Inside the freezing stone warehouse at the edge of Iron-Root Village #4, the only sound was the shallow, raspy breathing of three thousand paralyzed teenagers lying on rusted iron cots.
Fourteen-year-old Gu Nian stood at the entrance of the aisle, his hands clenched so tightly against the sides of his yellow bunny apron that his fingernails dug into his palms.
On the very first iron cot lay a fifteen-year-old boy named Gu Hu—Village Head Gu Tie’s eldest grandson and little Xiaomei’s big brother.
Three years ago, at age twelve, Gu Hu had been the brightest youth on Iron-Root Star, awakening a rare Grade-Six Earth-Bear Bone.
That same afternoon, Fleet Commander Gu Lie’s surgical team had pinned the twelve-year-old boy to an iron table, pried the living bone straight out of his spine to use. Meanwhile, disposable foundation fuel for one of Gu Wuji’s courtyard guards. Dumped the paralyzed child back in the village warehouse as a warning against resistance.
“Big Brother...” seven-year-old Gu Xiaomei whispered from Gu Changsheng’s arms, holding out the remaining half of her warm honey-milk bun toward the fifteen-year-old boy on the cot.
“Big Brother Hu, wake up... the nice uncle and Big Brother Nian beat the bad men... I saved half my bun for you...”
