Life Game In Other World
Chapter 697: Hope and the Future Are in Our Hands (Extra Long - for Monthly Pass)

Chapter 697: Chapter 697: Hope and the Future Are in Our Hands (Extra Long Chapter for Monthly Pass)

The speeding bus traveled along the road under the night sky.

"This road has been repaired,"

said Jack, who was sitting in a window seat, looking down at the road outside.

"Yes,"

his wife Elsa also leaned over to take a look, "The Group has been fixing roads lately, hiring a lot of people. There are roadwork sites everywhere."

"Our roads here are even better than those in Dawn City now."

Jack took his wife’s hand and smiled.

"We’re much better off here than in Dawn City,"

Elsa said with a laugh, "Could we afford such cheap housing in Dawn City? Or such affordable healthcare? Could Anna get into such a good school?"

She looked at the brightly lit buildings outside the window, "Dawn City is Heaven, but it’s not our Heaven."

"Yeah."

Jack nodded gently, his eyes fixed on the slowly moving vehicles outside.

"Mom, Dad, look at all the people over there."

Just then, the little girl in the front seat suddenly turned around, pointing out the other window, and softly exclaimed.

Jack came to his senses and looked in the direction his daughter was pointing.

He saw a huge crowd gathered on the sidewalk, almost blocking the road.

At that moment, the bus reached its stop, and the doors opened.

But this wasn’t their stop.

"That is..."

Jack was somewhat confused; from his higher vantage point on the bus, he could vaguely see that the crowd seemed to be surrounding some important figure.

"It’s Mr. Vian!"

His wife suddenly shouted excitedly, then grabbed his hand and also held onto their daughter in the front row, "Anna, we’re getting off."

Jack was slow to react and was pulled off the bus by his wife. By the time he steadied himself on the ground, he finally realized what his wife had said, looking toward the innermost crowd half in shock and half with joy, "Mr. Vian?"

He had been in Kaye City for almost two years and had only seen this Mr. Vian in promotional videos.

This absolute ruler of the Nolanka Group, who had changed the fate of millions in Kaye City, seemed not to like appearing in public.

There were even rumors that he was chronically ill and wouldn’t live much longer.

But the young man surrounded by the crowd, confident and composed, vibrant and energetic, didn’t look the least bit ill.

At this moment, Jack and his wife were standing at the outer edge of the crowd, barely able to peek through the small gaps between heads when they tiptoed.

But Elsa quickly reacted; she lifted their daughter and activated the camera on her wrist ring, letting their daughter, who was in a higher position, hold onto the wrist ring.

He and his wife watched the scene unfold in the center through the projection screen of the wrist ring.

...

"Mr., Mr. Vian,"

at the very front of the crowd, a simply dressed, somewhat shy girl stood by the roadside, lifting her wrist ring with a bit of a stutter and looking at He Ao, "Can, can I take a photo with you?"

"Of course."

He Ao nodded with a smile.

By then, the night was deep, and the bright streetlight shone on the pedestrian walkway, mixing He Ao’s figure with the onlookers around him.

Seeing He Ao’s smiling face, the girl excitedly walked over, stood beside He Ao, and took a selfie with him with her wrist ring.

He Ao even made a playful telephone gesture specifically for the photo.

"Thank you, thank you..."

After taking the photo, the girl didn’t bother to check the picture on her wrist ring; her face flushed, she thanked him in a daze and ran back into the crowd amidst envious glances from those around her.

"Mr. Vian..."

Suddenly, another young man ran over.

He Ao, too, smiled and posed for a photo with him.

The bolder people around one by one came up to take photos with He Ao.

After a few more had come forward, He Ao raised his hand and, looking at the people crowding in front of him, said with a gentle smile, "Could you make way, please? I need to go to the North City Gate."

His voice, as if possessing an infectious magic, naturally parted the crowd upon hearing his words, creating a ’corridor’ wide enough for three people to pass through, flanked by walls of onlookers on either side.

"Thank you."

He Ao nodded with a smile and proceeded along the path carved out by the crowd.

There were no barriers or anyone maintaining order, yet almost everyone instinctively stood behind the two ’lines’ they had formed, watching He Ao as he moved forward.

This was an unspoken order, a mutual understanding maintained by the onlookers not to give the ’Mr. For-An’ any trouble.

More and more people joined the human walls, but not one person broke this understanding.

As He Ao walked, his gaze also swept over the surrounding ’spectators’.

In fact, the crowding of people had somewhat exceeded his expectations.

The Nolanka Group building wasn’t far from the North City Gate where Fiss was located. He Ao’s original plan had been to walk over there directly with Danny and Lina, taking the opportunity to see the infrastructure improvements and reforms of Kaye City.

But to his surprise, he had barely left the building when he was recognized, and after just a few steps, the sidewalk was completely blocked by the crowd.

Now that night had fallen, most of these people were likely workers just off the late shift or citizens out for an evening stroll.

The restructured Nolanka Group temporarily had no overtime but did have late shifts, lasting eight hours, commencing later and ending later as well.

Those who had constructed this path with their human walls were mostly slim, wearing T-shirt sets with the Nolanka Stars City emblem or work uniforms sporting the same emblem – clothing that was among the cheapest in Kaye City.

Many bore light scars on their faces and arms, their skin darker and appearing older, evidently weathered by the elements and the sun.

They may have been like stray dogs not so long ago, a month or two, or half a year ago, who could have frozen to death by the roadside without anyone caring.

But today, here they stood with their own jobs, and after paying rent, they even had a little money left over to buy things for themselves, living like human beings.

The sidewalks, which used to be littered with dark bedding and makeshift tents from the homeless, had been refurbished, brilliantly illuminated by streetlights, and even the alleyways were lit by small lights.

He Ao’s gaze swept over the crowd, trying to meet the eyes of each person.

He watched them, and they watched him in return.

No cheers, no shouts.

The majority of people simply watched He Ao in silence, their gaze following his footsteps until he disappeared from view, reluctant to leave.

These faces were not entirely strangers to He Ao; he had seen Jack and his family, who had once had dealings with ’Joey’. Now, the whole family was visibly plumper, and the little girl who had been a bit skinny two years ago had chubby cheeks.

Initially, there weren’t many people, so the ’passageway’ wasn’t very long.

But as the news spread, more and more people came running over, segment by segment extending this path further and further.

They watched He Ao, seeing him off step by step as he walked away.

He Ao too continued to move forward, but he didn’t complete the entire distance, stopping halfway instead.

He looked down at the ground beneath his feet, and then up at the bright streetlight overhead.

"What’s the matter, Master Vian?"

Danny asked softly from behind.

"It’s nothing."

He Ao withdrew his gaze, looking down at the ground once more.

Without realizing it, he had reached the spot where Vian first encountered Chaos, where Vian at eleven was just as naive, Chaos wrapped in dirty clothing and caked with mud.

In Vian’s memory, that road was in poor condition, full of mud, the streetlights dim and in disrepair, liable to go out at any moment.

Now, this place was still the same place, but the road was paved with neat sidewalk bricks, and the streetlights had been replaced with new, bright ones.

For a moment, He Ao had almost failed to recognize it.

Then he looked up, smiling, "The road is well repaired."

Hearing these words, Danny looked around and, as if remembering something, nodded slightly.

In the crowd, some lowered their heads to the ground, while others seemed to fall into their memories.

In the hush, there were faint sounds of weeping.

The night wind whipped through the evening lanterns, making the light flicker and blending everyone’s shadows together.

He Ao, accompanied by Danny and Lina, continued to move forward, following the gaze of the people.

Before long, he had reached the North City Gate.

Word that he would be speaking at the city gate had already gathered a large crowd there.

And those who came over midway, many followed along, and the dense crowd filled the broad streets in front of the city gate, heads rippling like the surface of water.

At this moment, the small door of the North City Gate was open, with Kaye City’s City Defense Army Guards stationed at the front.

He Ao walked to the front of the gate, turned around, and looked back at the dense crowd behind him.

He knew that the people were waiting for him to say something.

As ’Mr. Vian,’ making his first appearance after all the ’reforms’ of the Nolanka Group, it seemed he should also say something.

And as he turned around.

The crowd stirred slightly.

Even He Ao was facing such a large offline crowd for the first time.

The City Defense Army soldiers timely brought over a microphone and loudspeakers, placing them before him.

He Ao gazed at the crowd with expressions of nervousness and anticipation.

He should say something, about the future development of the group, an inspiring pep talk, the difficulties the group was facing now, or like a parrot, take this opportunity to recite once more the group’s main policies being implemented.

But in the end, a thousand words coalesced in his throat, transforming into a succinct phrase.

"This is our Nolanka,"

he raised his right hand high, with the bright light spilling into his palm, which he clenched tightly, "Hope and the future are in our hands."

His words fell into the crowd like a stone sinking into the sea, and the night seemed extraordinarily silent for an instant.

So silent it was as if one could hear the buzzing of mosquitos on a summer night.

And following that silence, someone in the crowd shouted, "Long live Mr. Vian! Long live the Nolanka Group!"

"Long live Mr. Vian! Long live the Nolanka Group!"

A resounding response followed, like a tidal wave.

The feverish shouts were like vast waves or stirring thunder, all suppressed emotions erupting, venting, and then transforming into an endless tide.

’Our Nolanka’ itself was one of the main internal slogans proposed by He Ao after proposing this concept, now mainly promoted by Lina.

By mentioning this phrase here, He Ao not only wanted to reaffirm the concept but also to recognize all the achievements of Nolanka Group’s development to this point, an acknowledgment from ’Mr. Vian’ himself.

In reality, what the people needed was not a clear goal or a detailed plan; they only needed ’recognition.’

A personal acknowledgment from ’Mr. Vian.’

Although all of Nolanka Group’s propaganda claimed that ’Mr. Vian’ was behind everything Nolanka Group is today, Mr. Vian himself has never made a public appearance, nor has he given any speech to confirm these claims.

Although the people had indeed acquired jobs through the Nolanka Group and everything seemed to be improving, the current situation had not been personally acknowledged by the true legal controller of the Nolanka Group, who was also a symbolic figure, ’Mr. Vian.’

They were grateful to ’Mr. Vian’ but also feared it was only a ’beautiful dream,’ a dream that could end with a loud voice.

So, all they needed was He Ao’s simple ’acknowledgment,’ even if it meant nothing, it would set their minds at ease.

He Ao had given them this acknowledgment, lifting the heavy stone from their hearts.

The intangible strangeness and distance created by ’Mr. Vian’s’ prolonged absence dissipated into nothingness with the journey He Ao had taken tonight, coupled with his meeting of everyone’s gaze and the thunderous chanting.

He Ao turned around and walked through the open North Gate amidst the surging voices.

Naturally, someone would address the gathered crowds.

And behind He Ao, Lina looked back from a distance at the people crowding the whole street, stretching as if into the end of the night.

All the frustrations finally dissipated at this moment, and a smile appeared on her face as she followed He Ao through the North Gate.

The crowd’s shouts gradually faded and receded into the distance.

Behind the North City Gate was not directly a wilderness but a Jar City that separated the wilderness from the city.

At this moment, a middle-aged man with neatly combed blonde hair and chiseled features, wearing a crisp military uniform emblazoned with the Stars City emblem, stood waiting at the entrance to Jar City.

He glanced at He Ao, then surveyed the restless crowd behind the city gate and smiled, "I have never seen a person hold such prestige in a city. How do you feel about that?"

"The feeling is that the road ahead is tough, and we need to make money fast,"

He Ao replied with a smile, shaking his head. He looked at the man in front of him and, as he walked forward, asked, "Mr. Fiss, how is the Mercenary Corps doing now?"

"Compared to the last time we met, things are slightly better,"

Fiss followed He Ao’s steps, walking side by side with him, "The number of miniature Mechas has increased. At present, the light Mecha types, which are modified from Adam-type Mechas, and the heavy Mecha types, Abel, have both been equipped in the Mercenary Corps, but the numbers are not large, only totaling five hundred units."

"These Mechas are very expensive to produce,"

Danny interjected, "Currently, the entire Mecha product line can only rely on the Group’s other business investments for funding, and you are aware of the Group’s current cash flow situation."

"What about the combat capability of the troops?"

He Ao nodded slightly, looking towards Fiss.

"Very good,"

At this question, a smile finally appeared on Fiss’s otherwise stern face,

"Taking your advice, the Mercenary Corps absorbed many relatives of employees from the Nolanka Group in the city. Most of them are children and siblings of the Group’s employees, whose families have generally benefited from the Group’s reforms.

"These ’good family sons’ have strong subjective motivation to protect their current way of life. Whether in training or carrying out tasks, they’re extremely active. I am now working with Danny in stages to replace all mercenaries with ’good family sons.’

"However, the current problem is that, despite offering high salaries and benefits, the recruitment of new mercenaries is not going smoothly."

"We still need to carry out internal and external propaganda for the Mercenary Corps,"

He Ao glanced at Lina, "We need to make it clear to the mercenaries that they are not just carrying out missions, but also protecting the Group, their own families’ livelihoods, ensuring their families can eat, and also making the Group’s employees understand that our currently safe trade routes and even new markets have been hard-won by the fighters of the Mercenary Corps."

Fiss glanced at He Ao beside him, this young Chairman always managed to surprise him.

This strategy was actually about elevating the status of the Mercenary Corps. Only by raising their status and letting people know that the Nolanka Mercenary Corps is not just a conglomerate of fugitives, homeless individuals, and gang members.

Only then would ’good family sons’ be willing to join the Mercenary Corps.

"Okay."

Lina nodded in understanding.

He Ao trusted Lina with the propaganda task, and having received her acknowledgement, he looked back at Fiss, "Captain, have the units equipped with the Cain and Abel types of Mechas been assembled together?"

"Most of them have been assembled into an elite strike force,"

Fiss answered.

"How about their individual combat capabilities?"

He Ao inquired.

"The strike team consists of elites and good family sons,"

Fiss gave He Ao a look, slowly saying,

"Against ordinary mercenaries with equal equipment, they could probably hold off one and a half to two times their number of enemies.

"And if they use miniature Mechas, they can basically crush five to seven times their number of ordinary-equipped mercenaries in a short time. A single high-energy battery can power a Mecha for five minutes, and currently, our logistics provide three high-energy batteries per Mecha.

"However, they can’t handle war machines of the Seraphim level or higher. The advantage of miniature Mechas lies in their agility, but their actual combat strength is only close to that of ordinary D-grade, and it takes five or six of them to barely handle one Seraphim-class Mecha, unless we deploy our own large-scale Mechas into the fight."

"Our Mechas are more suited for combat in complex mountainous regions and narrow urban areas."

He Ao pondered as he continued forward.

In the course of the conversation, the group had passed through Jar City and emerged into the outer city.

The cold night breeze of the wilderness brushed against their faces.

He Ao looked up towards the sprawling camps beyond the city.

Such a massive force moving through the wilderness would certainly be discovered, whether traveling the normal trade roads or the already explored aerial routes.