Evening, the garden.
Lin Zhao gazed at the afterglow of the sunset, sitting alone and quietly on a bench, speechless. The events of the day had indeed had a significant impact on him, making him see the world more clearly. The world in the game was not peaceful, and was the real world any more so? The seas were plagued by beast tides, and the land teemed with various mutated, irradiated creatures. Furthermore, the interests of the four major regions of the Earth Allied Government were intertwined and prone to friction, with small-scale skirmishes on the borders being almost constant.
He needed to think.
In the game, he had identified with Mr. Qin and his third senior brother. He aspired to be a scholar like Mr. Qin and a sword cultivator like his senior brothers, wanting to stand up for what he believed was right and wrong in that world. But in the real world, was it any different? Was he to be meek and subservient? He realized he could actually do something.
With the sound of footsteps, Chen Xue, in a striking white mini-skirt, sat down beside him and tilted her head to look at him. "How was it?"
"How was what?" Lin Zhao replied listlessly.
"I heard from Nangong Jilin that you punched a sea beast to death, so I wanted to ask you, how did it feel to kill a sea beast?"
"It was alright."
Lin Zhao frowned. "Before I killed it, I saw the sea beast devour the head of a little girl..."
"..."
Chen Xue pursed her red lips. She knew Lin Zhao's character, and such an experience would surely have a profound impact on him.
"It's fine now."
Chen Xue smiled. "It's all in the past. The news said that the local defense forces from Xicheng and Ningcheng have been dispatched. The damaged wall of Zhenjiang has been repaired, and the city is organizing troops to clear out the sea beasts. Zhenjiang City will be rebuilt soon."
Lin Zhao turned to look at Chen Xue, his gaze complex.
Chen Xue looked back at him and smiled. "I've experienced more life and death than you have, so I see things more clearly. Everyone's strength has its limits. You should know very well what you can and cannot do."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "I saw the transport planes from Cangnan. They charge a premium for rescue operations, and won't save people unless the amount is met. If I recall correctly, Cangnan Transport is an enterprise owned by Li Canghai."
"Yes."
Chen Xue smiled faintly. "Don't take this the wrong way, Lin Zhao, but we live in a post-war reconstruction world, a world extremely short of resources. Drinking water, sunlight, clean, uncontaminated soil – everything costs money. It's not much for us living in cities, but for those outside, they are luxuries. Radiation pollution on Earth is still severe, and most land can no longer grow healthy food. Therefore, money can buy food and water; money is everything, and only human life is the least valuable."
As she spoke, she showed a hint of disgust. "What if you're unwilling to accept it? This is the reality of this world."
"I understand."
Lin Zhao gave a wry smile. "Axue, thank you for talking to me."
"It doesn't seem like I really helped you, though?" Chen Xue chuckled.
"Yes."
"Sigh..."
...
Night.
Lin Zhao logged in and learned that Qing Ning's family had temporarily gone to stay with her aunt in Xicheng. After Zhenjiang was rebuilt, they would move back to their original residence, so there was no need to worry too much. Lin Zhao glanced at the gourd trellis in front of Natural Abode. The gourd seeds had still not sprouted, but he was in good spirits. He sat in a lounge chair and continued to study the sword intent within the fragment of the green gourd.
Soon after, he noticed the chat in the guild channel of the Scarlet Moon Knights:
Bu Su Li Ren: "Morning Light Hunter has been offline for a full 24 hours, what's going on?"
Lu Han: "Heard something happened."
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao was taken aback. "What happened to Morning Light?"
Lu Han frowned. "Morning Light is from the outskirts of Hecheng. Because he didn't have a resident permit, he wasn't qualified to live in the city and lived with his family in a town outside Hecheng. It's said that town had an armored vehicle and an armed helicopter, which were more than enough to deal with radiation creatures like two-headed wolves. But a day ago, Morning Light went to Hecheng to see his girlfriend. On the way, his car was ambushed by radiation creatures from the jungle, said to be a group of skinless leopards. After that, he was gone."
"Damn it!"
Ding Chi gritted his teeth. "I was planning to train Morning Light as the chief sharpshooter for our Remnants group... How could he just disappear like that..."
"Isn't that how it always is..."
Lu Han's tone was somewhat mournful. "Although we spend our days playing games at home, the outside world is still very chaotic. One wrong move and you lose your life. We who live in big cities are better off; the city defense forces are strong. It's harder for people in smaller cities or the suburbs."
Bu Su Li Ren's voice trembled slightly. "Boss..."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao said softly, "Li Ren, please speak."
Bu Su Li Ren's voice was laced with sorrow. "We brothers come from all corners of the country, and it's not easy for us to gather in the Scarlet Moon Knights. We brothers truly cherish the opportunity to conquer this world with you. However, just like Morning Light Hunter, we brothers sometimes have no control over our own lives and can disappear at any moment. We only beg you to promise one thing, Boss: if we die, please don't remove our IDs from the Scarlet Moon Knights, okay? It would be like even in death, our souls would have a place to belong."
Lin Zhao's eyes welled up with tears. "Mm, we won't kick you out! The Scarlet Moon Knights will never remove members who are offline permanently."
Shen Xingchen said softly, "Alright, no matter what happens, our lives must go on. Everyone, let's keep working hard, improving our combat power and levels. When we all have money, we'll all buy resident permits for Sucheng and move there together. Perhaps then we can see each other every day, right?"
"Right!"
Bu Su Li Ren laughed. "Sucheng is a key coastal city with strong defense forces, and it's my goal too!"
Everyone clenched their fists, expressing their determination to work hard.
Lin Zhao said nothing more, quietly contemplating the wisp of sword intent in the gourd fragment. However, an idea had already begun to sprout in his heart: one cannot be too passive; sometimes, one needs to proactively move forward.
...
Deep night.
Wang Ju had prepared supper downstairs. Tonight, it was clay pot fish slice porridge, Ding Chi and Zhang Jun's favorite. Before logging off, Lin Zhao stared at the 105 unbound gold bream coins in his inventory for a moment. After a few seconds of hesitation, he exchanged all of them for universal currency, which amounted to over 100 million universal currency. Combined with his two months of profit-sharing as the alliance leader from the studio, Lin Zhao now had a total of 160 million universal currency in his bank account.
He went downstairs to eat supper.
After eating, everyone returned to their rooms one by one.
"Xingchen."
Lin Zhao suddenly called out to Shen Xingchen. "Can we talk?" Big Wind Novel.
"Mm?"
Shen Xingchen was startled, then smiled. "Sure."
They walked together towards the lake. Not far away, Nangong Jilin stood with two guards. In truth, he felt it was unnecessary. With Lin Zhao present, nothing would happen, especially since Lin Zhao possessed a top-tier Xihe-class combat armor, which far surpassed his Yan Emperor-class armor in terms of combat, early warning, and rapid response technology.
"Speak."
Shen Xingchen clasped her hands behind her back, letting the autumn wind blow against her beautiful face.
"I have an idea, and I need your advice."
Lin Zhao pursed his lips. "I want to buy a vertical take-off and landing transport aircraft equipped with weapons. Afterwards, I plan to establish a transport group using this aircraft as a foundation. Do you think it's feasible? I don't understand the necessary procedures, so I'd like to ask for your input."
"Transport group?"
Shen Xingchen smiled. "Actually, as long as you have the money, no problem is insurmountable. And as your vice-alliance leader, I can help you secure channels for aircraft purchase and airworthiness certification. The key is money. How much do you have on hand?"
"160 million."
"Mm..."
Shen Xingchen pondered for a moment. "That's enough to buy a 'Cloud Shadow' class vertical take-off and landing multi-purpose transport aircraft. This type of transport is considered a type of fighter jet, with a maximum capacity of 40 people and equipped with missiles, cannons, and shields. If you really want to buy one, I can help you purchase it through the Shen family's channels and get the price down to the lowest. However, such a transport aircraft also requires pilots and crew. Can you handle these?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "I have no clue. It would be best if you could help me with that too."
"..."
Shen Xingchen crossed her arms and laughed exasperatedly. "Lin Zhao, why are you so commanding when you ask me for help? Su Xinghe wasn't this arrogant!!!"
Lin Zhao looked embarrassed. "Because you are my respected alliance leader..."
Shen Xingchen gave him a sidelong glance. "Understood. I'll keep an eye on these things for you. Just have the money ready."
"Mm, let's go back to bed. It's getting colder outside."
"Indeed. It's already November."
Shen Xingchen followed, looking at their shadows cast under the moonlight and smiling faintly. In fact, there were many things she was willing to help Lin Zhao with that she wouldn't have done for Su Xinghe. There were reasons for this. Su Xinghe's plans were all for himself, whereas Lin Zhao's plans didn't seem to be entirely for himself. For example, Lin Zhao's desire to build a transport group was likely not just for making money.
...
The next morning.
Lin Zhao woke up early and logged in after breakfast.
"Swish!"
His character appeared in front of Natural Abode. He immediately crouched down and peered into the green treasure cauldron. He saw a pale golden sprout pushing through the soil. The gourd seed had finally taken root and sprouted!
He was overjoyed. Just then, the gourd fragment in the spiritual ruins emitted a radiant glow. A vision of an immortal riding a sword materialized, as if... this wisp of sword intent had reached its peak, ready to be comprehended in its entirety!
At that moment, Lin Zhao was even more delighted. Two great joys on one morning?