Life Game In Other World
Chapter 481: The Spread of Dampness Qi

Chapter 481: Chapter 481: The Spread of Dampness Qi

Limen City

When He Ao awoke from the hotel bed once again, night had already fallen.

The "King of Nightfall" in his field of vision was still emitting a faint glow.

"Do you want to use two Exchange Stars to redeem one day of usage for the ’King of Nightfall’? (Your current available Exchange Stars: 0)"

The usage time for the character card had ended, and it seemed that the price would increase for the second use.

Before the character card expired, He Ao bid farewell to the old butler, Danny Lowe, and Lina, and lay back down in the life-sustaining pod.

As for Vian’s life status, Danny Lowe and Lina tacitly avoided the inquiry.

For them, it wasn’t important how Vian had woken up; what mattered was the result of waking up.

As long as it was possible to wake up once, there would be a second and a third time.

He Ao stood up from the bed and gazed at the night view outside the window.

He raised his hand to check the time.

Roger and Ennie should have almost reached Kaye City by now.

The plan for the transport aircraft to reach Limen City was affected by Stars Pharma and was not approved. In the end, the means of transportation for Roger and Ennie changed to an airship under the Nolanka Group, which had to bypass Stars Pharma’s sphere of influence during the flight, significantly lengthening the travel time.

However, before the character card’s usage time ended, He Ao had already arranged everything for the two of them, so this did not have a major impact.

The Mercenary Corps of both Nolanka Group and Stars Pharma had arrived near No. 146 Fortress City.

The two major Mercenary Corps were now in a tense standoff on the main thoroughfare outside of No. 146 Fortress City.

The entire Federation’s attention was focused there.

It had been many years since the Federation had experienced a large-scale open war between major conglomerates. This sudden event disrupted many people’s routines.

An inquiry letter from the President’s office of the Federation had already been sent to the board of the Nolanka Group before He Ao had returned.

The Federation strictly prohibited armed conflicts between conglomerates.

Stars Pharma most likely had received the same inquiry letter.

In response to this inquiry, before leaving, He Ao asked the spokesperson to hold a press conference and re-emphasized that this was merely a ’military exercise’.

The Nolanka Group had no intention of creating any armed conflict.

In response to this ’statement,’ Stars Pharma also held a press conference, stating that the Nolanka Group "crossed the activity boundaries set by the various Mercenary Corps without permission, entered the defense range of the Stars Mercenary Corps, and seriously threatened the normal commercial trades of Stars Pharma’s caravans."

The Nolanka Group denied Stars Pharma’s claim about activity boundaries and cited the "Mercenary Act," stating that all licensed Mercenary Corps had the obligation to help emerging cities clear exotic beasts nearby and maintain the safety around the cities.

This act did indeed exist, but without interests at stake, no conglomerate would be willing to mobilize their Mercenary Corps to clear exotic beasts for others.

Normally, the conglomerate that helps guard newly built cities would gain some policy preferential treatment in that city, gaining an advantage in the early competition or even a monopolistic position.

Although Stars Pharma had marked No. 146 City within its sphere of influence early on, it seldom contributed to the construction and defense of the city. The security during the entire city’s construction period largely depended on the military directly subordinate to the Federal Central.

In short, Stars Pharma wanted to hitch a ride without buying a ticket.

He Ao seized this legal loophole, sent the Mercenary Corps to No. 146 Fortress City to forcibly intervene, bought a ticket to gain legal advantage, and then jostled for a seat on the ride.

This aggressive move naturally displeased Stars Pharma, but they could not present any substantial legal reasoning to prove they had any priority in No. 146 City.

They could only mobilize a wave of Mercenary Corps back to No. 146 Fortress City to confront the Nolanka Group, then suppress the Nolanka Group in other places, relying on violence and power to wrest control of the new city.

This was something He Ao had anticipated before deploying the troops, and it was also the reason why Danny had reminded him that No. 146 City was within the influence of Stars Pharma.

Without procuring any legal justification, as long as one puts out the word, marking the city within one’s trade sphere, other conglomerates wouldn’t dare to snatch it, or they would face rabid retaliation.

This was the arrogance and high-handedness of Stars Pharma, a top-ten super-conglomerate in the Federation.

At this moment, Stars Pharma was probably already preparing means to retaliate against the Nolanka Group. The longer the delay, the greater the pressure on the Nolanka Group would be.

He Ao looked up at the Stars Pharma building outside the window of Limen City, picked up his coat from the hat rack, and draped it over his shoulders.

He straightened his attire, glanced at the slim and tall middle-aged man in the mirror through the hotel’s dressing mirror.

He slightly opened his coat, focusing on the neatly arranged vials inside.

In the Research Institute’s underground safe were nineteen Life Elixirs, thirteen D-level Strengthening Potions, and Zadi had six C-level Strengthening Potions on him; he had also obtained three Life Elixirs from Shadow at the beginning.

So, he now had a total of twenty-two Life Elixirs, thirteen D-level Strengthening Potions, and six C-level Strengthening Potions.

All these potions were stored in the vial pockets stuck on the inside of his coat.

He had planned to wait until Ennie left before going back for his coat, but to his surprise, Ennie brought it out for him.

The number of reagents was correct, Ennie would not tamper with his belongings without reason.

The short sword and bayonet were also clipped inside the coat.

He observed the man in the mirror.

From now on, he was on his own again.

He walked to the door, took the round top hat from the rack, and gently placed it on his head.

His initial goal had never been to compete for the market of No. 146 City.

The armed forces of Stars Pharma near No. 146 Fortress City could only be those stationed outside Limen City. They were the nearest and could quickly reach No. 146 City in a short time to stand off against the Nolanka Group Mercenary Corps and halt their actions.

With the standoff happening, the attention of the entire Federation was drawn to the vicinity of No. 146 City, even the Federal Central Government was attracted by the struggle.

And for some people, this was the perfect opportunity.

He Ao slowly opened the hotel door and left the room.

The effects of the "King of Nightfall" character card were not just to let him experience Vian’s life for a short time again, but also to borrow previous achievements to temporarily have the ability to mobilize massive resources for planning within a limited time.

He was still alone, but not entirely alone.

The hotel elevator descended quickly, followed by a crisp sound as the doors slowly opened.

Right in front of this hotel was the grand Stars Pharma building.

Through the dazzling lights on the transparent glass wall, He Ao could see the tallest building in Dawn City.

Originally the city had two B-levels, now there was only one.

He Ao stepped out of the hotel.

The moment he left the hotel lobby, he felt a moist sensation in the air.

Limen City wasn’t far from the Storm Sea and usually had high humidity, but the moistness He Ao felt now was much higher than what he remembered.

He looked up at the sky, the Moon and stars were dim, with grey clouds obscuring the firmament.

These clouds, reflecting the flashing neon lights, cast a continuous glow that slowly shrouded the city.

He Ao reached out and grasped at the air.

The moist breath flowed between his fingers, the air so damp it seemed water droplets could condense out of the void.

People on the streets, coming and going, did not seem to notice the change in the air. They hurried along or laughed and cursed, moving amidst these increasingly thick clouds.

He Ao straightened his clothes and walked slowly along the sidewalk.

"Dad!"

A call came from behind.

He Ao stopped walking and turned to look back.

A 12 or 13-year-old girl, who looked like she was in middle school, was leaning against a sparkling window, staring at the pretty little cakes inside.

"What’s wrong?"

The man in an old coat slowly came up from behind, standing behind the girl, he followed his daughter’s gaze to the small cakes in the window.

He reached into his pocket and felt the pilled fabric of the coat.

"Look at how pretty this cake is."

The girl stared at the cake in the window, the bright lights reflecting in her pearl-like eyes, the shining colors building a world in her sight.

"Want some?"

The man behind glanced at the digital price tag in the window, fumbled in his coat pocket, lifted his palm, and slowly revealed a corner of crumpled banknotes.

"I don’t want it," the girl quickly turned around, gave the man a grin, "I can make this too,"

She folded her hands behind her and hopped forward, "Dad, I’ll tell you, I learned a new way to make little cakes. Although it doesn’t look as nice, it’s definitely tastier than this one."

The man glanced at his daughter’s back, then back at the elegant window display, revealing a wry smile before putting his half-extended hand back into his pocket.

He caught up with his daughter’s steps.

"Dad, you’re not talking, don’t you believe it?" the girl said cheerfully, "Then buy me some flour, I’ll make it for you in the morning, I’ve already picked it out,"

She drew a circle in front of her, "Five dollars for a bag this~ big."

"That cheap?"

The man feigned surprise.

"Absolutely!"

The girl smiled, pinching the washed white corner of her garment.

······

He Ao shifted his gaze away, turned, and continued to walk forward.

The humidity in the air was increasing, and these moist vapors carried a chilly coldness that brushed He Ao’s cheeks.

The pedestrians on the street became sparser, and the dim streetlights, shining in the thick clouds, blurred the vision.

He Ao stopped walking.

Suddenly, he remembered he hadn’t eaten all day.

He reached into his pocket, intending to find a fast-food restaurant for something to eat,

but just as his hand slipped into his pocket, his movement paused for a moment.

He pinched a slightly deformed small box out of his coat pocket.

It was a plainly packaged little cake, and on the box, written with a marker, it said,

[Silly Dad, remember to eat.]