bureaucratic-discipline

This chapter follows Jaidee, a captain in the Environment Ministry, as he enforces strict coal rationing regulations on a Chaozhou Chinese factory owner in a flooded Bangkok struggling against rising seas and ecological collapse. The narrative explores the tensions between different Chinese communities, the loyalty and pragmatism of the Chaozhou, and the broader challenges faced by the Kingdom in maintaining its sovereignty and environmental stability amid plagues, climate change, and corporate pressures. Jaidee reflects on the Ministry's expanding role in managing ecological and societal crises, emphasizing the long-term vision symbolized by the tortoise emblem.