southeast, northwest, and have four branches. Section 9 has selected a place in a middle-level area as the headquarters.

Section 10 has the northern and western areas that have been vacated by the upper levels as its headquarters, while Section 12 needs to establish a management office in each food education station to control the issue of food delivery.

Section 11 currently has a plan to build a new prison. Because of technology such as rock coagulant, a higher-rise prison can be built. Latis has already made a plan.

Locke looked at the extending stairs at his feet. He knew very well that the coming era would be a busier one.

When the bill starts next year, the medical subsidies in the region will be cancelled. Now, because of the medical subsidies and the medical expenses have been greatly reduced, medical treatment for many illnesses is almost free.

"I will definitely be scolded next year!"

Locke muttered, and Hawke came over and put his arm around Locke's shoulders.

"As time goes by, you will get used to being fat."

Locke smiled helplessly and looked at Hawke next to him. This was not a problem that he got used to over time. Recently, he was a little worried because many people in the city were criticizing him. The voices dissatisfied with some of the actions of Congress would eventually turn into The sound of bashing yourself.

But this is not the reason why Locke is distressed.

"woman!"

Hawke said with a smile, his voice was a little loud, and many people behind him heard it.

"I said, Fat Brother, Wanrou is so good, why would you?"

Just as Vivian was about to say something, she was grabbed by Li Xin next to her. Li Xin winked at her, and many people stopped. Locke became embarrassed, and he could only smile helplessly.

At this time, with a flash of light appearing at the top of the mountain, Locke came to the end. Just when he was about to step up the stairs, Yu Wanrou appeared at the end of the steps with her hands on her hips.

Locke was panicked and said with a smile.

"Wanrou."

"Damn fat man, can you explain this clearly? What kind of man do you think you are?"

For a while, many people who came up behind him walked towards the two sides knowingly, and Hawke patted Locke on the shoulder.

At this time, the environmental simulation system at the top had been shut down, and a large wasteland was exposed. People from Section 10 were already waiting.

Everyone began to get busy in their respective places. They entered through an underground entrance in the middle and carried out long cylindrical machines one by one. These machines were all filled with film. Today will be a very busy day.

In the middle, on a large metal platform nearly 20 meters long and 10 meters wide, people from 10 departments are sitting in front of light and shadow screens. They are talking to the section chiefs, secretaries and directors who have come to help. Place it in a fixed position, and the specific launch parameters need to be optimally adjusted before launch based on today's wind speed, air temperature, humidity, etc.

Yu Wanrou sat quietly next to Locke Jiahui. The two of them were sitting on the stairs. Behind them, a bunch of classmates were busy. Only half of them came, and the others were still dealing with some things.

Yu Wanrou looked down at the city under the sun with her hand on her chin. Locke's expression softened a little. He was silent, his mouth slightly opened from time to time, but for a while he couldn't say anything and didn't know what to say.

Next to her, Yu Wanrou is no longer the skinny little girl she used to be. She has grown up and is as graceful as a hibiscus. She has a gentle and quiet personality.

"How many years have we known Wanrou?"

"More than 20 years, fat brother!"

Locke Jiahui hummed and turned his head. Yu Wanrou curled her lips at this moment.

"My mother's health is getting worse!"

Locke Jiahui nodded. He also visited Yu Wanrou many times. She was already old. As the first generation to build the city, many people had passed away. Locke Jiahui could see that Yu Wanrou's current situation had not affected her since she was very young. She and her mother depended on each other for life, and now her mother is leaving.

"Wanrou, what should I say? Every time I visit Aunt Yu, she will tell me to take good care of you."

"I'm not here to hear that."

As Yu Wanrou said, Locke smiled gently and hummed.

"Hmph! What on earth were you talking about that night? That kind of rhetoric can't make me give up."

Yu Wanrou stood up and pressed her chest with one hand.

"I want you to tell me clearly how you view me, from a male's perspective on women, and not from other perspectives! Maybe when I was a child, you took care of me like a sister, but now I've grown up!"

Locke raised his head and didn't say anything. He just shook his head, and the two fell into silence again.

Although many people were busy at this time, their eyes were always staring at the steps in the distance. Some people used their far-sighted ability to peek.

bang bang

Jean, who had already come up from the underground, clapped his hands.

"Hurry up and work. Today will be very busy. It won't be over until at least tomorrow."

"Principal, you are not going."

Jin Mangan was just about to say something, but after being glared at by Jean, he shut his mouth. Jean had no intention of going there. He had watched those two people grow up.

In the years before the college officially started enrolling students, Yu Wanrou would often go out with Locke Jiahui, just like a couple who went shopping together and cooked together when they came back. They were happy every day.

Gene knew very well that Locke had feelings for Wanrou. It was not the feeling of brother and sister, but the feeling between a man and a woman. However, he had been hesitant all these years. The reason was because of the position he was in and the current position. Locke has officially inherited Hawke's mantle, handling all matters of Congress, speaking on behalf of Congress, and walking among businessmen, families and management, like a regulator.

What Locke is worried about is that if he really gets married to Yu Wanrou, because both of them are in the system of the executive department, they will be very busy at work on weekdays, and it is impossible for him to leave, and he cannot leave.

Yu Wanrou is now a scientific worker in the 10th department, and she is busy every day. In addition, her mother Yu Susu's health is getting worse day by day. There is still a long way to go, and Locke also knows very well that he is not enough. Excellent, he relies on Hawke to teach him step by step when dealing with many things, allowing him to accumulate a lot of experience, and he can only deal with some things with experience and patience.

"Little Fatty sometimes likes to get into trouble."

Hawke muttered, took out a bottle of wine from his pocket, took a sip, and handed it to Gene, who picked it up and took a sip.

"Actually, I think Fat Brother is afraid of hurting Wanrou because he doesn't have the confidence to handle work and family well, because what Fat Brother said!"

Zijuan scratched her head and didn't know what to say.

"Fat brother is very kind to everyone. The kind of trivial and trivial things that can be done inadvertently are something we cannot learn and are difficult to do. How about I come over?"

Just as Osman was about to go over, he was grabbed by Zijuan. Gene saw that there were many students who were not thinking about the work at hand and wanted to go over and persuade them.

"I think it would be better if, principal, you go over and say something, after all."

Alpha muttered as soon as he came up carrying the things, and a touch of cyan particles quickly floated past.

"You are not children anymore. If you were still children, I would say something, but you have grown up now, haven't you?"

Everyone was speechless for a moment, as a large number of black columnar film transmitters were already arranged.

In these years, in addition to running around the city and dealing with some matters within the Congress, Jean would also go back to the underground facility and work with six other guys to make a shadow film, which could cover the entire city like a cover. It is the guarantee of a stable ecosystem in the future.

The rain and snow weather in the city over the years has been relatively chaotic. Except for the climate in the east, which can be controlled by adjusting the amount of solar radiation, the climate in other places is slightly better in the upper layers, while the climate in the middle and lower layers is relatively chaotic.

Heat is also a point of criticism for many people in the city. The temperature in the afternoon will gradually and continuously rise. This situation has become more and more serious in recent years.

This year's climate is even more chaotic because the climate stabilizers that used to float in the air around the city have stopped being deployed. In order for the giant underground construction to be officially launched next year to proceed smoothly, the stratosphere must be rolled out this year. It only takes a few It only takes a few months to stabilize the city's climate, but there is no way to avoid the heat, and it may continue to heat up.

Nowadays, there are more than 12 million cars in the city. Once these cars move every day, the heat energy they emit will cause the city to heat up. This temperature will heat up the city in conjunction with the sun during the two hours from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. Turn into an oven.

At this time, Yu Wanrou walked towards this side, passing through many people with a smile on her face, but everyone saw a touch of sadness in her eyes. Locke seemed to be petrified, sitting quietly At the stairs.

Yu Wanrou quickly walked into the basement. Alpha and Vivian planned to pursue her, but Gene stopped them.

"You two, get to work."

Gene walked slowly towards Locke. After a while, he sat next to Locke and took out a cigarette.

"What's wrong, don't you have confidence?"

Locke sighed.

"It wasn't you who did it, you bastard."

Locke looked at Gene, who snorted with a serious expression.

"I'm sorry, little fat man. As I said before, this position is only suitable for you, because everyone respects you and you have done a good job in the past few years, and it is in such an important season."

Locke nodded solemnly.

"If there is even the slightest bit of negligence, the city will collapse. I'm afraid we will be very busy in the future. We are so busy that we are happiest when we can only eat and sleep every day."

Gene stood up.

"As long as you know!"

Then Gene took out a seven-sided ring from his pocket, with a dark blue gemstone shining slightly.

"It's time to start, Fatty."

There was a rumbling sound. At this time, everyone looked towards the hospital on the top of the mountain. The ground continued to rise, and something broke through the soil from the ground and began to rise.

Everyone temporarily stopped what they were doing, and seven huge pillars rose from the ground. The smooth surface of the pillars shone with light of seven colors, and they rose up little by little.

Gradually, the column has risen to 20 meters high, but it is still rising slowly. The inside of this giant column, which is nearly 10 meters in diameter, is the core component that controls the city network and the dark film, and is directly controlled by the seven gods.

Locke opened a light and shadow screen, and there was already a commotion in the city. Many people were confused about the big pillar that was still rising gradually at the top of the mountain. Many people were talking about what the gods were going to do.

Gradually, the pillars stopped rising, and seven huge 100-meter-high pillars were erected at seven locations on the top of the mountain.

"let's start!"

As Noah spoke, accompanied by violent roars, the tops of the pillars that had been placed on the ground slowly turned into light particles and disappeared.

swish swish

The colorful beams of light shot straight into the sky. For a moment, a large piece of brilliant light appeared in the sky. The city seemed to be still for a moment. Everyone raised their heads and looked at the beams of light that kept rising into the sky, exploding like fireworks in the sky. , and then there is a layer of colorful clouds centered on the top of the mountain, extending continuously towards the surroundings.

At this time, on the light and shadow screens on the street, the video that Locke had recorded early this morning began to play, so that people in the city did not have to worry. This is the latest climate stabilization technology. In the next few months, the city's The climate will gradually stabilize, and the huge temperature difference between day and night will be effectively improved.

Jean raised his head quietly and watched as the colorful particles began to spread out like smoke. At this time, intense beams of light were launched from the tops of the seven large pillars, and the controls were connected.

The dreamlike colorful particles that were falling slowly began to atomize, stopped falling, and began to spread out in all directions bit by bit.

Everyone took action. After the columnar launcher was empty, someone immediately picked up the machine and entered the basement. After filling it with film material, they returned to the ground to continue launching.

To cover such a large area of ​​the city, it takes a lot of time and amount of film, and it also requires people to carry it non-stop. The students who came here today need to work until the film completely covers the city before they can leave.

The sun's rays shone on these cloud-like films, sparkling with crystal light. These rays began to refract to various parts of the city. Jean stood quietly in front of the stairs, looking at the colorful flowers that had been dyed. City.

These colors are gradually spreading, although slowly but in various ways. At this time, the colors gradually begin to be diluted by the film that extends slowly, and begin to become transparent.

Many people raised their heads in joy, looking at this rare sky color that looked like an oil painting. There used to be only two colors in the city, day and night, but now with the proliferation of colors, many people feel that this is not the same color. During the day, unlike at night, many people stopped on the street rooftops to watch this dreamy and beautiful color.

"Next year the recruitment examination for the Business Department will begin, and I will officially retire, Jean!"

Hawke came to Gene's side.

"Thank you for your hard work over the years."

Hawke laughed.

"My life has just begun. As your student, I contributed everything to building your city. But now I have done what I should do, and I have repaid you what I should repay. Now I am Free, right Gene!”

Gene nodded.

"I will come to your house to meet you for a drink, Hawke, when I have time in the future."

Hawke put one hand on Gene's back and patted him.

"I'm worried about you, Jean. Everyone knows about Section 13. In fact, many people are very happy because you will continue to help them, but everyone thinks you should have a good rest."

Gene laughed.

"I will retire only when this city really takes on this color one day, Hawke, remember what I once said."

Hawken hummed, he knew very well that Gene's obsession was far stronger than all of them, just for a promise, for his beloved and his agreement.

"It's okay Hawke, I will continue walking as always, on the border between dawn and night. Although the method we are using now is slightly different from what Ellie said in the past, but if everything goes well, here I'll leave it to you, I still have to go to Congress to process some documents! But Ying can't wait any longer."

At this time, Hawke felt a touch of warmth. He raised his head in confusion and looked at the sun.

"Illusion!"

Hawke raised his hand, holding the sunlight that passed between his fingers. He always felt that the sun that suddenly shone over was a little warm. When he looked at it again, the Jean people had disappeared.