This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 543: The Collapse of the Building

Chapter 543: Chapter 543: The Collapse of the Building

Voice of Boulder City Newspaper Office’s broadcasting room.

Haus shivered as he watched the rioters enter the newspaper office and glanced at Joey, who stood with the rioters and trembled as he spoke.

"Centurion Sir... what, what are you doing?"

The K-10 "Iron Wall" heavy exoskeleton, a proud creation of Huge Rock Military Industry, was generally equipped by heavy infantry or front-line combat officers such as Centurion and Centurion, rumoured to be able to kill a cow with one punch.

Of course, most of the people wearing these things used guns and rarely engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

Knowing this, Haus was nearly scared to wet himself.

Joey looked at Haus with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

He didn’t like this guy very much, even though he had for a while. Since they had newspapers, he realized that there wasn’t a single truth coming from this man’s mouth; he was as nutritious as nutrient paste.

"Here to bring victory and glory to my kids, to become their role model."

Joey turned to look back at Lovett, Alyssa, and his colleagues at the Workers’ Association.

"It’s in your hands now."

Lovett nodded, walked up to Haus, looked at the pale-faced clown, and said,

"We’ll borrow the broadcast for a moment."

He said ’borrow’, but Haus dared not refuse, nodding like a pecking chicken, forcing a pleased smile on his pale face.

"Please, please use it! Do you need my help to adjust the device, esteemed...Worker Sir?"

Looking at his trousers stained with sawdust, he must do the noble work of a carpenter.

"No need," a worker came forward, disdainfully shoving the obsequious Haus aside, "We made your device... damn it, your quack voice makes me uncomfortable!"

Another worker burst out laughing.

"Ha-ha, I agree! It’s even worse than the sound of Lovett sawing wood!"

"Haus! Why don’t you imitate a duck’s quack? It’s sure to sound better than the crap you usually spout!"

Haus became so anxious that his face turned from pale to ashen, his twisted expression nearly brought him to tears.

That’s when a cough sounded.

"Cough! Everyone quiet down, we don’t need to give ’Ken’ a hard time; we’re just reclaiming what’s rightfully ours!"

Dragging Haus, who was close to wetting himself, away from the workers, Lovett patted his shoulder and led him by the neck to the door of the newspaper office, kindly saying,

"Go home and don’t go out tonight; wait until the Iron Wall gates open and find a way to escape."

"We’re not going to beat you, but I can’t speak for others."

"Thank...Thank you!"

Haus left with tears of gratitude, thanking profusely, scrambling out of the newspaper office, running off like a mouse fallen into a snowdrift, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Lovett watched the figure vanish into the night and smiled, closing the door behind him to return to the crowded broadcast room, taking the microphone that had been adjusted by a colleague.

He cleared his throat to speak, but a crisp voice suddenly came from the side, interrupting him.

"Wait a minute."

People turned their heads to look at the young girl.

Alyssa spoke on with a serious voice, not afraid despite the numerous eyes on her, "We need to prepare a broadcast script, or rather, a speech. Everyone will hear your voice; we must accurately convey every piece of information, not just to the Outer City residents but also to those in the Inner City... In short, we need a specific manifesto that tells them how we should win and what changes will come after our victory."

Her eyes shone with a wisdom and courage that were uncommon for her age; this experience seemed to have made her grow up several years overnight.

Lovett thought he saw Melvin’s shadow in her, yet she was entirely different.

But what did that matter?

Awakener Bol and Mr. Stephen were only a thought apart.

She was Melvin’s daughter, and it was only natural for her to be like her father; it would be scary if she wasn’t a bit like him.

"She’s right."

Lovett put down the microphone, looking at his colleagues from the Workers’ Association, "We need to draft a manifesto, to tell our friends this is a rebellion, not a riot."

A worker nodded.

"That’s right, and tell those mercenaries to behave! Don’t think they’re the only ones with guns!"

Alyssa’s face flushed with glee as she watched the lively discussion.

Finally, someone was willing to listen to her.

And so many at that.

Actually, she was not without options.

She believed that she would be able to think of better, more mature solutions than crying in the future.

"We don’t intend to destroy everything, but we want a new beginning!" Lovett said to his colleagues, feeling a bit sheepish, "How’s that for an opening line?"

An electrician raised a thumb.

"Awesome!"

Encouraged by his colleagues, Lovett began to improvise like Spielberg reading the newspaper, telling a story.

"...Physical Stephens can be eliminated, but the intangible Stephens are indestructible. We are their ghosts, and they, ours."

Joey coughed.

"Stop for a moment, this sentence can be changed a bit, not everyone, except for those of you in the Workers’ Association, knows the story of Awakener Bol, and it might feel confusing to them."

"Moreover, it’s too cumbersome, these words can be said at the time of victory," Alyssa also nodded, "Right now, we should use the simplest language to tell everyone what to do next."

Just like the Managers of the Alliance!

Lovett scratched the back of his head.

"That’s true."

Actually, most workers had heard the story of Awakener Bol through word of mouth, since it hadn’t been long since the snow fell that Spielberg had been taken away by the noble lords.

And many heard different versions of the story.

If Spielberg was still alive, once they rescued him, they would definitely have him finish writing the story.

Everyone was deep in thought together.

Some suggested improving labor treatment, others urged lowering the price of bread, and some demanded higher taxes on the rich... but these various ideas seemed just like scratching an itch through a boot.

Suddenly, Alyssa thought of the Alliance’s ’fundamental law’ and the Manager’s declaration at the festival, and so an idea struck her and she spoke out.

"Charter!"

Joe frowned slightly.

"Are you talking about the law? Boulder City does have its laws."

"But the nobles don’t have to follow them, do they?’ Alyssa looked at him unwaveringly, "As long as you have a Black Card, you won’t be punished even if you break the law, and they didn’t take Spielberg away because he broke any laws, right?"

Joe nodded.

"He was taken away by the guards under the Militia Group."

"Starting now, things must change, otherwise everything we do is meaningless. We’ll end up right back where we started!" Alyssa said earnestly, her eyes shining as she looked at them, "Inner City must release Spielberg, and from today, we must discuss a ’fundamental law’ that everyone will follow! We need to give it the power we once entrusted to the Black Card!"

Joe stared blankly at the young girl in front of him.

He suddenly felt the adventure he had gambled his career and fate on was not meaningless, perhaps after tomorrow, this settlement would truly be different, and his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would also regard him as a true pride and example.

By the Great Antler God.

Although Boulder City had never had a king...

But if she wished to be crowned, he would pledge allegiance to this queen.

Lovett also stared blankly at her, muttering under his breath.

"Bol... it’s Bol..."

He remembered Spielberg had written.

Bol had snapped his own Black Card...

...

There are no eternal emperors, nor immortal city-states.

However, two centuries of hesitation would not be in vain.

It is only after growing weary of a barbaric life of blood and hair that people mustered the courage to borrow fire from heaven to dispel the Dark Ages.

And when people finally learned to ignite the firewood with their own strength, the priests who watched over the flames silently receded from the stage of history.

This was not a regret for those who watched the flames.

If he did not proactively step into the new era,

His tribe would one day be swallowed by darkness.

The old man who designed this settlement may have foreseen the events of today—the future that not even computers had imagined.

He led the people to build the Iron Wall, designed Fang Ming, entrusted the future generations to its care, and also devised its ultimate demise.

This was actually a gift.

Life that can be born and die is considered true life; only the cold, hard stone is unchanged through eternity.

It became human at the last moment.

And the "children" it watched over, after a long period of decline, finally welcomed a new dawn.

Facing inevitable dangers, people came together once again.

They united to light the bonfire, just as their ancestors had done more than two hundred years ago, overcoming tough times in the face of catastrophic disasters.

Shoulder to shoulder, without distinction of high or low, rich or poor, old or young, they sat in front of the fire to keep warm, for at this moment there was no difference between paupers and the wealthy; nothing else mattered.

Starting tomorrow, everyone would be the same.

The chips were thrown into the fire.

Watching the alternating yellow and green arcs dance above the flames, the children’s faces showed smiles that had been missing for a long time.

Someone began to sing, some played the guitar, and others turned their stories into a poem, teaching it to the children to sing from generation to generation.

The winter suddenly didn’t seem so cold.

The workers took the food from the warehouses and distributed it to everyone, since their bosses had long since run away from this settlement.

Of course, they didn’t take it for free.

They left behind little pieces of paper, the checks the bosses had given them—now it was time to cash them in.

The Workers’ Association took over the broadcast of Boulder City’s Voice, and a representative named Lovett announced the manifesto for this uprising on the radio.

That was to say, it was for the ears of the nobles in Inner City.

"It’s a message for our own people as well."

The endless cycle has come to an end at this point, and after the boundless long night, a new beginning awaits.

The sun will indeed not rise just because people need to get up.

But the sun will eventually rise.

That is also the unchanging destiny and truth...

...

The next morning.

The heavy snow had finally stopped, and a touch of sunrise pierced through the thick clouds, casting a golden hue over the snow-covered streets of Giant Stone City.

After announcing the manifesto of the uprising, the Workers’ Association called upon the residents to unite via the Voice of Boulder City broadcast, coordinating with the Militia Group to distribute the city’s stockpiled supplies.

After discussions, the Workers’ Association and the Militia Group decided to join forces with the city hall to establish the "Crisis Response Office" and transition to the new authorities of Boulder City.

The pressing concern was to address the immediate problems.

In order to fill everyone’s stomachs, a portion of the workers returned to their jobs, mobilized by the Workers’ Association.

The nutritional paste factories resumed operations, and the welfare institution of the Workers’ Association—Boulder City Prison—also opened its doors to the public.

However, the gap in supplies was still significant.

Even though Melvin had intercepted a shipment of goods meant for the Alliance, the remaining food and daily necessities were in short supply.

There were significant disagreements between the Workers’ Association and the Militia Group regarding whether to forcibly requisition supplies from residents who had stockpiled large quantities of food.

Some believed that drastic times called for drastic measures, others saw it as outright robbery, and still others proposed compensating those whose goods were seized... but now everyone knew that the currency had become worthless.

No one acknowledged it anymore.

To offer currency was akin to an open robbery!

The Workers’ Association could mobilize the workers, and the Militia Group could mobilize the soldiers who stood with the residents of the outer city, but Giant Stone City was not just made up of these people.

Who would mobilize the citizens and mercenaries?

Seeing no opportunity to take advantage of the situation, some mercenaries clamored to leave the city, while some citizens also wanted to follow, having heard that even begging in the Alliance was better than staying here.

If last night, all the residents of this city gloriously stood on the side of the ideal, then today they had to face a harsh reality—

The nobles of the Inner City had left them a huge mess.

The Giant Stone City that fell into the hands of its residents was already riddled with countless holes by termites...

In a certain office of the city hall.

Alyssa was meticulously reviewing the ledger in her hands and checking it against the documents spread out on the table.

As a member of the Crisis Office, and the youngest at that, she was responsible for assessing the assets currently available to the outer city’s town hall.

Although some doubted her experience and stance, the folks at the Workers’ Association expressed their support.

Most members of the Workers’ Association had simple values.

Rather than clever deceivers full of lies and cunning, they preferred to trust a less experienced but at least truth-telling young girl.

It didn’t matter if the accounts were wrong.

They could be corrected.

The people weren’t unreasonable barbarians.

And Alyssa did not disappoint everyone’s expectations.

The first thing she did was to raid her own home in the outer city, and then she also seized the assets of her brother’s crooked friends in the outer city.

The computer at Giant Stone City Bank recorded every expenditure of the currency, making it easy to identify the hidden assets of the noble lords in the outer city.

That wealth was ill-gotten.

It should belong to all the residents of Giant Stone City.

Looking at the thick stack of ledgers in her hands, a troubled look filled Alyssa’s eyes.

It was only now that she had realized what her father really had shouldered for his family and for this settlement.

Economics was merely a means of distributing supplies and couldn’t conjure up nonexistent things.

Just as her father had said before he left, he had used every possible method he could think of, but still couldn’t stop the train hurtling towards the bottom of the mountain.

Thinking of her furrowed-browed father, Alyssa couldn’t help but inwardly complain a few words to that pillar of strength in her heart—the respected Manager.

"You’ve been too ruthless..."

With a sigh, Alyssa closed the ledger in her hands.

The penalty fees from all the private factories had become a mess.

No matter how much the factories of the Alliance complained, all they could do was apologize.

After all, the currency was completely finished, and continuing with those currency-priced orders meant working for the Alliance for free.

Not to mention that the bosses who had signed those orders had long since fled; it couldn’t be that they would let workers, who were also creditors, pay off the debt for those scoundrels, right?

Of course, they would also forgive the Alliance’s debt denominated in currency... after all, no amount of currency held any value anymore.

Giant Stone City must survive the harsh winter with the little supplies left, and all foreign trade of Giant Stone City would have to be paused for a while.

The problem was that Giant Stone City’s raw materials were entirely reliant on imports!

Whether industrial products or food supplies.

They could refuse to sell things to outsiders, but the outsiders wouldn’t just hand things over to them for nothing.

Alyssa suddenly had a wild idea.

Maybe...

Should they encourage everyone to plant some vegetables in flowerpots?

But where would the seeds come from?

She had heard that farming was not simple.

Take the Alliance next door, for example.

They cultivated seeds in the CNC planting towers and the shelter’s planting areas in "North Suburb", paired with fertilizers produced in the industrial district, in order to maintain high yields for crops on the Northern Shore of Diamond Lake.

And now, the crops from "North Suburb" alone were insufficient to fully meet the needs of the Alliance residents.

Recently, they had transformed some of the exterior farmlands into breeding farms, managed by the seed research department of the biological laboratory. They exported the resulting seeds and the industrial district’s fertilizers to Luo Xia Province in exchange for a large amount of staple crops to feed all the residents of the Alliance.

And there were countless details she couldn’t see.

Just the issue of food contained knowledge that couldn’t be exhausted in a whole book. Although she had attended school, her teachers had never taught her these things in-depth.

Alyssa felt a faint headache between her eyebrows.

Ah...

It’s too difficult!

She hadn’t slept at all last night, and even though she had been in a state of excitement, she was already struggling to keep up.

Alyssa, who had propped up her small hands on the table and rested her face against the ledger for a false nap, couldn’t help but let her dazed mind wander.

What if...

She acted coquettishly towards the Manager?

This might be a good idea.

Maybe, for the sake of being cute, he would give a helping hand to everyone in Giant Stone City?

As long as it could help everyone through the winter safely, she was willing to do anything, after all, her family owed so much to the residents of this settlement.

People had forgiven her with kindness, but one-sided giving was merely charity. She wanted to do something for everyone else, to pay back the debt owed by her father, mother, brothers, and sisters.

This was the only thing she could do now...

Thinking about it, her face suddenly reddened a bit, and she shook her head vigorously, chasing away the impractical thoughts that kept surfacing in her steaming mind.

She couldn’t be like her father...

It was useless to ask for help.

"...he said I would become an outstanding person," she muttered softly, moving her face away from the ledger and perking up once more.

It was that phrase that had encouraged her.

It was then, at the critical moment that decided her and everyone else’s fate, that she had courageously stepped forward.

If she had chosen to stand by and watch, and everyone else had silently just watched like her, they would not have reached that one chance in a million.

"I have already achieved one thing... I can’t let him down."

Her eyes regained clarity, and wisdom sparkled within Alyssa’s gaze as she mulled over and spoke to herself.

"...However, regarding the issue of refugees, negotiating at the diplomatic level with the Alliance should be hopeful."

The Alliance surely wouldn’t want to see hundreds of thousands of refugees overwhelming the order they had worked so hard to maintain. Helping Giant Stone City was also helping themselves.

Their temporarily constructed apartment buildings could currently house just over forty thousand people, and she had heard that more than half were already living inside.

Clearly, they had underestimated how "rotten" Giant Stone City was.

That respected Mr. Manager must also be suffering a headache about how to dismantle the bomb right at their doorstep, right?

Hmm-hmm.

Discovering a breakthrough to solve the problem, her lips curled into a faint smile.

"Respected Mr. Manager, we will keep our doors shut tight and persuade everyone to wait patiently for the winter and the end of the spring tide. At the same time, we also sincerely request the Alliance to support us with some nutritional paste and fuel for the winter... We earnestly ask for your help."

"Such negotiations should be feasible."

If all else fails, they could consider naming it a loan.

Giant Stone City’s new authorities could borrow a special loan from the Alliance Bank to purchase emergency relief materials like nutritional paste.

She had heard that stuff wasn’t tasty and lacked nutrition, but she was willing to share it with everyone until life could get back on track.

As for the future...

Alyssa’s gaze became a bit lost.

Naturally, the best outcome for Giant Stone City would be to join the Alliance or at least become a collaborator like the countries of the Luo Xia Province.

But she couldn’t decide that alone; it required discussion with all the residents of this settlement.

And just wanting it themselves wasn’t enough.

Giant Stone City had a larger population than all four of the Alliance’s cities combined; wanting to join was one thing, but considering if they would be willing to take on the responsibility was another.

This was an overwhelmingly massive mess...

At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and Lovett walked in from outside.

Alyssa immediately stood up, supporting herself on the table.

"Mr. Lovett, your timing is perfect. I hope you can represent Giant Stone City in negotiations with the Alliance!"

Lovett hesitated for a moment, then his brows furrowed.

"Forget about that for now... there’s big trouble in the Inner City."

Alyssa paused.

"...Inner City?"

Thinking that there was still a pile of trouble unresolved in the Outer City, the new authorities of Giant Stone City hadn’t forced the residents of the Inner City to surrender, nor had they urged them to come out immediately. They had simply unilaterally declared the new regime and a series of other matters, such as the rebellion program.

The Enclosing Wall had already been controlled by soldiers who had turned their coats, and the control of the Militia Group had essentially been seized by Joey and a host of junior officers. If the Inner City had previously rejected the Outer City, now it was the Outer City that surrounded the whole Inner City.

After sorting out the troubles of the Outer City, dealing with the residents of the Inner City would be the same.

Alyssa didn’t understand why Lovett was bringing up the Inner City at this moment, but after listening to his narration, her face turned pale.

"What... the Stone Building is going to collapse?!"

Lovett nodded with a complicated expression.

"I think Stephen... I mean the residents of the Inner City probably weren’t lying."

"They’ve stockpiled enough supplies in the Inner City to last them for several months. If it’s not something incredibly serious, based on their attitude last night, they were probably planning to hold out against that Enclosing Wall until we all die of old age."

Alyssa bit her lips.

Her mother, her older brothers and sisters were still inside...

"What... what demands have they made?"

Lovett went silent for a while before speaking.

"What they demand is no longer important. The issue now is how we treat them after they come out. Of course, the folks at the Workers’ Association say that as long as Spielberg is still alive, they can spare their lives. But we all think that Spielberg is probably not going to make it, given the amount of blood loss. I would believe it if you said a pig was slaughtered there..."

The office fell into silence.

Just when the atmosphere had become rigid to the extreme, a soft cough suddenly followed footsteps into the room.

"Cough... my old friends, are you so eager for me to die?"

Hearing that familiar voice, Lovett turned around in surprise and joy, only to see Spielberg standing at the door with a cheeky grin and his arm casually over the door frame.

"By the Great Antler God..."

Lovett stepped forward quickly, patted the guy’s rough face, and almost burst into tears with excitement, "You’re still alive! How did you manage that?"

"That wasn’t my blood..." Spielberg brushed off Lovett’s hand and laughed, "You might not believe it, but thanks to our respected City Lord, I got to watch a very, very long movie."

"The City Lord? What does he have to do with..." Lovett suddenly recalled something, grabbed him by the collar in urgency, "Never mind the movie stuff, what about the rest of the story?!"

Spielberg looked embarrassed.

"Actually, you guys have finished it for me, and you did a much better job..."

Lovett glared at him.

"Don’t you f*cking think of dodging it! We want to see what you write!"

"Okay, okay... once I get some free time, I’ll finish it in one go. But for the material, I might need to take a trip to the ’North Suburb’ first."

Holding back a certain nearly insane bearded man, Spielberg coughed and then turned to a little girl in the room whose eyes were brimming with tears.

"Nice to meet you... are you Alyssa? I’m Spielberg, a worker from the cannery doing unpaid labor. A mistress like you might never get to meet a poor devil like me in a lifetime."

"Stop with that kind of bullying talk, she’s one of us now."

A large hand landed on his shoulder as Joey walked in from the door and continued to Alyssa.

"They’ve released Spielberg, and the folks from the Workers’ Association have decided to pardon the residents of the Inner City in view of his unharmed state. They can stay and join us; after all, this is their home too. Of course, they’re also free to leave, but the same rules apply to them as to us: 20 kilograms of luggage per person—"

Spielberg immediately added,

"Wait, you need to add one thing: worth less than ten thousand silver coins—"

"Thank you!!!"

Struggling to hold back the tears welling up, Alyssa bowed deeply with her head lowered, but the tears hidden by her bangs couldn’t help but fall to the floor.

Of course, those weren’t tears of sadness...

She couldn’t describe the tumultuous emotions in her heart at this moment.

Together, they had reached an ending that seemed almost impossible.

But now they stood here.

All together...

At that moment, a small hand gently tugged her sleeve, and a crisp voice also came from beside her.

"Sister, don’t cry... everyone is saved."

Alyssa opened her eyes wide, lifted her head slightly, and saw a little girl about six or seven years old looking at her with concern.

"You are..."

"My child, Anna."

Approaching Alyssa’s side, Joey picked up Anna and affectionately scratched the little girl’s nose with his index finger.

"She came back this morning, with her brother, sisters, and mother, following the people who escaped from the Inner City... I told them everything, and this little one insisted on coming to see Alyssa herself."

Alyssa stared at the father and daughter, subconsciously sniffing her nose, not wanting to leave a crybaby impression on her little fan.

But Anna didn’t seem to mind.

Perhaps because she was herself a crybaby, seeing Alyssa suddenly stop shedding tears, her eyes lit up, and she promptly gave a thumbs up.

"Sis, you’re amazing!"

Alyssa said with a flushed face.

"I... I didn’t actually do anything. It’s your father who’s better."

"Ha ha ha, of course!"

Joey laughed heartily, his scruffy beard lifting at the corners of his mouth, unable to conceal the pride on his face.

"My precious daughter has said—"

"I am her pride."

...

The gloomy and cold Stone Building was now empty and silent.

Luka, who was slightly injured, finally managed to infiltrate it at dawn, taking advantage of the moment when the Inner City gates opened.

He hid for a while in the Inner City, making sure no one followed, and then made his way to the Stone Building in the very center.

While everyone else was heading out, he was the only one running towards the Inner City.

Those Inner City residents were like crazed, flocking at the exits, scrambling out like pigs let out of a pen.

But this was exactly what he wanted.

He didn’t care about the struggles between the poor and the nobles. In Bugra, there were none of these messy affairs; every employee under the Firestone Group was exceedingly happy, and everything prioritized the Company’s interests.

As a member of the Firestone Group, he was there to retrieve something...

A weapon that could grant true freedom to the Free State.

Pushing open the doors to the conference hall, he stepped over the scattering of papers at the entrance, swiftly scanning the room with his flashlit pistol at the ready.

This was where the noble lords usually met.

"Damn it... why isn’t there even a light on?" Luka muttered under his breath.

Although the dawn had brightened the sky outside, the Stone Building was surrounded by rings of tall buildings, allowing very little light to reach this place.

The dawn’s light stretched the shadows of the drapes long and thin...

"Heh heh... heh..."

A spine-chilling laugh suddenly floated over, startling Luka, who quickly aimed his flashlight and gun toward the corner of the meeting room.

There sat a person.

Dressed in lavish formal attire.

He looked to be one of the nobles from the Inner City.

A gleam of joy crossed Luka’s mind as he cleared his throat and called out,

"Hey, friend, let’s make a deal! If you help me find something, I’ll get you out of this doomed place!"

"A deal? To get out? Heh heh... heh... hahaha!"

Sid, who had been smiling faintly, suddenly burst into delirious laughter.

The sudden movement and laughter gave Luka another fright, almost firing his gun by accident, thinking the man was up to some trick.

"Shut up! Have you gone insane!?"

Luka shouted irritably as he approached, ready to show this crazed fool a lesson.

Sid, however, ignored him, continuing to stare at the trading device in his hands—or rather, at the line on the screen that wasn’t moving an inch from the edge.

"It’s crashed, I actually crashed it... heh... it really crashed..."

"Crashed?" Luka frowned at him, "What crashed?"

Sid still didn’t answer.

His world seemed to contain only himself, his heartbeat as still as that line affixed to the floor without a single ripple...

S Coins had collapsed.

One S Coin now worth less than 0.00001 of a chip.

He didn’t know why it fell so harshly.

Just like he didn’t know why it had risen in the first place.

So, S Coins could fall below their issuance price...

Sid only now understood.

But nobody had ever told him.

"It’s all over."

Sid murmured ashen-faced, like a living, walking corpse, numbly lifting his eyes to the ceiling.

He seemed to see his ancestors beckoning to him.

"Father... Grandfather... I’m sorry."

"I’ve lost."

"I can’t beat them... they all want to be against me; they’re not good for anything, and neither am I."

Tears slid down the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes, past his earlobes, spilling on the ground, landing on the dust-coated Black Card.

Suddenly he sat up as if electrified, hands covering his face, shoulders trembling like a child who had done something wrong.

"Wuh wuh wuh..."

"I..."

"I’ll personally apologize to you all!"

In the end, he still lacked the courage to face the people outside...

Suddenly, the floor began to tremble.

Rhine’s face changed drastically.

He didn’t know what was happening, but he knew that the building under his feet was probably going as mad as the old lunatic before him.

"Damn—"

It was too late to run.

The collapsing rubble quickly submerged everything here, and with his last bit of peripheral vision, he saw that crazed old man suddenly stand up and embrace the falling ceiling...

The Stone Building collapsed with a thunderous crash.

The dust that it threw up instantly engulfed the entire Inner City, slamming against the Enclosing Wall along with the tumbling debris.

And then it rolled upward...

That building.

It had finally fallen.

...

Hotel Wind From Afar.

The most luxurious suite on the top floor.

A father and son stood beside the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at Giant Stone City, so close at hand.

From here, one could just overlook the massive wall and see all the way to the Inner City.

Vite had specifically booked this room with the most expansive view, just to witness the last hustle and bustle of this settlement.

The owner here, Leston, knew how to handle big deals.

Even though Vite had paid with chips, Leston hadn’t kicked him out now that the chips were worthless.

Vite stared unblinkingly at the rising dust in the distance, all ten fingers pressed against the window, muttering incessantly.

"It’s collapsed... actually collapsed..."

The Stone Building being blown up had been beyond his expectations.

Was it bombed by the mob?

Or...

Had its "expiration date" come?

"Ah... my dear Elder Sid, please be safe."

A twisted smile slowly formed on Vite’s face and, not wanting his son to see, he pressed his nose against the window as well.

Standing to the side, the chubby Piru murmured.

"It’s a pity... I haven’t sold off my chips yet."

"Take it as a lesson, son," Vite reined in his twisted smile, placing his hand on Piru’s shoulder, "If you want to be a great merchant, you first need a nose more sensitive than a Hyena’s."

Piru tilted his round head.

"A nose more sensitive than a Hyena’s?"

"Risk," Vite said with a smile, "you need to know whether the person across is a man or a ghost, and you also need to be careful whether what you’re holding is money or paper. You did well with the S Coin, but not well enough, you only saw the risk with the S Coin but failed to see that the chips it anchored could also turn into garbage."

"Who could have seen that coming... they’ve been used for a century and a half," Piru grumbled.

Vite said with a slight smile.

"That’s why those people over there have all become destitute, while we’ve left with everything."

While talking, a knock came from the door outside the room. Aaron pushed open the door and walked in.

Vite immediately turned to look at him.

"Where’s Sid?"

He had transferred all the movable assets; the only thing he cared about and couldn’t let go of in this city was that childhood companion.

Aaron shook his head regretfully.

"He’s not in the evacuation team from the Inner City... He’s probably dead."

A disappointed expression surfaced on Vite’s face as he muttered despondently.

"He’s dead... actually dead."

Aaron paused and continued.

"But his wife and three children are still alive, including his eldest son who is already married."

He thought this clue would interest his boss.

Sure enough, as soon as he said this, the despondent eyes reignited with a desire for fire.

Stepping away from the window, Vite excitedly walked up to Aaron and grasped his shoulders.

"We must fish them out! All of them!"

Having let go of Aaron’s shoulders, Vite excitedly rubbed his hands together, walked over to the table, and poured himself a glass of General Mclen’s treasured red wine.

"... I promised, I would dearly repay Elder Sid’s kindness, and now is the time for us to return the favor!"

He certainly hadn’t forgotten the words he personally said to Elder Sid that day at his house—

"I am forever loyal to you... my lord, I will surely repay you."

Looking at those fervent eyes, Aaron nodded helplessly,

"Understood."

What a boss with terrible taste...

But in the Wasteland above,

how many good people are there?

Watching the door close, Vijia suddenly thought of something, shook his index finger forward, put down the fine wine in his hand, and went back to the side of the floor-length window.

The dust in the distance had already settled.

But there was still someone staring intently over there as if cherishing a memory.

They couldn’t afford to cherish memories.

Any regrets must be settled now.

Placing his hand on his son’s plump shoulder, Vijia whispered,

"My child... do you have someone you can’t let go of? I’ll have Uncle Aaron buy him out for you."

"Kumarit!"

Piru’s eyes lit up as he said with a bright smile,

"I sure enjoy playing with him, but he’s too domineering. He always snatches the toys and girls I like, but he never does that to Kishu."

Vijia frowned.

"This bad habit needs to change."

Piru immediately lowered his head in fear,

"I’m sorry..."

"Lift your head, my child," Vijia patted his shoulder and said quietly, "It’s not you who should be apologizing. Desire is human nature, but I want to tell you... the habit of being wilful must change. You cannot be rude like those rough guys. You’ve seen it, that dust is their end."

Piru nodded earnestly,

"I will remember this lesson."

A satisfied smile appeared on Vijia’s face.

Truly his son.

Taking over his mantle wouldn’t be a problem.

"I’m glad, but you can’t just focus on yourself. You should also help your good friend. After all, he has ’looked after’ you quite a bit. From now on, we have to make a living in the Wasteland where man eats man; he can’t be so willful anymore."

The mung beans squeezed into the folds of fat glinted; Piru nodded vigorously and said in a deep voice,

"I got it! I’ll help young master Kumarit get rid of the bad habits of being wilful and rude, remind him he can’t always snatch things from others."

"Fantastic." Vijia gave a thumbs-up, laughing heartily as he patted his son’s shoulder, "Afterward, I will send you both to the Bugra Free State. Young master Kumarit will go to school there with you. Remember to look after him."

"Don’t worry, Father!" Piru nodded his head excitedly and asked, "But why aren’t we going to the Ideal City?"

"It’s not suitable for us. Their ideal is poison to anyone outside their circle; you’ll understand when you grow up," Vijia smiled, "Besides, you don’t want to end up an idiot like Kishu, right?"

"Kishu really isn’t very smart; it’s exhausting to flatter him," Piru muttered, then mentioned, "Right, there’s another Kishu... Dad, why don’t we also help Melvin’s family?"

Piru didn’t care about Kishu, but he remembered Kishu had a beautiful sister.

She was almost the prettiest woman he had ever seen—no maidens from the Night Queen Bar could compare to her.

But Kishu never liked to bring her into their circle.

A flicker of wariness crossed Vijia’s eyes. He stared into his son’s eyes and said in a serious tone,

"He has his own father; we don’t need to worry about him."

Of course.

Vijia hadn’t told his son that what he was wary of wasn’t the fallen Melvin, but his daughter, Alyssa.

More precisely, the person behind her.

Until this "war" was over, the Vijia Commerce had not fully investigated all the cards played by the Alliance during the "Boulder City Crisis."

They had cleanly done everything: killed the pawns, destroyed the Black Card, no one died, and they stylishly took the spoils home.

Even he, the "big-headed soldier" dizzy from the trench warfare, couldn’t help but admire their brilliant move.

His Elder Sid had lost fairly.

All visible and invisible threads were pointing to that Manager, and he wasn’t sure if Melvin had secretly struck a deal with the Alliance, but he had to take serious consideration over a seemingly inconspicuous piece of intelligence.

According to Aaron’s investigations, during the Alliance’s triumph celebration, Alyssa briefly met that Manager.

That ruler of the Alliance seemed to have said quite a lot, praising her as a woman with great potential.

And afterward, the day after Melvin checked in to the subsidiary hotel of the enterprise and met the Lord of the City of Dawn, Luka, he secretly went to the Alliance’s bank and got a card.

Although it was all speculative rumors and might even be false information released by that old fox Melvin, considering that "New Vijia Commerce" would still do business in the River Valley Province, the matter still required cautious consideration.

He hated risks.

Especially unnecessary risks...

-

(The ending of Fang Ming was actually written from the beginning; its name is a metaphor, some astute readers had discovered a long time ago—it’s a homophone for ’format’. To walk through life without regrets, in the last moments understanding love and hate, reacquainting with one’s creator, for it, that’s already the best resolution. The BE I imagine is probably the end of bloodshed? But that wouldn’t be very dramatic. Also, those who want to see Alyssa’s BE and constantly compare it to reality, please behave. It really shouldn’t be...)

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