The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Andina woke up and didn't see Kalina. She guessed that the other woman must have gone to wait at the only railway station near the neighborhood again.

The woman had come here with her mother half a year ago and mentioned Hayes's name. Andina was stunned. Before, when her 'younger brother,' whom she had depended on since childhood, was drafted into the army, she had cried for days, constantly praying in the church she rarely visited, hoping nothing would happen to him. She never expected that a woman claiming to be his wife would appear a few years later.

However, despite the surprise, knowing that Hayes was still alive and kicking relieved Andina's anxiety.

Since the woman could describe Hayes's physical characteristics, it was unlikely to be a lie, so Andina let her stay at her home—though 'home' was just a metal shack in the lower hive, but it was kept relatively clean.

Andina usually earned meager rations by cleaning the nearby warehouses and factories. Although Kalina had brought a large sum of 'money' with her, it was, after all, someone else's. Even though Kalina kept telling her to use it, Andina was too embarrassed to do so. She continued to do her usual work, but occasionally she would grumble in her heart about why Hayes had suddenly and inexplicably found a wife.

Had she not taken good care of him?

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Andina couldn't explain the uncomfortable feeling in her heart.

During this time, Kalina focused on taking care of her mother. However, the poor woman passed away a month ago due to extreme weakness and incurable ailments. Andina still remembered the disdainful looks those quack doctors gave Kalina's mother when examining her, and she even secretly heard someone calling the poor woman a harlot and a prostitute, which made her so angry that she almost punched those sanctimonious bastards.

Kalina just quietly stopped her and then told her the truth about her mother's illness and her past experiences.

In fact, these diseases were not untreatable, but they required very expensive medicine. Even if they could buy it, all the money they had combined probably wouldn't be enough.

However, Kalina's mother didn't suffer when she passed away. They took her to a garden in the middle hive. It happened to be the once-in-a-century dome maintenance day, and that area opened a skylight to the sky, allowing her to enjoy a rare glimpse of sunlight.

At least, she left with a smile.

After burying her mother, Kalina's daily routine was to wait at the railway station.

Three months ago, news of the end of the expedition had spread throughout the streets. This hive city, as one of the recruitment sites for the expeditionary force, began to see soldiers gradually retiring and returning home. Whether it was the upper hive, middle hive, lower hive, or even the bottom hive, at least two trains loaded with returning soldiers from the front lines departed from the spaceport every day, dropping off batches of soldiers at various stations.

But a month ago, it became one train a day, and two weeks ago, it became one train a week.

Some people said that the next one might be the last.

If the person waiting couldn't get off this train, then he would never return.

In fact, Andina was already somewhat desperate because she heard from the returning veterans in the nearby neighborhood that the cruelty of the war exceeded everyone's imagination. She even saw with her own eyes that many returning veterans were a bit neurotic, even mentally disturbed. In extreme cases, some even overreacted to noises while sleeping and accidentally killed their family members.

Although many of them received a form of compensation called military scrip, it was very valuable at first, but for some reason, it suddenly seemed to have become worthless paper these days. Many veterans ran to the internal affairs department and military affairs department stations every day to protest, but they got nothing but the shock batons of the law enforcement officers.

Many people were forced to use their combat skills to join gangs and criminal organizations.

The recent gang wars had also become more frequent. Andina was always worried about Kalina going out alone, especially since she was always so muddle-headed.

But in a sense, Kalina's waiting wasn't without reason, because it was said that there would be notifications and compensation for fallen soldiers, and Hayes hadn't received any notification of death or compensation, which might mean that he was still alive.

However, the well-informed Andina knew that many people weren't dead but were considered 'missing.'

This was a very cunning statement, but that was how the military affairs department officials explained it. They couldn't determine whether they had died, so they could only be classified as missing, and there was no compensation for missing persons—

But no matter what, Andina would go to find Kalina every day.

Actually, she was waiting with her.

For the last hope.

The last train—

Every day, she would pass by the platform, and every day, she would stare at the busy people and the mechanical behemoth-like trains on the platform.

Those twelve- or thirteen-year-old boys and girls pushed carts, selling various foods, tobacco, and water, running around every day.

Was Hayes like this when he was a kid?

Half a year had passed, and the war finally showed signs of ending. She even remembered the appearance of those trains and the number of each car.

As time passed, just like her, the trains seemed to be changing as well.

She became paler and thinner, while the trains became shorter and thicker.

When she first saw this kind of machine, for her who had little contact with new things, the train seemed like the work of a god.

As fierce as a beast, and as precise as a clock.

But as the war continued and time passed, she had become accustomed to it, even numb.

Day-to-day life would gradually make people numb. She learned a lot about Hayes's past from Andina, other people's lives, other people's lives, which were originally irrelevant to her and very far away from her.

It should be another world.

But Hayes saved her from hell and allowed her mother to see the sunlight one last time.

She came to the platform almost every day, so much so that many of the staff at the station knew her. Everyone was actually very friendly and knew that she might be waiting for someone.

Someone who might never enter the station again.

When it was announced that the war was finally coming to an end, everyone threw their hats, cheered, hugged, and cried.

She just stood there blankly, feeling terrified. The voices were so distant, wanting to escape, but unable to move.

Letting others gather around her, hug her, cheer, raise their glasses, she remained still.

The station was brightly lit, and people were laughing and celebrating, very lively.

Every day, the train arrived on time, just like the sun rising on time.

The crowd surged in, intertwined together, some with fierce hugs and kisses, some with loud shouts and laughter, some with low sobs, and more with silent glances.

Then, returning to daily life, continuing to work.

People were used to war, and also used to gaining and losing.

What stung and numbed was fear.

Fear was like a deadly poison, injected into the skin, paralyzing the muscles, making people unable to move.

Its essence was to make people afraid, afraid that hope would eventually be just a nightmare, making people unable to resist turning around and running away, but their legs seemed to have been lost, stiff, numb, and motionless.

The trains kept coming, bringing people back from the front lines, one after another.

Being in a world of laughter and joy often made her feel a little at a loss.