There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)

The pillar of society was the middle class; there was a saying like that in the old age before the apocalypse. This saying, of course, changed in the new age.

The pillar of society was the yellow-zone.

The green-zone’s cities like Althrea, while guaranteeing safety, could only be enjoyed by the privileged, or those who worked for the privileged. It wasn’t large in the first place, and there would only be one city per green-zone, while the rest of the field was used for building resorts and premium farmland.

The yellow-zone, however, had multiple cities, towns, and industrial complexes. While it didn’t have the level of security that the green-zone enjoyed, it was a place where most of the Federation’s industries were located, so the government would never neglect its security.

Compared to the green-zone, it wasn’t as secure or as clean, but it encompassed the largest area, and most of the middle-class citizens lived there. It was a place where the production of daily life’s goods and services was located, and fifty percent of guilds were operated. Rather than the green-zone, the Federation would receive a bigger setback should the yellow-zones fall.

Located east of the green-zone of area 13 for about two hours of journey, was the nearest yellow-zone city, Neyta. While Zein had traveled through the yellow-zone to reach Althrea, he had never set foot inside a yellow-zone city itself.

It didn’t have a tall, big, fortress-like gate like the green-zone’s cities. Instead, the region slowly turned from farmlands to factories, and after crossing a bridge, housing and commercial district made the border. The road still led to a checkpoint, but there was no strict scrutinization like the green-zone’s gate. Since yellow-zone also acted like a hub, a lot of people from the green or orange-zone also frequented the area. The checkpoint was only used to register who came and go, and checked for any wanted people on the loose.

Of course, they had to warn the guards not to make a fuss when they scanned the passengers of their seemingly plain white car, but otherwise, there was nothing notable about their entry.

But just from the gate, Zein could feel the difference in energy. The place was bustling, since it was midday, and people were coming out to enjoy the weekend. He could see people of all ages and professions, with all kinds of expressions and emotions; those who were happy, those who looked worried...

The building was neat in one place and seemed haphazard in others. The air feels alright even with the pollution, and the city was a mix of greenery and concrete jungle. Big billboards, neon signs, the sounds of car horns, and people screaming at their commlink. Hurried steps, boisterous laughter, running children.

There was a sense of comfort and normalcy in the way people went about their business. There were so many sounds and sceneries flooded Zein’s senses, that felt very different from the green-zone’s calm and orderly atmosphere, or the red-zone’s depressing vibe.