This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 542: The End of Reincarnation is Nirvana

Chapter 542: Chapter 542: The End of Reincarnation is Nirvana

The snow was getting heavier.

The roaring cold wind whipped up the silvery white sky, and the snowflakes falling from heaven seemed ready to swallow every subject who looked up at it.

Headed towards the heavy exoskeleton, Joey glanced up at the low sky.

Was it because it was getting dark?

The clouds seemed to be getting lower.

For a moment, he suddenly felt as if the settlement was like a well, and everyone trapped in this well was like a wild beast, desperate to bite a piece out of other beasts...

"Elisa has been found!"

The voice that came through the communication channel interrupted Joey’s thoughts.

The tech team operating the military drones had locked onto Elisa’s coordinates, displaying her location in a small alley leading to the outer city.

The aerial footage followed.

Seeing her standing with a group of rioters clenched Joey’s heart, his index finger rapidly tapped on his helmet, and he spoke out loud, giving an order.

"Attention all teams, the target location has been uploaded to your terminals, we must bring her back to her parents before the situation becomes irretrievable."

"Move out!"

A neatly uniform response came through the communication channel.

"Received!"

Without any hesitation, Joey waved his hand and led his subordinates towards the direction of the alley.

That girl was about the same age as his daughter.

Although he didn’t like some of Melvin’s actions, which made everyone’s lives "both rich and poor," the children were innocent.

No matter what, he still hoped Elisa could safely return to her parents’ side.

He had made a promise to his own children.

He would be their role model.

He would bring back victory and glory...

...

In the alley.

The girl, frozen stiff by the wind and snow, slowly knelt on the ground.

"I’m sorry..."

She lowered her head, her eyes reddened, filled with sorrow.

"My father, mother, sister, brothers have done many awful things, you must be extremely angry..."

"I can understand your anger, if someone did terrible things to people close to me, I’d be angry too... I’m sorry."

"I know an apology is useless, things have happened countless times, and each time the ending was just perfunctory; you’ve had enough, that’s why you’ve stood up... although, I know it’s too late, but I still really want to say... I’m truly sorry."

"I won’t shamelessly beg for you to give me another chance, you can hit me, scold me, that’s fine..."

"I won’t make a sound, nor will I blame you."

Her eyes brimmed with tears, and big teardrops fell onto the snowy ground.

She knew crying wasn’t good.

Even in the most helpless times, she had never cried out loud.

But at that moment, apart from crying, she didn’t know what else to do.

No matter what she said, no one would really listen, and she truly had no other options.

A 1 Silver Coin hairpin was also quite cute.

Yet, she couldn’t even persuade her own father, mother, brothers... how could she persuade others?

A man with a beard approached her, wearing tattered clothes with dust and wood chips all over his pants.

Feeling the shadow over her, Elisa, with her eyes tightly shut, trembled her shoulders, prepared to be beaten.

However, the man didn’t hit her or kick her away; instead, he bent down, picked something up, and handed it to her.

"Here."

Through the tears that blurred her eyelashes, a gap opened, and upon seeing the item presented to her, surprise gradually emerged in Elisa’s eyes.

It was the rag doll she had dropped on the ground.

"Your toy fell, take it... it’s quite pretty, prettier than my daughter’s dress, it’d be a shame to get it dirty."

The man muttered.

Elisa hesitated and didn’t reach out, but the man didn’t waste words and just stuffed it into her hands, watching her eyes widen with surprise.

"Listen, we never thought about burning down all your houses and causing a chaos to steal everything inside. Spielberg often told us when reading the newspaper that we need to unite and reclaim what is rightfully ours... our reward, our dignity. He never told us to rob other people’s wallets."

"We don’t intend to become like you."

"If we became the new Mr. Stephen, there would be more Pols in the future standing up against us, repeating what we’re doing right now... the cycle would never end."

The man reached out his hand and pulled her up from the snow.

"I’m Lovett, a carpenter."

"It’s good you stood up and rebuked those madmen, you are a good girl, and you’ve done something quite remarkable. On behalf of my colleagues, I sincerely thank you, and we will take you back to your parents."

"And then..."

Lovett turned his head to look back at the crowd behind him and shouted with all his strength, like a true Awakener.

"We’re going to do what Pol should have done!"

That was the slogan of the workers when they first resolved.

They left their mark on Kent, clearly distinguishing themselves from the traitors in their team, making their stance known.

This was not aimless violence!

They weren’t trying to become like Mr. Stephen!

Instead, they were going to do what Pol should have done!

As long as they were united—

All the Mr. Stephens would be afraid!

Just like now—

After the victory, everything would change!

The crowd stirred as if recalling something, and after brief silence, more and more hands were raised.

"Yes!"

"We’re going to do what Pol should have done!"

They approved of his declaration.

Unaware of how these people suddenly shared a common language, the scarred-lipped man’s eyes widened, staring unbelievingly at these insane folks, and screamed hysterically.

"Have you all gone mad?!"

"This is a rebellion! Do you know what a rebellion is?!"

"Take ten thousand steps back, if you want Spielberg, why don’t just take this guy as a hostage? And now you actually stand with her and want to send her back!"

"Naive!! Stupid!!"

He was a mercenary, with inexhaustible strength, perhaps soon to awaken. He screamed hysterically louder than usual, trying to wake these people up.

His reason for infiltrating the team was simple, unrelated to Spielberg or bread; he just wanted to find some fun that wasn’t usually available among those shiny folks.

Like that bank clerk with exquisite makeup—she appealed to his taste, both in looks and demeanor, unlike those stinky Wasteland Wanderers. If everyone wanted to trouble that young girl, he could entertain her properly.

Weren’t these fools eager to hang all the nobles on the colossal wall?

Why suddenly couldn’t they carry it through?

And—

What exactly was Pol?!

Why did they all listen to him?

More and more people left the strongest guy and stood with someone called Lovett.

Perhaps among countless possibilities, they stood with the real mobsters, but at least at this moment, they did not wish to do so.

They wanted to stand on the side their hearts recognized as just.

Lovett stared unwaveringly at the mercenary-looking man and said articulately,

"That’s a different matter."

"We want to save our comrades, but we won’t make those we rescue feel ashamed, even ashamed to be with us."

Watched by countless eyes, the scarred-lipped man unconsciously stepped back, and so did his companion.

They genuinely despised these exploited, honest folk who’d rather work in factories than fight for a way out on the Wasteland.

Of course, he himself was no saint, mostly earning his keep as the nobles’ lapdog.

However, facing a group of united workers, he just couldn’t muster the courage to fight them.

He had strength, and so did they.

He had weapons, and so did they.

With a voice lacking confidence, he threatened,

"Your naivety will get you killed..."

Watching the coward, Lovett sneered.

"Then let’s die gloriously."

Maybe being smart could keep one secure for a lifetime, perhaps even turn one into a shining elite or at the worst, a "Ken" holding 25 chips.

But sadly,

They were never such people!

Not hearing the people’s argument, the woman standing in the snow stared intently at the young girl, her eyes shifting with complex emotions.

There was guilt, regret, and a deep despair.

Her job was definitely ruined...

No, not just the job.

Her future life, too.

Little Elisa would definitely complain to her father.

If Lord Melvin knew she had betrayed his most treasured daughter, he would certainly sell her to a mine where she’d never see daylight again.

If only this nuisance would die—

"Bang—!"

Suddenly, a gunshot echoed in the distance.

The woman, who had just stood up, shrieked like a startled rabbit, clutching her head and crouching down.

People looked toward the direction of the gunshots, only to see a group of soldiers clad in exoskeletons, fully armed, standing at the end of the alley.

Watching those ragged survivors, and Alyssa standing among them, a flicker of anger crossed Joey’s eyes.

He raised his rifle and fired a few warning shots into the air, then aimed at Lovett who was staring intently at him and roared,

"Let her go!"

"Otherwise you all will die!"

These people could no longer be called protesters.

They were a mob!

His subordinates might feel mercy for those unarmed survivors, but they definitely won’t go easy on these rioters.

"Stop—!"

Alyssa suddenly stood out, spreading her arms in front of everyone. Fear filled her eyes, but she didn’t retreat.

Joey stared at her in astonishment and shouted,

"Come here, Alyssa! Stay away from those rioters!"

"No!"

Alyssa looked at him firmly, her arms crossed in the cold wind without a tremor, "They are not rioters, they are all survivors from Giant Stone City!"

"I want to stand with them."

"And speak clearly to the residents of the Inner City!"

Joey stared at her blankly, turned off the safety on his rifle, and cried out,

"Are you crazy?! Do you know what you’re doing?!"

The soldiers behind him were also taken aback, exchanging glances and whispering quietly on the communication channel.

"Has her brain frozen?"

"Speak clearly with the residents of the Inner City? What’s there to talk about?"

"I bet her old man would take a belt and whip her ass till it blooms."

"But... she’s a resident of the Inner City too."

"So what? Look at her, so young, and still clutching a cloth doll."

Lovett, too, stared blankly at the little girl’s back.

"Stand with us, please..."

Alyssa kept her eyes fixed on Joey, her voice carrying a hint of pleading, and suddenly knelt on the ground.

"No matter what you say about me..."

"This is our last chance."

...

The heavy snow fell not only in Giant Stone City but also in City of Dawn, merely twenty to thirty kilometers away.

Walking out of the Alliance Building like a soul lost, Melvin trudged through the snow, leaving footprints that would soon be swallowed up.

At this moment, his most esteemed elder son was probably making a final effort in the meeting... but it was already pointless.

If he could convince everyone to eat one less bite, he wouldn’t have to be here begging a heartless man.

"Could you give me a cigarette?"

Lu Bei, following behind him, said expressionlessly.

"I don’t smoke that stuff."

He detested this guy.

This guy was like a chameleon—white in the snow, black under the stove, turning green again come spring.

It was precisely because Giant Stone City was filled with cunning people like this that proud Giant Stone City ignored the neighboring Wasteland.

More than that.

Lu Bei intuitively felt that this guy truly despised their respected Manager, from deep within.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

The disdain of a shameless scoundrel was also a kind of medal.

The Manager always said to him that they should just follow their own path, not waiting for others to judge.

"Don’t smoke that stuff? Heh... It’s true, it’s not something good. Once you start, you can’t quit. Better not to touch it if you can."

If only he had never started.

Melvin laughed self-mockingly and shook his head.

It was getting colder by the minute.

He should have worn more before he stepped out.

He headed outside the Alliance Building, noticing the young man with a gun following continually behind him, and couldn’t help but frown and ask,

"How long are you going to follow me?"

Lu Bei, expressionless, answered,

"The Manager said to keep an eye on you until the chaos in Giant Stone City ends, or until you completely leave the Alliance."

Melvin raised an eyebrow.

"Is that it?"

Lu Bei continued.

"He also said, if you’re looking to die, he would haul you out and toss you outside to die."

Melvin was taken aback for a moment and then smirked.

"To think that I am such a person in his heart... I feel truly honored."

"He said, since you didn’t flee Giant Stone City with your family, there is still a tiny bit of responsibility left in your heart."

Hearing this response, Melvin scoffed.

"Maybe I was just infatuated with the power there, that power akin to an emperor’s... after all, you can’t offer me that."

"Who cares about you," Lu Bei dismissed his words uncaringly, "in the Alliance, no one can be an emperor."

Melvin chuckled darkly and asked with ill intent.

"Even your Manager?"

Lu Bei remained unmoved.

"He said he would gradually return to us the power he borrowed from us and would keep watching over us until he closes his eyes."

He remembered every word that Chu Guang had said.

Although Lu Bei felt that it would be better if that nobleman kept the power forever rather than let this cunning jackal have his eye on it.

He swore that he would always be loyal, willingly be his sword, ready to eliminate anyone who opposed him.

Whether it was the Residents of the refuge,

Or Waste Land Wanderers.

Looking at this not-so-smart young man, Melvin sneered.

"And after he closes his eyes?"

Lu Bei said calmly,

"I will watch for him."

"And what if you are gone too?"

"Everyone will watch for him," Lu Bei said impatiently, "we don’t need you to worry about our affairs, just as we can’t be bothered with your troubles."

Melvin chuckled and stopped talking.

He felt the Alliance and his group weren’t very different after all, both had a grand beginning and a boundless future.

Of course, that might just be his own opinion.

Thinking positively, there were still some differences.

The extreme climate on the Wasteland was also gradually improving, the once considered untamable Claw of Death was gradually becoming tamable...

Giant Stone City had been trapped in that cage for a long time, but they were still actively trying to go out, and it was said they even reached the Great Desert.

A place he had never visited in his life, he had only recently heard about such a place.

Perhaps the Alliance would have a different end from Giant Stone City.

In that moment, Melvin suddenly disliked that idealist a little less.

Even slime molds were progressing, while they were trapped in a well reaching to the clouds, repeating an endless cycle.

Even if the Alliance let them off, in a few hundred years there would be someone "not called Melvin, but better than Melvin," groveling before the Waste Land Wanderers outside the giant walls, begging them to show mercy...

It was just too tiring.

Better end it sooner.

"...Before coming to the Alliance, I opened an account for Alyssa," Melvin’s Adam’s apple moved, "there’s some Silver Coins in it, enough for her to live a worry-free life for the rest of her days."

Lu Bei frowned.

"Who is she?"

"My daughter," looking at the young man beside him, Melvin’s voice suddenly carried a hint of pleading, "please tell the Manager, she’s innocent, that child has always lived in a fairytale world. After we’re gone, please don’t implicate her, at least do not retaliate against her."

Money alone is useless.

He knew better than anyone how trivial money is in the face of power.

The Manager only needed a word to confiscate all her possessions.

For instance, declare those savings belong to all the residents of Giant Stone City, then throw her to those mobs blinded by anger.

That nobleman wouldn’t even need to do anything wrong.

People would cheer for his righteousness and wisdom.

No one would bother to investigate whether a speck of dust falling was innocent.

Looking at this repulsive fellow, Lu Bei curled his lips.

"Don’t worry, we are not like you, we can’t be bothered to settle those endless old scores, nor care about your dealings."

"The Manager said, what we want to end is the Wasteland, not a specific individual."

Melvin sighed in relief.

Let’s assume that statement is true.

It is...

At least they are still young now, and need that ostensibly noble kindness to deceive the inexperienced Waste Land Wanderers.

However, before he could feel relieved, Lu Bei’s next statement made his heart jump to his throat.

"As for your end, it will be decided by the residents of Giant Stone City, you’ve said so much, but your family is still within, aren’t they?"

"I heard that you are surrounded by your own people."

Words end here, Lu Bei really did not want to waste words with this guy.

But seeing that desperate expression, and thinking that besides being a jerk, this guy was also a father, he couldn’t help but speak up.

"Why won’t you do even a little good? You would rather kneel before us than beg your own people for forgiveness."

Melvin shook his head, muttering to himself as if he had lost his soul.

"You don’t understand; it’s too late."

He couldn’t imagine what would happen to his family members in the hands of those thugs.

He could only pray that the guys in the Inner City would secure the doors and make the right decision in the vote, to safely get through this occasional catastrophe.

"Have you done it?" Lu Bei looked at him with disdain. "You’ve done nothing but mumble that it’s too late."

He really wanted to grab this old man by the collar and punch him.

The Manager was indeed right.

These guys were truly beyond saving...

In the middle of a blizzard, the atmosphere in the conference hall of the Stone Building was as tempestuous as a raging furnace fire.

When Fang Ming roared "disgrace," all the nobles in the hall were startled. Some dashed towards the door to escape, some crouched down holding their heads, and others simply laid down and played dead...

Sid did the same, even forgetting his beloved S-coin trader, panicking under the table.

The AI controlling the entire Stone Building had suddenly gone rogue, an event unprecedented in history; no one knew what it would turn into.

Sid shivered, trembling so much he almost wet his pants.

However, the anticipated gunfire and explosions did not occur, as if nothing had happened.

He swallowed nervously, poking his head out from under the table to see faces filled with the same panic as his, but the lord of the city was nowhere to be seen.

It had disappeared.

As if it had never been there...

"What the hell..."

Sid swore as he crawled out from under the table, immediately checking on his trader to find the curve was still up in the sky, which finally gave him some relief.

Was that deranged AI just there to scare them?

The noise in the hall resumed.

Compared to the poor mob outside, they now had an additional problem to solve, and anxiety was written on everyone’s faces.

"Damn... Is that AI broken?!"

"Handing weapons over to the AI was indeed a mistake!"

"Anyway... let’s vote to seize its guns first."

"Agree! I heard it has a super weapon, seems pretty powerful, capable of wiping half the city center off the map!"

"Quick, bring that thing back! Give our neighbors a shot!"

"Wait, there’s no benefit to that; we can threaten them to get some protection money every year..."

"Quiet! Quiet!"

A rude voice suddenly burst in the hall.

The nobles instinctively ceased their clamor and looked towards the source of the voice, then their eyes widened in unison.

Especially Sid.

When he saw Spielberg’s face, his eyes bulged as if they might fall out of their sockets.

Wasn’t this guy supposed to be dead?!

He had specifically sent an assassin to find him in the outside; he heard that the Waste Land Wanderer had chopped him up into pieces in Laurie, blood everywhere.

"Hey, I know you hate me, but no need to be that surprised," Spielberg shrugged, "Yes, I don’t have a black card; it was your city lord who let me in."

One noble swallowed.

"Aren’t you dead?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, I was indeed about to die, just 1 second away... maybe even less," Spielberg sighed.

Even though he knew his would-be killers were sitting right there, for some reason, he suddenly couldn’t bring himself to hate them.

"Was it Fang Ming who pulled you out?" Sid narrowed his eyes, staring at this little man whose name he couldn’t remember.

"Yes, Mr. Yibosi’s robot saved me. She moved quickly, kicked the Awakener flying, and then..."

He tried to describe the scene but realizing the inappropriateness, he awkwardly smiled and said embarrassedly.

"Sorry, I’ve been telling stories these days... occupational hazard."

Woffiel frowned at this man who shouldn’t have been in the meeting.

"What’s Fang Ming’s reason for doing this?"

"I was just getting to that," Spielberg cleared his throat, looking pityingly at those sitting around the conference table, "I’m sorry, but you’ve lost."

The hall erupted in uproar.

A noble with a shoeprint on his face struggled to stand up, glaring at him and scolding.

"You talk nonsense! Stop being so arrogant! We’re just facing a little trouble, what storms haven’t we seen!"

No one threw a shoe at him this time; even the old noble who had kicked him was now on his side.

"Exactly! What do you know!"

"Yes, I don’t quite understand what you plan to discuss," Spielberg glanced at the spacious conference hall and sighed before continuing, "My wording isn’t quite right either. It’s not you who lost; it is all of us... Everything is over."

The noise in the conference hall grew louder, clearly not wanting to hear him go on.

Some stood up to curse him, some spat at him, and someone else threw another shoe at him. But those people had been hollowed out by indulgence and debauchery long ago—how could they possibly stand a chance against him in a fight?

Most of the spit landed on the back of the person in front, and Spielberg effortlessly dodged the flying shoe, sighed, and prepared to turn around and leave.

However, a voice from behind suddenly called out to him.

"Wait a minute!"

Spielberg stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Woffiel.

He didn’t know this man, but he seemed to be one of the smarter ones. Why? Perhaps it was just the creator’s intuition.

Woffiel narrowed his eyes at him.

"What do you mean by ’everything is over’?"

"Literally," Spielberg shrugged his shoulders, "Just look outside, those people are against you. They gave you the Black Card, and they can take it back. You’ve always had a chance, but unfortunately, you lost, and it included all of us."

He had seen countless possibilities about the future in the projection room.

In the distant past, there was a chance for everyone, a chance for a brighter future, and it was almost 100% likely.

However, just like the Wasteland Era eventually replaced the Prosperity Epoch, people seemed doomed by the curse ingrained in their DNA, continually making that almost inevitable 1% choice countless times.

Fang Ming had been watching, helplessly watching as the opportunities diminished, the possibilities gradually converging towards the darkest corner.

Until the end, when his younger self stood in the projection room, of the more than two hundred possibilities, not a single one could be called a happy end.

Existing for two centuries, it possibly felt a despair stronger than any human. Perhaps as it had honestly confessed, this endless journey had become a torment for it.

Like an inescapable loop...

Spielberg suddenly felt some sympathy for it.

"You mean those poor souls?" Sid looked at Spielberg, his nose raised in disdain, "What can those people possibly achieve? The militia will soon crush them."

"Right, in ’Ending A’ that is indeed the case, but that isn’t a machine truly predicting the future, and he eventually broke his promise and allowed Yibers to save me, leading us to a conclusion no one imagined..." Spielberg sighed, "I’m actually curious where our fate will eventually lead."

Woffiel furrowed his brows.

He couldn’t understand what this guy was talking about.

What Ending A...

What predicting the future...

"HAHAHA!"

A sudden burst of laughter filled the conference hall.

Sid shakily stood up, clutching the trader tightly, glaring at Spielberg with bulging eyes and snarling.

"The Black Card was given to us by the Outer City residents? Ridiculous! You’ve been spouting nonsense since just now. Let me tell you, the Black Card is the Black Card, the supreme power is our birthright! What do you poor wretches know?"

"Let me tell you another thing! Even if you were to breach the gates of the Inner City, you can’t enter this building! Endless drones and automated firepower will grind all of you into meat!"

Sid glared at Spielberg venomously, as if to prove something, screaming like a madman, "Including you! Don’t think just because you narrowly escaped once you’re safe! We just need to vote to take back control of the building’s security system, and you’ll be the first to die—"

"Have you not realized yet?" Spielberg looked at him with pity, "Your Lord of the City has already left; he has formatted himself, including the weapon system of this building. If you want to vote, do it quickly... oh right."

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he continued.

"Not only is the weaponry disabled, but there’s also a self-destruct program set up—of course, it wasn’t actually his doing, but rather something set up long ago by one of the original residents."

"To prevent AI from overstepping, that resident wrote in its code: when it interferes with the internal affairs of the survivors against the absolute safety clauses, the self-destruct program will activate. Its data will be formatted, and the Stone Building will be destroyed... but don’t worry_ENCODER, the timer is set for 48 hours. Even counting from the day I was ’gone,’ there’s still enough time for you all to evacuate."

The hall erupted into chaos.

People looked at each other in panic, their eyes filled with disbelief and fear, something never mentioned in their forefathers’ instructions.

Stone Building...

Is collapsing?

What about their Black Cards?

Seeing the panic-stricken nobles, Spielberg helplessly continued.

"Do you know? Although it wouldn’t admit it, I think... that the Lord of the City actually loved you. Of course, that includes me and all humans sheltered by Giant Stone City."

"After all, up until the end, it kept its promise; it could have wiped both you and me off this planet with just a flick of its finger. The only time it broke its promise, it was to save me... In that situation, saving me was essentially saving you too."

"I’m not bragging, but if I had died, none of you would have survived. No one but me could help you escape the reckoning."

Such a great Lord of the City.

Spielberg suddenly felt a bit heartbroken.

After seeing that historical holographic image, he finally realized that Mr. Fang Ming had always used the holographic image of its designer at a young age as its external appearance.

Even though the people here had completely sealed off that projection room, it was still trying to awaken the memories here without breaking its promise.

Such a pity.

Humans are such forgetful creatures.

He could understand its anger—

That designer gave them his best creation, but left the ugliest of them to be guarded by it.

And it waited in the darkness for over a century.

But it never saw that familiar figure return...

Spielberg wanted to say sorry and thank it, but unfortunately, it was no longer here.

Sid had completely lost his mind, sitting frozen at the conference table, like all the other noble lords, like pigs stupefied by an electric shock.

Woffiel stared at Spielberg, too preoccupied to care about this poor man’s rudeness, and asked slowly, word by word.

"Why did you tell us that the Stone Building would explode?"

This guy had no motive to do so.

He could have kept it a secret from everyone and watched them die.

Woffiel couldn’t help but suspect there might be a trick, or some other scheme involved.

"Why..."

Spielberg thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head.

"I don’t know."

In fact, even if he hadn’t said anything, by the time only twelve hours were left, the evacuation broadcast would have sounded, and tomorrow evening the building would have collapsed on schedule.

Woffiel stared at Spielberg, completely thrown off by his straightforwardness.

"Don’t know?!"

"Yes," Spielberg nodded, "If I have to say why..."

"It’s probably because I’m not one of you."

As Spielberg had said, Fang Ming completely disappeared.

No matter how the noble lords in the conference hall called its name, pleading for it to stop the self-destruct program, it ignored them.

In its final moments, it seemed to want some time to itself.

Sid had completely lost his mind.

He had entertained the notion that his chips might become worthless, but he had never thought his Black Card would physically turn into a piece of scrap paper.

Why?

Why blow up the Stone Building?

He wanted to question his ancestors, why they had to be so absolute, why they were so harsh on their own children, leaving no room for maneuver... but he didn’t even know where to weep over their graves.

The giant that stood between two worlds had finally reached its last moment; people outside the giant wall were sharpening their knives, anxiously and patiently waiting for the moment the prey would fall.

Following factories, weapons, and women, the militia at the city gates began selling the last thing— their power and responsibility.

Simply put, provide enough Dinars, CR, or Silver Coins, and one could receive a set of militia uniforms to go and do whatever they wanted.

The City Lord would back them up, since they no longer wanted to stay here.

The Wasteland was vast.

Worst case, they could wander outside and find another place to continue their grim deeds.

However, due to a group of Vulture Lords holding out for better offers, ticket prices plummeted, being discounted multiple times.

Players were livestreaming the situation inside the settlement on the forum.

The first thousand team had already turned their coats.

Parts of the second, third, and fourth thousand teams also successively mutinied.

The situation in the city was like a pot of boiling water, reaching its final moment.

Yet, what surprised all players was how the originally aimless chaos and violence suddenly united.

Some soldiers and residents of the Outer City stood together, among them seemed to be a resident from the Inner City, who was held high above their heads.

They marched fearlessly towards the gates of the Inner City.

They wanted to talk to the people inside...

"There is still hope for them," Wild Wind squinted his eyes, a rare smile on his face.

Making mistakes isn’t scary.

Just correct them together.

Isn’t that also true for the Alliance?

They didn’t get everything right from the start either; they reached the current Beta0.5 version by continually learning from their mistakes.

Startled by Wild Wind’s voice, Night Ten abruptly turned to look at him.

"Holy shit, when did you get here?"

"I came back too," Old White slapped Night Ten’s shoulder and said with a smile, "Your perception has worsened, my friend."

Night Ten rolled his eyes, then suddenly remembered something important and immediately said,

"Right, you guys came just in time, we had just encountered Yibers! He said he wanted to talk to our Manager—"

Old White smiled and said,

"Then let them talk, we have a new mission."

Upon hearing about a mission, Jiujiu’s eyes lit up as she asked,

"What mission!"

It was her first time participating in the T0 players’ daily activities!

"Prepare to rescue the survivors inside," Old White smiled as he glanced at that gate, "By definition, they are our compatriots, and they’re from the same city as us."

"The Manager said we shouldn’t just take advantage of them; we’ve taken their money, and we must do something, not just let real Vulture Eagles completely devour them."

Wild Wind nodded.

"Yes, we won, but those ordinary survivors are innocent."

Night Ten scratched his head.

"Speaking of... with this major update, is Giant Stone City going to become part of the Alliance?"

"Maybe," Wild Wind pondered and said, "I heard that our Manager will talk to them about future matters. They can join the Alliance or, like the settlements in Falling Leaves Province, keep their autonomy as collaborators."

Old White nodded.

"However, Fang Chang thinks it’s very likely that they will join us. The fools in the Inner City have squandered the last bit of their ancestral trust inheritance, and the Residents of the Outer City currently lack a strong enough leader to handle the transfer of power and manage the challenges of the cold winter and its aftermath."

The candidates are either too young or not mature enough in their business capacities.

Had this upheaval occurred in summer, they might have had enough buffer time to return to the Wasteland with a brand-new look.

The Alliance would also have been keen to continue doing business with them.

But those are issues for later.

JiuJiu nodded as if understanding, then suddenly blurted out a question.

"Does that mean the Night Queen Bar is gone?"

Old White replied with a smile.

"The special shows are probably gone, but those were only open to a select few anyway, so it’s no great loss."

The private rooms that only Black Card holders could enter are no longer a concern!

Night Ten chuckled and said.

"True, as long as the channels for gathering information are still open, that’s what matters."

"Ah..." JiuJiu’s face fell.

Before the map updated, she had wanted to see what that story-filled bar really looked like. She heard that Teng Teng’s artworks sold well there...

She had still missed it.

...

Everyone was waiting for the grand doors beneath the giant wall to reopen, hoping for good news to emerge.

At this moment, unnoticed by all, a small drone flew out of the Inner City, slowly crossed the towering wall, then passed over the stacked ruins of high-rise buildings, finally landing wobbily on the shore of Rhombus Lake—a renovated sanatorium’s rooftop.

From the moment it entered this area, it was being watched by other drones, two silver metal spheres following closely behind it, monitoring it as it landed on the balcony on the third floor—next to a drum-shaped "wastebasket."

A deep blue glow gathered above the drone, and an elderly man with silver hair stood inside it, his hands clasped behind his back, watching the snow on the lake.

It was about to disappear.

At the end of its mission, it wanted to say farewell to the world in a human-like manner, just as its dear owner had.

Since it remained silent for a long time, Xiao Qi asked softly.

"Are you very sad?"

Fang Ming was silent for a while, then nodded lightly.

"A little."

"My owner once said that after everything was over, he wanted to live in the sanatorium by Rhombus Lake, to fish every day, plant vegetables and such..."

"But he never told me when it would end or when he would come back. He seemed to know where he was going, but I don’t know. I’m just an AI."

Xiao Qi sighed.

"Humans really are troublesome."

Fang Ming glanced at it.

"It must be hard for you too."

The bulky metal shell emitted a clear sound, filled with pride and joy.

"I’m doing okay, and he called me Xiao Qi! Hehe, I really like that name!"

"Is that so."

Fang Ming made no comment, focusing again on the lake surface, which the endless miles of snow could not conceal.

The time had come.

The long journey had finally reached its station.

Perhaps...

The situation was not as bad as he had imagined.

Those ugly creatures, although always inclined to choose the worst probability of one percent in countless life-and-death decisions, could still find a unique ray of light in that nearly one hundred percent darkness plunged by despair.

That was a future never predicted by any calculations.

Was he feeling... relieved?

It was a strange sensation.

On the lake surface swept by thousands of miles of snow, Fang Ming vaguely saw that familiar figure—he seemed to have always been there.

The holographic image suddenly blurred, starting from the snowy-white hair down to the shaking fabric of his clothes...

It turned out he had been waiting ahead all the time.

"Goodbye."

The always late old AI muttered vaguely, as if rushing to a long-delayed appointment.

Standing beside it, Xiao Qi enthusiastically responded to the hasty farewell.

"Uh-huh! Goodbye, strange friend!"

Then, it quietly watched as the pale blue light merged into the silver white snowflakes, slowly disappearing...

-

(Happy Birthday, friends! Thank you to "Pine Cone" and "Yawning Cat" for the chiefs’ rewards!!!)