Embers Ad Infinitum

The outer walls of the 495th floor’s Zone C were grayish-green.
Six or seven girls walked into the Rec Center that was covered with all kinds of graffiti.
Their expressions were colored with excitement, anticipation, and nervousness.

11

Their clothes were simple, and their colors were nothing gaudy.
They were mainly blue, black, white, and green in color, but that did not obscure their beautiful facial features.
All of them were in the prime of their youth.

While looking at the only LCD screen on the entire floor, the girl right in front couldn’t help but whisper, “I wonder what kind of husband the company will assign me.”

21

Beside her, a girl in a green top and blue pants bit her lip and said, “The main question is what kind of person he is.”

4

Brought up as second-generation youths when genetic enhancement drugs had widespread use, they were not worried about their future husbands’ looks and height.
They were definitely all above average.

9

The girl in the lead glanced at her companion.
“Have you forgotten that besides those of our age, there are also those whose wives have already passed away? Some of them are already in their forties or fifties.
They are highly defective due to the lack of genetic enhancement while they were embryos.”

2

In order to ensure that there were enough newborns, the company they belonged to had a rule: “Anyone at the age of 20 or university graduates, who hasn’t acquired a spouse by choice, will have a partner assigned to them by the company.
Anyone in defiance of this regulation will be punished by the Order Supervisory Department.
The first violation will have the said person’s energy allocations and contribution points reduced.
A second violation will result in said person’s banishment from the company, and they will be left to fend for themselves in the Ashlands.”

9

Similarly, those who had lost their spouses and had yet to have children were forced to participate in a central assignment of spouses three years after their loss if they had yet to turn 60.

2

Another girl joined in the discussion, making a joke.
“Besides, ignoring this batch of people, don’t you have any hopes that your future husband will be from an M-rank family?”

The company was divided into three classes: D-rank employees, from D1 to D9; M-rank management, from directors at M1 to the corresponding board members and chief scientists at M3; and finally, a rank without an alphabetical code name.
It only had one title: ‘Big Boss.’ It was held by an unusually mysterious lady.

9

The girl in the green top and blue trousers curled her lips and said, “When have people from normal levels ever been assigned spouses from Floors 346, 347, 348, and 349?”

Floors 346–349 were where the M-rank managers lived.
They were given a generous energy supply quota, and the per capita housing area was more than ten times the average employee’s residential floor.
Moreover, these four stories had their own independent elevators, potable water, ventilation, drainage, and education system.
Their children normally didn’t make contact with the average employees.

4

The only exception was at the stage of advanced education because there was only one university in the entire company, which was situated on the 350th floor.

2

Children of ordinary employees needed to take exams to determine if they needed to start working or enter university.
In contrast, children from M-rank families were exempt from taking the exams.

1

Within the company, there was nobody who didn’t want to join management, nor was there anyone who didn’t want to be associated with management.

As for ‘Big Boss,’ the ordinary employees didn’t even know what she looked like, much less had a chance to interact with her.
Only at the end of the year, the beginning of the year, or when there was a major event, could they hear her voice through the radio.
Therefore, it was rare for people to fantasize about catching the Big Boss’s eye and immediately getting promoted to management.

1

Of course, rare didn’t mean no chance.
There just weren’t many such occurrences.

The girl in the lead smiled and said, “That’s why I’ve been encouraging you gals to date freely while in school.
Look at Chen Bei.
Her husband was earmarked by the Supply Management Department the moment he graduated.
He must have some background!”

“Meng Xia, you have the cheek to say that? Why didn’t you follow what you preach?” the other girls mocked.

“It’s not like you don’t know me.
I’m all talk.” Meng Xia wasn’t ashamed at all to admit that she didn’t have the courage.

After laughing for a while, the girl in a green top and blue pants curiously asked, “Meng Xia, do you know what rank the family of Chen Bei’s husband is? You two have always been close.”

Meng Xia looked around and said in a suppressed voice, “Rumor has it that he’s the chief inspector of th