This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 540: Reckoning, it will eventually come

Chapter 540: Chapter 540: Reckoning, it will eventually come

"Oh crap...it looks like this chip is really going to be worthless."

The small detached house beside Rhombus Lake.

Sitting at the dining table, Fang Chang was reading the newspaper when his peripheral vision happened to catch the trading device’s screen with its lines shooting straight upwards.

Surprised, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn up into a mischievous smile.

At a time when nearly all industries in Giant Stone City were in dire need of cash, the price of S Coin had ironically hit a new high, reaching an exchange rate of 9881 chips per S Coin.

With the current volume, breaking the ten-thousand mark was almost certain; people were continuously buying, and they were buying over and over again.

Sitting across the dining table, Dolly stared blankly at the screen spread out on the table, her mouth agape enough to fit a duck egg.

Fang Chang had previously explained to her what the up-and-down lines meant, as well as the numbers beside them.

However, she still couldn’t believe that these invisible and intangible numbers could actually be exchanged for real chips!

Great Antler God above!

She used to work at a newspaper, and even with a bonus, she made just over a thousand chips a month!

If a resident of Giant Stone City had bought a hundred S Coins from the start, wouldn’t they be set for life without having to work?

Her duck-egg-sized mouth quickly expanded into the size of a goose egg.

"Looks like breaking the ten-thousand mark is a foregone conclusion."

Fang Chang, who hadn’t noticed the change in Dolly’s expression, clicked on the screen a couple of times, pulled up the trade details and holdings of various accounts from the back end, and quickly noticed that many of the transactions came from the same big player.

Although he didn’t know who was behind the account, looking at the accumulated transaction volume of over a hundred million chips... All he could say was that this brother played too wildly.

Of course, it wasn’t without reward; the total amount of S Coins in this guy’s account had nearly reached two hundred million chips!

You’re killing it, bro!

But don’t rush.

Fang Chang chuckled and hit the sell button, taking the opportunity to recoup some funds while the market was up, and simultaneously suppressed the rising trend to cool off the brothers who couldn’t wait to break ten thousand. You had to slam down a V-shape at this point, skid a little before stabilizing; you had to give the brothers still inside a bit of confidence, and give the itchy onlookers a chance to get on board.

Of course, he wasn’t just focused on shearing a single fat sheep; he had a systematic and complete fleece-harvesting plan.

If there was little selling pressure, he’d gradually push up the price with the funds in his account; if there was a lot of selling pressure, he’d crash the price down, and pull it back up once the selling brothers tossed their S Coins out – in the end, as long as they kept watching, buying back was only a matter of time.

Some clever kids would probably try to figure out the pattern of the lines, comparing transaction volumes with prices, using mathematical methods to decipher market sentiment. But he figured with the level of intelligence among the Inner City Nobles, it was unlikely they’d come up with something like a moving average divergence/convergence in such a short time – at most, they’d come up with a catchy jingle for their own amusement.

Thinking of this, the corners of Fang Chang’s mouth tipped higher and higher.

"They’re too weak."

These people probably haven’t even seen what a sickle looks like, let alone realized that they’ve become the leeks to be harvested.

Watching Fang Chang’s face filled with insidious smiles, Dolly finally got the taste of it and said, with her eyebrows pinched together,

"...You’re scamming them, aren’t you?"

Fang Chang grinned and teased,

"My dear reporter lady, have you finally realized?"

"But..."

"You want to ask why they haven’t noticed, right?"

Seeing the confusion in Dolly’s eyes and her nodding head, Fang Chang smiled slightly and continued in a relaxed tone,

"Detecting the problem isn’t that difficult; just solve a simple math problem. Multiply to calculate the total value of all the S Coins, and you’ll realize that something’s off."

The price of a single S Coin was nearing ten thousand; let’s just take ten thousand as the number, after all, he, as the market maker, decided how much it was worth.

Not even considering the "self-replicating" S Coins, just the one million initially issued S Coins already had a total value of ten billion chips!

Fang Chang didn’t know if the Giant Stone City Bank had that many chips, but this number was already nearly three times the scale of the Alliance’s debt.

He admitted he was bad enough – after all, it’s unethical to deceive fools.

But the ones being deceived were truly stupid; they didn’t even bother to check what they were buying beforehand.

"...But why haven’t they noticed? Why?" Dolly muttered, utterly befuddled.

"Analyzing why a specific person falls into a trap is much harder than pushing a group of people into one. People only fall into traps in the same way, but their motives and reasons are myriad and varied. I’m just the one digging the traps, I really can’t answer you," Fang Chang laughed, then suddenly had a thought and said, "Write a column in a bit, publish the story of S Coin in the newspaper so fewer people fall into the trap."

It’s impossible to completely stop it.

That’s when the law needs to step in to enforce fairness.

The draft for the Financial Law is almost complete, more than half copied from reality, the rest modified according to the conditions in the Wasteland.

This has been a hot topic on the forums these days; Professor Yang even cursed him for not being human, saying he was filling the hole after making a quick buck.

Fang Chang felt quite innocent. Why the hurry when you’re not even wearing a helmet?

Besides, the law only protected the industries within the Alliance’s territory and the alliance’s Residents, it didn’t stop those dogs from going out and causing trouble elsewhere.

Of course.

""

When scheming against others, it’s best to study their rules first. For example, if he tried to pull off his tricks in Ideal City, he’d surely be thrown out without a second thought.

Bugra Free State to the north is a classic example of capital-dominated powers, and it’s an extremely special case of "laying eggs in a borrowed nest."

Deceiving those people is quite difficult, and even doing business with them without getting cheated is cause for celebration. Currently, half of the swindlers who have infiltrated the Alliance are exports from that place.

These deep social issues are hard to address with drones patrolling the skies, and relying on AI to solve everything is utterly irresponsible. It must be up to the players who integrate into the NPCs’ lives to uncover these issues.

I have to give credit to Ah Guang, the Beta 0.5 version arrived just at the right time!

"Oh?" Dolly’s long eyelashes narrowed into crescent moons, her hands propping her cheeks as she showed a lazy and mischievous smile, while her feet dangling under the table grabbed at his kneecap, "Is Mr. Big Swindler going to reveal his con artistry publicly?"

This guy had the day off today and wasn’t working, being particularly playful.

In order not to let her gloat, Fang Chang decided to play along. He put down the newspaper in his hand and, with a dramatic flair, cleared his throat.

"It all depends on how hard Inspector misses is willing to work."

"You wouldn’t want everyone to be duped by a bad egg like me, would you?"

Watching her mischievous smile, Dolly’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she snorted softly.

"I should just hand you over to the guards... You’d better come clean with them."

With that, she pushed herself up from the chair, leaped down, and went over to the fireplace, where she added some firewood.

The outside was getting colder and colder.

The snowstorm outside was howling, hitting the windowpanes with a crackling sound.

However, the Alliance, experienced with heavy snow, had already made early emergency preparations. This included giving time off to some staff who needed to work outdoors and providing extreme cold allowances to those still on duty.

Medical positions couldn’t stop, educational positions could move underground to avoid the snowstorm, steel mills, and certain foundries already generating large amounts of heat didn’t need to cease operation, while some factories without heaters or insufficient heating output were required to halt production.

The newspaper office had heating, but employees would receive a subsidy if they came to work. They didn’t have much work on hand, so the editor-in-chief gave them paid leave.

It was said that the Alliance had stored a large quantity of winter supplies, enough to stabilize current prices even in the most severe scenarios.

Previously, the Manager had special visited their newsroom’s broadcasting studio to deliver a speech, personally assuring everyone over the radio that there was no need to worry.

Everyone believed this wholeheartedly and was filled with confidence, because that great man always kept his promises, always spoke of trouble when there was trouble and solutions when there were solutions, never uttering words beyond their understanding. Who would they trust if not him; the clown called Haus from next door?

The Alliance and Giant Stone City were not far from each other, and tuning into his program was not difficult.

Dolly, of course, had confidence in him too.

After all, even her household’s "villain" admitted that Mr. Manager was a rare good man, not to mention his open-mindedness towards progressive voices.

She had no doubt that the Alliance would have a brighter future, a world thriving with life after the drifting miles of snow.

Just a big snowstorm.

Every resident of the Alliance wouldn’t even give it a second thought!

...

With more wood added to the fireplace and the curtains drawn, the cabin by Rhombus Lake grew warmer, hot enough to make one sweat.

But outside was another world entirely, where the piercing snowstorm sliced through the air, falling from the endless clouds overhead, pulverizing the whole silvery world.

On the Wasteland, especially in River Valley Province, even a rare warm winter couldn’t be called warm; it just meant a delay of a month or two for the snowfall.

But what was bound to come,

Would surely arrive.

Not far from Rhombus Lake, about twenty to thirty kilometers away, the Giant Wall stood like a cold iron curtain in the midst of the snowstorm, ruthlessly dividing the lands of prosperity and desolation on the Wasteland.

On one side of the wall were the layered and varying houses; on the other, shacks crushed by the accumulating snow. Just as many survivors proudly boasted in Giant Stone City, even the smallest bit of trash slipping through from that towering wall was enough to nourish innumerable wretched souls begging at their feet.

Workers from the cannery typically had a leaky room, while the true paupers living in the slum at the base of the Giant Wall had to make do with shacks.

The vitality of human life is remarkably resilient.

Where weeds cannot survive, people do, and where even slime molds cannot reach, there are human footprints.

The impregnable city wall stood tall, shielding those within from snowstorms, molds, and the chaos, death, and poverty of the Wasteland. However, its builders probably never anticipated that the tide sweeping everything away this time would not come from beyond the Giant Wall but from its very center.

Angry survivors gathered on the main road, most of whom were workers from the industrial district, with some citizens who sympathized with Spielberg and mercenaries mingled among them.

This time seemed more ferocious than ever; the Militia Group knew the paupers’ target wasn’t the city hall or the bank but the Stone Building at the very center. As a result, they mobilized swiftly, even deploying equipment never used against the Tide, and stood ready to confront the surging crowd.

"Hand over Spielberg!"

"We will not abandon any of our colleagues!"

White vapor rose from the snow-laden eaves, occasionally shaken loose by the vibration.

That seething cry swept across the heavens, causing even the blustering snowstorm to cower away.

Wallace, the leader of the First Thousand Team, donned his heavy power armor and watched the tumultuous throng ahead, sweating bullets despite the cold.

These people were as explosive as gunpowder!

He had never seen so many enraged individuals gathered together.

Some mercenary thrill-seekers could be among them, ready to light the powder keg at any moment. If he could, he truly did not wish to fight these people.

Compared to them, he’d rather face the Tide!

"Residents of the Outer City, calm down!"

He activated the loudspeaker on his power armor and shouted, "I’ve asked around in the Inner City, and your friend... that Spielberg is still alive!"

Before his words even finished echoing, an angry roar interrupted him.

"Nonsense!"

"You said he was alive in the morning, then at noon you changed your story to say he was dead, and now he’s alive again, isn’t it? By evening, he’ll be dead again!"

"We don’t want to hear your bullshit! We don’t want to calm down! We want to see him! Dead or alive, we want him to tell us himself!"

"Go to hell, you armored pig! Pah!"

Among the clamor, other voices were also mixed in.

Some people were complaining about the high price of bread, others were calling to rob the nobles, and some were simply planning to take advantage of the city’s chaos to make a quick profit.

It was hard to distinguish who was who.

Yes.

Anyone with clear sight could see that even a decaying Giant Stone City still possessed the precious treasure of order.

This had nothing to do with good and evil or fairness.

But now, it was quietly being shaken amidst the voices of questioning...

What was gradually becoming ineffective wasn’t just the chips but also the black cards in the hands of the noble lords.

Just as Fang Ming had said, they were just room cards after all...

The Looters who had been lying low started to stir, the Mercenaries looking to loot amid chaos were fanning the flames, and the vast majority knew there was something dirty in their ranks, but most no longer cared.

Regardless of where this force came from, they just wanted to turn the Survivor Settlement upside down and snatch their friends back from the hands of the Bandits!

Wallace was so anxious he was sweating bullets, his line kept retreating, and he also had to be vigilant about those who left the main force and attempted to infiltrate from behind.

He heard that his direct superior—the commander of the Militia Group, Zhao Yongxu, was already furiously chastising his neighbors in the meeting room, reprimanding them for not handling matters more cleanly.

The Settlement had fallen into a vortex of contradictions.

The alarm that only sounded during the Tide was now blaring from the Giant Wall, yet the piercing alarm could no longer shake the united crowd.

If there was a difference between this and the "Outcome A" posited by the computer simulation, it was perhaps the hesitation in people’s hearts.

Most members of the Workers’ Association didn’t want to make too big of a fuss, after all, they still didn’t know if their captured comrades were dead or alive.

Citizens joined the ranks, some perhaps for a sense of justice, but many more for simple reasons like the high cost of bread.

Soldiers were also wavering, as their wallets shrank every day, and in front of them were not just a bunch of paupers but potentially their families—those seemingly respectable Citizens.

Even Wallace, with a real black card, was hesitating.

No one knew the soldiers behind him better than he did. They could bully the poor and deal with the Tide, but now there were too many people they had to confront...

He could feel their hesitation and wavering.

Those not caught in the vortex tried to escape outside the city, while Waste Land Wanderers looking to benefit from the vortex hated that the gates didn’t open—for the sake of preventing further deterioration of order, Giant Stone City’s Militia Group had urgently closed all entrances and exits of the Outer City.

Originally, those who wanted to enter were just dissuaded. If insisted, it wasn’t impossible. But now, entry was completely barred, as was the exit.

Outside the gates of Giant Stone City, a large crowd gathered.

Among them were those who had escaped just before the gates closed, now huddling in the cold wind, arms crossed, shivering, gazing around blankly, uncertain of where to go next.

Most of them hadn’t brought much luggage, just some chips in their pockets that outsiders didn’t want at all, and as for when the gates would open again, none could be sure.

What lay before them was the Wasteland!

The man-eating Wasteland!

They didn’t even know which side of the gate was more hellish...

Besides those who regretted escaping, there were also those who regretted not insisting on mixing in.

Most Waste Land Wanderers could guess something; it seemed that this bustling casino was about to shuffle the deck again.

And with every shuffle, those with big fists could profit a bit.

"Damn it!" Looking at the completely sealed gates, Killer Dagger and Kidney Fighter both wore expressions of intense regret.

Listening to those NPCs, such a "limited-time event" only happened once every twenty or thirty years, and they were so close to getting in!

Compared to a small, three-day lifeline, an event that comes once in twenty to thirty years is obviously rarer!

A total loss!

As they wallowed in their regret, a man wearing a cotton coat suddenly approached them and whispered.

"Hey, you with the Alliance?"

Killer Dagger looked up at the man and nodded.

"Yeah, what about it?"

Seeing that he’d found the right person, the man’s eyes suddenly lit up with joy. He glanced left and right, saw that no one was around, and lowered his voice to speak.

"I’m from the Militia Group."

The Kidney Fighter beside him chuckled and reached out to shake his hand.

"What a coincidence, I’m from the Burning Corps."

"The Burning Corps?" the man was momentarily stunned, not quite understanding, but didn’t make a big deal of it and continued, "No matter what you are... I’ve got some really good stuff here. Interested?"

Killer Dagger leaned in curiously and asked,

"What ’good stuff’?"

"People, or to be more precise... beautiful noble ladies," the man raised his eyebrows suggestively and said lively, "Interested?"

"Holy shit! Human trafficking?" Killer Dagger immediately stepped back, warily eyeing the man as he said, "We don’t want slaves! Don’t fucking think about scamming me!"

The Kidney Fighter echoed, loudly declaring his stance towards the heavens above where the Dog Plan might be listening.

"That’s right! We’re not those kinds of people!"

The NPCs in this game were getting craftier by the day.

Always finding new ways to set traps for them.

There had been an unlucky kid who was almost fooled before, but thankfully, the others managed to talk him out of it in time.

As Brother Fang Chang’s good buddies, the two of them had seriously read the Player’s Handbook. The Shelter No. 404 didn’t restrict player interactions with NPCs and didn’t deal with emotional entanglements, but it strictly forbade players from keeping slaves. Whether bought or acquired by accident, they had to be set free.

The things written in the Player’s Handbook were equivalent to the rules of the shelter, and there weren’t that many of them, mainly governing the residents of Shelter No. 404.

Unlike the series of laws from the Alliance, the stipulations in the Player’s Handbook apply not just within the territory of the Alliance. As long as you’re a resident of the shelter, you have to abide by them even outside Alliance territory.

If the status of a resident of the shelter is too bothersome, one could simply return the helmet.

"Fuck, keep it down... What human trafficking? I didn’t mean that," the man was startled by their sudden loud shouting and quickly explained, "I just said you could meet her, I didn’t say I’d sell her to you... She’s nobility! You want to buy her? Are you guys crazy or am I?!"

Of course, if these bosses from the Alliance really could afford to pay a high price, it wasn’t impossible... He could go ask his superiors to find out; maybe there could be a way to accommodate this.

After all, with such chaos, it was quite normal for one or two people to go missing. Every time the gates closed, it wasn’t just the lives of the poor that were discounted, the lives of the noble lords were on sale as well.

The man couldn’t help but be moved in his heart.

Deservedly so for these nouveau riche from the Alliance, playing such perverted games.

Even thinking about taking people back...

Killer Dagger was still on guard, staring at the man for a few moments.

"What do you mean, ’meet her’?"

"Like, you could see her while she’s asleep," the man wiggled his eyebrows, "We know a beautician at a beauty salon. Some of the deep maintenance surgeries require the guests to be asleep for convenience, and she has a way to make her guests sleep... a little longer. You’ll have enough time to do whatever you want, and I guarantee no one will know afterward."

The players’ expressions changed in an instant upon hearing this.

"Holy fuck?"

"Has she lost her mind?"

The man said indifferently,

"Lost her mind? Maybe. After all, the chips these high-class ladies offer are becoming less and less valuable. If you’re willing to give some real money, why wouldn’t she be happy to do it?"

The Kidney Fighter swallowed his saliva.

He obviously wouldn’t do that kind of evil deed, but to give a thorough criticism on the official forum, he still wanted to inquire about the price.

"How much?"

Seeing him take the bait, the man smirked and gestured with a finger.

"One million silver coins."

Their faces instantly turned grave.

"Holy fuck!"

"One million?! Are you out of your mind?!"

One million silver coins could probably be exchanged for ten million RMB on the official website.

This NPC must not have woken up!

Killer Dagger silently took a photo of the guy, planning to go to the forum later and harshly criticize these souls-for-sale.

Seeing the two of them walk away, the man became anxious and quickly chased after them.

"Don’t leave! Eight hundred thousand! No, five hundred thousand is also fine!"

Not far from the group, a pair of siblings was secretly eavesdropping.

Old White and Wild Wind had gone to the adjacent Hotel Wind From Afar to rent a room, logging off to collect information on the official website, while the two of them were responsible for gathering information on the street in front of the city gate. They happened to overhear the previous conversation by chance.

Seeing her brother’s gleeful expression, Jiujiu rolled her eyes and kicked him in the shin.

"Brother, don’t tell me you’re tempted? I’m going to tell Teng Teng, Sis."

Night Ten’s expression changed instantly upon hearing this, and he hurriedly started to say.

"Damn, why’d you tell her that? No way, when did I get smitten... Didn’t you see I was about to criticize her!"

Seeing her brother scramble to explain, Jiujiu’s eyes darted around and then she suddenly smirked and said.

"But on the other hand, Teng Teng’s online persona is a little loli, yet in reality, she’s actually a glam lady."

Night Ten’s breath hitched.

"How do you know?"

Jiujiu raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.

"Big bro, you didn’t think you were the only one with a small clique, did you?"

"Awesome!"

Night Ten looked at the youngster in surprise, gave a hearty thumbs-up, then bashfully smiled and pleaded with his little sister.

"That thing... with the Penguin account, I’m counting on you, help out your dear brother."

Jiujiu lazily waved her hand.

"Get it yourself."

Night Ten, caught between laughter and tears, said.

"Damn, how ruthless of you!"

"You want my help, that’s not impossible, unless..." Watching her anxious brother, Jiujiu’s eyes twinkled, and with a sly smile, she said, "let me join your badass group!"

Hearing this request, Night Ten deflated like a punctured balloon and forced a smile.

"Uh, never mind that... I’ll ask for it myself some other day."

"Eh? Giving up just like that?" Jiujiu smacked her lips and gave him a sidelong glance, "Your feelings for Miss Teng Teng aren’t that strong after all."

"You don’t understand," Night Ten shook his head, "that’s a group for adults, it’s not good for a kid like you to barge in... it’s not good for you."

He and Wild Wind’s nicknames were not to be mentioned; suddenly throwing a traitor into the mix would ruin the fun for everyone.

"Psh!" Jiujiu rolled her eyes, dismissing his petty concerns.

Turning her attention back to the Game, Night Ten focused on the man who was hurrying along, and stroked his chin saying.

"However, that guy... seems to have a way into the city."

Now that the gate was completely closed, even paying the entrance tax wouldn’t allow entry; furthermore, those inside couldn’t come out.

Their "clients" and the devices they had purchased were still locked up in the city; it would be a shame if the items were destroyed or burned in the chaos. They needed to find a way to fish the people and items out!

After all, Brother Fang Chang had worked hard to secure them using S Coins.

He wasn’t interested in the noble ladies, but he was rather keen on the really valuable treasures inside.

Jiujiu looked at her brother with suspicion.

"You’re really smitten, bro. I was wrong about you."

Night Ten, smiling through his dismay, said.

"What are you talking about?! Are you even listening to me?"

Shoot!

Just as Jiujiu was about to speak, a stranger’s voice suddenly came from behind them.

"I heard!"

A sense of alarm surged in his heart, Night Ten whirled around to see a man dressed in formal attire standing behind them, smiling at him and Jiujiu.

The man didn’t have any superfluous presence, but was impossible to ignore.

And half a step behind him stood a woman whose entire face was covered by a black visor, her shiny breastplate was engraved with the Huge Rock Military Industry logo and the "X-16" code.

"Who are you?" Night Ten moved to protect his sister, eyeing the man warily, his hand already on the pistol in his pocket.

Unperturbed by his actions, Yibers introduced himself politely.

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Yibers, president of Huge Rock Military Industry... Though this may be the first time you’ve seen me, I have actually had my eye on you for quite some time."

Huge Rock Military Industry!

Hearing this name, Night Ten felt a bit guilty but still braced himself to say.

"What do you want with us?"

"Nothing really; it’s just rare to see someone appreciate our work so much. It caught my personal interest," Yibers smiled pleasantly and continued, "But your ant-like hoarding is terribly inefficient and it messes up the puzzle I’ve taken so much trouble to assemble nicely."

"How about, you just buy me out?"

Jiujiu: "...?"

Night Ten: "???"

What?!

...

Right as Night Ten and Jiujiu were dumbfounded, Kishu, accompanied by a swarm of bodyguards, was strolling through the street by the city gate, painting a picture of the future with his fox and dog friends.

"Look, this is what you call a real gathering of nations!"

"All the survivor settlements in the central part of the Central Continent, no matter from the east, south, west, or north, will have to do business with us! Their stalls are lined up like an endless river, looking at us with hope in their eyes! They know that without us, they’re nothing!"

Swept up in his excitement, he opened his arms, embracing the wind and snow that hit his face, his visage beaming with a sunshiny smile.

"What Alliance, too weak!"

He had been coming here every day for the past few days, bringing along his good friends.

After all, it wouldn’t be long before he would become the master of this place.

A well-to-do young man curiously asked,

"What are they all selling? How come they haven’t sold out after so long?"

"I see a few familiar faces, seem to be from the Militia Group?"

"Don’t know, doesn’t matter," Kishu waved his hand, redirecting their attention back to himself, continuing, "It doesn’t matter what those underlings are selling. As long as they are trading, it definitely concerns us. Where there are transactions, there will be profit, and our settlement will benefit from it. This is the most basic economic knowledge."

Economics!

Everyone’s eyes lit up; a few boys quietly gave a thumbs up.

Kishu, who had seen the world, indeed hadn’t wasted his five years of travel; he really had learned something in Ideal City!

Looking at the bustling but slightly chaotic market, a trace of subtle sorrow colored Kishu’s eyes, mingled with a hint of invisible superiority.

These indecorous merchants were too crass. Without someone managing them, they would grow as wildly as weeds.

He would use the most advanced methods to make them follow his rules!

"It’s a pity that, although this place is close to us, it’s ultimately not within our settlement. These shortsighted fools have no long-term plans... I plan to spend a sum of money to buy the Hotel Wind From Afar!"

Kumarit asked excitedly.

"Then what?"

Gazing at the expectant eyes of everyone, Kishu clenched his fists proudly.

"Then we tax those stalls and tear down the slums, making all those people move into our hotel. People will thank us for letting them stay in a more impressive hotel, not those rubbish low houses of the Alliance, and we will have more money to do bigger things, like extending the Enclosing Wall right next to the overpass! Then, as soon as people come down from the bridge, they’ll arrive directly at our settlement, the busiest center!"

"I’ve heard it’s not too difficult technically. We’ve built such a huge Giant Wall before; we can build an even bigger one for the future!"

Kishu squinted his eyes, envisioning his future kingdom.

Those endless rows of stalls and crowds were practically stretching from the gates of Giant Stone City to the overpass behind the Hotel Wind From Afar!

Although the bustle here was nothing compared to the city, it was winter now!

If his memory served him right, there wouldn’t have been so many people out trading in winters past. Clearly, Giant Stone City had developed a lot in the five years he wasn’t here.

It seemed his plans were a bit conservative after all.

He had intended to take three to five years to achieve his goals bit by bit, but now it seemed he could move his plan forward a little.

Of course, he owed a lot to that good man called Fang Chang.

Without that brother, he would not have had so many funds at his disposal.

Every time he thought of that meeting on the airplane, Kishu couldn’t help feeling smug. It was the smartest negotiation of his life, and it might become a delightful anecdote in people’s casual conversations in the future.

"Brother! You damn, you’re just too awesome!"

Kumarit, excitedly leading the applause, couldn’t hide his immense joy.

He discovered that ever since his good buddy Kishu returned from Ideal City, not only had he become smarter, but his speech had become more and more pleasing to the ear.

He loved listening to it!

Without bragging, it was way more interesting than a woman!

And Kishu really wasn’t lying; his account was now worth tens of millions in S Coins, something his old man had never given him in spending money!

Those mystical experiences might have some exaggeration, but money never lies!

Just then, a cold wind blew.

Kumarit suddenly sneezed, rubbing his nose and muttering to himself.

"Why is it so cold..."

An accompanying chubby sidekick noticed, promptly taking off his coat and handing it over.

"You wear mine."

"Thank you, Piru, you’re a good man."

Although it wasn’t very cold, Kumarit still took the jacket and draped it over his shoulders, patting the chubby little follower’s beefy shoulder with a grin.

The chubby follower chuckled honestly and replied.

"Of course, we’re brothers after all."

He was Wei Jia’s son.

Although his dad was also a big boss, compared to these people’s fathers, he was just a small fry.

His father always told him that in Giant Stone City, connections were the scarcest resource, so he never hesitated to invest in these brothers of his.

The first million-level investment of S Coins was initiated by him, and he had gradually added more, totaling around ten million.

Looking at it now, this investment had undoubtedly paid off handsomely.

However, he was a bit timid and, under his father’s guidance, had already started to sell off some of his shares, making a small profit after deducting the initial investment.

Just then, a jarring siren suddenly rang out in the city.

Everyone stopped their conversations and looked towards the direction of the Giant Wall Gate.

"The city is sounding the alarm..." next to Kumarit, a bodyguard Awakener said respectfully, "We need to hurry back."

Kumarit scratched the back of his head, looking perplexed.

"But it’s winter."

Worry was written all over the faces of the young masters, and after looking at each other, they started whispering among themselves.

"Anyway, let’s head back first..."

"I have a bad feeling something’s going to happen."

"Safety first!"

Watching his buddies huddled together in conversation, the chubby Piru hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to say to his good brother Kumarit.

"You guys go ahead, I won’t be joining you."

Kumarit looked at him in surprise.

"Are you crazy? Staying outside when the alarm is pulled? This is the Wasteland!"

Piru smiled naively, chuckling.

"My father asked me to wait for him at the Hotel Wind From Afar, he said he had something to discuss with me. I have to get going, or he’ll whip my butt open."

Kumarit paused, then nodded and said,

"Alright then... take care of yourself."

Running out when the siren is blaring?

What a weird guy!

But Mr. Wei Jia was also a capable man; getting inside was just a matter of a few words for him, so Kumarit couldn’t be bothered to worry about his little friend.

"You guys, too! Be sure to take care," Piru hurriedly waved his hand as Kumarit began to take off his coat to give back to him, "Keep it, as a memento."

Kumarit paused, about to ask what he meant, but the bodyguard next to him coughed softly, distracting him.

"Sir, we should go... This is serious. If your father doesn’t see you, he will definitely be worried."

"Alright."

Kumarit nodded, watched Piru’s departing figure, eventually said nothing, gestured with his hand, and led everyone towards the direction of the Giant Wall Gate.

Although the gate had been sealed, for those with Black Cards, so-called rules were just that—rules.

At first, Kumarit wasn’t too worried, but the moment he entered Giant Stone City, he immediately realized something was wrong.

Too many people!

And they were all crowding the street at the entrance!

He had never seen so many people clamoring to leave before!

The bodyguard carefully tugged on his sleeve.

"We can’t take the main road, let’s go through the back alleys."

Those poor devils had clogged up the roads.

"Yes!" Kumarit nodded vigorously, his expression becoming increasingly tense.

Realizing the urgency of the situation, no one dragged their feet or cracked jokes anymore, and they started jogging towards the direction of the Inner City.

The streets were chaotic.

The guards who patrolled on normal days seemed to disappear, and nobody knew where the Militia Group had gone; clanging sounds of smashing and angry curses from men and women came now and then from the main road next door.

What was even more frightening was that the noises from the faraway streets were louder.

It seemed as though people were shouting something together...

Their voices were as if in battle!

An inexplicable panic rose in his heart. After bidding his friends farewell, Kishu hurried back to the large house on the edge of the Inner City.

He rushed through the gate, burst through the front door, yelled "Dad" with no response, and then he saw that his elder brother, who had already moved out, had unexpectedly come home!

The whole family was gathered in the main hall on the first floor, dressed neatly, with a few servants holding suitcases, and the butler, with a stern expression, gave orders... It all looked as if they were setting out on a long journey.

"Big brother?" Kishu stared blankly at the middle-aged man with neatly combed hair.

Woffiel looked at his younger brother, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, his voice carrying a hint of reprimand.

"What time is it, and you’re still running outside! Where have you just been? Why have you only come back now!"

Kishu couldn’t be bothered to respond to a bunch of nonsense; he walked up to him and got straight to the point.

"Where’s father? Where did he go?"

In his mind, his father Melvin was the backbone of the home; no matter what trouble he got into, his old man always had a way out.

"He went to the Alliance," said Woffiel, turning to look at their panic-stricken mother, speaking seriously, "There’s been a big incident outside, you should have heard it. In any case, please come with me to take refuge in the Inner City immediately... this is father’s decision."

"We might have to live there for a while until everything completely settles down."

Genesis nodded immediately.

"Alright! Let’s not waste any more time; let’s go now."

Those beggars and poor wretches had gone mad; usually they were fine, but she didn’t know which idiot had infuriated them.

The thought of those fellows with snotty noses and scruffy beards made her skin crawl with goosebumps, physically feeling sick.

Her best friend Bonnie seemed to have mentioned that something big was about to happen in Giant Stone City and had suggested she better store some daily necessities in a small room in the Inner City.

Her husband had already prepared for this: they had stored enough consumer goods and food to last the family for several months.

There were items like milk, bread, canned goods, toiletries, clean bedding, and so on.

Actually, there was no need to be too panic-stricken.

She had heard of similar things happening before, which she had not experienced herself, but her parents had.

And according to previous experiences, everyone ultimately got through it safely.

If they really didn’t want to wait, they could find a Sleep Cabin and sleep for a year or two; the only problem was cryogenic sleep dried out the skin, and they would need proper care after waking up.

Alyssa’s face was filled with worry.

Unlike her mother, she didn’t dislike those outside; she was just a bit worried about her father and those people...

She wondered if dad was alright.

Standing at the window on the top floor earlier, she witnessed many people gathering on the streets, marching towards her home with a threatening air.

Just a month and a half ago, it wasn’t like this.

Back then, it wasn’t just a matter of not showing anger on their faces; they didn’t even dare to lift their heads to glance at them...

But the thing she feared most had ultimately happened.

Just as she had said to her father during the celebration, he couldn’t even see their eyes, so how could he tell whether those eyes were filled with respect or hate?

If her father had taken her words seriously at the time, instead of brushing them off as the naïveté of a child.

But now, maybe it’s too late to talk about that.

This settlement had finally come to its last straw.

There was no more time left...

"We need to leave this place..." Watching his distracted sister, Kishu squatted down, gazing into her gem-like eyes, and stuffed the rag doll back into her hands, saying softly, "Don’t worry, the Militia Group friends will handle it... We will be back soon."

"Mmm..."

Alyssa nodded in silence, gripping the rag doll in her hands.

The family left through the back door of the house, hurriedly heading towards the Inner City under the protection of the old butler and six servants.

Actually, they should have left earlier.

Woffiel couldn’t help but curse his damn brother silently in his heart.

Ever since that kid came back from Ideal City, he seemed kind of off, and Woffiel should have convinced their old man to take him to check his brain.

The kid had apparently also come up with some S Coin recently, almost giving Woffiel a heart attack.

But compared to the massive powder kegs piled up in Giant Stone City at the moment, that was instead the most trivial thing...

Observing the increasingly dire situation on the streets, Woffiel frowned, suddenly a gunshot rang out, scaring him into immediately ducking.

Screams broke out like a sudden downpour, shattering on the nearby streets, followed by an overwhelming tide of roars and shouting, at one point even drowning out the sudden burst of gunfire.

Kishu was startled by the gunshot and only after regaining his senses did he realize that the gunshot was actually quite far from them.

He cursed in shock.

"What the hell, who’s shooting in the city? Have they lost their minds?"

"Shut up!"

Woffiel grumbled, turned back to look at his terrified sister and mother, and the fearful expressions of the butler and servants, then shouted loudly.

"Run!!!"

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