—Life is precious; death is fearsome.
Ke Yiyi had been sent out, and while she had considered various scenarios she might encounter, she had never imagined this particular situation.
After dropping off her backpack and luggage, Ke Yiyi took the black letter and made her way into town.
The so-called ‘black letter’ was, in fact, an alias for a notice of death. To distinguish it from ordinary mail, the envelope was adorned with a black border, hence its ominous name.
Ke Yiyi felt a profound reluctance. She hadn’t anticipated such a task right after reporting for duty. It wasn’t that she feared hardship or disliked the nature of the work itself.
However, recalling the state of the elderly lady she had encountered earlier, she couldn’t shake the feeling that delivering such a letter to the family of a fallen soldier was simply too—too unbearably heavy.
Despite her internal turmoil, her feet continued to move forward.
Her instructor had once told her that many things in this world needed to be done by someone, and evasion would solve nothing.
Ke Yiyi navigated the town, referencing the address on the letter. Along the way, anyone who caught sight of the black envelope in her hand instinctively kept their distance. No one wished for such a letter to be addressed to them.
There were few men to be seen on the streets, and it took her nearly half an hour of twists and turns to locate the address on the first letter.
It was a modest two-story house nestled in the town’s northwest corner, fronted by a simple, unassuming yard. Ke Yiyi pressed the doorbell, and an ancient voice, sounding at least seventy, if not eighty, drifted from within.
“The door isn’t locked… come in.”
Ke Yiyi didn’t understand why the door was left unlocked, but since someone was inside, entering directly wouldn’t be considered trespassing.
In the yard, a makeshift canopy had been set up, beneath which an elderly man sat at a table, writing on a sheet of paper with a fountain pen. His forehead was bald, his sparse, grey hair gathered at the back of his head. He wore a pair of reading glasses, their frames connected by a thin string to his shirt pocket, perhaps to prevent them from falling.
‘Why write in this snowy weather? Isn’t he cold?’ she wondered.
He turned his head slightly, his expression somewhat vacant, as if his mind wasn’t entirely clear. Upon seeing the police officer, his gaze slowly shifted to the black letter in Ke Yiyi’s hand.
The fountain pen clattered onto the table, then rolled to the ground. His fingers trembled uncontrollably as he braced himself against the table, slowly rising to his feet.
Ke Yiyi watched his body convulse, fearing he might collapse at any moment. Just as she prepared to step forward and support him, the old man, with a trembling hand, removed his glasses. He stared at the ground at his feet, bent down to retrieve the pen, and finally fixed his gaze on Ke Yiyi, walking towards her one step at a time.
“Sir, this is…”
“I… I know… Please, don’t speak loudly… My wife is ill… she cannot endure fright. Forgive me, Officer.”
Ke Yiyi handed the letter to the elder, her hand trembling so violently that she had to grip her wrist with her other hand, trying desperately to calm herself.
“Don’t be afraid, child. I was prepared. From the moment he left for the battlefield, I was ready.”
The old man, far from being scared, instead offered comfort to Ke Yiyi.
“You’re new, aren’t you? You’ll get used to delivering them in time.”
When he uttered the words ‘get used to delivering them,’ a shiver ran through Ke Yiyi’s body, as if she had just heard the most terrifying phrase imaginable.
He slowly opened the envelope, and as his eyes fell upon the thin sheet of paper, they welled up with tears.
“Thank you… Thank you, Officer. Coming all this way in such snowy weather to deliver… to deliver this thing…”
Ke Yiyi’s face was etched with sorrow. Unable to find the right words, she could only whisper.
“My condolences.”
She turned and left, carefully closing the courtyard gate behind her.
She had intended to proceed to the next house, but her legs felt like lead, utterly unwilling to move another step.
‘The next house… what kind of expression will I see there?’
A sense of powerlessness, unlike anything she had ever known, enveloped and consumed her. She leaned against the wall outside the courtyard, gazing up at the overcast sky.
‘Perhaps… I should rest for a moment… and then go?’
From inside the courtyard, she heard voices—a voice even weaker than the old man’s.
“Old man… who was just here?”
“It was the police, delivering a letter. It’s a letter from our son on the front lines…”
“Let me see… His handwriting is still as beautiful as ever, just like yours when you were young… Sigh! The radio says Xuanji Star has already reached Cloud Mountain Peninsula… I wonder when he’ll be able to return!”
“He’ll return when the war is over. Look, I leave the door unlocked for him every day… I’m afraid he won’t be able to get in when he comes back…”
Ke Yiyi clasped her hand over her mouth, struggling to suppress any sound.
She truly couldn’t bear to listen anymore.
She stumbled away from the small courtyard, fleeing in a desperate rush. She fell in the snow mid-path but felt no pain. Scrambling back to her feet, she ran wildly, not even noticing when the black letter slipped from her pocket. Realizing it was gone, she crawled and stumbled back to retrieve it, then resumed her frantic escape, terrified of hearing such words again.
Leaning against a tree, she gasped for breath. ‘Why am I like this? What’s wrong with me?’
‘Am I overly sentimental, or simply weak and timid?’
‘I am a police officer; I cannot cry. Nothing can break me. I must be strong. It’s just delivering a few letters, the simplest job, the simplest job! If I can’t even do this well, what can I achieve?’
‘It’s alright… it’s alright… Ke Yiyi! You need to pull yourself together. This is only the first day, only the first step. There are many more days ahead! Many more paths await you!’
Wiping away her tears, she comforted herself. She fiercely scooped up snow from the ground and haphazardly applied it to her face, patting it several times. Her spirit invigorated, she grabbed the letter and continued towards the next house.
As she took her first steps, she unconsciously glanced back towards the courtyard.
The old man writing letters… leaving his door unlocked… ‘So that’s what it was all about.’
Everything she was doing wasn’t just simple work. Behind each letter were living, breathing people just like her, and a family that was once peaceful and harmonious, now shattered.
She carried the sorrow and despair of these families. She couldn’t evade it; she had to face it all, just as their loved ones faced it.
Ke Yiyi knocked on the door of the second family. This time, she was greeted by a girl.
“Officer, is there something you need?”
The girl wore a high school uniform, appearing no older than sixteen or seventeen. Her hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and her foreign lineage was evident from her features. She regarded Ke Yiyi with wide, clear eyes.
Looking into those limpid eyes, Ke Yiyi found herself momentarily speechless.
When she finally composed herself, she felt incredibly lucky that the girl spoke the Blaze Clan language.
“Aren’t you in school?”
“School hasn’t reopened yet because the war started during summer vacation.”
The girl paused, then added.
“All the teachers have gone to the battlefield…”
“Oh… here.”
Ke Yiyi didn’t know what to say. She took out the black letter and handed it to the girl, her hand not trembling as violently this time. The girl, in turn, accepted it with a puzzled expression.
“What is this?”
“It’s… it’s…”
Ke Yiyi was momentarily tongue-tied. Every time she tried to utter ‘notice of death,’ the words caught in her throat.
“I’ll be going now.”
Ke Yiyi didn’t want to stay another second, wishing only to vanish from that place and proceed to her next destination.
Through the swirling wind and snow, she faintly heard the girl’s voice, seemingly shouting to someone.
“Μαμά, Η αστυνομία έφερε παράξενα γράμματα.”
Immediately after, a woman’s wailing pierced the air.
Although the sound faded into the distance, Ke Yiyi, as a player, still heard it with remarkable clarity. This exceptional hearing was both an advantage and a disadvantage.
While she didn’t understand what the girl had said, she recognized the intonation of ‘Mama.’ It seemed that word was universally understood.
‘Next… the next house!’
She dared not stop, quickly following the road signs to locate the next address.
There were only four letters in total, yet with each delivery, Ke Yiyi felt her pocket grow heavier, pressing down on her as if to suffocate her.
Before the war, she had virtually no connection to Vega. It was solely because of this conflict that she, as a refugee, fled into Vega’s territory, was then transported to the rear, joined Vega, and became a police officer.
She couldn’t explain why, but she found herself easily swayed by the emotions of others. She had once been so carefree in the mountains, yet here, she felt an overwhelming sense of oppression.
‘It must be that I’m not strong enough… As long as I’m strong enough, all this oppression will dissipate like smoke.’
Vega had taken her in, and she had to perform this job well, not to disappoint her instructors.
After delivering the last letter, Ke Yiyi leaned against a lamppost. In just one afternoon, she had witnessed the shattering of four families.
She walked along the deserted streets, gazing at the still-pleasant town, unable to comprehend why it had come to this.
‘Why did Xuanji Star attack Vega?’
‘Why did Vega crumble?’
‘And even…’
‘Why is there war at all?’
‘Can people not survive without fighting?’
Too many questions remained unanswered. Her instructors, though capable, couldn’t provide answers to these doubts. They had only told her that Vega and Xuanji Star were locked in a war to the death, one where compromise was impossible. It could only end when one side was utterly annihilated.
Yet, Vega was neither weak nor alone. Millions of peace-loving people across Southern Dipper Star, Gouchen Star, Hegu Star, Yaoguang Star, Luoyan Star, Xuliang Star, and Canshang Star were supporting Vega, helping it win this war. They stood with Vega, united to resist the largest invasion in the history of the Eastern Continent.
‘Vega will win…’
‘It will definitely win…’
‘But before victory is achieved…’
‘How many more must die?’
Ke Yiyi didn’t know the answer, nor did she wish to ponder it.
She didn’t care who won or lost; she only wanted the war to end immediately, for no more lives to be lost.
But she also knew that this was impossible.
She shook her head helplessly, having initially believed police work would be easy. She had been far too naive.
Yet, she couldn’t retreat now. Man Dage had told her never to fear any hardships or obstacles, but to face them bravely. The less one feared difficulties, the more difficulties would fear them.
With this thought, Ke Yiyi mustered her courage, took a deep breath, and ran towards the town police station.
A trail of black footprints spread across the pristine white ground, carving her own path through the untouched snow.
The wind and snow intensified. It was the first snowfall of New Era 213, and the heaviest Vega had seen in thirty years.