All around was an endless desert, the scorching sand gleaming eerily under the moonlight, like a desolate ocean.
Hino and Shayan were panting heavily, their legs trembling from exhaustion, making each step incredibly difficult.
The man was equally exhausted, but dared not stop.
"Where am I?" Hino looked around in despair.
As Third Sunagakure resident, he has never left the village since birth and has always been a dutiful and law-abiding citizen.
Now, because of an adventure, he has become lost in this desolate desert, not even knowing if there are people from the Inspection Department chasing him.
Fear and helplessness overwhelmed him like a tidal wave, his eyes filled with confusion and panic.
Shayan shook his head helplessly. "I don't know either. Let's just follow this path for now; maybe we'll find our way back."
Hino could only grit his teeth, dragging his heavy legs, mechanically following behind Shayan.
The man kept urging them on, glancing back every now and then, as if afraid the Inspection Department would catch up.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they came to a fork in the road.
Three paths stretched out before us, each shrouded in darkness, their ends obscured.
Hino looked at the three roads with a confused expression. "Which one should we take?"
Shayan frowned, deep in thought. "I don't know either. Let's just pick one randomly; it's better than standing here doing nothing."
At that moment, the man suddenly spoke up, "The people from the Inspection Department probably won't be chasing me anymore. I'm leaving."
As he spoke, he pointed to one of the roads and made a gesture as if to walk down it.
Seeing his actions, Hino and Shayan looked at him in surprise, "You're just leaving like that?"
The man sneered, "Otherwise what? I'm not from Sunagakure. And if it weren't for you two idiots, would I be being chased by the Inspection Department? What bad luck, you two jinxes!"
After saying that, he turned and hurried away along that road without looking back, quickly disappearing into the night.
Hino and Shayan stood there, their hearts filled with disappointment and helplessness.
How could they be so unlucky? It's not like no one else in the mining area has done something similar, but it's just that when it was their turn, they were the ones being chased.
After discussing it, the two chose another road that would probably lead them back to the village.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, some buildings and figures finally appeared in front of them. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that this was the eastern mining area, which fell under the influence of the Council of Elders.
Upon entering the mining area, Hino and Shayan were stunned by the sight before them.
The miners here are highly cybernetic; almost everyone has most of their body replaced by mechanical prosthetics. Their faces are lifeless, and they work mechanically like zombies.
Compared to the miners in the northern district, they looked more haggard and had more wounds on their bodies. Their tattered clothes could not hide the bruises and wounds where their prosthetic bodies were attached to their bodies.
Hino and Shayan found a relatively kind-looking miner and asked him for directions back to the village.
The miner slowly raised his head, moved his dry lips, and said, "Keep going straight ahead, past that mine pit, and around two sand dunes, and you'll see the village."
Hino and Shayan nodded their thanks to him, but the miner only nodded slightly before lowering his head to continue his work, seemingly uninterested in their arrival or departure.
The two followed the direction the miner pointed out, and along the way they saw more heartbreaking scenes.
Some miners collapsed to the ground due to prosthetic body malfunctions, but those around them merely glanced at them indifferently before continuing with their own tasks, with no one offering to help.
Some children, at a very young age, already have prosthetic bodies installed and help carry small tools at the edge of the mine. Their thin bodies appear even more frail and pitiful against the backdrop of the heavy mechanical prosthetics.
Hino and Shayan were filled with sympathy for these miners.
Although life in the North District wasn't easy either, it didn't seem to be the worst compared to here.
Hino and Shayan quickened their pace, rounded the sand dunes, and finally saw the outline of Sunagakure.
The moment he stepped into the village, Hino felt a mix of emotions, a sense of relief at surviving the ordeal, and a lingering fear of his previous risky actions.
When he returned home, Hino's wife was so excited to see him return safely that tears welled up in her eyes. The children also surrounded him and hugged his legs tightly, crying and saying how worried they had been.
Hino at his family, Hino secretly vowed never to do anything so risky again.
That very afternoon, a sudden commotion of footsteps came from the doorway, followed by knocking.
The door opened, and a group of people dressed in the Inspection Department uniforms stood in the doorway.
" Hino, you are suspected of involvement in black market transactions and you need to come with us now."
Hino's face turned deathly pale instantly. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but found his throat too dry to speak.
At this moment, Shayan was also brought over by several members of the Inspection Department, his eyes filled with helplessness and despair.
"We... we really just wanted to earn some money to help support our family; things are really tough at home," Hino finally managed to say.
"Enough with the nonsense. We'll talk at the Inspection Department." The cold-faced ninja interrupted him mercilessly, waving his hand to signal his men to Hino and Shayan away.
Walking down the village streets, the surrounding villagers cast strange glances at me.
Some people whispered among themselves, while others looked on with sympathy, but no one dared to stand up and say a word for them.
Hino felt like a criminal despised by everyone; shame and fear made him afraid to look up.
Upon arriving at the Inspection Department, they were locked in a cold interrogation room.
Hino and Shayan sat on the hard chairs, their hands cuffed, filled with unease.
"Speak, how did you collude with the black market merchants? What did you trade? And who else was involved?" The cold-faced ninja sat opposite them and asked sternly.
Hino and Shayan exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, Hino spoke up, "We... we just took some scrapped prosthetic parts from the mine, hoping to sell them for some money."
"I only traded with that black market dealer once; there really was no one else involved."
"Once? Do you think I'd believe that?" The cold-faced ninja sneered. "According to our investigation, your actions have been going on for a long time, involving a large number of prosthetic parts, posing a significant threat to the village's safety."
Hino and Shayan shook their heads frantically, saying urgently, "No, we really only did it this once."
"We didn't know those parts would have such serious consequences. We just wanted our family to have enough to eat and our children to have new clothes to wear."
The cold-faced ninja looked at them, his eyes showing no pity whatsoever.
"No matter your reasons, breaking the law is breaking the law. Now, you will pay the price for your actions."