Chapter 1793 - 972: Northern Territory Federation

North.

Yidu Town.

Northern Territory Federation.

A river flows through the towering walls, known as the Barrier River.

Beneath the southern wall, the outermost layer is an iron fence about six or seven meters high, each bar as thick as a washbasin, with gaps of about twenty centimeters between them.

A meter outside this fence, there is another layer of fences, even tighter, about as thick as a thigh, but with smaller gaps, only less than ten centimeters.

Two meters further, there is another layer with gaps as small as a cup mouth, only five centimeters wide.

Three layers of fences, with larger gaps and diameter the closer they are to the outside.

Above these fences is a tall wall.

The fences are embedded underwater, stabilized firmly by the gravity of the wall above.

On the northern part of the wall, the same approach is applied.

Walls, like a Great Wall, connect two mountains, with the Barrier River flowing between them.

A torrential rain pours down.

The water level of the Barrier River rises, rushing fiercely from the mountains to the plains.

Within the walls, the widest part of the Barrier River measures twenty meters; the narrowest stretches six meters wide.

At the riverbank stands a boy in a raincoat, casting a net repeatedly.

But the rain is too heavy, and the river is turbulent; after several attempts, he catches nothing.

The boy, skinny as a bone, feels discouraged, gathers his determination, and throws the net again.

After two minutes, he pulls up with all his strength.

Rip——

Perhaps the net snagged on something sharp underwater, tearing a hole as he pulls.

"Oh no." The boy’s expression shifts slightly, disregarding the rushing river, and steps into the water to retrieve the net.

He descends from the bank, swaying as the turbulent river buffets him.

Fear flickers in his eyes; he wants to retreat, but the net was hard to come by, and losing it would be a major loss.

"I have to get the net up!" His resolve strengthens, and he faces the water without fear.

He steps further into the deeper water.

When the water reaches his chest, the powerful current pulls him downstream.

"I’ve got it!" His face lights up as he retrieves the net, snagged on riverbed stones.

But just then.

Whoosh——

The torrent knocks him down, leaving him unable to control his body, tumbling into the water.

Glug glug.

He swallows several mouthfuls as he falls.

He reaches out to return to the bank, but the rain and his submerged state blur his vision; though barely two meters from the bank, it feels like the farthest distance.

"Help, help..." The river sweeps him into deeper parts, where the three meter depth engulfs him.

He can’t swim.

Glug glug.

He struggles to tiptoe, trying to float, but the current is too strong; coupled with the depth, he rises and falls helplessly.

Turbulent currents, after ten seconds or so.

Bam!

He crashes into the innermost iron fence, producing a dull thud.

Dazed from the impact, he grips the net tightly in one hand while clutching the fence with the other, slowly rising to the surface.

Huff huff huff——

He gasps heavily, indifferent as a few water drops find their way into his stomach.

Dizzy, the recent collision hurt terribly.

Resting a few moments, he floats, gradually moving along the iron fence towards the bank.

Suddenly.

A searchlight beams from afar; swiftly, he submerges, holding his breath for twenty seconds until the light moves away, allowing him to resurface.

"Luckily, they didn’t find me."

Cautiously, he grips the fence and reaches the bank.

Saved his life.

Fortunate the fence was near; without it, he’d have drowned.

Despite not swimming, he dared enter the river for this reason.

Sodden through, he was already drenched before entering, given the torrential rain.

His forehead swells, clearly from colliding with the iron fence earlier.

He rubs his head, dejectedly retrieving the net.

No catch today.

Hmm?

Just then, he notices a palm-sized fish caught in the torn net.

The fish trapped in the rupture, entangled in the net.

"Wow!" His excitement mounts, hurriedly squatting to retrieve the fish from the net.

In Doomsday, food is scarce, let alone meat.

Fish—a rarity he hasn’t tasted in three years.

Inspecting the net, he finds two holes, one large and the other small; the large spans ten centimeters, while the smaller three or four centimeters.

"I’ll patch it back home, but trading is urgent now."

He tidies the net, slings it over his shoulder, skewers the fish with a dogtail grass, and runs toward the inner wall.

This enormous base, with twin walls; the outer wall encloses the inner, forming a ’hui’ pattern.

The boy reaches an edifice outside the inner wall.

The building, mere three stories, impressively styled.

Cradling the fish, he nudges the door open with his shoulder.