Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 621

The Dream of the 'No Name's Land'
St. Joseph's College, Li, Chitt Jerry - 16
“If you are distressed for any reasons, the pain is not due to the cause itself but to your perception of it; you
have the power to revoke it at any moment.”
1 st January, 2056, in the “No Name’s Land”.
Days passed like inexhaustible flow of water in tributaries leading to the boundless ocean, especially for Neo.
The mere idea of the construction of a new utopia has always been appealing him since he was a child. The
ceremonious opening of the new utopia was even an amethyst to Neo when he was now in his latetwenties.
Above all, the synchronized mass movement of millions of individuals to transfer from neatly
ordered ranks of cubicles from the old city into a whole new world seemed to be a pipe dream by all.
Neo was staring at the vast six-lane highway situated out of the windows of his house in the distance,
almost hypnotized by the sight. The very place he resided was the “No Name’s Land”. With a geographical
area of 3.485 million km² and an approximate population of 585.7 million, the land prided itself on pursuing
green development and ecological conservation as well as sharing the benefits of development and
improving people's livelihood, which mingled with the unique cultures from Hong Kong, Macau and the
Mainland China.
Commercial sectors and the natural environment were separated equally, with regard to the area’s reassuring
principle mentioned above. Bushwhacking in the northeast forests, one might be staring straight into the
shimmering round eyes of the snub-nosed monkeys. Upon laying steps on the open meadow, one might
have to be surefooted not to wake the North China leopards while dwellers were seen developing a peace of
mind off the beaten track. On the flip side, skyscrapers towered upon on concrete soil, resonating with the
vibrant metropolitan atmosphere in the southwest regions. Apart from moving households, the utopia also
rolled out the red carpet for big business companies, merging various multinational conglomerate holding
companies such as Tencent and Alibaba. Thanks to technology, the area’s development was booming at
unprecedented speeds. Autonomous driving, asteroid mining and Smart City were revolutionizing the way
the natives lived.
Albeit all the technological advances, Neo’s face was blank, closed like a lifer’s face. His father abandoned
Neo and his mother when he was just three years old. Nevertheless, Neo came through his public exams
with flying colours and successfully entered the University of Hong Kong. But one day in Neo’s sophomore
year, he made a scene with his mother while driving, which then crashed the car accidentally and lost his
mother. He then resolved to drop out of school. For all these years, the bleak picture of a fragmented family
had eaten up his mind so much that he failed to see the light through rose-tinted spectacles. Driven by
deep-rooted sorrow in the past and new temptation in the “No Name’s Land”, he continued to commit
crimes after he moved to this new world.
Year 2052, two years before the establishment of the “No Name’s Land”.
Five hundred miles to the southwest in the Main Lab of The Mysterious Refreshments in Chongqing,
China, Priscilla Chan was safe in the knowledge of her new beverage.
“Finally, that’s it. Our chocolate milk will definitely leave all humans mesmerized.”
As the founder of The Mysterious Refreshments, she had always been proud of herself when The
Mysterious Refreshments topped the list of soaring worldwide beverages market. There was no gainsaying
that the drinks from their company were so common that one would be considered an outcast to humanity
if he or she hasn’t tried them once in a lifetime.
While scrutinizing the automatic conveyor belt of the production line of Q-37 out of the Lab’s window,
she couldn’t stop fidgeting about the past albeit her enterprising facade. The cohesion of her old students