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Chapter 713 - 711: "Medicine and Poison." (Thanks to Alliance Hierarch "Timomomo Loves Bags")

Chapter 713: Chapter 711: "Medicine and Poison." (Thanks to Alliance Hierarch "Timomomo Loves Bags")

In the room, three people fell into stillness, as if they were in a painting.

This eerie silence lasted for twenty seconds.

After twenty seconds, Su Rin spoke, "It’s you again, the agent of the deity. The deity’s faction already failed ten years ago, the deity did not favor you, who are you still working for?"

Lin Guang: "Nice pajamas."

Su Rin said, "At the beginning of civilization’s reconstruction, the deity was a culture in social relationship formation, and human faith was understandable. But in the Ruined World, the so-called ’deity’ is just an invader beautifying its own actions. What exactly is it that the deity has deceived you with? Is it Acto’s arrangements before his death, or merely your own personal desires, Lin Guang?"

Lin Guang: "Nice pajamas, they also have cotton fluff."

Su Rin: "...I wasn’t discussing pajamas with you. I’ve advised you before, if you truly want to do something good for this world, or for someone, respect other people’s lives. Do not decide the freedom of everyone’s life or death based on your own desires."

Lin Guang: "To me, the only interesting thing about you is your pajamas. Where did you buy them? I want to buy a set for Lewis."

Five seconds later, the two were about to start fighting.

Although Su Ming’an would have liked to see Lin Guang beaten to death, he knew this Lin Guang was probably another bionic body, kill one and another would come, a waste of time.

"Don’t start fighting, I’ve agreed to visit Ta Wei with you, Lin Guang," Su Ming’an spoke. "But I still have some things to attend to, let’s talk tomorrow during the day."

Su Ming’an thought by postponing, Lin Guang would lose his temper. This was also why Su Ming’an couldn’t strategize Lin Guang; he could not even say an excessive word, or Lin Guang would forcefully interrupt him with a bullet.

He kept a close eye on the pistol at Lin Guang’s waist, ready to dodge.

However, Lin Guang just smiled. He lightly placed his right hand on his chest, pressing down on his collar that slightly fluttered with the wind, leaned forward, lowered his eyes and eyebrows, his tone soft to the extreme, "Of course, I can wait for you. One should be patient with a guest. However, please allow me to stay by your side until we leave together."

Su Ming’an frowned slightly.

Ten years had passed, even Lin Guang had learned how to converse... What made Lin Guang learn how to interact with people? Was it Acto’s death?

"...Su Rin, sorry to have disturbed your sleep, let’s go downstairs," Su Ming’an turned around. Over at Su Rin’s, a flash of light twinkled, and his pajamas changed instantly, like a magical transformation.

...

[Doomsday City, Sector 082, Rickel Pharmaceutical Factory]

Su Ming’an arrived at Doomsday City’s largest pharmaceutical factory, to hand over industrial chain data recorded in the City of Measurement to the manager here.

To avoid Lin Guang being treated like a street rat, chased by everyone, he left Lin Guang outside the factory.

The person responsible for receiving Su Ming’an was a young lad named Kaskining Feiluo. It was said that he was a new recruit waiting to join the Hawk Hound, trained in the factory before enlistment. The young man looked very nervous, even his hand holding the notebook was trembling.

"City Lord...!" Feiluo’s face turned red, "City Lord, the air inside is... not good, let’s talk at the doorstep."

"It’s okay, I need to see the scale of the factory," Su Ming’an said.

This factory, now responsible for producing medicine for missing disease, a major breakthrough in the past decade, derived from the technological data left by Acto. The factory’s output could treat tens of thousands of people long-term, and even if it couldn’t cure them, it could alleviate symptoms and prolong their lives like cancer treatments.

Su Ming’an walked along the iron corridor, the iron making a ’banging’ noise underfoot, the young man beside him walking with uneven steps, making the whole iron sheet tremble.

"Are you very nervous?" Su Ming’an couldn’t help but ask.

The young man’s face turned even redder.

"I... I admire the City Lord. If not for you, my family would have died from the missing disease ten years ago, and my sister would have been tortured to death by the rulers of the deity’s faction..." Feiluo was so agitated he spoke incoherently, "That day, when you fell at the end of the Dawn War, everyone was in despair; I never thought I’d see you again. I’m so afraid this is a dream, so, so I’m nervous... I hope you can live a long time, to see the city we build up with our own hands..."

He had dreamed more than once about the City Lord’s rebirth, even though the City Lord’s image mostly existed on television screens. But when one’s admiration for a person reaches such an extreme, they even dream of that person in their sleep.

Unexpectedly, now his dreams had stepped into reality.

"Do not be afraid." Su Ming’an pushed open the door, stepped into the factory, and was met with thick dust and smoke; he looked directly at the buzzing large machinery and the workers, and softly said:

"Yasa Acto will not die."

Acto had always been there.

There would always be a "Yasa Acto" accompanying mankind’s destiny, whether during the forgotten era of the Century Catastrophe or the Dawn War, or even in the One Dimension’s City of Measurement.

Inspired by Su Ming’an’s words, Philo gave a firm "hmm" and followed.

As Su Ming’an walked further in, he found that although the factory was massive, its environment was extremely poor. The workers had to work here for twelve hours a day; the black smoke from the large machinery was ruining their throats, and many coughed as they worked, suffering from lung diseases.

The central furnace, boiling with golden-red liquid like a whole pot of magma, made people’s cheeks turn red from the scorching heat, with some even having half their bodies covered in bright red skin with bumps.

Seeing this scene, Su Ming’an furrowed his brow.

— Is this the harsh environment in which the workers work?

— Why hasn’t the factory provided protection for the workers? He saw that the wages posted on the wall were frightfully low. How could such wages ensure the workers’ livelihoods?

Recalling the actions of someone selling team leader positions, Su Ming’an felt suspicious of the factory’s leadership.

"Where is the factory manager?" Su Ming’an called out.

"Ah, ah, City Lord..."

The middle-aged factory manager immediately wiped his sweat and hurried over, the iron floor clanging "bang bang bang" under his steps.

"Why not give the workers protective clothing?" Su Ming’an questioned. He prepared to start reform here by clearing out the corrupt rule.

"That is because, City Lord, if the workers wear protective clothing, it would slow down their work efficiency, reducing the factory’s output by at least 30%; the consequences are unthinkable." The manager explained.

"Then why not hire more people?" Su Ming’an said.

"City Lord, there is a shortage of labor these days. Many people must go out to obtain heating resources; we are unable to hire more people. The workers must bear excessively long working hours to alleviate the widespread transmission of illness. A slight error could destroy more than just a few families," the manager said.

"Then why not increase the workers’ wages to attract those who are idle?" Su Ming’an said. Along the way, he had seen many people lying idly under the bridges.

"We can’t increase the wages, City Lord; the current wages are already the best calculated value. Any more, and the factory would collapse," the manager, wiping his sweat.

Su Ming’an fell silent for a moment.

But soon, he pinpointed the problem.

"—Then why can’t the factory take less from the profits, why can’t you leaders take less compensation?" Su Ming’an questioned.

"... City Lord." Philo spoke up: "The manager hasn’t taken a penny."

Su Ming’an stopped in his tracks.

Philo and Su Ming’an explained that factories like this were directly managed by Doomsday City, and the manager’s salary was even less than that of the workers. The middle-aged manager was a kind-hearted person who felt pity for the workers and would even distribute his own salary to help them.

If protective clothing were added for the workers, it would increase the production costs, and the factory could not continue running, causing the workers to lose their jobs.

If the working hours were reduced, or the wages raised, the result would be the same. Even hiring more people would be problematic, as the machinery in the factory could not handle the load, leading to personnel redundancy and waste.

If the factory cuts its commission and lacks financing, the machinery can’t be maintained, and the factory will likewise close down. The impact would extend beyond just a few workers’ families...

Su Ming’an calculated in his mind for a moment and found it to be true... People were unable to seek a better environment. Diseases and low wages were like nagging maggots; they couldn’t do better.

He had never experienced such an era. Production was limited, and the importance of human life was even below that of production.

He had originally thought the factory managers and others were greedy individuals exploiting the workers, but now, it appeared that the factory manager was a good person, necessary to ensure the efficiency of drug production.

This made him feel helpless.

He was too young, he hadn’t even entered society when he suddenly had to act as the ruler of all humanity.

After a long while, he said, "So... what about the drugs?"

All he could do was look at the drugs for which people paid so dearly; what sort of divine item were they, really?

"City Lord, this is the drug we are currently producing, which can enhance mental thresholds and delay the invasion of deficiency diseases. It’s hailed as ’a miracle of the era.’ Without the data you left, we could never have fought the deficiency diseases..." A factory manager dressed in blue presented Su Ming’an with a wooden box.

Su Ming’an looked over—the enhancement of mental thresholds, wasn’t that comparable to a Mentality Stability Elixir? If he could use it himself...

His eyes held some anticipation.

The box opened, and inside the wooden box was a solid mass, fresh red like blood, resembling a delicate rose. When people looked at it, they did so with visions of longing, as if it were some deity.

Su Ming’an glanced at it.

At that moment, he was completely stunned, as if something was stuck in his throat.

It wasn’t until ten seconds later that he swiveled his Adam’s apple and found his voice:

"...Rose, Roseblood?"

A bizarre sense of historical continuity surged in his heart at that moment, as if the chains of the past and future had "clicked" together, almost rendering him speechless.

"Would you grace it with the name Roseblood? It is a very fitting name; we will rename it to ’Roseblood.’ Given that it is manufactured from the data you left behind, we’ve credited you as the creator. We believe that in the future, you will have the gratitude of countless people," the factory manager said delightedly.

Su Ming’an stared at the medicine, then turned around.

After handing over the data, he left the factory.

He knew what the mass production of Roseblood would lead to in the future. This addictive drug would destroy countless bodies, many ’little Meis’ would suffer for it, and some would die scratching at their own flesh due to drug addiction. But in this era, it was the only way to prevent the widespread spread of deficiency diseases.

In the past, it was a miracle drug.

In the future, it was a despised poison.

...

"Since this drug is produced from your data, we have credited you as the creator. We believe that you will have the gratitude of countless people in the future..." The manager’s words sent a chill up the spine.

In the future, Roseblood became a drug banned by decree. Those who manufactured it were criminals, to be apprehended and recorded as such.

...

Su Ming’an remembered when his clone, Ming’an, acting as a Hawk Hound Captain, had investigated a case involving Roseblood and found a white-collar worker who had overdosed and died in a bathtub.

"Kill Yasa Acto!"

"Kill Yasa Acto!!"

"He deserves to die! He deserves to die! He deserves to die! He deserves to die—"

Such blood-stained words filled the bathroom where the victim died, turning it into a bloody hell that made one’s skin crawl.

"..."

"City Lord, take care, take care of your health—" Behind him, the voice of a young new recruit rang out, his face flushed with red, his heart filled with admiration and respect for the City Lord: "I will work hard in the Hawk Hounds to become the strongest soldier and protect you in the future!"

Su Ming’an closed his eyes.

He remembered the future leader of the Hawk Hounds who wanted to blow up both himself and Acto in a helicopter, claiming to "eliminate Acto, the biggest obstacle to the development of the City-State, to make way for the new era"—his name was Kaskining Feiluo.

The young man indeed did his best; he indeed became the strongest Hawk Hound soldier.

But...

What kind of era had he truly protected?

Su Ming’an walked out of the factory, his steps growing slower. He left the dense black smoke and scorching hot air behind him; just being in such a working environment for over ten minutes made him feel like he could hardly breathe.

Yasa Acto...

The name had never weighed so heavily on him.

Even at the beginning of the instance, when he saw little Mei’s tragic state, he thought Acto was scum.

But now, having followed the same path as Acto, he realized it was not so. The world’s pressure was immense, immense enough to obliterate one’s choices.

What turned the Mortal World into Hell, was the very attempt to create Paradise.

He staggered with every step, feeling a burning pain in his throat. Acto’s strangely empathic body pulled at his emotions like a quagmire, constantly dragging them down, as if his pulse was one with the era. The dim yellow lighting bathed him, like an overwhelming yellow ocean.

Su Rin silently followed him, saying nothing.

"..."

Suddenly, as if sensing something, Su Ming’an looked out.

Across the crowd, he could already see a white-haired young man squatting in a corner, playing with a butterfly. The young man’s face lit up with a childlike delight; the scarlet butterfly on his fingertips, a blue mantis beside him.

The young man was utterly alone, no one daring to engage him in conversation, as if he were in loneliness amidst the bustle, speaking only to the small creatures he held.

...That was Xiao Hong and Xiao Bi.

Su Ming’an’s eyes widened slightly.

He heard his breath quicken.

But soon, the white-haired youth looked up and saw Su Ming’an, who had just walked out of the factory gates. The young man’s expression abruptly changed, and he hurriedly shooed Xiao Hong and Xiao Bi away, and stood up.

"You..." Su Ming’an said.

"I am Lin Guang. Please remember my name, you finally came out," Lin Guang slightly bowed, his demeanor still like that of a gentleman: "The mantis and butterfly were just passing by earlier."

"I recommend you go to the Central Academy of Drama," Su Rin said with a cold laugh.