Life Game In Other World
Chapter 801: The Idealist’s Flame (Super-sized - , Asking for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 801: Chapter 801: The Idealist’s Flame (Super-sized Chapter, Asking for Monthly Tickets)

"Ah?"

Upon hearing He Ao’s question, Vili slightly hesitated.

Then she realized what was at the core of He Ao’s query:

How could a mayor, who had established the colossal entity that is United Industries amidst innumerable threats of death, trials, and tribulations from a realm of chaos, simply collapse from the death of a dear friend.

Unless he had seen something behind this incident, at the very least, certain ’things’ that were not apparent on the surface.

"He may have had his doubts, but he never spoke of them to me,"

After a brief reflection, Vili gently shook her head, "Initially, everyone thought that Vincent, the current chairman of the board of United Industries, was the most likely to have assassinated my parents,

"Even back then, United Industries immediately called a shareholders’ meeting to question Vincent,

"In the end, United Industries, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Wint City government jointly established an investigation team,"

Vili looked toward the image on the TV, "The investigation team checked all the leads and eventually pinned the attacker on the Eternal Secret Teachings, and found no evidence of Vincent or the United Industries board colluding with the Eternal Secret Teachings."

She paused, then continued, "At least they found nothing at the time, no one knew why the Eternal Secret Teachings attacked my parents, and the coalition of United Industries, the city government, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched several major sweeps against the Eternal Secret Teachings.

"But the Eternal Secret Teachings always managed to quickly recover after being dealt heavy blows, and due to their unique church jurisdiction system, no one knew how their initial decisions were made unless their church core was found, their Holy See."

"So, is this the main reason you aided the Twilight Society, constantly attacking the roots of the Eternal Secret Teachings?"

He Ao looked at Vili and asked softly.

It was both vengeance and the pursuit of truth.

"Yes,"

Vili took a sip of her milk tea and followed with a bitter smile, "But now there is no need to seek this truth anymore."

With United Industries having now exposed its collaboration with the Eternal Secret Teachings, Vincent and the United Industries board’s so-called ’cleared’ name was no longer so clean.

Vincent had now completely taken control of United Industries, and the past events could no longer affect him.

Vili paused briefly and sighed lightly, "Maybe Uncle Endir saw this outcome coming, which is why he ultimately chose to give up."

She always suspected Vincent and the United Industries board but never had any evidence; after all, they were the biggest obvious beneficiaries with her parents’ assassination, having lost their biggest opponents.

"Perhaps."

He Ao set his milk tea on the coffee table.

Vili’s explanation was consistent, but he always felt that something might be missing from the information.

"Speaking of which, what suddenly made you think of asking about Uncle Endir?"

Vili, holding her cup of milk tea, looked at He Ao with some confusion.

"Just curious,"

He Ao looked up at the young Endir on the television, "Has the city government completely slipped out of his control?"

"Not completely, but almost,"

Vili, too, watched the figure on the screen and sighed gently, "From the intelligence I’ve gathered, after my parents’ death, United Industries significantly increased its infiltration of the city government and city council.

"Many times, Uncle Endir actually couldn’t control it,

"Even so, he tried his best to do a lot.

"He enacted many laws through negotiations with the city council and United Industries to protect the poor and the homeless,

"United Industries had tried to charge high ’rental fees’ to people camping on their land, but this move was ultimately stopped by Uncle Endir,

"The tents you see on the streets put up by many homeless people were actually ’distributed’ by Uncle Endir, he specifically established a department with municipal funds to give tents to the homeless.

"Besides that, he introduced many welfare-oriented policies concerning food, emergency relief shelters, low-rent housing, and public schools, although many of these, due to insufficient funds, could only be implemented in very few places.

"In fact, there were many bills on raising the minimum wage, mandatory health insurance, and mandatory social insurance that did not pass."

With that, Vili took a sip of her milk tea and said with a sigh,

"Since my father’s death, Uncle Endir completely lost the support of United Industries, those shareholders who originally supported my father all turned to Vincent,

"What Uncle Endir is doing now is already the limit of what he can achieve.

"After all, he’s fighting against the behemoth he himself had helped create.

"He told me that he actually wanted to retire a long time ago to get away from all this, but he couldn’t completely give up on this city.

"There’s no one left behind him now.

"Speaking of which,"

Vili, holding her milk tea cup, turned her head to look at He Ao, "I want to visit Uncle Endir at the Mayor’s Mansion, it’s been many years since I last saw him,"

She paused for a moment, "I will be eighteen in a few days."

In Wint City, at eighteen, one could freely control the inheritance they received.

At the same time, they could also participate in elections.

He Ao watched the young girl in front of him, those eyes that showed a hint of anticipation yet hesitated.

He knew the girl before him had already made up her mind, but she hesitated, standing before a path shrouded in thick mist, not daring to step forward lightly.

It might be an exceptionally arduous path, just like the one her father had once walked.

Skone had once tried to change this city, and then he died fourteen years ago.

Now his child stood where he had started, facing foes that might be much stronger than those he had once faced.

The electric stove burned with a faint flame, its warm currents driving away some of the winter chill.

He Ao didn’t offer direct advice or encouragement, instead, he picked up his cup of milk tea and asked softly,

"What do the people of the Twilight Society think of your father?"

"Most of them respect my father a lot, believing he was a good man,"

Vili didn’t know why He Ao suddenly asked this question, but she replied earnestly after thinking,

"Many miss the era when my father was the chairman of United Industries’ board of directors. Some elders of the Twilight Society often tell me how good the days were when my father was in charge of United Industries and how they could see each day getting better than the last."

"Do the majority of Wint City’s citizens think the same way?"

He Ao continued to ask.

"They should?"

Vili said hesitantly, "I have met many believers of the Eternal Secret Teachings, and they also think my father was a good person, they miss the era of my father. At least, most people from the Storm Zone and Aka District should think so."

"What about United Industries? What do they think of your father?"

He Ao asked quietly.

"My father had a lot of prestige within United Industries,"

Vili pondered and said with some hesitation, "But, it was also the shareholders’ meeting of United Industries that agreed to remove my father from the chairman’s position. Maybe, United Industries didn’t actually ’like’ him that much."

"So,"

He Ao paused for a moment before continuing, "Was it the poor from Storm Zone and Aka District that supported your father’s reign, or was it United Industries?"

Vili was stunned by the question.

He Ao looked at her bewildered expression, then turned his gaze back to the television which was playing a video of the establishment of United Industries.

Skone and Endir stood in the very center of the crowd, surrounded by circles of elegantly dressed people who cheered and sang.

At the edge of the frame, beyond the reach of the spotlights, crowds of people in plain clothes stood on their toes, silently watching everything under the lights.

Vili followed his gaze toward the television scene.

The television, which had been on mute, was now replaying a speech from Endir’s younger days. He faced everyone with fervent passion.

Vili naturally knew what Endir was saying at that moment since she had watched this speech countless times.

"Each generation has its own mission."

The youthful yet hoarse voice of He Ao came to her ears.

She turned her head back to look beside her.

The flickering light shone on the pale cheeks of the young boy and his thin frame, reflecting in those eyes as deep as the night.

Light and dark shadows interwove on the boy’s face, like a mask of black and white.

Vili watched this scene quietly, the doubts that had entangled her heart for years now quietly dissipated in this simple exchange, and the foggy path before her seemed to finally reveal its rough shape at this moment.

"Thank you."

Vili held her cup, looking at He Ao with a calm and determined voice.

"Have you made your choice?"

He Ao put down his cup of milk tea, watching her.

"Mhm."

Vili took a deep breath, smiled at He Ao, "Actually, I was mentally prepared a long time ago, the first time we parted."

At that time, the young boy before her had said that phrase to her.

Everyone can be a Knight.

Although the road ahead in the darkness is difficult, there is already someone who has lit a torch, striving to move forward.

"Is that so."

He Ao watched her growing determination and nodded gently.

But then his brow furrowed slightly, as if he had thought of something.

"Um? Is there a problem?"

Vili looked at him in confusion.

"Does this mean there will be no more weapons shop owner?"

He Ao looked at the girl with a hint of regret.

"I’m not the weapons shop owner!"

The girl glared, setting down her cup on the coffee table, puffing her cheeks indignantly.

She glared at He Ao, wishing she could pummel his face if she weren’t afraid of not being able to beat him.

"Mmm-hmm, shop owner."

The young boy looked at her, nodding non-committally.

Vili felt her hair might just stand on end from irritation.

Why did this guy sometimes seem so reliable and sometimes so childish!

Then she looked at He Ao’s somewhat frail frame and suddenly realized that the young boy was indeed only twelve years old.

The maturity in his speech often made her subconsciously overlook his age.

"Given that I’m the older sister,"

She pouted and positioned her hand ring in front of her chest, "I won’t hold it against you."

"Mmm-hmm, I know you’re getting old,"

The young boy nodded and then lifted his cup of milk tea and took a sip.

"You’ll get beaten up if you talk like that outside!"

The girl’s eyebrows shot up, her cheeks puffing up once more.

He Ao watched her profile, his smile fading slightly, his tone lowering, he slowly said,

"When one walks in the dark, the road might seem longer, but in the end, you will see other flames in this night."

Vili was momentarily taken aback by his words. She looked at He Ao, his slender form reflected in her bright eyes. She didn’t quite understand the meaning of his words, but she nodded gently, showing she had taken his words to heart.

At that moment, her hand ring vibrated. She glanced at it, then at the deep interior of the funeral home, and slowly stood up, whispering to He Ao, "Wait here a moment."

The cremation was over.

With that, she walked into the funeral home.

He Ao, clutching his now-cool milk tea, turned his head to glance at the television screen.

His conversation with Vili had given him some ’inspiration’.

The veil covering the entire city’s sky seemed a bit brighter and clearer.

At that moment, his hand ring trembled.

He looked down at it.

It was a message from Lena.

The message was simple: one, she had gathered the auxiliary materials, and two, she had received a reply from the ’client’.

She sent a location to meet He Ao, and at the same time, Vili came out from behind the door of the funeral home with a small robot.

She looked at He Ao, took two urns placed upon the robot, and handed them over to him, "Condolences."

"Thank you."

He Ao reached out and took the two urns.

Each urn had a label attached, bearing the names of Yiluo’s parents, left there when Lena had brought the bodies.

Then he looked up at Vili, "Lena just messaged me, I have to go over."

"Are you not going to change?"

Vili looked at the hospital clothes He Ao was wearing.

His original clothing had been torn to shreds during the battle the previous night, and the hospital clothes were what Vili and the Doctor had helped him change into.

"I’ll figure it out on the way."

He Ao shook his head.

"Then, be careful,"

Vili took a deep breath, "Then I should head to the Mayor’s Mansion."

He Ao watched her, his raspy voice calm and gentle, "No matter what, good luck!"

"Right!"

Vili nodded firmly.

They both pushed open the door of the funeral home.

He Ao placed the urn on the off-road vehicle.

Lena had left in her own car, leaving the off-road vehicle at the entrance.

Then he went back inside, picked up the various extraordinary items that Vili had helped him pack up using the Exoskeleton Armor including the Knight’s Sword, the golden greatsword which had already begun to dissipate slightly, the Corona of Radiance, and the two heavy pistols he had been carrying on his person.

After loading everything onto the off-road vehicle, the two stood at the entrance of the funeral home, waving goodbye.

Vili watched the young boy climb into the off-road vehicle, the noon wind carrying the warmth of the sun and the chill of ice and snow, blowing through their hair and over their skin.

It wasn’t until the black, lofty off-road vehicle had gradually driven away that she slowly raised her hand.

A fiery red convertible appeared from around the corner and stopped in front of her; she opened the door and sat in the driver’s seat, then reached out to set the navigation destination to the Mayor’s Mansion in the Cloud District.

——

The black off-road vehicle drove through the streets, while He Ao sat in the driver’s seat, holding the Corona of Radiance in one hand and Lena’s disc in the other, lost in thought.

At this moment, as long as he brought the disc close to the Corona of Radiance, he could feel a twisting power emanating from the disc as if urging him to ’compete’ for the Corona of Radiance.

This power was very subtle, stealthily trying to influence He Ao’s thoughts.

However, this wasn’t He Ao’s first time dealing with this type of contamination, so he quickly noticed something was off.

The actual strength of this pollution wasn’t strong; if the holder had a relatively firm will, they wouldn’t be too affected in the short term.

So, was this object actually serving that purpose?

He Ao played with the disc in his hand, pensive.

It was at this time that the off-road vehicle stopped in front of a secluded alley.

After a moment, a figure in a red dress holding a small box walked out of the alley and opened the passenger door to get into the off-road vehicle.

"Your bounty has increased again."

As soon as Lena got into the car, she spoke up directly.

"How much is it now?"

He Ao smiled and looked at her.

"Eighty million."

Lena used her thumb to press down on her ring finger, stretching the rest of her fingers straight, making a gesture at He Ao.

In the Federation’s sign language, this gesture meant ’8’: the thumb represented ’5’, and the ring finger, being the third finger counting from the thumb excluding the thumb itself, represented ’3’. The gesture signified ’5+3’, ’8’.

"It’s gone up thirty million just this morning, yet you don’t seem worried at all?"

Lena smiled as she looked at He Ao.

"They gave too little,"

He Ao shook his head and chuckled, "What do you think I got on the United Industries’ wanted list for?"

The bombing of a several-billion-dollar Sky Behemoth...

Suddenly, Lena realized, nodded, "That indeed is too little."

Moreover, a person capable of bombing a Sky Behemoth, even if they truly knew He Ao’s location, wouldn’t dare to go after him for a mere eighty million.

Thus, this bounty was doomed to merely hang there, turning into a badge of United Industries’ impotence.

Thinking this, she still held the small box in her arms and chuckled, "After meeting you, my horizons have truly been broadened. I never thought there would be a day when I’d find eighty million to be too little."

Then she reached out and handed a bracelet to He Ao, "That ’client’ sent me a message. The message was very simple; after I said I had a lead on the ’wooden token,’ he just sent me an address, instructing me to ’meet him’ there."

She paused for a moment, "However, that address might be a bit special..."

"Is there a problem with the address?"

He Ao reached out and took the bracelet, activating the address displayed on it.

Then his gaze sharpened.

The address sent by the other party was near ’Yiluo’s’ house.

Given the style of the Eternal Secret Teachings’ manhunt for ’Yiluo,’ that place should now be crawling with the Eternal Secret Teachings’ people.