Where people live, there is not always room for the underworld, but there are always settlements—cities.
The largest city in the Eastern Forest district is the capital of Hesi Province. In this city, besides the constantly encountered drunks, there are the most small traders engaged in shadow business, shady individuals warily glancing at patrolling police officers, and… orphans.
The Eastern Forest was once the richest and most developed planet in the Federation, specializing in mineral extraction. In any civilization, miners always face heightened risks. Although the invention of automatic mining machines and comprehensive computer control have significantly increased mining safety, complex changes in deposit locations and unpredictable geological shifts over thousands of years have claimed the lives of many miners. The children of these miners became outcasts, wandering the streets of the cities in the Eastern Forest district.
Without parents, or with only one parent—different fates shaped different psychologies in these orphans. The federal government fully covered their housing and education, but could not prevent them from skipping school. Not having reached the age permitted for alcohol consumption, and under the surveillance of implanted chips, they could not, like adult miners, spend their days in a drunken haze. They also could not engage in shadow trading. Although the government provided them with food, this bleak, pig-like existence could not fully satisfy their surging energy. Therefore, violence appeared, imitation of cruelty, struggles for territory…
Deputy Chief Bao, uttering the words "damn orphans" with a grim expression, meant exactly this group, this group that caused so much headache for the provincial administration and the police.
Although these young orphans still had a long way to go before becoming real criminals, and mere imitation did not make them particularly dangerous, their vulnerable position created certain difficulties. Especially after the resources of the Eastern Forest began to deplete. Most of these orphans appeared after the last mine disaster ten years ago, and the consequences of that disaster for the Eastern Forest district were quite serious…
"We want to watch Jian Shui'er!"
"Jian Shui'er!"
Sirens wailed. The second police station of Hesi Province, responsible for order on Kolokolnaya Street, upon receiving the angry order from the deputy chief, arrived at the scene as quickly as possible and surrounded more than a hundred orphans.
However, faced with police officers armed with batons and shields, the orphans in black on Kolokolnaya Street showed not the slightest fear and continued to shout their demands. Only the slogans written on pieces of tarpaulin were now raised crookedly—perhaps the children were tired?
The most amusing thing was that the youngest orphan seemed to have grown tired of shouting slogans and was now monotonously repeating: "Jian Shui'er, Jian Shui'er…", as if these words held some magical power, though his voice was weak.
"Shout louder!" The leader of the orphans, serious beyond his years, grabbed the little one by the ear. When the police surrounded Kolokolnaya Street, he felt a slight fear. But… since Xu Le said that there were journalists here today, and this Bao couldn't do anything, then he really couldn't do anything? When had Xu Le ever been wrong? Remembering that name, the leader of the orphans straightened up, gathered his courage, his face became even more determined, and he shouted into the camera that was behind the police cordon: "We want to watch the twenty-third channel!"
A hundred teenagers demanding their rights simultaneously expressed their indignation, confronting the federal government on the street, but only to watch television. What an absurd scene!
However, Bao Nuntao did not consider it a farce and saw nothing absurd in it. Hearing the words "twenty-third channel" and "Jian Shui'er", he understood that these rascals were serious.
When the provincial administration could not withstand the complaints and veiled threats from several directors of Hesi television, Bao Nuntao realized that this day was inevitable. In fact, after the provincial administration's order reached the police, and using telecommunications regulations as a pretext, they found an excuse to temporarily cease broadcasting the federal twenty-third channel throughout the entire territory of Hesi Province, the administration and police received more than a thousand protest letters.
The content of these letters was the same as the demands of today's orphans: they wanted to watch the twenty-third channel, wanted to watch the series "Steel Anxiety" that had been airing in the Capital Star Cluster for two months already, and, most importantly, they wanted to watch Jian Shui'er…
Bao Nuntao had watched this series and knew how attractive Jian Shui'er was, playing the role of a combat ship commander: a cute, almost painted face, sometimes slightly disheveled, sometimes smooth light-purple hair, a petite figure in a strict military uniform, an innocent squinting gaze… She reminded him so much of his daughter, only even cuter…
Suddenly shuddering, Bao Nuntao snapped out of his thoughts and noticed that the journalist next to him was saying something into the camera. The camera lens, having moved from her shoulder, was now pointed at the indignant orphans. A gloating smile flickered in the corners of the journalist's eyes.
Could the relationship between the news department and the production center really be that bad? Bao Nuntao thought with annoyance. The leadership of Hesi television, in order to protect their ratings, spared no expense and, using such an absurd pretext, temporarily ceased broadcasting the federal twenty-third channel. Who would have thought that the news department of the same television, directly subordinate to the district committee, would be ready to stab them in the back.
Those who did not live on the Eastern Forest did not understand what television meant to them, what the federal twenty-third channel meant to them. As in Bao Nuntao's previous sarcastic remark, life is enough for ordinary people with TV series. The residents of the gradually dying Eastern Forest had grown accustomed to the grayness of their lives, but this did not prevent them from seeking and dreaming of beauty through the television screen. And this freedom was to them like salt and bread—absolutely necessary.
Jian Shui'er… A warm smile appeared on the lips of the usually stern Deputy Chief Bao. Even these annoying orphans in the middle of the street now seemed not so bad to him. But the smile immediately disappeared.
These annoying orphans had seriously tarnished his reputation today. If this scene made it into the news, the conflict between the news department and the production center would inevitably reach the provincial administration and even the committee. Wouldn't they make him the scapegoat?
Bao Nuntao narrowed his eyes, slowly scanning the excited orphans shouting slogans, as if trying to find something. How could these orphans have known about his visit with the journalists today? Why would they stage this whole spectacle? Was it really all just about Jian Shui'er? To these orphans, Jian Shui'er was like a fairy from a distant world, but that alone was hardly enough to give them such courage.
The matter was becoming interesting. It gave the impression that someone was behind all of this. If someone really was standing behind the orphans, then that someone must have known about the conflict between the news department and the production center and been confident that the disturbance on Kolokolnaya Street would make it into the news.
Bao Nuntao became alert. His gaze fell on the flushed face of the orphans' leader. He knew this sixteen-year-old rascal named Brother Wei. But Brother Wei would never have dared to behave so brazenly in front of him.
Suddenly it dawned on him. Following Brother Wei's darting eyes, he turned and looked toward the shadow on Kolokolnaya Street.
But there was nothing there.