Life Game In Other World
Chapter 163: K (Long - , Please Subscribe, Add to Favorites, Request Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: K (Long Chapter, Please Subscribe, Add to Favorites, Request Monthly Tickets)

Half an hour later

He Ao sat in the corner of the café and calmly opened the tablet on the table.

Through the corner window, he could see the bustling crowd outside, with many people wearing smiles on their faces and shouldering large bags of flour.

He Ao knew that their happiness did not stem from someone standing up to fight for their rights, but from receiving enough flour today to feed their family for most of the month.

Christos’s speech seemed inflammatory at first listen, but in the long history of Dawn City, more than one politician had risen to power on slogans like "increasing wages," "reforming healthcare," and "raising taxes on corporations."

When the current Mayor Wente was running for office, he also claimed he would raise everyone’s wages. Eight years into his tenure, the hourly minimum wage had increased by 0.05 federal coins.

It had increased, but not completely.

Even so, many corporations and businesses did not comply with this minimum wage.

For example, in the service industry where tips are expected, if a server does not make enough in tips to meet the minimum wage, Dawn City’s laws require the boss to make up the difference, but very few bosses actually do this.

The election for the Mayor of Dawn City had become a game of choosing the least bad candidate from a selection of bad ones.

"Hello, is this seat taken?"

A mild voice came through.

He Ao looked up and saw Christos’s smiling face.

He put down the tablet and spoke softly, "No, please sit."

"Aren’t you afraid that I’ve surrounded the place with my people?"

As Christos spoke, he picked up the tablet on the table and ordered a black coffee. Then, he turned to He Ao, "Would you like something to drink?"

He Ao shook his head to indicate he didn’t want coffee, then through his thick mask, he looked at Christos and smiled, "You wouldn’t have people come to arrest me."

This was his basic judgment of Christos after their several encounters.

Whether or not Christos would fulfill his campaign slogans, at least on a personal level, he was a smart and bold man.

He wouldn’t be intimidated by a simple message.

"It seems you know me well?" Christos glanced at the short sword sheathed in the mechanical scabbard on the table, then looked up at He Ao’s somewhat strange mask, "How may I address you?"

He had seen that short sword before; in fact, he had supplied some of the mechanical materials for the scabbard.

"Let’s talk about something else first."

He Ao raised his hand, and the image on his bracelet projected onto the table. It was the photo he had taken in the hotel room.

The photo clearly showed the body of the security personnel by the window who had long been dead, the sniper rifle scattered beside, and the assassin nailed to the wall.

With his extensive experience being targeted for assassination, Christos immediately understood, "So which corporation is behind this attempt on me this time?"

"Avis Energy Group."

He Ao looked out the window at the back door of the Avis Machinery Factory.

"Indeed, it’s something they’re capable of doing."

Christos chuckled, aware that He Ao wouldn’t have mentioned, "I helped you take out an assassin," without further intention. So, he asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I need a favor from you."

He Ao shrugged, "Perhaps you might not need to do the favor, but I’ll contact you when the time comes."

"Alright,"

Christos agreed readily, glancing at the short sword He Ao had placed on the table before suddenly asking, "You must have listened to some of my speech just now? What do you think?"

"If it’s achievable, that’s naturally for the best," He Ao leaned back on the sofa,

"But how do you plan to do it? From what I gather, you mean to target the syndicates? Then how will you contend with their organized security forces and the entangled interests that have ensnared the elite?"

"Honestly, I have no way to," Christos leaned back too, watching the workers come and go from the factory outside the window,

"Six years ago, when I first became a city councilor, I fought hard to pass a bill named ’Dangerous Occupation Accident Insurance Act.’

The bill required all factories to purchase accident insurance for workers in hazardous positions. Prior to this, those workers had no protection at all; even if an accident occurred, they could only receive a meager compensation, and with their limited power, they couldn’t challenge the high-paid lawyer teams of factories.

I exerted myself to get the bill passed and negotiated with the financial and insurance syndicates to lower the insurance rates to a minimum and forced the factories to comply. And the result?"

Christos looked at He Ao, smiling wryly, "The factories banded together, incrementally laid off those workers in hazardous positions, and hired new workers at even lower wages."

"They cut a portion of the wages to pay for the accident insurance?"

He Ao looked at Christos.

"No, not just that," Christos chuckled,

"After deducting the cost of accident insurance, they pressed their wages down even further.

During that time, workers would block my car every day, insult me, blaming me for causing them to lose jobs or for the reduction in their income. Later, through my mediation, the syndicates controlling the factories agreed to raise the wages slightly. In exchange, I agreed not to push any bills relating to factories in the future.

Even after the raise, the workers’ wages were not restored to their original levels."

"How did you retaliate?"

He Ao looked at Christos, asking with a smile.

Had Christos truly swallowed such losses, he wouldn’t still have his current fighting spirit and clout.

"During that time, I happened to make a friend from the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Christos laughed softly, not expecting He Ao to pick up on the crucial point so quickly,

"And I happened to come by some evidence of these syndicates smuggling materials from the wilderness. It just so happened that my friend saw this evidence and afterward some people were arrested and sentenced to various terms from three to thirty-six months. Each company was fined tens of millions.

After that, they agreed to restore the workers’ wages to the original level, and they even increased it a bit."

"I think I understand why they want to kill you so much."

He Ao laughed.

He suddenly remembered the intelligence report about Viktor at the Slanca family residence, which said that Viktor might have private dealings with Christos and Bald Smith.

Inversing this logic, Christos might also know Smith. Hence, the ’friend from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’ he mentioned was likely Selena’s boss, that Bald Smith.

"But after that, I could hardly push any bill through,"

Christos gave a bitter laugh, "In fact, for a long time, I’ve been pondering whether what I’m doing is right, whether it makes sense, whether I should continue?

After all, as you can see, these things are quite difficult to succeed in, and the resistance I could face far exceeds my capabilities. And once I give up the fight for these, with my current status, I could live a life far more comfortable than the vast majority of people."

Then he paused and turned his gaze to He Ao,

"But not long ago, I figured it all out. There are some things in this world that always need someone to do them, even if they’re filled with thorns, there still has to be someone who clears the first thorn, who steps out the first footprint."

"You might die."

He Ao looked at him calmly.

"Everyone dies," Christos smiled, "I just hope that when I die, the world will have changed a bit, even if I only ignited some flame in people’s hearts."

He glanced at He Ao with a meaningful look, "Some people die, and that’s the end, while others die leaving behind a blazing torch."

Of course, He Ao knew what he was trying to probe. From the beginning of this conversation, Christos was testing He Ao and Roy’s relationship; these topics were not really brought up casually but were designed.

"How much does the accidental injury insurance you purchased for the factory pay out if someone dies?"

He Ao didn’t follow the topic but instead asked.

"The accidental death compensation is between 300,000 and 500,000," Christos answered patiently, "However, these factories usually only buy the 300,000 standard insurance."

"I see, thank you."

He Ao picked up the dagger on the table, slowly stood up, and grabbed the handle of the suitcase beside him.

"So, what should I call you?"

Christos asked again.

"You can call me," He Ao took out a playing card from his sleeve and placed it in front of Christos,

"K."

"Is that your name, or the name of your organization?"

Christos picked up the playing card laid on the table and finally asked the question he had wanted to ask.

This sentence was essentially inquiring whether He Ao and Roy, and even Regit who initially had the dagger, were members of the same organization.

He Ao paused for a moment, then slowly said,

"Anyone can be K."

With that said, he dragged his suitcase and left the café.

"K..."

Christos picked up the playing card from the table.

It was the King of Spades.

"Your coffee."

The smart robot brought the coffee to Christos.

"Thank you."

Christos reached for his coffee.

Meanwhile, a hand reached out from the side and took the playing card from Christos’s hand.

"It looks like your ’meeting’ went well," the silver-haired man with a ponytail commented while looking at the playing card in his hand,

"In cards, the K stands for King, Leader, Ruler, and in older times, this term was used for someone inheriting the leader’s mantle.

And the spades means sword, some interpret it as justice.

What does this imply? A King who upholds justice with their sword?"

"Maybe he just randomly put a playing card in front of me."

Christos shrugged.

"Possibly," the silver-haired man laughed. He looked at Christos, "So, is this our new ally?"

Hearing this, Christos pondered for a moment, then shook his head,

"No, the people in this organization give me the feeling they are like passersby in this world. As part of the masses, they witness the development of history, watch it unfold, but they do not participate in history; they just do their own thing methodically."

He paused, looking at the factory gate slowly closing outside the window, "Then they plant the seeds of fire, letting it burn in the direction it should, fiercely."

"The way you describe it sounds like some kind of secretive organization pulling the strings behind the scenes," the silver-haired man laughed and put down the playing card, "This organization seems to have a big influence on you?"

"Yes."

Christos nodded slightly, his mind gradually recalling the night when that man rushed towards the Evil God’s Offspring, "He made me believe that there truly are heroic martyrs in this world,"

He looked back at the man in front of him, "We are not alone."

The silver-haired man’s gaze fell on the playing card in his hand.

He had heard the words He Ao said as he was leaving,

’Everyone can be K.’"

---

Sitting in the taxi on his way to Aston District, He Ao glanced at the three playing cards in his hand, all Ks but each a different suit.

He had no particular study on card suits, just chose the nickname K.

"You have reached your destination."

The autonomous taxi came to a gentle stop, He Ao raised his head, looking through the window.

A sign shining with light caught his eye.

[Huimei Communications]