Whoosh-
Over a thousand Low-Altitude Crew Ships roared over the city, their shrill alarms blaring.
"We are eliminating rebels. The entire city is under lockdown! All citizens, remain in your homes. Do not go outside!"
"Repeat: we are eliminating rebels. The entire city is under lockdown! All citizens, remain in your homes. Do not go outside!"
Alarms echoed everywhere. Under the citizens' terrified gazes, troops stormed into the bustling areas and most luxurious residential neighborhoods of the major cities. Low-Altitude Crew Ships hovered overhead, deploying rows of fully armed Army soldiers bristling with murderous intent.
"What's happening? Master, master, something terrible has happened!"
Inside a wealthy man's estate, a gardener maid pruning the flower beds stared in shock as a low-altitude ship hovered above the grounds and Army soldiers poured down like dumplings into a pot.
The maid hastily dropped her pruning shears and ran back into the villa, pushing open the door as she cried out in panic.
Even a maid knew that a visit from a group of ferocious soldiers could hardly be good news.
"What are you shouting about, you bitch? Have you no manners, running around in a panic?!"
The elderly tycoon rose from the sofa, impatiently pushing aside the maid attending him. "Whatever it is, tell me calmly. Stop shouting!"
"Y-yes, master, but outside, outside, they..." After being scolded, the gardener maid pointed outside, feeling wronged. She trembled, unable to get the words out, tears welling in her eyes.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, you idiot. Get back to the garden."
The tycoon sighed, stood up, and slipped on his slippers. The maid on the sofa hurriedly rose as well, draped an expensive coat over his shoulders, then pulled on a simple dress before helping the elderly man toward the villa's entrance.
"Tsk, what could possibly-holy shit!"
Boom!
The maid gently opened the door, and the tycoon saw something strike the estate's gate, followed by an explosion. As pieces of its steel framework scattered everywhere, a squad of soldiers with loaded weapons slowly emerged through the dust.
Above the luxurious estate, the Low-Altitude Crew Ship repeatedly announced through its loudspeakers, "You are surrounded! Put down your weapons and surrender immediately!"
"What's going on?! Why is the Empire's Army here-"
The tycoon hurriedly shut the door and ducked back inside the villa.
"Trying to run?! Get your ass out here!"
A powerful shout rang out from the gate, followed by a flurry of footsteps through the dust. Army soldiers clad in black bulletproof armor charged into the estate. Within barely a dozen seconds, they had subdued all the maids working outside the villa, pinning them down without the slightest gallantry.
A young officer in an immaculate uniform jogged into the estate.
His sharp gaze swept around. The sight of the lavishly decorated estate sent fury surging through him.
"Living pretty comfortably, huh?"
"I came here through the commoners' district. People there live in cramped factory buildings, struggling to survive. Seeing how you live makes me more certain than ever that the Marshal made the right decision."
"Exploiters like you deserve to be wiped out!"
The young officer waved a hand. "Arrest them all for interrogation!"
Roaring, the soldiers smashed through the villa's entrance. Leading the charge, the officer delivered a flying kick that doubled the tycoon over, then picked him up with one hand and hurled him into the courtyard.
"Ow!" The old tycoon hit the ground and rolled several times. Pain wracked his entire body, leaving him sprawled there, unable to rise.
"Get up and kneel properly, you old bastard!"
A soldier stepped forward, hauled him up, and delivered two vicious slaps.
The old tycoon immediately came to his senses. He obediently knelt where he was, head lowered, without saying another word.
Capital could only exploit ordinary workers. Faced with superior force, it behaved itself.
The soldiers were far more gentlemanly toward the estate's maids, merely gathering them in a designated area to await their disposition quietly.
Xi Yan had adopted his forebears' methods of military discipline from two centuries earlier, imposing strict standards on his troops. One mistake, and they would be sent off to generate electricity.
Pistol in hand, the young officer charged up to the villa's second floor, searching each room in turn.
He finally stopped outside a bedroom.
Strange noises came clearly from inside, seemingly involving more than two people.
The officer hesitated, then turned back and exchanged looks with the soldiers.
Then, as though reaching a decision, he fired a shot into the floor.
Bang!
"Everyone inside, listen up! This is the Special Operations Squadron of the Army's * Corps. You have three minutes to get dressed and come out for questioning!"
The moment he finished, screams and commotion erupted inside.
Then a Black man opened the bedroom door. Seeing the group of soldiers outside, he let out a startled cry and slammed it shut.
"Holy shit, a Black dude," a soldier muttered behind him.
"That guy's got a genetic advantage. He's well endowed!"
The officer was speechless.
Then a woman's angry voice came from inside. "What's wrong? What are you panicking for? Let's see who dares cause trouble on my estate! I'll have that old bastard destroy them!"
The bedroom door opened again. The young officer silently regarded the elegant white woman before him.
He calmly raised his pistol and fired three shots into the ceiling.
Bang, bang, bang!
"I'm giving you two minutes," he said calmly, his gaze wandering.
The door slammed shut again. A woman's scream immediately rang out from inside.
The officer remained speechless.
He had never been so lost for words in his life.
"They're really living it up. The husband's playing with maids downstairs while the wife's having an orgy upstairs. That's the world of the rich for you!"
The soldiers began discussing it again.
The officer sighed, counted out two minutes, then kicked the door open and charged straight in. The soldiers streamed after him, instantly filling the spacious room.
Five or six Black men and the white socialite sat obediently on the bed, while the socialite unhurriedly put on her elaborate clothes.
Seeing the young officer charge in, she snapped, "What is wrong with you? Even soldiers can't just walk into a lady's room! Get out! I'll come once I've finished changing!"
"A... lady?"
The young officer was stunned.
He surveyed the chaos in the room, then the six men sitting obediently beside her, before finally turning his gaze to the socialite in her luxurious clothes.
"I... oh, fuck you! Take them all downstairs!"
The officer barked the order, his eyes blazing.
Several minutes later, the young officer led his men out of the villa. The garden had already been trampled flat, and a group of people had been gathered there.
"Why does it look like there are more of them?"
The officer frowned at the detained crowd.
"Sir, not long after you went upstairs, these guys jumped out of a bedroom." A soldier pointed at the crowd, still looking shocked.
The officer took a closer look. There were three more Black men and a young woman who bore a strong resemblance to the socialite.
"She's not some 'guy.' She's my darling daughter... My daughter hasn't done anything wrong. What right do you have to arrest her-" The socialite began struggling.
"You two were doing this in your bedrooms again in broad daylight, and you even jumped out the window! You're a disgrace to our family!"
The old tycoon raised his head and began cursing.
"Shut up, you old bastard! You're a decrepit lecher yourself. All you ever do is seduce our maids..."
The wealthy family began arguing.
"Shut up!!!"
The young officer pressed a hand to his forehead and shouted in exasperation.
Only after he fired several shots into the sky did everyone fall silent.
"Sir, we've caught everyone. What do we do now?"
"Hold on. I'm thinking."
The officer pinched his chin.
An eighty-something tycoon fooling around with a maid first thing in the morning...
A wife in her forties or fifties, along with a daughter in her twenties or thirties.
They invited nine Black men.
To have...
An orgy.
In the bedroom.
And this was apparently routine.
Absolutely insane.
"Sir, we haven't done anything! Please let us go. We have plenty of money to offer you..."
"I'm going to ask you questions, and you're going to answer properly." The officer pressed his pistol against the old tycoon's head. "How much property do you have? What other family members do you have, and where do they live? Tell me everything, or none of you will escape."
"I'll talk, I'll talk! Don't kill me!"
With a pistol threatening him, the old tycoon began spilling everything, even revealing his illegitimate children and secret savings.
But the officer knew he certainly had more money hidden somewhere.
That no longer mattered. Whether he talked or not, it was all within the Ring World. From now on, every piece of private property in sight would belong to the Empire.
The Empire would consolidate it all, then distribute it among every citizen.
Except these exploiters.
"Sir, sir, I've told you everything I can. Can you let us-"
Bang.
The young officer fired. The soldiers fired in turn as well, killing all three members of the wealthy family.
The maids screamed in terror. Even the nine burly Black men turned pale with fright.
Afterward, the soldiers entered the villa in orderly ranks, meticulously stripping it of every valuable possession.
"What's your background?" After executing the three, the officer walked over to the nine Black men.
"...Uh."
"Understood. Poor men earning a living through physical labor. Go home and find suitable work. If you can't, go to an Imperial aid agency. The Empire will find you jobs."
"Stay away from here," the officer said impassively. "Things will change drastically in the coming days."
"Thank you! Thank you, sir! We'll leave right away." Thoroughly frightened, the men hastily thanked him. Feeling as though they had narrowly escaped death, they hurried out through the gate.
"What about you?"
The officer then approached the dozen or so maids on the estate.
Driven by their desire to survive, they immediately began talking over one another.
"We're maids they hired."
"We're all orphans a human-trafficking organization found in the slums."
"They trained us as professional maids, then sold us to these wealthy people to serve as indentured maids for the rest of our lives."
"Once we get old and lose our looks, they throw us away..."
"Please spare us. We're innocent too..."
"There's something like that going on?!"
After listening carefully to their accounts, the young officer was horrified.
It was the year 2200, and such a sinister industry still existed in the Ring World!
Report it!
This concerned the Ring World's entire criminal underworld. It could not be taken lightly.
The report went up through successive levels of command, eventually reaching Xi Yan himself.
The Marshal flew into a rage, ordering a thorough investigation and the bombing of their bases. The criminal industries were to be fully investigated, and anyone involved would either be killed on the spot or sent to the Generator District to produce bioelectricity.
Of course, all that came later. For now, his superiors quickly provided instructions: release them for the time being and prioritize the immediate mission.
Once the comprehensive development of public ownership and infrastructure began, these matters would naturally come to light.
"Understood. I know what to do."
Listening to the instructions through his earpiece, the officer nodded, then turned toward the trembling maids. "You are innocent. The exploiters have been eliminated. You're free."
"Thank you, thank you, sir..."
Suddenly granted their freedom, the maids stared blankly at one another. An older maid had already burst into sobs, repeatedly kowtowing to the officer.
"Thank you for granting us freedom..."
"Get up. We're only following orders."
The officer could no longer quite maintain his composed expression. He hurriedly crouched to help the older maid up, but more maids had already dropped to their knees, sobbing uncontrollably as they kowtowed in gratitude to the soldiers who had liberated them.
Watching the newly freed maids before them, the Army soldiers present could not help feeling deeply moved.
What they were doing truly was righteous.
Punishing exploiters and liberating the oppressed.
People like these poor girls, sold as children and trained to become maids.
"You don't need to thank me. It was the Marshal who sent us to rescue you," the officer said quietly, letting out a long breath.
These liberated girls would have bright futures. They could obtain legitimate jobs and start families of their own, or use their skills to become nannies or professional maids, rather than being deprived of their personal freedom and confined to an estate for life. They had been called maids, but in truth, they were slaves.
"Thank you, Marshal..."
With tears in their eyes, the maids knelt toward the distant Central District.
Only such an ancient, solemn gesture could express their gratitude to their savior, Grand Marshal Xi Yan.
"Get up. You are all citizens of the Empire. You don't need to kneel to anyone."
The young officer stood and saluted them. "Next, my fellow citizens, I will read out the Empire's instructions concerning you."
The maids hurriedly wiped away their tears and stood attentively, their hearts filled with unease.
Now that the Empire had liberated them, where were they supposed to go?
Were they to return alone to those sunless slums?
But the officer had already begun speaking.
"The Empire has opened assistance channels. I will use specialized equipment to record your identifying characteristics and issue you temporary identification. You may go to any Imperial agency's aid station to verify your identity."
"Afterward, the Empire will arrange respectable work for you. This work is compulsory and unpaid, but it absolutely will not exceed your physical capabilities. The Empire will also provide you with basic food, daily necessities, and housing free of charge."
As he spoke, the officer saw the ship overhead airdrop a package containing the identification equipment.
It was a compact DNA Analyzer. It would collect their DNA data and transmit it remotely to a server, which would automatically create their identity records. Unique DNA information served as identification in the year 2200.
Free food, daily necessities, jobs, housing?
What kind of heavenly treatment was this?
The maids wept with joy, experiencing what it felt like to be treated as equals for the first time.
They would support themselves through their own efforts, and they were willing to entrust their futures to the Empire.
The girls lined up to have their DNA samples collected one by one.
Seeing the girls' heartfelt smiles, the young officer could not help smiling too.
How wonderful.
He truly felt that he was working toward a great cause, and it filled him with immense pride.
Once the maids' identities had been checked, he walked over with a smile and a stack of banknotes.
"Divide this money among yourselves for living expenses-it was all found during the search just now, so go ahead and use it."
"No pocketing anything!" The officer suddenly turned to his soldiers. "The Marshal's orders: all spoils must be handed over, and not a penny of ordinary people's money is to be taken. Otherwise, you'll be put to work generating electricity!"
"Yes, sir!"
The young officer turned back with a smile and distributed the banknotes to the rescued girls one by one.
"Thank you!"
The former maids accepted the money in turn, beaming as they took part in the campaign to seize the rich tyrants' property and redistribute it.
The officer watched them with a gentle gaze, feeling that everything he had done was so meaningful.
"Th... thank you."
The last little maid kept her head lowered as she shakily accepted a modest stack of banknotes and murmured her thanks.
The officer nodded gently as before, but the young girl stood rooted to the spot, her lips trembling as though she wanted to say something.
"Miss, is there anything else?" the officer asked. "If you still have family out there, the census will use genetic technology to help you find them."
"No..." the girl whispered bashfully. "I wanted to ask... um, what's your contact number...?"
At once, the older maids all broke into knowing smiles.
"Oh, has our little Masha already fallen for the officer?"
"Don't worry, sir. Little Masha was only bought recently. She's untouched-that beast hadn't defiled her yet..."
The soldiers immediately began whistling delightedly too.
"Whoo~ Our officer's finally met his destined other half~ End of an era..."
The young officer flushed and snapped, "You... shut up!"
"Um, Miss Masha, was it? I'm under military orders, so I won't-"
"Shut up! If you don't seize this chance, you'll be stuck with a masturbation cup for the rest of your life!"
A middle-aged soldier spoke up from the ranks, then quickly rattled off a string of numbers. "******. That's our officer's number. Remember it!"
The young officer's face turned scarlet. He glanced at little Masha's delicate, rosy face and, surprisingly, offered no objection.
The little maid lowered her head and shyly hid behind an older maid.
"******... Masha will be sure to remember!"
"We'll pool our money to buy you a Smart Wristband later. It's time for little Masha to pursue happiness too." Several women smiled fondly.
"Ahem, if there's nothing else, everyone should get going."
Perhaps too embarrassed to stay, the officer cleared his throat and turned away.
"It'll be rather dangerous here in a bit, so you'd better keep your distance... Take care on the way."
The newly freed maids smiled happily, said goodbye to the soldiers, then gathered together and hurried out of the manor with a hole blasted through it.
The officer turned his head to watch them leave, noticing that the lovely girl kept looking back at him.
He could not help breaking into a heartfelt smile.
"Whoa, sir can't stop grinning. Looks like the feeling's mutual-he's found true love-"
"Shut up, you bastards!" The young officer immediately covered his mouth and turned around with a dark expression. "Have you finished searching?"
"Reporting, sir. We scanned the place with our equipment. Nothing else is hidden here."
"But we did find a child in the nursery-"
"What did you say you found?" The officer put aside his unnecessary emotions and asked flatly.
"I remember the Marshal said to root them out completely... but it's a child, after all."
"We killed his parents and took his family's property. To them, we're villains through and through. What should villains do? Leave him alive until he grows up and threatens the Marshal's rule?"
The soldier fell silent for a moment.
"I understand, sir."
He straightened and saluted. "Reporting, sir! After a thorough search, no living creatures have been found!"
"Good. Fall in!"
"Yes, sir!"
The officer took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Everyone, we're here on the Marshal's orders to root out these exploiters completely. We cannot afford excessive sympathy."
"As long as they're born into the bourgeoisie, they must be eliminated without mercy-everything for the Marshal!"
"The Marshal's might shakes the Sea of Stars! May the Empire's glory endure forever!"
"Move out! On to the next location!"
Long ropes were lowered. The officer grabbed one first, and the ship automatically began pulling it up.
Before long, all the Army troops were back aboard the ship.
The ship dropped a bomb, followed by a gasoline bomb.
A violent explosion came first, followed by a raging sea of flames.
It marked the destruction of yet another family of exploiters.
Though there would be some unnecessary killing, destroying them clearly saved far more people, directly or indirectly.
"You did very well. You maintained your kindness without sparing any of our enemies. Keep it up."
After they reported their results, their superior officer praised their squadron's achievements and decided to hold them up as a model for every operations team to follow.
Regardless, scenes like this were unfolding, or were about to unfold, all across the Ring World.
Today belonged to all the exploited. Xi Yan announced to the Empire the liberation of everyone exploited at the bottom of society.
May the Empire's glory endure forever!
Before you continue