A cataclysm.
Violent shifts in Earth's climate had pushed the world into an age of ice. Populations crashed, resources vanished, cities became frozen husks. To survive, humanity organized itself into nine living zones — and the New Era was born.
By Year 62 of the New Era, after forty years of minor ice ages, resource wars, and the rise and fall of warlords, the thaw finally came. The ground breathed again; spring spread across a wounded world. Between Year 42 and 62, the nine zones expanded, reclaimed lawless stretches, reorganized resources — a twenty-year stretch later called "the Golden Two Decades."
It was an age of rebirth: new territories rose, politics set the stage, the capital took the spotlight. Ambition ran wild; heroes, rogues, and opportunists all vied for fame.
Dragon City — August, Year 62.
A light-rail train slid into Zhanan Station on Dragon City's eastern rim. The platform, decked in red and gold eaves, thrummed with people. Nine dragon sculptures curled along the arched roof; a plaque above the main hall declared, "Welcome to the Dragon City Special Living Zone."
Doors hissed open and travelers poured out. Among them stood a young man in his early twenties, a camouflage backpack slung over one shoulder. He pulled his phone from his pocket and scanned the crowd.
He was about 1.78 meters tall, dressed in loose sportswear that suited a lean, athletic build. Black-rimmed glasses framed a clean, handsome face — the kind of look that belonged to a recent college grad making his first trip away from home.
His name was Su Tianyu.
His father had been a brigadier major, a man of principle. Then someone framed him; he was jailed. Three months after the verdict, he "accidentally" died in custody. Six months later, already frail, Su Tianyu's mother died of shock. After that, the Su family began to fall apart.
Tianyu had come to Dragon City for two reasons: to stay with his second uncle's household and to sit for the local civil service exam.
He was about to call when a firm hand landed on his shoulder.
"Little Six!"
The voice was familiar and loud. Tianyu spun and smiled.
A broad-shouldered young man in a plain white T-shirt and a buzz cut was grinning down at him. He gave Tianyu a friendly punch on the shoulder.
"Second Brother!" Tianyu laughed.
Su Tianbei — second son in the second uncle's house — grinned, twirling his new phone. He sized Tianyu up. "Well, well, Little Six. Four years away and you've filled out. With that face, you could work Charm Oriental. Only thing is, you still look a bit soft for the older clients."
"You're wrong," Tianyu said, adjusting his glasses. "I always win with skill, not strength."
Tianbei laughed. "Oh? Now you've got lines. Dad always said you were the studious one — didn't expect you to be spitting philosophy now. 'Skill over strength,' ha! I'll have to check that out sometime."
He slung an arm over Tianyu's shoulder. "Come on, let's get you home."
"Why didn't Big Brother come?" Tianyu asked as they walked.
Tianbei's smile dropped. "Something came up. He's in the city."
"What happened?"
"We'll talk in the car," Tianbei exhaled; the welcome-home mood dimmed.
They passed through vendor-lined parking lots — souvenirs, knockoffs, black-market goods — and climbed into the car. Once moving, Tianyu asked again.
"So what's really going on?"
Tianbei started the engine and spoke low. "Your second uncle's been set up. They say he was smuggling military tech."
"Military tech? That makes no sense. Our work has nothing to do with that."
"Exactly. It's bullshit." Tianbei's voice hardened. "The new deputy at the Sanitation Administration is from Changqing Company. That guy wants to redraw the districts and take our routes. Our old man saw it coming and tried to push back — he rallied three other local companies to make a stand. But Changqing moved first. They set a trap and framed the four leaders, including our uncle."
"How bad is it?" Tianyu asked.
"They found four crates of forbidden tech in our storage yard. Sensitive stuff. Dragon City treats that seriously — if it sticks, uncle could be executed." Tianbei let the words hang.
"And Big Brother?"
"He's stuck in the middle. The Sanitation Board is after him for breach of contract, the police are interrogating him, and Changqing's circling for a chance to take our zone. Family's in deep water. But don't worry yet — you just got back. Take a few days to settle in."
Dragon City was special in its own dangerous way. Founded by overseas Chinese under one of the Great Zones, it sat on the northern shore of the old New Age continent. Barely twenty years old and still in a rough growth spurt, it was full of opportunity and rotten with corruption.
Corporations, guilds, and shadowy organizations ran whole swaths of life. People rose overnight; they lost everything the same way. It felt like an old coastal metropolis stitched with high-tech: neon and grit, wealth piled high beside destitution.
The city's sanitation bureau subcontracted district-by-district operations to private companies. Each company drew on a tight regional base — bonded, suspicious of outsiders, territorial. Over twenty thousand sanitation workers competed in Dragon City. The Su family ran one of the smaller outfits: they handled Zhanan District, with about eight hundred sanitation workers under contract.
Tianbei's tone in the car stayed blunt but controlled. "Before he went in, Uncle said we should never give up our work zone. But now…who knows. The situation changes fast. Don't stress — we'll handle it. If Changqing thinks they can crush us, I'll make sure they regret it."
Tianyu listened in silence. He wasn't the sort to spill his emotions. He let the brothers talk and watched the city pass.
Their compound sat at the end of Tianhe Road — a cluster of courtyards covering about fourteen hundred square meters. The place looked lived-in: junk cars, stacks of supplies, children and old men moving through the yard like a small village. Over fifty relatives lived there.
When Tianyu arrived, the courtyard erupted. Elders, kids, cousins — everyone came out. A lively young woman with cropped hair greeted him first.
"Little Six! Miss your Third Sister?" she cried.
"Miss you tons, Third Sis!" Tianyu replied, grinning.
A breathless teenager dashed out from the inner rooms. "The storage yard — it's bad. Changqing showed up. They want to take our yard. Xiao Wei called — they're hitting hard!"
Silence fell like a blanket.
Then Tianbei snapped, "If we can't hold the yard today, they'll be tearing down our house tomorrow! All Su men, with me!"
"Second Brother, calm!" Third Sister called. "Wait for Big Brother—"
"Wait? Hell no!" Tianbei barked. "If we lose the yard, eight hundred workers will be gone by morning. Get moving — protect our livelihood!"
The yard roared with movement.
Dragon City had become a place where the old rules were bent. Family ties still mattered, but so did power and the ability to push back. In a city where contracts and zones meant life or starvation, no one could afford to stand passively by. The Su family's fight to hold a patch of earth was not drama for drama's sake — it was survival.
Tianyu, standing in the middle of the bustle, felt the weight of it all settle into him. He had come back to take an exam and maybe carve out a modest life. He'd woken up to a war. He straightened his back and followed his kin into the fray.