«Urban technology is terrifying»
Min Zhizhou sat on the ground, his gaze fixed on the countless glowing swords of varying effects, carefully arranged on a pristinely clean wooden board. His expression was heavy with contemplation.
He Fang sat beside him, observing this burly middle-aged man showing such a somber demeanor for the first time. He swallowed nervously.
Min Zhizhou finally spoke. “The reason I became a mercenary was because I received a weapon against Nightmare Beasts from my father. My father, as a member of a reconnaissance team sent outside the city, knew that being chosen for such a team meant his life could end at any moment. At that time, those selected were allowed to make one modest request from the mobile city. My father’s wish was for me to have a weapon capable of fighting Nightmare Beasts.”
He Fang could sense the weight of this topic and obediently remained silent. Normally, he would have skipped through this kind of somber backstory in a game. However, the immersive realism of this experience made him acutely feel the sorrow emanating from Min Zhizhou.
“My second turning point came from my mother,” Min Zhizhou continued. “Her wish was for me to have a suit of armor. With that, I possessed a set of armor and a Nightmare Beast weapon. Even though both were discarded, obsolete military gear, they carried my parents’ wishes: my father’s hope for me to charge forward fearlessly and my mother’s hope for me to be safe and sound. But beyond the city’s endless toil, I saw nothing. I fled the city with my parents’ relics.”
He Fang patted Min Zhizhou’s shoulder, understanding this tragic game backstory on an intellectual level.
“I cherished that armor and weapon, using them with the utmost care. I spent years learning from mercenary squads, being more cautious than anyone, and more vigilant against Nightmare Beasts. I even suspected dormant Nightmare seeds, preferring to err on the side of caution rather than let any slip through. It took me five years to finally acquire my first barely-used, low-end Nightmare Beast weapon.”
He Fang felt a lump form in his throat.
“Nightmare Beast weapons are incredibly rare, and armor is even more expensive. I didn’t have a complete set of equipment until I was thirty-three. That’s when I was finally able to form my own mercenary team.” Min Zhizhou gradually covered his face with his hands. This strong, towering man was now crying like a child. “But my incompetence led to the annihilation of my team. I thought I would die, too, but instead, I arrived in this last dreamlike place in the world. I… I only survived because of the sacrifices of my loved ones. All the fortune I have was gifted to me by those who cherished me.”
He Fang wanted to comfort him. The story was unbearably heavy, but the game didn’t provide an option for consoling dialogue. Being socially anxious, He Fang couldn’t find the words.
With reddened eyes, Min Zhizhou reached out and picked up one of the glowing swords lying on the ground.
“If we had weapons this perfect and advanced back then… would we have been able to avoid so much sorrow?” Min Zhizhou murmured, his voice tinged with despair. He Fang shuddered involuntarily.
Although he was used to the dramatic tone of NPC dialogue, this level of sentimentality still shocked him.
“Do you think this weapon can deal with Nightmare Beasts?” He Fang asked tentatively. He himself thought the weapon was extraordinary but wanted confirmation.
“Nightmare Beasts are essentially life forms—humans, animals, insects—that have not completely lost their life signs but are controlled by Nightmare seeds. To kill them without being infected, you need a combination of anti-Nightmare weapons and conventional ones.” Min Zhizhou picked up one of the glowing swords and activated it, casually drawing a deep scar on the ground. “With this sword, it’s no longer that difficult.”
“Well… that sounds pretty incredible, then,” He Fang said. Could the research institute actually be useful?
“Yes,” Min Zhizhou replied, his eyes filled with melancholy. “If only we had weapons like this back then…”
He Fang looked at Min Zhizhou with an expression full of mixed emotions.
He recalled setting up the research institute a long time ago but had never actually used it. At this moment, guilt crept in—he had always treated the institute as nothing more than a decorative feature.
Every time he saw the enormous financial resources required to maintain the institute and its staff, he used to feel the sting of heartache. But now, it seemed he had underestimated its value.
From now on, he resolved to treasure the research institute properly.
Min Zhizhou lifted his head, gazing at the bustling cityscape before them. “What a beautiful city. There are smiles, people standing under the sunlight, adorable children, and leisurely elders. This is the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen.”
He Fang: “…”
Not really.
He’d merely copied a single street from his small, second-tier city. The humans were automatically generated by the game.
He remembered the city still had stray dogs wandering around.
The population barely hit twenty thousand and the infrastructure was mediocre at best. Beautiful? Hardly. He’d intentionally kept the city compact to prevent overexpansion and the economic collapse that would inevitably follow.
Receiving such high praise from an NPC made him feel rather awkward.
“With such remarkable achievements, it’s clear that the City Lord deeply cherishes his people,” Min Zhizhou continued earnestly. “To create such powerful weapons in such a short amount of time must have been motivated by a desire to protect them. With better weapons, the residents will be safer.”
He Fang: “…”
He Fang had merely tossed some materials into the research institute. It did all the work on its own.
“With a lord who treasures his people as much as you do, the residents under your care must live very happily.”
He Fang felt like he was going to sink into the ground out of embarrassment.
Alright, there was no need to overdo it. Writing such over-the-top dialogue must be pretty awkward for the game writers, too.
Min Zhizhou’s gaze softened as he looked at a passing family of three on the roadside, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
He Fang silently stared at the scene, feeling the emotional weight was getting a bit excessive.
“City Lord, my armor might serve as a foundation for your research,” Min Zhizhou finally said, his eyes drifting toward the weapons on the ground. “However, part of my armor was lost in the Nightmare Beast Forest.”
He Fang stared at him. Min Zhizhou awkwardly looked away.
He Fang asked, “You want one of the weapons, don’t you?”
Min Zhizhou’s eyes flickered slightly. “Would you rent one to me? I… I still have some money in my account. I can give you all of it. I know I can’t afford to buy such a powerful weapon, but…”
“I wasn’t planning to give you one anyway,” He Fang replied, firmly shaking his head. He also thought this weapon was far too destructive to hand out so casually. “And renting is out of the question, too.”
Looking at Min Zhizhou, who couldn’t even handle the weapon properly and had split his own wooden house in half, He Fang couldn’t risk him accidentally harming the city’s residents.
Though Min Zhizhou had somewhat anticipated this outcome, he still looked slightly disappointed. “I figured as much. A weapon of this caliber must cost an extraordinary amount to produce.”
He Fang hesitated, debating whether to tell him the truth—that the cost to produce this weapon was ridiculously low. With the current tax revenue of his city, he could equip every resident with one in a single day. However, handing out such a dangerous weapon to the public would likely plunge the city into chaos.
The game simulator was incredibly realistic. He Fang vividly remembered a player’s city falling into cannibalism during a famine. The situation was so brutal that the player ultimately deleted their save and quit the game.
“What about these plants?” Min Zhizhou asked, pointing to the vast forest nearby.
“What do you want plants for? Go ahead, chop as much as you like,” He Fang said casually. The city’s surrounding ecosystems were programmed to regenerate quickly, just like the carrot fields he’d seen before.
“I plan to use the plants to craft a simple helmet. With my original weapon and a brief round trip, I believe I can retrieve the missing parts of my armor,” Min Zhizhou explained, looking at He Fang with determination.
“Huh?” He Fang froze for a moment. “You’re really going back?”
“In such a short amount of time, you’ve managed to take a stagnating technology like the light sword and enhance it to this degree. City Lord, your city is extraordinarily advanced,” Min Zhizhou said, staring intently at He Fang. “I am a selfish mercenary with no particular loyalty to anyone. But I long for more powerful weapons. Stronger weapons mean greater chances of survival. If I bring back the full set of my armor and give it to you, I hope you’ll agree to one condition.”
“What condition?” He Fang asked, unconsciously influenced by Min Zhizhou’s overly serious expression.
“Please allow me the opportunity to purchase goods manufactured by your city,” Min Zhizhou said earnestly. His seriousness, paired with the maturity of a grown man, compelled He Fang to take his request seriously.
He Fang’s feelings grew complicated. Did he really want these weapons that badly? Was it because, for men, weapons were the ultimate romantic pursuit? Did Min Zhizhou no longer harbor any resentment for the light sword that had sliced his house in half?
“But isn’t this too dangerous?” He Fang asked cautiously.
“A mercenary’s life is always fraught with danger,” Min Zhizhou replied with a sigh, his expression softening. “I don’t know why Nightmare Beast Seeds haven’t invaded your city, but better safe than sorry. I don’t want such a beautiful city to vanish. I hope your city becomes even stronger.”
He Fang was dumbfounded.
He Fang was profoundly shaken.
What could drive a selfish mercenary to willingly risk his life to ensure the city’s strength? Was it the sun that had scorched him so thoroughly that his skin had started to peel? The humble wooden house that was now sliced in half? Or perhaps the junk he treated as treasures?
He Fang wrestled with indecision, unable to figure out if he should tell Min Zhizhou that there was no need for him to go out of his way to seek trouble.
A simple information-sharing NPC didn’t need to make grand sacrifices or shed blood.
Min Zhizhou’s physical stats weren’t even as good as the hunched old man with white hair scavenging for scraps nearby!
Or could this possibly be a quest?
