Life Game In Other World
Chapter 545: The Lonely Tower (Huge - , Seeking Monthly Votes)

Chapter 545: Chapter 545: The Lonely Tower (Huge Chapter, Seeking Monthly Votes)

Under the pitch-black night sky, a black SUV riddled with bullet holes, all windows shattered except the windshield, drove slowly down the road.

He Ao clenched a cigarette between his teeth, one hand on the steering wheel, the other adjusting the rearview mirror towards himself.

He glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror, noticing strands of his hair in disarray, his face a chaotic blend of weariness and madness, his exquisite evening gown ripped and torn everywhere, the pale bow tie smeared with crimson blood.

The rising smoke blurred the mirror’s surface, and He Ao’s gaze shifted away from the rearview mirror as he angled it slightly upward again before looking ahead.

The roads in the West District were far from smooth, littered with chunks of concrete crushed by heavy engineering vehicles, giving the SUV a slightly bumpy ride.

On both sides of the road, shops were normally open, with ragged wanderers, their faces covered in filth, huddling in the corners of the bright storefronts.

They watched He Ao’s vehicle with a hint of curiosity.

Even in the West District, it was uncommon to see such a damaged vehicle on the move, and He Ao had already noticed many such curious stares along the way.

But their interest went no further than curiosity; since entering the West District, no one had dared to block He Ao’s path.

He Ao hadn’t encountered any overbearing gangs or robbers either.

After all, the gangs of the West District may be crazy, but they’re not blind—a vehicle like this one might not indicate wealth, but it certainly spelled trouble.

He Ao looked behind him, no pursuers on the streets, as though he had truly shaken off the enemies behind him.

The battered SUV continued at a steady pace into the depths of the dilapidated streets.

He Ao glanced at the display on his wristband with a navigational image provided by Eve and gently pressed the accelerator. The SUV abruptly sped up, turning into the deepest shadows of the night.

A somewhat damaged standalone building gradually came into He Ao’s view.

This building wasn’t tall, perhaps four or five stories, appearing to once have been abandoned then haphazardly repaired by someone, enough to maintain its original structure.

Such buildings in the West District were specifically called ’Peaceful Sleeping Buildings’.

There were many ’Peaceful Sleeping Buildings’ in the West District. Most of these buildings had far exceeded their service life and were at risk of collapsing any moment, but since the inhabitants couldn’t afford the rebuilding costs, they simply patched them up and pretended they were still functional.

The cheapest rental accommodations in the West District were often found within these buildings.

The term ’Peaceful Sleeping Building’ came about because they provided the city’s poorest a place to shelter and sleep peacefully, though sometimes that one night’s peace could turn eternal.

Naturally, not all ’Peaceful Sleeping Buildings’ were used as rentals. Some in better condition might be transformed by gangs into commercial venues.

For instance, this four or five-story ’Peaceful Sleeping Building’ in front of He Ao displayed numerous billboards, clearly converted into a bustling marketplace.

However, although the marketplace’s lights were on, the entrance was unusually quiet, like a sentinel standing vigilant in the night, awaiting some arrival.

He Ao slowly turned the steering wheel, bringing the SUV to a stop outside the marketplace entrance.

In the meantime, he picked up another wristband lying on the destroyed console of the SUV and sent a message to the person displayed on it.

This wristband belonged to Heish.

And this marketplace was one of Heish’s properties. She had people stationed nearby as a safeguard for her escape routes.

Almost the moment He Ao sent the message, a figure burst out of the marketplace. He looked around, his gaze quickly settling on He Ao’s black SUV.

Then he hastened over, covering two steps in three, stopped in front of the vehicle, and peered inside, "Boss?"

His tone rose, a smile of excitement on his face.

Then the smile slowly faded as he saw the empty interior of the SUV, turned his head to gaze at He Ao, "Where is our boss?"

"I don’t recall telling you what vehicle I was driving," He Ao replied, removing the cigarette from his mouth with a smile and snuffing it out before turning to look at Jess.

"I..." Jess paused, then said immediately, "Yours is the only new car that just pulled up outside, I recognized it right away."

Then he quickly composed himself and asked aggressively, "Where is our boss? How come her wristband is with you?"

"Heish has gone to another place. It’s me who came here," He Ao said calmly. "She asked me to come back and bring you to the bar to retrieve my original clothes."

He then waved his hand, signaling Jess to sit in the passenger seat, "Get in?"

"Are you telling the truth?"

Jess looked at He Ao with skepticism, the faint glimmer flickering in his mechanized eyes. His gaze fell on the bracelet from Heish in He Ao’s hand. He stood up, took a step back, and said quickly,

"You call the boss. I want to hear her voice personally. Right now, I suspect you’ve killed the boss and taken her bracelet."

The moment his words ended, figures dressed in mall employee uniforms, holding submachine guns, emerged from the darkness of the night, looking at He Ao.

These people must be Heish’s subordinates.

At least they once were Heish’s subordinates.

"Sure."

He Ao lifted up Heish’s bracelet, used the code given to him by Heish to unlock it, and began opening the contact list, apparently searching for someone to call.

"Take it slow. I can’t see what you’re doing clearly. Don’t try any tricks."

Jess watched He Ao’s movements, huffing coldly.

"Alright."

He Ao looked up in the direction of the shopping mall. From his angle, he could just make out the edge of the mall’s rooftop.

After a moment of thought, he leaned back against the seat, letting Jess block his figure.

"What are you doing?"

Jess furrowed his brow, instinctively reaching for the gun at his waist.

"Just getting comfortable," He Ao responded with a smile, glancing at him. "Is that not okay?"

"Don’t move around," Jess said, keeping his eyes on He Ao. "Until the boss confirms it, you can’t dismiss your suspicion. Even if you are really strong, I will take action against you if it turns out you’ve hurt the boss."

"And if it turns out your boss is alright?"

He Ao continued to search through the contact list while asking with a smile.

"Then I will offer you an apology."

Jess responded immediately.

His expression appeared stern and upright, seemingly exceptionally loyal to Heish.

"You are very loyal to Heish?"

He Ao asked with interest.

"Of course. I’ve been with the boss for seven years, the longest of anyone. When I first started working for her, she was just a little intermediary." Jess looked at He Ao, laughed with a hint of pride, and replied, "I’ve handled many things for her over the years. Without me, she might not have made it this far."

"So..."

He Ao momentarily paused in scrolling through the contact list on the bracelet. His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror that he had recently tilted upwards. From that mirror, he could see the top of the mall.

After glancing at the scene in the rearview mirror, He Ao quickly averted his gaze, turned his head, and continued with a smile while looking at Jess, "You think that without her, you could step into her shoes and become the most famous intermediary in Vitland,"

Meanwhile, his other hand subtly moved down to the edge of the driver’s seat. His face still wore a smile as he watched Jess, "So you betrayed Heish, sided with the Welme Consortium, and attempted to kill Heish to take her place?"

"Huh?" Jess paused, involuntarily taking a half step back. "What are you talking about? I don’t understand, don’t try any tricks."

At that moment, He Ao suddenly flicked the switch on the edge of the seat. The upright driver’s seat was swiftly reclined, and He Ao, who was leaning against it, was also brought down with the motion.

Bang—

The sharp bullet zipped through the sky in an instant, piercing through Ruoen’s chest, shattering the driver’s seat window, and the scorching heatwave nearly grazed He Ao’s nose as it flew by, hitting the rear door and blowing a big hole through what was left of the mostly intact door.

That was a powerful sniper rifle.

He Ao’s hand moved swiftly downward, finding the pistol hidden under the seat.

At this moment, Ruoen still stood by the side of the SUV, his eyes wide open, staring at He Ao.

A bowl-sized hole had been blown in his chest by the sniper bullet, revealing a dense mass of glowing circuits inside.

His eyes flickered with confusion, and he opened his mouth, reaching out towards He Ao as if he wanted to say something, but the words never came out.

Just a second ago, his mind had been filled with fantasies of living a life of luxury after becoming Vitland’s most famous Intermediary.

His body shook weakly, then he collapsed backward.

The bullet had just destroyed the core of his Mechanized Body, completely annihilating this mechanized form of his.

As Ruoen’s body fell back, He Ao straightened up and, taking advantage of the momentum, raised the just-clutched pistol, aiming for the top of the shopping center.

As Ruoen fell, clearing the empty line of fire, He Ao’s movements were almost uninterrupted, pulling the trigger the instant the pistol was aimed.

Bang—

Accompanied by the sound of a bullet shattering flesh and blood, a figure fell from the edge of the shopping mall’s rooftop.

He Ao’s gaze didn’t linger on the result of his own action, instead he immediately turned, stamped on the gas, and swerved the steering wheel, speeding away down the shattered road.

"It’s Jess, kill him, don’t let him get away!"

Dozens of fully armed mercenaries clad in Exoskeleton Armor burst out from the surrounding night.

They rushed to the vehicles parked by the road, following closely behind He Ao’s SUV.

Those who were originally Heish’s men watched in astonishment, clueless about what had just unfolded. It took a good while before they gathered around, looking at Ruoen who had a large hole in his chest.

Ruoen’s eyes were wide open, his hand still reaching forward, filled with disbelief.

It seemed he hadn’t understood why he had been killed until the very last moment.

——

He Ao ducked, dodging a burst of bullets, and glanced back. A dozen motorcycles mixed with SUVs were tightly chasing him.

These were elite mercenaries. Compared to them, most gangs in the West District were just kids playing with toy guns.

Heish had always been well aware of Vitland’s game rules. The so-called Intermediaries, the so-called gangs, were just the Consortium’s dogs, whose lives the consortium did not care for, for there would always be someone to take the dog’s place.

But clearly, Ruoen didn’t understand this.

To the Welme Medical Consortium and these mercenaries, Ruoen’s life wasn’t worth more than a stray dog by the roadside.

The moment Ruoen asked He Ao to call Heish, He Ao knew that Ruoen was trying to hold him up. Clearly, this wasn’t Ruoen’s own decision, which meant that the person behind Ruoen had already recognized He Ao.

The appearance of these mercenaries here was to capture Heish, but besides Heish, they had another target: "kill Jess."

As He Ao had anticipated, his own threat level was higher than Heish’s. And as he had guessed, the mercenaries setting the trap here were the same ones originally tasked with killing him.

In fact, He Ao had confirmed his suspicion the moment these mercenaries instructed Ruoen to have He Ao contact Heish to verify his identity.

If Heish had been their only target, they wouldn’t have attempted to make He Ao prove himself. They wouldn’t have cared whether He Ao spoke the truth. They would only have tried to make He Ao reveal Heish’s location or lure Heish here.

Asking He Ao to verify himself wouldn’t serve that purpose, but it was a plausible reason to keep He Ao in place.

Once He Ao realized this, he knew that Heish was no longer the target; he was. The opposition had recognized him.

The reason they didn’t come out immediately was most likely to provide a sniper the chance for a lethal shot, and holding He Ao was about creating the time for the sniper to take aim.

That’s why He Ao leaned as far back as possible to avoid being targeted by the sniper, using the bent rearview mirror to search for the sniper’s position.

And in this process, Ruan had actually been abandoned.

The mercenary commander tried to use Ruan to draw He Ao’s attention, lower his guard, and make Ruan a human shield for the sniper. Then, after preparing, the sniper could take the shot, piercing Ruan’s body and then He Ao’s head.

However, He Ao ultimately found the sniper’s position through the rearview mirror and saw that the sniper was ready to aim.

At that moment, he wasn’t sure whether the sniper would shoot at Ruan, but for safety’s sake, he still dodged.

His evasion proved to be right. If he had been any slower, his body would have been penetrated, and even if he didn’t die, he would have been severely injured.

The enemy was far more ruthless than He Ao had imagined. Even when killing a dog, one would not normally do so with such decisiveness and disregard.

The battered off-road vehicle emitted a sharp roar as He Ao had Eve "overclock" the vehicle again. Clearly, the car was already at its limit.

He Ao looked back at the vehicles closely following behind him; the commercial building they had just passed was getting further and further away.

He turned his head, took a deep breath, and then with a fierce turn, he drifted into a dim side road on the right, continuing his sprint.

The turn cost him some speed, allowing the lead motorcycle to catch up. The rider stood up straight and with a swift motion, hurled a claw hook tethered with a metal wire, which wrapped around the off-road vehicle’s pillar.

Then, holding the other end of the metal wire, he leaped toward the off-road vehicle, pulling out a laser grenade as he prepared to throw it.

He Ao immediately turned around and fired at the mercenary.

The bullet penetrated the gap in the exoskeleton armor, smashing through the mercenary’s head, and sent him flying backward onto another mercenary riding a motorcycle.

The laser grenade hit the ground and exploded with a dazzling light.

Just as He Ao breathed a sigh of relief, he saw an officer-looking figure in the mercenaries’ convoy pick up a massive shoulder-fired rocket launcher’s tube and aim it at the off-road car.

Watching He Ao, the man sneered and pulled the trigger.

At such close range, a shell burst forth, aimed directly at He Ao’s off-road vehicle.

Without hesitation, He Ao flung open the off-road vehicle’s door and jumped toward the sidewalk.

Boom—

The rocket hit the off-road vehicle, igniting a brilliant flame against the dark night sky. He Ao, leaping out, was overtaken by the blaze and flung forward, landing in front of an abandoned small building.

He Ao glanced back at the pursuing mercenaries, then dashed into the building.

Boom—

The off-road vehicles and motorcycles stopped in front of the building, encircling it.

The officer who had carried the rocket launcher jumped down, tossed it aside to be caught by another mercenary, and looked up at the small building in front of him.

This was a seven-story building that seemed to have been abandoned before completion, with just a simple frame that blended into the dark night, like a gaping maw of a nightmare ready to swallow everything.

"Captain!"

A short and thin man approached as more vehicles stopped in front of the building. The short man glanced at the officer, "Is that really Jess? How did he get mixed up with this target?"

"It’s him, for sure. I didn’t expect such an unintended prize. We’ve been waiting for this guy all day, turns out he is quite the playboy,"

The officer glanced at the small building in front of him, waved his hand, and said, "Contact the consortium, tell them to bring more Gene Potion over."

"Okay," the short man nodded, then with a puzzled tone, he asked, "So what do we do now?"

"Surround the building, set up all the heavy weapons we’ve brought. This guy is strong, he won’t go down easy,"

Then the officer looked back and said, "First to seventh groups, follow me in. A ten million bonus for anyone who takes this guy down immediately!"

Suddenly, the sound of exoskeleton armor starting up filled the air.

As did the excited yet restrained responses of the mercenaries, "Kill!"

One after another, vials shimmering with light were taken out.