Life Game In Other World
Chapter 491: At This Moment, Is Hope (Copy World Ends/Large - for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 491: Chapter 491: At This Moment, Is Hope (Copy World Ends/Large Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

Christos personally delivered a speech at the press conference, stating that the medical consortium’s disgusting human experimentation and monopolization of the healthcare market to inflate prices have exceeded what the citizens of Dawn City can accept, as well as the bottom line that the Dawn City government can tolerate.

The Dawn City government does not rule out the possibility of taking necessary measures against the major medical consortia.

In the extremely short time after the press conference concluded, the Dawn City police urgently sealed off Stars Pharma’s Research Institute and the company’s headquarters in Dawn City.

The Dawn City government announced it would launch an investigation into Stars Pharma’s illegal use of banned drugs, illegal restraint of personal freedom, illegal use of Cult items, and fraudulently inflated pricing to deceive consumers.

During the investigation, all of Stars Pharma’s operations in Dawn City will be restricted.

Social commentators have pointed out that if these allegations are proven true, Stars Pharma will not only face hefty fines but could also be subject to Dawn City’s government’s maximum punishment of restricting its business activities within the city.

As the largest city and the biggest consumer market in the Federation, if Stars Pharma can no longer operate in Dawn City and loses this largest market, it would deal a major blow to its leading position in the medical industry, possibly even resulting in its fall from the top echelon of consortia.

Furthermore, several directors and executives of Stars Pharma could face prison.

On that day, Stars Pharma’s stock price plunged, closing with a drop of over 5.5%.

——

October 10th

The federal Bureau of Investigation headquarter held a press conference giving a periodic investigation report on the unusual events in Limen City.

During the conference, Director Thorin of the Limen City FBI presented a report to the media.

This report showed the preliminary investigation results of the FBI.

It included the fact that the late Senator Janos had violated federal law by accepting employment from Stars Pharma, holding a senior management position within the company, and engaging in abuses of power and insider trading.

In addition, the report also displayed photos found by the FBI in the Stars Pharma building in Limen City of large experimental Blood Pools made from humans and exotic beasts, and a large experimental machine constructed from human bodies.

The graphic nature of these photos caused some reporters to retch on the spot.

Director Thorin of the Limen City FBI stated there was sufficient evidence to prove that Stars Pharma was using certain objects related to the Evil God from the wilderness to execute extremely cruel biological projects, and that these projects were being applied in practice; Janos was very likely one of the main drivers of these projects.

The abnormal phenomenon overshadowing Limen City was the result of these objects getting out of control.

About the cause of the event, the FBI has not yet reached a definitive conclusion; however, it is currently speculated that some higher-ups in Stars Pharma intentionally caused this loss of control.

Thorin’s unveiling of this report made the complexions of officials present from the FBI headquarters look rather grave.

The attending reporters shrewdly noticed that this report seemed not to have been planned for the press conference.

"Hello, Director Thorin, can the FBI clarify how this event was resolved?"

During the question period, a reporter, looking somewhat pale, stood up and asked, "To my knowledge, the incident ended before federal investigative support arrived; in such a great disaster, it seems the FBI did not play any role."

Her words turned the already sour faces of the officials from the FBI headquarters completely grim.

"In fact, the FBI has been involved in the investigation of this case,"

Thorin answered slowly, "We assigned an elite agent with a spirit of exploration to delve into this incident. Of course, we must not forget to mention that we received significant aid from a former FBI employee who had resigned,"

At this point, his expression turned somber, "He provided us with a lot of information driven by his strong sense of justice, and during the event, he was the first to identify the issues with the Stars Pharma building. He courageously infiltrated the building, directly confronting the forces and objects of the Evil God, saving our city."

"May we know the name of this ’hero’? Is he still in Limen City?"

That reporter continued to inquire.

"I am sorry, but we cannot disclose his name due to confidentiality principles during the investigation. As for whether he is still alive,"

Thorin sighed lightly, "the truth is, since the event ended, we have not been able to contact him."

The atmosphere suddenly turned somber; everyone present knew what this implied.

The chances of surviving an entanglement with an Evil God event were next to none.

Afterward, a few other reporters asked questions, and Thorin gave a detailed introduction to the investigation results regarding Stars Pharma.

Thorin, previously sitting at the edge, had clearly become the protagonist of this conference, while the other FBI headquarters officials were left hanging.

After the meeting, Nock watched as Thorin and a few of the headquarters officials stepped into the backstage. After a while, several officials from the headquarters left the backstage in a fury, while Thorin emerged with a smile.

Nock hurriedly approached, "Director, didn’t the headquarters tell you not to talk about those things... it could affect the credibility of the Federal Assembly."

"Have there been few scandals involving senators and congressmen in the past few centuries?" Thorin smiled, then said to Nock, "Don’t call me Director anymore. I’ve already submitted my letter of resignation to the headquarters."

"Who are those people? They ostracize you just because you told the truth?"

Nock was stunned and said angrily, "Is the headquarters filled with such useless people? If you quit, I’m quitting too."

"No, they didn’t ostracize me," Thorin said with a smile as he continued to walk outside with Nock, "In fact, we had a pleasant conversation."

"Then why?"

Nock’s face showed some confusion.

"The Senator of Limen City has died,"

By now, they had stepped outside and, through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, they could see the somewhat silent city. Thorin took out a cigarette and passed one to Nock as well, "The Senate can’t have an empty seat."

Nock, not fully understanding, accepted the cigarette, "Are you going to run for Senator? But the expressions on those officials’ faces from the headquarters just now..."

"Don’t put too much faith in the expressions on people’s faces," Thorin said as he put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it, "People can deceive."

The flickering cigarette end emitted little wisps of mist, "In this world, sometimes you need to learn to compromise, and other times you need to find uncompromising ways within compromise. Young man, your life is long, and so is your road ahead."

Thorin turned around, smiling at Nock, "I’ve written you a recommendation letter, referred you to the headquarters. Work hard there. The ones who came today, build a good relationship with them; they have been my colleagues for many years. If you perform well, they too will give you a helping hand."

Nock looked at the director before him.

Suddenly, he felt that this director, who routinely made milk tea every day and regularly went home to spend time with his family, seemed a little unfamiliar.

He hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Director, how come you..."

"I used to think," Thorin glanced at the city outside the window, "that being a director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a safe little city was enough to protect my family."

He turned back towards Nock with a smile, "Now I realize I was wrong."

He took a step, and as he brushed past Nock, he patted Nock’s shoulder, "Work hard, kid."

His figure gradually faded at the end of the corridor.

Watching the director’s receding back, Nock suddenly remembered something and shouted, "Director, I know of a hospital with excellent hair transplant services!"

Into the deserted corridor, Thorin’s figure disappeared into the shadows.

Buzz—

Just then, Nock’s wrist communicator vibrated. It was a message from the director,

[Send me the address].

——

Kaye City

"We never got in touch with him again..."

Ennie watched the news conference on television, somewhat out of it.

"Come," Lina, with her hair in a high ponytail, brought over a black and white dress that somewhat resembled a formal gown, "Ennie, take a look at this dress I bought for you. Try it on and see how it looks."

After spending several days together, their relationship had gradually warmed up. Lina took good care of this young girl who had come to the city alone.

Ennie looked up, staring blankly at this ’older sister’ who had been frequently visiting since she moved into the rental apartment.

"This looks expensive."

Ennie turned off the television and looked at the dress in Lina’s hand.

"You’re now a little rich lady worth millions," Lina said with a smile as she approached with the dress, "You need to wear something that fits your status."

"Millions?"

Ennie was puzzled.

"You didn’t know?"

Lina looked at Ennie with a bit of surprise, "Your father entrusted about three hundred thousand federal coins in cash to Mr. Vian to manage it for him. Mr. Vian leveraged this amount multiple times and performed hedge operations with the group’s funds. Now this money is almost worth thirteen million, and it might even be more by the time it’s finished."

"What?"

Ennie was utterly flabbergasted by Lina’s words.

"According to your father’s wishes, this money will be put into the family trust fund company under the group to be managed for you. You’ll only be able to take a fixed sum of living expenses from it each month."

Lina continued to elaborate.

Ennie was still a bit confused, "So much money, where did it come from?"

"By conducting long and short trades on the securities market against a certain super conglomerate and its related enterprises, um, mainly short selling, you can think of it as betting that a certain conglomerate’s stock price will fall, and then we can make money when it does,"

Lina pondered for a moment and said with some emotion, "Mr. Vian really has guts, pledging many of the consortium’s fixed assets to leverage up into the market, but old Mr. Danny Lowe said that after this time, we could probably obtain more than tens of billions in cash flow from the market, which would greatly alleviate our current financial crisis."

The things Lina was talking about had already exceeded the range of Ennie’s understanding, and she could only stand beside her and nod obediently.

At this moment, Lina also realized she had spoken somewhat intricately and lifted the clothes in her hand, "In any case, you’re now a little rich lady, try this on."

"So, sister," Ennie touched the skirt she had never even dared to dream of before, its high-quality and comfortable texture, "am I a rich second generation now?"

"Sort of?"

Lina tilted her head and whispered softly.

"Hmm."

Ennie gently nodded, her fingers touching the hem of the dress, her vision blurred by the glistening liquid.

——

October 11

The Federal President announced the formation of an investigation team to start an investigation into Stars Pharma.

Shares of Stars Pharma plummeted once again.

Mayor Christos of Dawn City was subjected to an assassination attempt while delivering a speech on medical price regulation.

The assassination was unsuccessful, and the assassin committed suicide before being arrested.

——

November 20

After two months of volatility, the stock price of Stars Pharma ultimately fell by 19.2%, with more than five hundred billion federal coins evaporating in this decline.

As a result, Stars Pharma dropped from the ranking of the top ten market capitalization consortiums in the Federation.

Due to sanctions from both the Federation and the Limen City government, Stars Pharma announced a contraction of its operations in Limen City.

The former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Limen City, Thorin, was elected as a Senator in the reopened elections.

On the same day, the Dawn City council passed the "Medical Price Regulation Act."

The act enforced a mandatory limit on the increase in medical prices in Dawn City, requiring that the annual increase in medical services cannot exceed twice the increase in the Dawn City consumer price index, and the increase in drug prices cannot exceed one and a half times the increase in the Dawn City consumer price index.

Each time there was a price increase, medical conglomerates were required to disclose to the public detailed reasons for the increase, including the manufacturing and research and development costs, net profits, and marketing advertising expenses of drugs and medical services.

In addition, the act also mandated that medical corporations could not engage in consumer price discrimination; the low-cost medical services they provided in other cities must also be offered in Dawn City, and it was forbidden to change the names of the same low-cost medical services in other cities in order to raise prices in Dawn City through a differentiated catalog.

——

November 21

Nolanka Group announced an investment of one billion federal coins to establish a private medical college in Limen City, named "Pet-Qiming Medical College."

The project had already received approval from the Limen City government and certification from the Federal Department of Education.

The college was expected to recruit a batch of pre-medical students in the spring semester of the following January and begin official enrollment for the four-year program in the fall semester of the same year.

At the same time, the school offered a one-year short-term advanced class for students who had medical experience but did not have formal medical credentials to undertake short-term advanced studies.

Late that same day, the Nolanka Group announced again that the group had established "Pet-Qiming Hospitals" in Dawn City, Kaye City, Rock City, and Limen City, providing ’high-quality,’ ’affordable’ medical services to these cities.

The hospital had obtained operating licenses in the above-mentioned four cities.

——

January 10

Limen City

Nolanka Group purchased a building and its attached campus, which was being converted into the main campus of Qiming Medical College.

The school was still under noisy construction in many areas.

But the spring semester of the preparatory school had already begun.

The Nolanka Group had planted a large number of trees and plants in the park’s pathways to beautify the campus environment.

Ennie’s gaze withdrew from the huge ’Pet-Qiming Medical College’ school emblem.

"Once you’re in school, you must study hard,"

Roger, standing behind Ennie, whispered gently.

"Mm,"

Ennie nodded lightly.

"Don’t worry too much," Lina wrapped an arm around her shoulder, smiling, "Your Uncle Roger is a guest professor at this school, and all the teachers here are his fellow disciples. If you encounter any problems at school, just tell us directly."

"Eh?"

Ennie was taken aback.

"Mmhmm," Roger nodded, casually pulling out a bulging backpack from behind, "Remember to do these practice problems. Next time I come to give a lecture, I will explain them to you."

Ennie: "Ah¿"

Lina, bent over with laughter beside her, covered her mouth and whispered to Ennie, "Alright, go in, don’t worry, we’re right behind you."

Ennie turned to look back at the two of them, paused silently, and then nodded gently, carrying her backpack across the brand new gate.

"Will she become an outstanding doctor in the future?"

Lina watched the girl’s receding figure from afar, speaking softly.

"I don’t know," Roger shook his head, "Her life is in her own hands."

"Yeah," Lina nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Roger, "Your disciples won’t proselytize in the school, will they?"

"No," Roger shook his head, "They follow the Oracle to come here, they won’t mess around."

"Thank you for the trouble," Lina sighed, "There were a few professors and lecturers who could’ve helped alleviate your pressure, but Stars Pharma and Welme lured them away with high salaries and even restricted other doctors from coming here."

"It will be better once these kids grow up."

Roger, looking at the small groups of students in the campus, said softly.

"Indeed."

Lina nodded lightly.

······

Ennie walked into the school, observing the people around her. Most of them carried one or two items bearing the Nolanka Group’s Stars City emblem.

She had just come all the way from the airport and had seen the same scene everywhere.

Somehow, products of the Nolanka Group had spread throughout the city.

In front of the school’s main teaching building was a full bloom of cherry trees.

These cherry blossoms were early spring varieties cultivated by the Federation, flowering typically from February to March. This year’s temperatures were higher, and the blossoms seemed poised to bloom early.

At this moment, pink buds were thrusting out from the delicate branches, as vibrant young boys and girls ran beneath the cherry trees.

A breeze picked up strands of a girl’s hair as she lifted her head, looking forward.

In front of the grand teaching building, amidst the pink cherry trees, stood a brand new bronze statue.

Ennie stared at the familiar face atop the statue.

It depicted a man of middle age, with a thin face wearing an ample coat, holding a book, looking towards the direction of the rising sun.

The morning sun shone on his cheeks, and also on the feet of the passersby.

Ding ding ding—

From the depths of the teaching building, the bell for class rang out.

At this very moment, it was hope.