2104, in a small country on the southern border of the East Continent called Chicken Snake Country, in the conservative territory of Qiayang City.
The sky after the rain was a depressing gray.
The slowly east-moving cumulonimbus clouds resembled a range of gaseous mountains, blocking the sun from view.
The air was suffused with a subtle odor, a mix of feces and overnight refuse, nauseating to breathe in.
Two fully-loaded trucks plowed through the muddy puddles, passing in front of Chen Ke.
In front of him was a large white concrete house, beneath its white walls lined a queue of men and women, and at the end of the line was a small table where an accountant was taking names, speaking loudly in a dialect he couldn't understand.
The clothing of the people around was very plain, and Chen Ke's suit seemed somewhat out of place.