38: Big Move

In the Northern Mountains of the Emerald Principality, at a temporary base in a mountain hollow, Zhou Ping was inspecting the hydraulic system of an excavator. Suddenly, the broadcast sounded three short electronic beeps, and the lights in all the workshops flashed blue three times in sync.

“Attention, all personnel.” The calm voice of the base manager came over the broadcast, “Initiate Relocation Plan B7. All departments, please organize materials according to the plan. P1-P3 level employees, please board the ship at Gathering Point 3 tomorrow evening at 20:00. P4-P9 level employees, please board the ship at Gathering Point 2 tomorrow evening at 21:00. P10-P13 level employees, please board the ship at Gathering Point 1 tomorrow evening at 22:00.”

Li Ming, who was handing Zhou Ping a wrench, fumbled, and the tool dropped into the oil: “Are we really moving? I thought it was just a rumor…”

Zhou Ping fished out the wrench without looking up: “They mentioned the completion of the first phase of Titan Industrial City at last week’s regular meeting, that’s when you were dozing off.”

Outside the workshop, company employees in dark blue work uniforms were busy in an orderly fashion. Zhou Ping saw people from the Construction Materials Logistics Department registering equipment status with laser scanners, and the Executive Department was taking inventory of many pieces of equipment he had never seen before. Even the cafeteria aunties were installing positioning devices on the food carts.

“P3 level baggage allowance is 50 kilograms.” Zhou Ping dragged out the company-issued gray suitcase from under his bed, “Help me see if it’s overweight.”

Li Ming frantically stuffed comic books into the suitcase: “Wait, aren’t you excited? It’s the Industrial City! I heard from the Executive Department that Titan built a city from scratch!”

“First, iron your work uniform.” Zhou Ping pointed to Li Ming’s wrinkled collar, “Employee Handbook, Article 17: Maintain a neat appearance during group activities.”

At 19:30 in the evening, neat formations had already lined up on the No. 3 open ground. Zhou Ping noticed that all P1-P3 level employees were standing in the blue marked area, arranged in order of employee number. A low hum suddenly came from the night sky, and a dozen searchlights lit up simultaneously.

“Look up!” Li Ming suddenly grabbed Zhou Ping’s arm.

The clouds seemed to be stirred by some colossal object, and then, a steel behemoth disengaged its optical stealth 200 meters above them. The two of them watched in astonishment as the steel behemoth slowly landed, and several hatches slowly opened.

The cargo ship was over a hundred meters long, with the white designation “Whale Sea-01” printed on its yellow and black hull. Inside the open cargo hold on the side, supports for securing engineering machinery could still be seen. At this moment, the hexagonal cargo hold was transforming and reassembling, with temporary passenger modules extending from within.

“Area B, attention.” A team leader-level employee’s wristband flashed green, and a long list of names was displayed on the holographic projection. “Scan employee ID to board, no photos allowed.”

The boarding process was like an automated factory assembly line. Zhou Ping’s employee card lit up green at the turnstile with a “beep,” and a robotic arm immediately affixed a “P3-4712” label to his suitcase. A faint smell of engine oil permeated the passenger cabin, and the simple seats were clearly temporary additions, but each seat was equipped with a brand new pressure-reducing cushion.

“Modified cargo ship?” Li Ming muttered softly, “There isn’t even a window…”

Zhou Ping tapped the cabin wall: “Look at this material, it’s the same as what’s used for those engineering machines. This seemingly massive spaceship probably weighs less than a few heavy tanks.”

With a slight vibration, an electronic voice sounded in the cabin: “This flight will take approximately 25 minutes. Please do not unfasten your seatbelts.” There were no portholes, but a holographic projection on the ceiling displayed real-time external images. The transport ship was ascending vertically, and the temporary base on the ground quickly shrank to the size of a matchbox.

“Fellow colleagues.” The broadcast suddenly switched to a gentle female voice, “To ensure a comfortable journey, a moderate amount of sedative gas is now being released.”

Li Ming immediately started yawning, while Zhou Ping noticed the light green mist drifting from the vents. He quietly held his breath and saw several young employees in the front row already leaning their heads back, asleep.

“You… how…” Li Ming’s eyelids began to droop.

“Anyone who’s been in a scam park knows not to fall asleep easily.” Zhou Ping pulled out a mint from his pocket and gave it to him, “Suck on it, it’ll keep you awake. We’ve seen plenty of spaceships, but this is our first time riding one, we can’t miss it.”

When the projection showed the altitude exceeding 10,000 meters, Zhou Ping saw the clouds under the moonlight, shimmering with a cold, beautiful light.

Twenty-five minutes later, the transport ship landed at the West District cargo terminal of Titan Industrial City. As the stealth mode disengaged and the hatch opened, Zhou Ping smelled the familiar scent of spicy hotpot. The neon sign of the terminal restaurant flickered in the rain, displaying the rolling words: “Welcome to Titan Industrial City.”

“P3 level, come here to get your dorm keys!” A logistics staff member in an orange vest waved a scanner, “Still two people per room, with an en-suite bathroom!”

Li Ming cheered and rushed to the registration desk, while Zhou Ping stood still, gazing at the hazy Central Building in the rain. He felt the interface of his prosthetic limb begin to ache faintly, but this time it wasn’t due to memories, but a premonition of the future. In this steel forest, an ant like him might truly grow wings.

“What are you staring at?” Li Ming ran over, holding two electronic keys, “We’re assigned to Building E, Room 2107! I heard there’s a BBQ joint downstairs!”

Zhou Ping took the key, its cold touch assuring him this was not a dream. The key chain bore a line of small print: Titan Industrial City — The Future is Today.

“Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!” As soon as Li Ming entered the room, he threw his suitcase on the floor and bounced around like a monkey, “Old Zhou, look! This bed heats itself! The toilet seat is automatic! The curtains can be voice-controlled! I finally understand why that mountain hollow was just a temporary headquarters.”

Zhou Ping laughed loudly, throwing his backpack onto the levitating bed: “Look at you, so provincial!” He deliberately mimicked Li Ming in an exaggerated tone, “Holy crap! This floor cleans itself! Holy crap! They even stocked the fridge with beer for us!”

The two young men explored every high-tech detail in the dormitory like they had discovered a new continent. Zhou Ping pressed a blue button on the wall, and the entire wall immediately transformed into a transparent display screen, showing a real-time panoramic view of the Industrial City.

“This is great!” Li Ming pounced over, his fingers swiping across the wall, “Let me see where the cafeteria is… Found it! E3 District, a 2-minute walk!”

Zhou Ping put his arm around Li Ming’s shoulder: “Brother, I’m treating tonight! We P3 employees get 3000 base credit points our first month!”

“Oh, come on,” Li Ming nudged him, “who doesn’t know you’re saving up credit points to buy that limited edition tool set. Let’s go Dutch tonight, and use up the rest of that cash.”

On their way here, an older employee had given them a general overview of Titan Industrial City. The most important point was that in Titan Industrial City, there were two parallel currency systems: one was “credit points” circulated internally by the company, used for payment at the cafeteria, internal stores, and entertainment facilities; the other was regular myanmar kyat cash, used for the commercial street within the city and external transactions.

In terms of value conversion, 1 credit point was roughly equivalent to the purchasing power of 10 dong yuan. If you wanted to convert other currencies into credit points, you would first have to convert those currencies into dong yuan, but credit points could not be converted into other currencies.

Interstellar Peace Corporation employees could choose to receive their monthly salaries in the form of credit points, as the company’s internal mall offered almost all goods available on Blue Star, as long as they weren’t prohibited by company regulations or illegal.

The most crucial point was that converting other currencies to credit points incurred a service fee, and it wasn’t small. The larger the amount, the higher the service fee, with no upper limit. Therefore, Zhou Ping and Li Ming both chose to receive their full salary in credit points. Only a few older employees chose to retain some myanmar kyat to have a chance to go out and explore.

The only two things that puzzled them were that the company strictly prohibited employees from reselling goods purchased in internal stores externally. Also, when they asked the older employee why so many employees, like them, chose to receive their entire salary in credit points if credit points couldn’t be used outside, the older employee simply checked their employee information and then mysteriously said, “You’ll understand later.”

When asked again, he just smiled and offered no further explanation.

“Hello, new residents.” The room’s AI butler suddenly spoke, “I hear you are discussing the cafeteria and consumption. Friendly reminder: E3 District cafeteria today features imported spicy crayfish from Dragon Country, only 5 credit points per serving; commercial street’s ‘Old Zhang BBQ’ offers an 80% discount for cash payments.”

Zhou Ping and Li Ming exchanged glances and simultaneously exclaimed: “Crayfish!”

After unpacking, the two decided to first familiarize themselves with the environment. In the elevator, they met several other P3 level employees who had also just moved in.

“Are you also from the Traditional Projects Department?” A bespectacled guy initiated conversation, “I’m Zhao Yang from Group 101.”

“Group 116, Zhou Ping.” Zhou Ping extended his hand cheerfully, then pointed to Li Ming, “This is my buddy Li Ming, also from Group 116. My college classmate, I talked him into coming.”

Li Ming pretended to be angry and punched Zhou Ping: “Who was talked into it! I quit my last crappy boss to help you out! And to see the charm of the Emerald Ocean girls.”

Laughter immediately erupted in the elevator. Zhao Yang pushed up his glasses: “Speaking of girls, I heard the Market Development Department is having a welcome party in the Central Plaza tonight. They have the most girls in their department.”

“Then what are we waiting for!” Zhou Ping hooked his arms around Zhao Yang and Li Ming’s necks, “After the crayfish, we’re going! We brothers must find partners tonight!”

The cafeteria was even more luxurious than imagined, with food stalls from all over the country spread across three floors. Zhou Ping, holding a plate piled high with crayfish, his eyes wide: “This portion, let alone in Myanmar, would cost two days’ wages back home!”

“We’re P3 level now, with a monthly salary of five thousand!” Li Ming said, his mouth full of shrimp, “Converted to dong yuan, that’s over thirty thousand, can you imagine that back home? Even if you convert the price of that crayfish, it’s still more than half cheaper than back home.”

Zhou Ping smiled, shook his head, and raised his beer glass: “Cheers to new beginnings!”

As the young men were chatting lively, the large screen in the cafeteria suddenly switched to an emergency notice. A serious female voice announced: “P3 level employees and above, please note, D7 District warehouse requires temporary assistance, double credit points per hour. To apply, please submit your application through your employee wristband.”

“Should we go?” Zhao Yang hesitated, “Double hourly wage, that’s a rare opportunity.”

“Go my ass!” Zhou Ping snatched Zhao Yang’s phone, “Tonight’s goal is to find a partner! credit points aren’t as important as girls!”

Another burst of laughter ensued. As they discussed the upcoming dance, Zhou Ping noticed several people in dark blue uniforms sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, their employee badges a prominent orange.

“Are those the big shots, P7 and above?” Zhou Ping asked quietly.

Zhao Yang glanced over: “Yes, the seven colors of the spectrum, one color per six levels, red is the lowest, purple is the highest. Judging by their uniform color, they should be from the Technology Research and Development Department.”

Li Ming suddenly lowered his voice: “I heard that everyone in the Technology Research and Development Department is a genius. They say they start with master’s or doctoral degrees, but they basically only assist with experiments.”

“Don’t pry into those things.” Zhou Ping popped a crayfish into Li Ming’s mouth, “Employee Handbook, Article 23: Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Besides, I’m also a doctor, and you’re a master, but we’re both just P3s.”

“That’s true.”

After eating and drinking their fill, a group of young people walked towards the Central Plaza, chatting and laughing. The night breeze brushed against Zhou Ping’s face, and he looked up at the dazzling lights of the Industrial City, suddenly feeling that the nightmarish days in the scam park were as distant as a past life.

“What are you staring at?” Li Ming pulled him into the dance floor, “Look over there, the girl in the white dress has been looking at you!”

Zhou Ping straightened his collar and flashed a brilliant smile: “Come on, let me teach you how to pick up girls!”

Amidst the deafening music, Zhou Ping felt an unprecedented sense of ease and happiness.