"Fuck! There are way too many people!"
Dawn City, the train station in the northern suburbs.
A grumbling complaint was swallowed by the roaring crowd as it flowed from the platform toward the exit of the security checkpoint.
It was December now, the coldest time of year in Dawn City.
Yet perhaps because there were so many people, or perhaps because the heating was cranked up, the packed station did not feel cold at all. Instead, it made people feel strangely overheated.
"Damn it... finally squeezed out."
Having finally reached an open area, No Family let out a long breath and stretched his limbs, which had nearly been crushed apart in the crowd.
In the distance lay streets and a plaza gilded gold by sunlight. The giant iron hammer statue that symbolized order stood in the very center of the square.
Squinting at the familiar yet unfamiliar sight, No Family could not help smiling happily. His mood improved considerably, and the bad luck clinging to him seemed to vanish as well.
Three days earlier, while storming the beach on the Death Coast, he had been unexpectedly taken out by a self-destructing mutant hiding in a trench.
According to his teammates, he had shot into the sky like a rocket at the time. When he came back down, they could not even find an intact corpse.
No wonder he had been unable to reconnect no matter how many times he tried.
He had spent three anxious days offline, scratching at his ears and unable to sit still. At last, he was finally back online.
Taking several deep, eager breaths of Dawn City's intoxicating air, No Family felt much better and headed contentedly toward North Street.
Before catching a transfer airship to Fries Port, he planned to grab something to eat on