"When will these damn days ever end?!"
A middle-aged man slammed a shovel into the rock wall, sparks flying and the metal joints of his right arm vibrating loudly.
He was panting heavily and wiped the sand off his face.
Sweat dripped from his forehead, leaving dark streaks on his dusty face.
His name is Hino Hoshino, one of the five giants of the Reform Society, but their fates are worlds apart.
This is the largest iron ore mining area in the northern part of Sunagakure, a public welfare project under the Reform Society.
Hino couldn't remember how long he had been working in that dark and gloomy mine.
Ever since I got that damn prosthetic body installed, time has become a blurry string of numbers.
At that time, propaganda slogans were still posted at the entrance to the mining area.
"Say goodbye to fatigue, the metal limbs never stop!"
But what's the reality?
" Hino! Stop slacking off! We're still short half of today's quota!"
The supervisor's voice blared from the loudspeaker overhead, piercing his eardrums.
Hino glanced up at the surveillance tower high above.
Two ninjas wearing Reform Society armbands stood there, coldly surveying the mine.
Hino spat and continued swinging his shovel.
Since getting his prosthetic body fitted, his working hours have increased from ten to fourteen hours, but his pay has shrunk by 40%.
The Reform Society stated that during this special period, we must overcome difficulties together.
The mine's management could still eat fresh meat and vegetables every day, while the workers could only receive relief food mixed with sand.
"Hey, Hino."
A coworker from the neighboring mine tunnel leaned over and whispered, "Have you heard? Shahe from the south section died yesterday. He had a mental breakdown and stabbed himself in the head with a drill bit."
Hino paused, then remained silent.
This kind of thing is not uncommon.
Cybernetic implants can sustain their bodies, but their souls have long been drained.
Those mental stabilization devices are complete scams. Wearing them only makes people numbly repeat actions, like walking corpses.
"The people from the Reform Society say, let's hold on for another six months, and things will be fine once the standoff ends!"
The worker smiled wryly, his mechanical fingers unconsciously digging into the rock face.
"But who knows when this standoff will end, and what will we be after it ends?"
Hino silently dug out a piece of ore and threw it into the cart behind him.
The truck bed was already more than half full, but it was still a long way from today's quota.
His gaze swept across the mine pit.
The workers moved about like ants, their metal prosthetics gleaming coldly in the dim light.
Someone stumbled and was immediately yelled at by the overseer.
Someone suddenly knelt down and vomited, but was quickly dragged to the medical station, given a stimulant injection, and then thrown back into the mine tunnel.
This is the 'new era' for Sunagakure.
Lunch break.
Hino squatted on the earthen slope outside the mine, his mechanical fingers clutching half a hardened piece of relief rations, his eyes fixed on the center of the mining area.
Suddenly, a dozen or so technicians in gray-white uniforms appeared and were busy working around several metal pillars.
A slender antenna extended from the top of the pillar, swaying slightly in the wind and emitting a teeth-grinding buzzing sound.
What is that thing?
Shayan, a fellow worker, came closer, his prosthetic left eye flashing a faint red light.
That was a cheap, low-quality device that the Reform Society installed for him free of charge after his work injury last month; he always saw double.
Hino shook his head, spat out the sand in his mouth, and said, "Who knows? It's definitely not something good for us."
Ding ding ding--
As they were talking, the overseer, Tanaka, suddenly struck the gong to signal assembly.
A rare smile graced his greasy face.
"Come here, everyone! The adults from the Reform Society are so kind to us; they've brought us some new perks!"
Tanaka's voice sounded sweet, yet it sent a chill down Hino's spine.
The last time he laughed like that, the mine started implementing a system of voluntary overtime.
The workers, dragging their weary bodies, gathered together, the clanging of their metal prosthetics like an eerie symphony.
Hino noticed that two ninjas wearing Reform Society Forehead Protector had appeared under the signal tower at some point, their hands on their ninja tool pouches, their eyes as cold as knives.
Look at this!
Tanaka took out a palm-sized doll from the wooden box. Its shape was so rough that it looked like a child's toy, with a murky Chakra Crystal embedded in its chest.
"You are blessed! This is Spirit Puppet; I'm sure you've all heard of it!"
"This is a new version specially developed by Hoshino -sama to show consideration for the workers. It can connect to signal towers, has many functions, and it's free!"
Next, Tanaka explained the basic functions of this extremely simple Spirit Puppet.
1. Accurately record daily working hours, with an error of no more than 3 seconds.
A 'Labor Efficiency Assessment Report' is automatically generated monthly and uploaded to the signal tower.
II. Real-time monitoring of heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle fatigue.
When a worker is detected to be physically exhausted, a small amount of Chakra is released to stimulate the nerves and keep the worker awake.
III. Location Tracking.
3D map of mining area constructed using signal towers
Those with unusual activity patterns, such as frequent trips to the toilet or prolonged periods of inactivity, will be subject to special scrutiny regarding their actual situation.
When it comes to the last feature...
Tanaka's emotions grew increasingly passionate, and his voice became more and more impassioned.
"The most amazing ability, also a perk given out by Hoshino- sama, is the ability to connect to the Reform Society Network."
Tanaka rubbed his hands together and continued, "As long as we pair the Spirit Puppet with the prosthetic eye, we can access the Reform Society's internal network!"
He held up a sample covered in scratches.
"See this number? X-7428. Each Spirit Puppet is unique and will only be bound to one master!"
"It requires a prosthetic eye to be activated?"
An elderly miner with a wrinkled face suddenly pushed his way through the crowd, "What about those of us without prosthetic eyes?"
Tanaka's smile froze for a moment, and he said awkwardly, "Well... the first installation is free, of course!"
He winked at the technician, "Take the old man to get a basic prosthetic eye installed, it'll be from next month's salary... uh, it's a special subsidy from the Reform Society!"
Ding ding ding--
The sound of the gong was still echoing when the workers had already formed a long, crooked line.
Hino stood in the middle of the line, watching as each person in front of him received the crude doll.
"Next!"
The technician's voice mechanically repeated itself.
The small table in front of him was piled with Spirit Puppet, each one identical except for the number on its chest.
"Name?"
" Shayan."
"Prosthetic eye serial number?"
E-3472.
The technician scribbled a few lines in the register without looking up, then casually grabbed a Spirit Puppet and stuffed it into the Shayan's hand.
"Tie it and place it on your left chest. Don't lose it; it will cost one thousand taels to replace it."
Shayan trembled as it accepted the Spirit Puppet.
As the crude doll approached his prosthetic eye, Hino clearly saw a flash of red light between them.
Shayan's body suddenly stiffened, then returned to normal.
"Get out of the way, next one!"
Shayan wanted to ask about the so-called Reform Society Network, but the technician waved him away.
The line moved forward slowly.
"Whoa!!!"
Suddenly, a commotion arose ahead.
Hino stood on tiptoe and saw an old miner with a full head of white hair clutching his collar tightly.