2:03:12

Lowe’s Exotic Foods Pvt. Ltd. Stainless Steel Street.

Having arrived at the right place, Aether showed his ID at the guardhouse outside before making his way into the facility.

The factory grounds were large with multiple buildings, which acted as processing plants, cold storehouses, transport vehicles and other miscellaneous structures. The building, which Aether was heading towards, looked just as common as the rest of the facility’s establishments. It looked dull, grey, and inconspicuous.

After finding the small entryway under the side of the building, he entered and underwent standard decontamination procedures. The board that hung above the entryway door read, ‘Line 2: Artificial Ground Beef.’

Food items, especially meat and other edible animal products, were expensive commodities within the city. Its manufacture and distribution were strictly controlled by the city’s governing body, with only ‘approved’ manufacturers holding an ‘official licence’ permitted sales. Even then, the quantity which was being sold was tightly regulated.

In a way, the trade of manufactured animal products, all of which were produced artificially through chemical methods due to the absence of their original species, could be equated to the ancient trade of salt. It was a commodity that was worth its weight in gold which made it a key source of income for the governing body.

Having said that, just like in history, the trade of edible animal products within the city of District 4 also had a dark underside. It manifested through the sales of ‘Black Meat’. Not meat that was literally black, but edible animal products that were manufactured and sold without an official licence. It was a line of business that was as profitable as it was illegal.

Aether, who had now entered the production floor after having changed into a plastic bodysuit and face cover, would now assist in the production of this ‘Black Meat’.

After having entered the production floor, it did not take him long to find his recommender, Gocks.

“Oi, Aether! Over here!” It was hard not to find him given how much he was shouting his name. “Come, come, come!” Gocks called him while gesturing with his hands.

Chuckling helplessly, Aether shook his head and made his way towards his friend. After arriving next to him, he heard Gocks’ signature phrase. “Sure took your sweet time in coming here didn’t ya, bastard?”

Aether flashed him a polite smile and replied, “I got here as soon as I physically could.”

“Eh! Could’ve gotten here faster.” Gocks shrugged his shoulders. “The Lord in Heavens knows that I could’ve.”

Aether rolled his eyes at his statement. “Gocks, you couldn’t have come faster than me if you had rolled.”

“Sure, I could!” Gocks exclaimed confidently. He then shot Aether a vulgar gaze and said, “I guarantee that there’s nobody who can come faster than me in this city.” A crude smile appeared on his lips.

It took Aether a moment to understand his joke. The instant he got it, Aether’s eyes widened as he exclaimed, “Whoa! That was an amazing joke! It totally slipped by me at first!”

“Hahaha! I know right!” Gocks laughed heartily. “I’ve been practising my humour ever since we met that day in the brothel.” He said, proudly.

“Well, it has helped,” admitted Aether. The two then engaged in some small talk while they waited for a foreman or supervisor to arrive.

Partway into their conversation, Gocks suddenly slapped his head and said, “I almost forgot!” He then hurriedly searched his pockets.

Seeing his odd behaviour, Aether asked, “Forgot what?”

Gocks then retrieved his communicator, opened up a blank screen, presented it to Aether and said, “Sign here.”

Aether cautiously stepped back. He gave Gocks an odd stare and said, “I’m not… signing up for any weird cults.” God knows that he was already being harassed by them daily.

“It’s not a recruitment for the ‘plague’. I just want you to sign this blank slate.” Gocks earnestly said.

At his reply, Aether took another step back and raised his guard. “That’s even more suspicious.”

More often than not when people came up to you and asked you to sign something, it was either a scam to rob you of your wealth or a recruitment notice for a cult.

Noticing the suspicious looks that Aether was giving him, Gocks frowned and asked, “What do you take me for? Do you have that little faith in me?”

Aether unhesitatingly nodded his head.

Gocks initially looked stunned by his answer but then mumbled in agreement. “Yeah, no, you’re right.” He shook his head.

“At least tell me what’s up with the suspicious gig,” asked Aether. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Gocks but that it was always prudent to be cautious.

At Aether’s questioning, Gocks finally explained his reason. “I don’t know either. I’m just doing what my daughter asked me to do.”

He then went on to say how he had seen Aether’s face on a livestream that his daughter had been watching. When he had asked her what it was about, she had explained to him that it was some game tournament and that the people on the screen were participating in it. Gocks had told his daughter that he knew one of them –Aether– and the latter had begged her father to get her an autograph.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Having heard the reason behind his sudden request, Aether showed a warm smile, finding the whole situation to be wholesome. He knew that Gocks had a guilty streak regarding his only daughter and had a soft spot towards her.

With his suspicions resolved, he did not hesitate to receive the communicator and sign on it. “Alright, what should I write here?”

“...isn’t it fine to simply sign?” asked Gocks, unsure.

“Is that enough? Shouldn’t I write something like ‘Thanks for your support, X’ or ‘Never give up, Y’?” questioned Aether. This was his first time signing something for a fan and he wanted it to be special.

Gocks seriously pondered on his suggestions before finally saying, “I don’t know. You do it.”

Aether stared at the middle-aged man speechlessly. He then shook his head and seriously pondered on his own. After a long time, Aether glowed with a moment of ‘eureka’ and quickly wrote down something.

Immensely satisfied with his writing, he handed the communicator back to Gocks. The older man upon receiving it, read his message.

[To my most favourite person,

Your eyes are as passionate as fire and your lips are as soft as water.

Your heart is firm as the earth and your mind is as nimble as the wind.

I shall forever remember you and treasure our moment together.

You are my Number 1!

Love, Aether.]

Gocks read through the message and then looked at Aether, who was looking back with shining eyes. He then read through the message once again and alternated his gaze a few times.

Finally, after putting away his communicator and taking a deep breath, he looked at Aether and said, “Bastard! Are you courting my daughter in front of her father!?!” He then lunged at the younger man.

Aether burst out with laughter and evaded Gocks’ attempts to capture him with utmost ease. Having completed his prank, he felt all the burdens in his heart disappear like the morning haze. Aether felt light.

After engaging Gocks in a quick game of cat-and-mouse, the duo parted and headed towards the assembly point when the supervisor arrived. While they waited for the rest of the employed workers to assemble, Aether redid his signing with a much more appropriate measure, quelling the older man’s fury.

“...you are not to share any information about today’s job with anyone outside this room. Should you do it, legal action WILL be taken. And trust me, the people upstairs WILL f*ck you up. Next item on the agenda, do not take or steal any of the processed items. Any possessions found on you WILL result in legal action. You are not allowed to chat with your fellow workers during your shift. Bathroom breaks are limited to 5 minutes and only once per shift. You will have to…”

As he listened to the supervisor drone on and on about the various do’s-and-don'ts Aether felt bored. This wasn’t his first time processing ‘Black Meat’ and he was already more or less familiar with the rules.

Just as he was on the verge of falling asleep, Aether suddenly stumbled forward after receiving a heavy strike on his back. He fell forward and knocked on the person in front of him.

Regaining his balance quickly, Aether turned back to look at the person who had struck him and asked with an annoyed tone. “Hey? What’s the problem?” The strike wasn’t malicious and was more of an accidently knock.

The initiator hurriedly apologised. “I’m very sorry, man. I just accidentally fell asleep listening to the idiot on stage and bumped into you.” While his words were coarse, the expression of apology on his face was sincere.

Seeing that the guy was sincere in his apology, Aether forgave him and turned to look at the guy whom he had knocked into.

“Look dude, I’m sorry. The guy standing behind me knocked into me, and I domino-ed into you…!” Aether, who was amidst his explanation, suddenly stopped and hurriedly backed away. A prickly feeling assaulted his skin.

With narrowed eyes, he gazed at the person radiating with hostile intent. It was the person whom Aether had accidentally bumped into; a young man with a tall, thin body and a pale face.

The young man, oozing with hostile intent, looked to be a few years younger than Aether. His expressionless face was as pale as a white sheet of paper and just as blank. His height was tall, a full head taller than Aether. His figure, however, was much leaner. From a faraway glance, the young man even seemed sickly.

Aether, however, noticed none of that. His gaze was solely focused on the pitch-black eyes of his opponent. Within the depths of those eyes, he saw cruelty, madness, and… a desire to kill.

Seeing that desire, Aether understood why his body had instinctively tensed and backed away. The pair of eyes boring into him did not belong to a regular citizen but a wild beast!

Aether’s breaths instinctively became measured while his body’s centre of balance lowered. The confusion and surprise within his eyes disappeared while his arms tensed in preparation for a battle.

His opponent seemed to recognize Aether’s preparation causing the desire within his eyes to blaze.

Just as Aether readied himself to move first and deliver the first blow, a loud shout broke and shattered the tense atmosphere between the two of them.

“Oi! The two of you in the back! The f*ck are you two doing!?” The supervisor yelled from the front.

The blazing desire within the thin youth’s eyes settled and then he turned away. Feeling the murderous intent pricking him disappear, Aether also straightened up and faced the stage.

The supervisor grumbled a few more words before asking all the workers to head towards their assigned stations. Aether and Gocks headed towards the ‘Packaging Unit’ while the thin youth disappeared elsewhere.

As he methodically and mechanically packed boxes of the black meat, Aether absentmindedly thought to himself. ‘That guy… he’s amongst the most dangerous people that I’ve come across in this city.’

District 4 had no shortage of criminals and lunatics wandering the streets of the city. While public security was more or less decent, there tended to be unpatrolled areas in seedy back alleyways and dark hidden corners.

Not to mention, the whole of the ‘Slums’ was an area abandoned by law enforcement.

Having lived in this hellish city for fifteen years, Aether had had a few run-ins with its dangerous residents. Fortunately, all such encounters ended peacefully with both parties going their respective ways.

Today was no different.

‘Welp, there’s no point thinking about it.’ Aether shrugged. He did not have a habit of judging other people. ‘Everyone’s gotta eat.’ It was just that some people ate different from others.

Throwing this matter to the back of his head, Aether immersed himself in his job. It was plain and repetitive, but oddly comforting. Perhaps it was the sight and smell of the meat before him that calmed his nerves.

“Should I take a few portions for Mei?” He started considering the prospect of theft.

Ultimately, Aether did not steal any portions. He figured that taking from the production line crossed the bottom line of what he considered ‘borrowing.’

Time passed, and the day soon came to an end. Tomorrow, it was time for Team Fox and Friends’ outdoor training excursion.