[Three work schedule changes have affected the availability. To be determined.]
Jiang Ge is the adjutant to Pang Xi, supreme commander of the Night Tower airship forces. He handles the forces’ affairs, large and small, every day. Impartial and iron-fisted, he has made plenty of enemies among the military’s senior ranks. People call him “Pang Xi’s dog” and hate him for “throwing his weight around,” but they can do nothing about him.
After all, behind him stands Pang Xi, who comes from the Ford family. Pang Xi is an impressive man who rose to fame at eighteen, earned countless military honors by twenty, and advanced through the ranks to become commander, winning the wholehearted respect of the military.
But one day, Pang Xi defected from Night Tower without a word.
His sworn enemies, who had been sickened into silence by the Pang faction: !
Members of the airship forces with personal grudges against Jiang Ge: !!!
Everyone thought that without Pang Xi, its central figure, the Pang faction would never recover. No one took the “dog” Pang Xi had abandoned seriously.
The Pang faction’s enemies threw a party to celebrate, while Jiang Ge’s own foes rushed over to kick him while he was down, hoping to crush him outright as he was stripped of his position and investigated.
And yet...
“The harder I tried to stomp on Jiang Ge, the stronger he got. At first they sent him back to the lower district, but thanks to all our kicking him while he was down, he made it back to Night Tower, returned to the airship forces, and even took Pang Xi’s place as commander. Now he’s running for governor. What? Why hasn’t he taken revenge on me? Oh, I gave up trying to oppose him ages ago. Now I’m his underling. Heh heh.”
- From the private call logs of a Night Tower military lieutenant who wishes to remain anonymous
*
Everyone praises Pang Xi, commander of the airship forces, as a young prodigy. Only Jiang Ge knows that Pang Xi is all show. Jiang Ge is the one who truly manages the airship forces’ every affair and has built up its countless achievements. He is the “acting deputy commander” in all but name.
Jiang Ge was born into a humble family. The Night Tower military is riddled with entrenched interests, and only young masters from financial dynasties and old noble families can rise quickly and seize real power. Jiang Ge worked with Pang Xi, standing in his shadow and personally building him a ladder to success, all to achieve his own goals.
But a showpiece is still just a showpiece. After Pang Xi defected, Jiang Ge had no choice but to give up his illusions and start from scratch, climbing his way back up Night Tower one step at a time.
After he had struggled to reach the top and regain power, Pang Xi suddenly returned. His subordinates began to waver.
Subordinates: “Commander Pang Xi’s command skills are plain for all to see. His many military achievements back then...”
Jiang Ge: “I did those.”
Subordinates: “Commander Pang Xi’s deployment and logistics...”
Jiang Ge: “I did those too.”
Subordinates: “The commander was good to us. Back then, we...”
Jiang Ge: “Oh, that was me too.”
*An unconventional cyberpunk setting, with a mountain of original worldbuilding
*Includes ABO elements, but differs greatly from mainstream ABO, and is closer to the class system in Brave New World
*The title has changed. It was previously called The Age of Prosperity
*Final blurb dated 2025.10.4
Theme: Resist oppression.
