Giant Stone City Industrial Zone, a notice stood at the entrance bearing names and numbers.
A dense crowd gathered in front of the notice board.
From time to time, excited cheers erupted as people who found their names exhibited the same exhilaration as lottery winners. Surrounding onlookers cast envious glances their way, regretting that they hadn't responded to the call sooner or worked harder when they did.
Not counting the scavengers outside the city, Giant Stone City hardly had primary industry, just secondary and tertiary. Despite stricter labor laws sending sub-sixteen workers to full-time residential schools with food and lodging provided, there were tens of thousands of registered workers.
The 1,800 free apartments were like buckets of water poured on drought-stricken land, yet for many, they sparked hopes of better days ahead.
