Short, Light, Free

Chapter 106: Blemish of Time II

 

I spent a few hours packing my belongings before embarking on my journey with only a little backpack.

My father and my other relatives dissuaded me with the general belief that I wouldn’t make it big there.

I only shook my head with a bitter smile. I had zero intention of staying.

I lived far from Bluewave City.

Sitting in the long-distance coach, I gradually fell into a deep sleep.

After three days of traveling, eating, shitting, and sleeping, I finally made it to the city.

It was night time when I arrived and it was only then that I realized Grandfather hadn’t told me the way to Blemish of Time. All I knew was that it was underneath Bluewave City.

I found a shabby inn and rented a room for a night, pondering over Grandfather’s last speech.

His words replayed in my mind and two words stood out.

Porter and rules.

That shouldn’t be hard to find.

I did not sleep a wink that night and the second the sun came up, I headed straight to the nearby job market.

“Qualifications?”

I shook my head. “Never been to school, but I can read a little.”

“Then there’s nothing I can offer you.”

“No. I can take hard work and I am good at obeying orders. I abide by the rules.”

“Porter? At the dock.”

Dock? That can’t be right, can it?

“What’s the salary?” I asked after some thought, hoping for a way out.

“Are you in need of money?”

I nodded, instantly recalling the high salary Grandfather had mentioned.

“We do have a really well-paying job here, but there’s very little information about it. You might have to work away from here and sign a five-year bond each time.”

“Do you have more details?” I requested.

“They come here every Monday, which is tomorrow, so you can come back early and wait for them. They’ll come in a black minivan. I don’t know if you’ll be selected, but they’ll bring you over for an interview. We’ve introduced many people to them, but only a rare few have been chosen so far.”

I nodded.

…

The next morning, I arrived at the market early.

Four others were already waiting.

A whole afternoon later, a black minivan drove by and the front passenger door opened.

A man in a black suit got off and sized the five of us up.

“Just the five of you? Do you need me to repeat the rules?”

“What rules?” they mumbled.

“Five-year bond, no leaving in between. 30,000,000 salary will be paid upon completion of the bond. If you agree, follow me. I’m not the one assessing you so no one knows if you’ll be selected yet.”

He led us into the minivan.

The windows were all sprayed black like they were taking us to a strange place and wanted to block our view of the outside.

I was 80% sure that that strange place was Blemish of Time.

An hour and a half later, the other four people started getting restless.

“This job is really far.”

“We’re out of the city, aren’t we?”

“Where are they taking us?”

A mini partition rolled down and the man in the suit on the front seat told us, “We’re getting there. We’ll send you back if you fail, so don’t worry. Be patient.”

The car came to a halt and the doors opened.

We alighted and found ourselves in a room-like environment.

“First rule: Do not go over the red lines. I’ll bring you to the interview now so follow me,” the man in the suit instructed.

We followed him into a room and sat down on a row of chairs.

In front of us, there was a massive piece of glass framed by a red line.

I thought over the suited man’s warning.

A man appeared on the opposite side of the glass and looked at us.

He was wearing a lightweight bodysuit.

It was then that I knew that I was at the right place.

He coughed twice and the sound resonated throughout the room.

“Hey, hey. Turn around, all of you, one by one. Stand in order and let me have a look,” he ordered.

Everyone heeded his instructions.

“All leave except for this one.” He smiled and pointed at me.

The man in the suit opened the door and said, “Sorry, the four of you have been eliminated. This way, I’ll send you back.”

I stood rooted to the ground as the four started grumbling.

“What is this? How is this an interview?”

“Why him?”

“So unfair.”

The man in the suit shook his head and took a gun out. “Get out. Now.”

Instinctively, they all raised their hands and followed him out of the room.

I was left alone with that man behind the glass.

“Name?” he asked.

“Luqiao,” I answered.

“Okay. Do you know why I chose you?”

“No.”

“You look like an old friend of mine. Did anyone tell you about the rules when you came in?”

“No.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. The rules are always changing anyway. The important part to remember is that you’ll work here for five years and leave with 30,000,000 after, got it?”

I nodded.

“The work suit is on your left. Wear it properly and a green light will appear on your chest.”

I walked to the side and saw a few items of clothing.

There were measurements on them and I picked the lightest and most well-covered one.

After getting dressed, his voice rang, “Oxygen mask. Connect the tube and switch the tank on. Wait for the red light to turn green and we’ll open the door for you.”

I looked down and noticed a flickering red light on my clothes.

I readied the oxygen tank and mask and the red light turned green.

He spoke again, “The green work light on your suit represents a sufficient level of oxygen. You’ll have to leave immediately when it turns orange. Remind your co-workers of that if you see that theirs is orange as well. Orange will turn into red, and red means that there is no more oxygen in the tank. Do not remove your mask once you enter.”

I nodded.

“There are many more rules here but I’ll share them with you one by one when we get inside.”

He pressed a button and the glass panel lifted. He gestured for me to follow him.

The moment I crossed the red line, a green circle appeared on the visor I was wearing.

“Your iris has already been scanned and added to our records. An identity is not necessary here. In fact, we can help you create genuine passports with different identities from different countries. If you see the panel light turning from green to red, you must leave within five minutes. When it turns red, it means that you have entered a private territory and will be labeled as a terrorist if you do not leave immediately. Remember, the company will not help you if you get killed during a red light. There have been many employees who were killed during a red light, either for stealing things or even more commonly, simply for the guests’ pleasure. But you don’t have to worry if you stay away from those areas. When it’s green, you’re entitled to the company’s rights and benefits.”

“Private territory?” I asked, not comprehending.

“Rich men’s villa and some restricted areas set by the company. You’ll know more in the time to come so I don’t have to explain much now,” he replied and I nodded.

“Welcome to Blemish of Time, the place where only the wealthiest resides. There are a hundred private villas stretched over this two square kilometer land, and our mission is to serve the guests.”

“Wait. What are all these?” I questioned.

The man smiled and repeated what my grandfather had already said about the rich, immortality, job scope, and other technicalities.

We entered a space that looked like a miniature world. However, it was obvious that we were underground because there were countless solar panels illuminating the place.

I observed in shock. “This is so amazing.”

The man smiled. “Guess how old I am.”

“30? 40 at most?”

“I’m 78. It’s a side effect of living here.”

I pretended to be astonished. “No way!”

He laughed. “It’s true. It’s due to the generations of imperfect bodysuits. You won’t be like me since the recent batch of bodysuits has been drastically improved. You must remember not to take in the oxygen within this place if you plan to leave. Of course, you’re not entitled to stay here permanently either, so… Anway, the employees here used to get replaced after 10 years, but the company’s changed it to five now.”

“But you’re 78?” I asked, confused.

“Yes. I’m in the human resource department so I’ve been overstaying for over 50 years now. Nevertheless, I’ll still have to leave in three years’ time since I’m no longer able to move up to a higher position. Let’s talk about your job now, shall we?”

“Transporting the rich people’s stuff?”

“That’s too old-fashioned and has already been mechanized. You’re not too far off, though. That was what I was in charge of when I first came over here. It’s also the reason why I chose you. You look like the one who brought me in, so I’ll take good care of you.”

“Take good care?”

He smiled and pointed at a glorious looking building in front of us. “Brothel keeper, or pimp if you will.”

“What?”

“One of the wealthy’s favorite activities, since their organs are always well-functioning thanks to the air here. There are about 30 lucky ladies in there, all selected by the rich men. Absolutely gorgeous. Your job is to wait for calls and allocate the ladies. How about that? This is the simplest job over here,” he said with a smile.

“Wait, lucky ladies? They breathed the air here?”

He nodded. “Yes, it’s a little different for this job. As long as a lady is beautiful enough, she would be able to come over here. Of course, she must maintain a constant stream of customers. If she doesn’t receive a single call within three months, she gets kicked out – which means death. I can leave these ladies to you without worrying since you’ll lose your life if you want to play. Unless, of course, you’re able to afford a house here and pay 10,000,000 an hour for breathing the air here to live eternally.”

He knocked on my visor to remind me of my limitations.

“Why would the ladies choose to work here? Won’t they be trapped for life?”

“Why would they wanna go out? This place offers them eternal youth and beauty, and a lot of money.”

He pointed at a man standing far away. That man wasn’t in any bodysuit. “Look there. That’s Mister Yun Huateng, the world’s fourth richest man. News of his sudden death spread across the world, but in reality, he’s come here to live forever.”

I observed as Yun Huateng played golf.

“It’s a rich man’s paradise over here, and for us, a kind of extravagant hope. Let’s go to your workplace. It’d be good for you to get familiar with it fast.”

He suddenly stopped in his tracks and started coughing. He even grabbed my arm and knelt down. He was coughing so hard that I had to support him back onto his feet.

I looked at the blood on the ground as he slowly stood up. “The side effects produced by the older bodysuit have surfaced. I’ll have to see a doctor. Necrosis. 40% of my lung cells are gone because of this place. Don’t worry, though, the new bodysuit is 100% airproof.”

He pointed once again to the brothel building. “Just go inside by yourself. Don’t worry, that building is within your management. Call me if you need help. I’ll send you my number through your headpiece. Oh, and call me Dahai.”

He wobbled out, leaving me standing alone.

I entered the building and sure enough, I was greeted by stunning women of different skin colors. Yet, I could only appreciate the view with my eyes.

Or… some groundless touching perhaps?