After contacting the rebels and getting briefed by them on the ground realities of this place, the team of revolutionary infiltrators went into the living quarters; they had assigned themselves. Jango's ability was turning out rather convenient.
They would have liked to get some rest, but before long alarm bells started ringing in every building. It was time for the morning shift..
Workers would methodically turn up to work on their own, so the guards' forceful attitude was more or less unnecessary.
Sear and the guys were staying in the same dorm, whereas Ahiru had to remain separated in a different building, as men and women weren't allowed to share the same space.
Stepping out of the door, She glanced over to the building on the opposite side. Her eyes met with those of her three comrades—there was a silent affirmation—after which she finally felt relieved.
One by one, the four of them joined the line of workers walking toward the construction site..
Those perceptive workers who noticed the unfamiliar faces among them naturally assumed they were the new arrivals, and would think nothing of it.
During work hours, The revolutionaries were gathered close to each other. they would just follow after the veteran workers, who have been here longer.
Sear too had immersed himself into the rhythm of the camp, his shovel churning the sludge of thick cement until his shoulders burned.
But despite his obedient behavior, a guard still whipped him, out of mere boredom.
He had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure the humiliation all the while hearing the guard's taunt. "Hah! The likes of you must dream of being promoted to guards like us? Pff!! Haha!!"
Hours on end, Sear remained unfazed while the sick man kept on mocking him.
It was all grueling labor, such as carrying materials, applying adhesive cement to the rocks, etc..
There were even a few Fishman slaves who had to fix the interlocking stones that would be lowered to the seafloor using cranes; of course, the manual kinds..
Thankfully, the people of this world were very strong and resilient.
Slave lives were worthless, but that didn't mean their cost was cheap. The people were given small intervals of rest between each shift.
It was hell on earth, yet the condition of the slaves here could be described as a lot better than elsewhere in the world. The place at least functioned more like a country, where violence was orderly, with rules for both the workers and guards being strictly enforced.
A select few exceptional slaves were even allowed to have functioning families and those thought to be loyal were made into guards. It was a closed-loop system, all for the sake of sustaining the workforce, with a high death toll.
Soon the day shift came to a end and later after a 4 hour break, it would be time for the mid-night shift, but before that, they ate the simple porridge, served at the diner. at the very least meal was provided twice.
Just as the revolutionaries were adjusting to the situation, something happened.
"What's up with you? Don't remember seeing you before."
A guard questioned Ahiru.
Everybody in the vicinity pretended not to notice.
"I am a new conscript, Sir!" she replied, trying to avoid arousing any suspicion.
This guard stroked his chin. He was one of the men who had been knocked out by Jango the other night.
'There are so many of them coming every day, I can't even remember...' He was responsible for keeping track of the new conscripts.
"Tsk, forget it. Get back to work.."
"Yes!"
The mid-night shift would last 3 hours before another 4 hour break.
Thus the real mission had only just begun. Everything till now had been the easy part.
Sympathizers for the Revs could be found in almost every corner of the globe. Sear and his group's job during the night was to distribute weapons, while during the day they would identify the perfect targets to recruit...
After extensive screening, only the most trustworthy would be chosen.
Days passed..
It was tedious work, done in secrecy, as the new recruits never even knew the identity of the people who gave them those weapons.. It helped that most people in the world could read and write.
Letters were given to some, and in cases where that was risky, Klad or Sear, using their extreme speed, would get behind the people and speak directly into their ears while handing over weapons, such as pistols, that were easy to conceal.
Today, as usual, Klad was snooping around, under the moonlight.
He was running along the short safety walls facing the ocean. Only a few patrols roamed these parts, so it was relatively safe.
Though, his shoes left prints on the snow. As much as he tried to be cautious, some things were unavoidable.
Outwardly, he appeared to be observing everything in the surroundings with vigilance. Inside, however, he was reflecting..
'In a weird way, this same old routine is helping me understand myself more. Must say, waking up and occupying my mind with work at midnight, when my thirst for blood is the strongest, is proving rather effective.'
He paused for a slight moment.
'Heh... or it just might be because I'm so tired and sleep-deprived right now, I don't have any extra energy at all.' He exclaimed quietly, but then continued on his thoughts..
'It's not like I didn't try just waking up before..'
He had tried that method even before the incident with Sear and Jango, but when trying to control his aggressive mind, he would only end up sitting on a chair, staring at nothing in particular. His mind would go insane from the lack of stimulus. An idle mind was the house of demons.
That reminded him.
'Those three had even strapped me to a bed at night, for crying out loud.'
While Klad was lost in thought, he suddenly saw a guard straight in front of him.
"Oops!"
"Hick!"
The drunk guard also saw him.
"What are you doing out at this hour?"
Before the disoriented man could put two and two together, Klad sprang into action.
He gripped the guard's neck, and shoved the struggling man over the safety wall. Any noise was dampened by the harsh wind.
'So this will be my first murder?'
Klad exclaimed while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
'Wasn't as climactic as I thought it would be!..'
Then, all of a sudden, his head ached, so he took out the medicine bottle from his pocket and, before anyone could see, gulped down a capsule.
He looked over his shoulder and was about to leave the spot when his eyes caught sight of a little girl, her big round pupils staring right at him.
'Damn... now I've really messed up!.'
Quickly, his palm clamped over her mouth before she could utter a single sound.
Fearing he would be done for otherwise...
'Should I...?'
He deliberated on whether to silence the girl for good.
'Nah... let's not go that far.'
"Forget everything you saw. Don't tell this to anyone."
"Mm!! Mm!!"
The girl attempted to say something, so Klad slowly retracted his hand.
"Okay. That guard uncle always bullied me. You taught him a lesson."
"Right... I'm a hero in a way, I guess!.. You though, little girl... remember, don't tell anyone what happened to that man. I'll have my eye on you from now on, so keep that in mind."
"Fine by me, Big Brother!" the girl saluted with a beaming smile.
"Hmph! Who is your big brother!!"
"You are! My mama used to say only a family member would look after someone all the time."
"Phew! You don't get the humor, do you?"
"What is hyumor? Can I eat it?"
"..."
(A/N- writing the first half of this chap was pretty tedious, but the second half was fun)