Ever since entering Hope City, Bei Ji had felt utterly uncomfortable. Rather than calling this a newly built city, it would be more accurate to say it was an entirely different world.
After truly experiencing the current state of Hope City, no matter how he thought about it, Bei Ji couldn’t help but feel that the current City Lord must be out of his mind. Let everyone study? Let them choose what they want to do? Even if they were now able to station and develop on the surface, if everything about the people wasn’t firmly held in control—if they were left unchecked—did he really understand what would happen in such a situation, akin to raising venomous creatures together?
It would collapse. His education had taught him: the people must never be allowed to think for themselves. The people must remain ignorant. It was imperative to ensure their ignorance.
Mobile cities were extremely precise. So precise that not even the smallest detail could be allowed to go wrong.
And what was the current City Lord of Hope City doing? He had suddenly, and without reason, expanded the possibility of the entire Hope City fracturing and being destroyed!
He was letting the residents earn more money, and what’s more, it was constantly circulating. Within the city, everything was absurdly cheap. Even with the backing of the “Land of Hope”, they shouldn’t possibly have such abundant resources.
No matter the method, everything the current City Lord of Hope City was building belonged to habits that should’ve been discarded with the old world. And yet, he wanted to revive that former world?
“Lord Bei Ji,” Uncle Zhou saw the expression on Bei Ji’s face and grew very anxious. “You must stay calm.”
“Uncle Zhou.” Bei Ji turned to look at him, eyes full of alarm. “That man… what exactly is he trying to do?”
Uncle Zhou had no idea how to answer that question.
He accompanied Bei Ji as they moved through Hope City, but this was no longer the Hope City he once knew. Now, even he couldn’t find the right words to offer any meaningful advice to City Lord Bei Ji with certainty.
Bei Ji arrived at the topmost level of Hope City. This place should have belonged to him. But now, it had been completely divided into small rooms, and many doors stood wide open. From within, signs of human habitation were clearly visible.
Bei Ji stopped and looked to the side. This place—this used to be where his bed once stood.
But now, a door stood in his way, clearly blocking his path. It was blatant rejection.
Bei Ji had once been the lord of this city. Even if he now lived under someone else’s rule, he still retained the sense of freedom that a city lord ought to have within his own domain.
Bei Ji pushed the door open directly. Sunlight suddenly poured in. The room was bright, the warm rays calming the interior. And seated inside, to his surprise, was none other than the Deputy City Lord of Hope City, Wei Qixuan.
The children were in class. Upon hearing the noise, both the student and the teacher turned their heads. Several pairs of eyes met. In that moment, Wei Qixuan felt his heartbeat quicken with tension.
“What are you doing here?” Wei Qixuan stood up from his seat. Though he was younger and shorter than Bei Ji, when he walked over, Bei Ji instinctively stepped back two paces. His initial stance of entering the room had somehow turned into one of retreat. Even he didn’t understand why he was instinctively afraid—afraid of this young man he had once looked down on, trampled beneath his feet without a second thought.
“This place is…” Bei Ji wanted to say this used to be his bedroom, but for some inexplicable reason, not a single word came out. It was as if his body was resisting, as if it feared something deeply.
“My apologies, class is in session. Unauthorized individuals are not permitted to enter.” Wei Qixuan stood at the doorway, as if he didn’t care about Bei Ji at all.
Right in front of Bei Ji’s face, Wei Qixuan slowly, bit by bit, closed the door.
Bei Ji’s eyes widened. A sense of absurdity completely overtook him.
He really wasn’t the respected City Lord of Hope City anymore. Now, anyone—anyone at all—could use any reason to shut him out.
A wave of dizziness struck him. If Uncle Zhou hadn’t caught him, he would have likely fainted on the spot from sheer rage.
“How dare they, how dare they?” No matter how gentle Bei Ji normally was, he was still the lord of a city. After being looked down on and ignored by everyone, he was finally enraged. He didn’t even care about his image anymore and slammed the door hard. “My father, my forefathers, led you to live in this city. I merely abandoned you for one or two years, and now you show this kind of attitude? You’re all ungrateful wolves!”
“In the past, I went through so much hardship, taking you along as we fled from place to place. The time I spent worrying and suffering for Hope City was far more than that so-called He Fang, whoever he is. Just because I didn’t have the ability to give you a better life, now you dare treat me like this? What disgusting people you are!”
“Up until now, I’ve endured everything because I still remembered the old bonds. You are the people I once worked so hard to protect. And now, every single one of you, what kind of attitude is this! When it comes down to it, to be able to collude with someone like that He Fang, people like you are all just birds of a feather!”
Uncle Zhou, standing to the side, was also somewhat surprised. It seemed he hadn’t expected Bei Ji to be so furious.
Because of his shouting, people began to gather nearby. All of them had confused expressions on their faces, and some of them were even pointing fingers at Bei Ji.
But just then, the door suddenly opened, and the youth was standing right at the entrance.
“Former Hope City Lord Bei Ji, although I have no obligation to answer your questions, within our city, we do not allow anyone to casually insult our City Lord. So I will only say this once.”
As soon as Wei Qixuan began to speak, all the murmuring around them ceased. He raised his head and said seriously, “I was once one of your citizens as well, but we went through a death once already. It was City Lord He Fang who gave us new hope.
“Perhaps City Lord He Fang is not as flawless as we believe him to be, but at the very least, to us, he is the only one we trust, the only one we acknowledge as our City Lord.
“Your past rule brought us nothing but despair. But City Lord He Fang gave us endless hope. All we want is to live well under his leadership.
“Finally, former City Lord, because we were once under your care, I have tolerated your behavior many times. But if there is ever a next time—if we find out again that you are slandering City Lord He Fang behind our backs—even if there is no law I can rely on, I will still drive you out in the name of my position as Deputy City Lord, even if I must be dismissed for using public power for personal reasons!”
“Deputy City Lord, there’s no need for you to do it. We all know everything you’ve done for us all along. If it’s just about kicking these people out, there’s no need for you to lift a finger. I’ll do it myself!”
The one who spoke was a slightly burly middle-aged man. After being nourished by a rich life, he no longer appeared old and feeble. He was rubbing his fists, as if he was about to charge forward and take these people down. “I’m not afraid of going to jail! If going to jail can uphold the City Lord’s honor, then I have nothing to fear!”
“I’m not afraid either! Ever since these people arrived, they’ve caused trouble everywhere. I’ve heard so many vendors complaining that they’re fed up. We can accept all people who are homeless, and we’re also willing to uphold the City Lord’s orders. But when it comes to people who are disrespectful to the City Lord and even dare to try and seize the City Lord’s position—even if the City Lord can tolerate it, we cannot!”
The speaker was a woman. She didn’t appear physically strong, but the fury in her eyes and the way the people around her clenched their fists after hearing her words made all of them seem especially imposing.
“You see it now. No matter what you say, it’s meaningless,” Wei Qixuan revealed a wicked grin, one only visible from Bei Ji’s angle. “When it comes to strength, you’re no match for City Lord He Fang’s military. When it comes to resources, you can’t compare to what City Lord He Fang distributes to us. When it comes to spirit, you’re no longer capable of giving us anything that surpasses what City Lord He Fang gives us. So where exactly do you find the courage to think that just because you’ve come back, we’ll still obey your every word?”
This sentence from Wei Qixuan carried a trace of personal resentment.
Because he worshipped their City Lord with all his heart.
And because he wanted to vent the fear and despair of the past onto the very people who had caused such a reality.
All of that had been buried deep within his heart, a grudge he could never fully cast away.
Bei Ji staggered back a few steps and was held up by Uncle Zhou beside him.
His face had turned deathly pale, and he looked around at the people nearby.
In the past, as a city lord, he was always surrounded by people who flattered him, feared him, and sought to curry favor with him.
Back when he had decided to abandon Hope City, countless people had knelt on the ground begging him. Some had even tried to hand over their own children into his care, just to let their child live.
Those people who had once been so weak, who had only known despair and tears, now, one by one, had all regained their backbone.
They possessed hope. They possessed faith. With abilities that were not powerful by any means, they still stood firm in defending the one they revered.
They were clearly just ordinary people—so ordinary they couldn’t be more ordinary. Why was it that they had such courage to rise up against those in power?
There was clearly no one organizing them. So why were they able to so spontaneously defend someone who, in truth, still held power over them?
Bei Ji couldn’t understand.
But what he knew clearly was that, in this moment, he was filled with fear.
“City Lord Bei Ji, it’s not the right time to clash with the people around us. Let’s leave first,” Uncle Zhou said softly by Bei Ji’s ear, supporting him.
Bei Ji knew Uncle Zhou was worried for him. He gave a forced nod, attempting to follow Uncle Zhou’s steps and escape this place.
Behind him, mocking and indifferent voices never ceased, constantly drifting into Bei Ji’s ears.
“He’s not even missing an arm or a leg, and he still needs an old man to help him walk. Pathetic.”
“Look at that mental toughness. I heard our City Lord was even imprisoned in Scorching Sun City before, and he still wasn’t this fragile.”
“When the City Lord was in Arrival City, he reportedly went days and nights without sleep just to care for pregnant women. And yet his body clearly looks even frailer than that guy’s.”
…
Countless—countless—countless words of mockery poured endlessly into Bei Ji’s ears.
He felt that with every step forward, his feet grew heavier and more difficult to move.
He had always known he was not a perfect city lord. But he had always believed that he had done his best.
He had never thought that all his wholehearted efforts were, in the eyes of these people, not worth mentioning.
It had taken great effort to finally reach a quiet place. Bei Ji curled up his body; his cowardly nature made him unwilling to accept all of this.
Uncle Zhou let out a sigh. He somewhat regretted having sent all the guards out to gather information on the original inhabitants of Hope City.
This place was too safe—so safe that even they couldn’t sense any threat. For a moment, they had let their guard down.
Their fragile City Lord had suffered such a sudden upheaval; he must have been utterly terrified.
“People are always driven by profit and the instinct to avoid harm. These are instincts hidden deep within the human body.” Uncle Zhou somehow got hold of a bottle of drink from somewhere nearby and handed it to the now-fragile City Lord Bei Ji. “Because they’ve learned too much, it’s made them selfish and self-serving. They only know how to enjoy the benefits, but they don’t understand the shelter you’ve given them. Everything they’re doing now is proof that everything Hope City has done up to now was wrong. With subjects like these, Hope City will eventually…”
But Bei Ji suddenly interrupted Uncle Zhou: “Everyone is standing up for him—that person called He Fang. He can make everyone stand up for him.”
As another City Lord, how could he not yearn for the support of his own people?
The things he couldn’t do, He Fang had actually accomplished with such ease.
Uncle Zhou’s expression was very complicated. He wanted to offer comfort, but he couldn’t say anything at all.
After a long while, Uncle Zhou said, “One day, Hope City will be destroyed. Then these people will no longer have the courage to speak this way.”
However, Bei Ji did not feel consoled at all.
He remembered the time when he had packed up all the resources and left Hope City.
When they left, many people were crying, praying.
They were kneeling in worship before them.
He heard someone say, “City Lord, if Hope City is going to be destroyed, we don’t blame you. But could you at least—at least leave us just a tiny bit of a chance to survive? Seeds, we only need a little bit of seeds.”
They wanted seeds.
They still wanted to live.
They didn’t even blame him.
Back then, he had been moved. He had wanted to leave them a bit of seeds, even if it was just a little.
“You’re all people who are going to die. Sooner or later, death is still death. Of course, everything better should be left for those who can survive!” A rough, gravelly voice of Shi Qiu rang in Bei Ji’s ears. “Rather than clinging to life in misery, you might as well just kill yourselves! Everyone listen to me: take everything! Don’t leave a single thing behind!”
At the time, he listened to Shi Qiu’s words. He believed they were right.
Kindness toward those doomed to die is cruelty toward those who still have a chance to live.
He didn’t hesitate much. He left, without showing even the slightest mercy.
He was not someone capable of governing a mobile city. He followed the advice of those around him in everything. He agreed with Shi Qiu, agreed with Uncle Zhou.
But if he had insisted back then—even just insisted on leaving behind that little bit of mercy—would everything be different now?
Night fell. Everyone had returned to the area near the parking lot. They didn’t choose to live in the temporary residents’ management center, nor did they choose to stay in a hotel. Instead, they directly set up temporary shelters in their vehicles or in unmonitored empty corners around the parking lot.
They had a lot of money. The money they brought was more than enough to casually rent out any hotel in Hope City. But they didn’t.
Because of Shi Qiu, they had been far too high-profile the moment they entered the city.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t understand Shi Qiu’s actions. After all, no one had expected that the internal development of Hope City would actually be even more advanced than the rumors. When they entered this place, they were utterly shocked. The more they looked around, the more fear they felt. This was a world completely different from the apocalyptic mobile cities they knew.
“We went to inquire about Shi Qiu’s situation. I’m afraid Secretary Shi won’t be coming out any time soon. He has violated multiple laws and has already been sentenced. The other side has stated that if we want to ransom him, the city he represents must…”
The person reporting didn’t finish speaking, but everyone knew clearly. They absolutely could not expose the backers supporting them.
Right now, very few people know about Ao City, and Ao City itself seems to have more considerations and ideas. Back then, although there had been plans to divert some upper-level figures, managing to directly remove the current City Lord of Hope City had been an unexpected bonus.
They had originally thought that once they entered the city, everything would go smoothly. But reality was far too different from expectations.
“At that time, we left behind many of Hope City’s people. But after questioning, it turns out that the number of people who actually stayed was only a bit over ten thousand. It seems most capable individuals were probably taken away by passing mobile cities. The ones left behind were either old people now farming or children still attending school. Though the elderly are much healthier now, they are still old. As for the children, they show little loyalty. Counting on them is basically impossible.”
“And they’re very smart—probably due to being educated. Many of their ideas differ from ours. After we probed for a while, more and more of them began intentionally or unintentionally distancing themselves from us. We’ve been rejected. It will be very difficult to obtain any more information.”
Bei Ji hugged his knees in the temporary settlement, burying his head between them. He looked completely at a loss, unusually silent.
“But… there’s one very strange piece of news… I don’t know if I should say it or not…” one of the scouts reported.
“Say it. Every single piece of information must be reported,” said Uncle Zhou, sitting beside Bei Ji, reluctantly taking over for Shi Qiu in leading the situation.
“I tentatively asked why Hope City hasn’t been attacked by Nightmare Beast seeds. To my surprise, someone answered me directly, and it seems that everyone gave the same answer. They all said that the reason their city hasn’t been attacked by Nightmare Beast seeds is because… because…”
That person hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “They said it’s because they have faith in a god.”
“A god?” Uncle Zhou also showed a look of surprise. “In this day and age, there are still people who believe in gods?”
“I also thought it was absurd, so I asked around everywhere. The answers were always the same. Everyone’s expressions were filled with firm belief. And they said that the current City Lord is the incarnation of the god.”
“Incarnation of a god?” Bei Ji finally perked up to listen to the report.
“Yes. The god here is something often mentioned. Everyone must pray at least once a week, and everyone has the responsibility to protect the god.” At this moment, the person took something out of his pocket—a pendant. “In this city, including Angel City, this thing seems to be sold all the time. Everyone has at least one, or even multiple. And it’s said to really have an effect.”
“So now all these people have been blinded because that person called He Fang used the story of the god to deceive the masses? If that’s the case, it makes sense. The people of Hope City seem abnormal, no matter how you look at them. Using a god to brainwash the crowd is really a disgusting method,” Uncle Zhou said through gritted teeth, taking the pendant from the man and handing it to Bei Ji.
Bei Ji lowered his head to examine the pendant. He realized it was the same item displayed at the stall of the old man they had talked to earlier today—something the old man had casually carved himself.
“If everyone can casually carve statues of the god, then this god is really too cheap,” Bei Ji’s hand tightened around the pendant. “If this god was created out of thin air to lead the city, then how exactly did they really manage to keep the city from being attacked by the Nightmare Beasts?”
“Regarding that, there is actually propaganda inside the city. It’s… just playing repeatedly on the television—footage showing Nightmare Beasts attacking the city but being stopped outside. Not only that, there are videos of City Lord He Fang using the power of faith to resurrect the dying, and many other images used for preaching. They are everywhere…”
The man reporting looked strange as well. When they arrived at Hope City, they had prepared for the difficult task of gathering all the information they could. But unexpectedly, all the information they wanted to investigate was openly displayed for them to watch.
“The real secrets can’t possibly be shown so openly in reality. Hope City must have some hidden secrets—they are just using the god as a cover. Even those videos might be fake,” Uncle Zhou frowned, feeling increasingly strange about Hope City. The more he thought about it, the less he could understand it.
“That part is not fake.” At this moment, not far away, the face of a mercenary returning from scouting was very grim. “I… I approached the edge of the black Nightmare Beast forest, and then, then… I discovered…”
The mercenary probably felt that his verbal summary wasn’t comprehensive enough, so he simply showed everyone the footage he had recorded.
In the footage, everyone watched with wide eyes as the black Nightmare Beast forest stood just a thin line apart from the lush green grass and soil.
A thin line apart!
At such a close distance, the Nightmare Beast seeds had not crazily eroded the land.
At that moment, everyone’s expressions changed.
Bei Ji, upon seeing such a terrifying truth, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe. The overwhelming sense of helplessness almost drained all his strength.
Around them, there was complete silence. No one even dared to believe their own eyes.
“How is this possible? This… how can this be possible?” Bei Ji, already curled up, curled even tighter, hugging himself as his whole body trembled.
“The resistance to the Nightmare Beasts is real. Everyone also says the god is real. Many have personally witnessed the god’s descent. It’s just that the god cannot be captured on film, so we can’t see images of the god. Around Hope City, there is a stone sculpture—that is the god’s branch in Hope City.”
“I also found out that the city’s strongest defense is not the border weapons at all, but the huge glowing light pillar we have seen since we arrived. It is said that inside it, the god’s messenger guards the city. It is a sacred mech left by the holy beast born when the Nightmare Beast seeds first appeared in the world, specifically designed to protect humanity.”
“It’s said that some people in the city have bodies so tough that bullets cannot penetrate.”
“It’s said that Hope City’s resources are endless.”
“It’s said…”
It’s said…
If it were just rumors, then they could say these people were exaggerating and spreading fear. But what if all these rumors really correspond to reality?
Someone had spied inside the light pillar.
Someone had challenged the patrol soldiers.
Someone had even analyzed the footage with instruments and found no signs of editing at all.
It seemed like everything was proving that everything was true.
The entire Hope City seemed almost unreal.
“If it’s really like this, how could we possibly defeat Hope City? Not to mention us, even Ao City wouldn’t stand a chance,” suddenly, amid the strange atmosphere, someone backed down.
“City Lord Bei Ji, shouldn’t we seriously reconsider Ao City’s orders? Ao City is underestimating Hope City. We confidently won’t betray Ao City. We haven’t been heavily restricted, and Hope City accepts anyone who sincerely wants to enter, offering them protection…”
“Shut up!” Uncle Zhou finally spoke, his voice full of anger and force. Though he was old now, the once decisive and commanding steward still put heavy psychological pressure on everyone. The iron rule drilled into them from childhood—that the city lord must never be defied—still affected them deeply. Uncle Zhou took several deep breaths and said, “When nothing is certain, why fuel others’ arrogance? Don’t you all feel ashamed?”
Everyone quieted down.
“Is there anything else to report?” Uncle Zhou glanced at the curled-up Bei Ji, then directly asked, drawing everyone’s full attention.
“He Fang, the current City Lord of Hope City, seems to be the city lord of another very powerful city, known here as the main city. Around Hope City and Angel City, there is a railway directly leading into the Nightmare Beast forest. It is said to be the road to the main city. The statues of the god and those superhumanly tough people all come from the main city.”
“Railway?” Uncle Zhou finally showed interest in this piece of information.
“I went to check the railway. There’s roughly one train every four hours. I asked around—temporary residents can’t ride the train, but once someone becomes an official resident, there’s no restriction.”
Uncle Zhou lowered his head and looked at Bei Ji. He whispered into Bei Ji’s ear, “City Lord Bei Ji, it seems the biggest mystery lies within this main city. I think what we really need to investigate is this main city.”
Although Bei Ji was curled up and didn’t want to speak to anyone, he still responded to Uncle Zhou. He raised his head: “But we can’t go to the main city.”
Their manual stated that to become an official city resident, extremely strict conditions had to be met. Their time here to investigate was limited, and Ao City outside couldn’t wait.
“I’ll compile all this information. City Lord Bei Ji, can you report it to Ao City?” Uncle Zhou said.
Bei Ji glanced at the time, then finally nodded.
They had a way to communicate with Ao City: every night at midnight, a location signal would be activated for one second—just enough time to send all the information they had gathered to Ao City.
Late at night, Bei Ji left the temporary living area and looked up at Hope City. The entire city was brightly lit. At that moment, it was as if he saw the sleepless city that could only be glimpsed in old footage.
The scene was simply breathtaking.
Suddenly, Bei Ji heard someone’s voice nearby. Instinctively, he bent down, fearing it was a Hope City patrol soldier.
“When you were out scouting today, did you do anything else?”
“What?”
“Eat something or whatever. The stuff here is just way too cheap. I always thought I was poor, but I never expected to feel rich here. The food is good, and all kinds of things are especially cheap. There are many high-end products that only the city lord would know about, but here they’re just casually sold in supermarkets, really cheap. The craziest thing is, you can even afford to buy a house. I went to look at houses—the worst ones have one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom. This is basically heaven.”
“When I was gathering information, how should I put it… I did feel a bit of longing. My feeling is a bit different from yours. It’s not about any particular thing or item, but how do I say this? It’s a strange feeling. Like, I feel respected. Even though people don’t obey me blindly like they did back in Hope City, I just feel respected.”
“Really a strange city. It makes you want to settle down.”
Bei Ji curled up in the corner, listening to the people nearby talking. He pressed his lips together lightly, his heart full of bitterness.
This was an achievement he could never accomplish—his own people had already turned against him within just half a day.
Hope City—what a terrifying place.
Bei Ji looked at the signal transmitter in his hand, closed his eyes, and from deep inside, an inexplicable feeling of revenge began to rise. He sent out the signal.
No matter how powerful Hope City was, it would only last a year or two at most.
But Ao City—that was the world’s elite!
Inside the research institute, Zhu Yan, immersed in his research, heard the alert sound. He turned and walked over to a computer, where all the information Bei Ji had sent had already been fully loaded.
He glanced at it and sneered. After so much time, that’s all they found? This efficiency was far worse than Sai Gu’s.
These schemers had already been detected at the border, but he had ordered Wei Qixuan and Ye Sheng to let them in, to wait patiently for the trap.
He wanted to see exactly who still dared to set their sights on Hope City.
And they shamelessly even dared to covet the position of the city lord.
He intended to bring all these people into his own territory.
Bit by bit.
Crushing all their confidence.
—
Late at night, He Fang lay beside Chong Ying. The boy, already fast asleep, clung to He Fang with all four limbs. As a player, He Fang didn’t need to sleep deeply during the game night, so he opened the system map to check the current situation across the whole map.
He could see several cities probing near the edges of Hope City and Angel City. There were many cities. This was no longer just him and one city facing off; this time, it was a group attack.
Although he had gradually confirmed that his city’s combat strength was significantly higher than the others, he still needed to be cautious. Even though he trusted his NPCs would surely turn danger into safety, trust was trust, and worry was worry.
Seeing so many cities encircling them, He Fang frowned. Could Ao City really wield such great influence? According to Zhu Yan’s earlier calculations, He Fang had pinpointed Ao City’s location on the system map, but now he saw that Ao City was still quite far from Hope City.
Could it be that they were letting other cities start the war, so Ao City could sit back and reap the benefits afterward?
“Ruins Without Restart”, was this about taking the city war to the very end, with conspiracies and schemes thrown in?
They had followed Zhang Guangshi’s footsteps to arrive at a place that was definitely not Ao City, but another city entirely. Because they currently lacked mercenary identification and didn’t even have proper vehicles, they couldn’t enter. After nightfall, Chong Xiao sneaked into the city while He Fang and Chong Ying waited outside.
Before Chong Xiao returned, He Fang had no idea what city this was in front of him. But since Zhang Guangshi actually came here, He Fang wondered if it was intentional on their part. He remained extremely vigilant, wondering if someone was following them from behind.
He Fang logged off during the night, went to drink some water, and saw that outside it was already afternoon. He began to worry whether he could finish the mission today.
He casually cooked two packs of instant noodles for himself. After eating, He Fang drank a glass of water and went to the bathroom to make sure he wouldn’t be forced offline during the game due to physiological needs. Then he logged back into the game.
However, this time when he opened his eyes, he found Chong Ying lying on top of his head, against the sunlight, watching him.
They were now sitting on a small cart barely made from wood materials taken from trees, pulled by manpower.
At first, He Fang was truly stunned by this little cart.
But unfortunately, although Chong Xiao and Chong Ying were indeed very strong, one focused on personal strength and the other on weapons, and combined with the very limited resources available, they really couldn’t just conjure up a proper vehicle like magic.
Light City had been completely wiped out by the dazzling light of weapons against the Nightmare Beasts; not even a tiny piece of metal was left. He Fang had never feared the Nightmare Beast seeds before, but after seeing the total destruction of an entire city, he finally understood how deeply people in this world feared the Nightmare Beast seeds.
He Fang blinked, recovering consciousness. He turned his head to look at Chong Ying. The boy was staring at him as if looking at something extremely precious, eyes wide open without blinking.
“What are you looking at?” He Fang asked.
“I never thought I’d get to see the city lord’s sleeping face,” Chong Ying said with a very happy smile. “They say only Guo Miaofeng in the whole city has ever seen the city lord asleep. I’ve always been so envious.”
He Fang sat up and scratched his head. Probably because he had been AFK, his model had stayed asleep the whole time.
“Has Chong Xiao not come out yet?” He Fang asked.
“No, but don’t worry, City Lord. I can feel my brother anytime, anywhere—there’s absolutely no problem,” Chong Ying said with a grin, rubbing against He Fang’s ear.
With nothing pressing at the moment, He Fang’s gaze shifted toward the sun that had just risen in the distance. The bright, slanting sunlight bathed the earth—everything was breathtakingly beautiful. The scenes he experienced inside the sensory pod felt almost real; the sun rising before him looked just like the sun in the real world.
He Fang was deeply moved by such beauty. As he watched the sun, he consciously glanced at Chong Ying—and found that Chong Ying had been staring at him all along.
“Am I good-looking?” He Fang asked.
“Yes,” Chong Ying replied with a cheerful smile.
“You seem to have liked me all along,” He Fang said, perhaps influenced by the scenery; for a moment, the delicate-faced boy beside him seemed like a real human being, which made him say this.
Under the morning sun, the boy’s eyes sparkled. The joy of being acknowledged overflowed from his eyes: “Not seem—really. It’s not just me, my brother also really likes the City Lord!”
“Why? Because I’m the City Lord?” He Fang felt a bit silly talking with a system algorithm like this.
But Chong Ying didn’t answer immediately. He Fang looked at him, guessing that the character personality algorithm was calculating how to respond.
“It’s because of the dream—a shared dream my brother and I have together,” the boy said with a smile.
“What shared dream?” He Fang was a little surprised. What strange things had this algorithm figured out?
“It’s a dream we have every night, exactly the same, with my brother. In the dream, we’re not in the City Lord’s city but in another city. That city is all darkness and death, with no governance, no development—just a dead city unable to sustain itself. It’s gradually declining; resources can no longer regenerate. To survive, everyone must fight to seize the city’s few remaining resources.”
He Fang was stunned. A dream? How could an NPC have such a dream?
“My brother and I are people from the city. We’ve always wanted to survive. We keep killing—killing, endlessly killing. But the city’s population is limited; there will come a day when everyone is killed,” Chong Ying said in a casual tone, as if telling a story. “Actually, even if we stopped killing, all of us would still die. But if we don’t do something, that ending, which you can see all the way to the end, is something we can’t accept. So we keep getting stronger, killing the strong, and then getting stronger again.”
He Fang’s expression was complicated. “You have this kind of dream every night. How can you sleep well?”
“It’s okay, because now we know City Lord, your city is the safest city. Killing and things like that don’t exist here!” Chong Ying said with a grin. “The crime rate in the City Lord’s city is zero!”
He Fang blinked but didn’t comment.
“Does the dream have an ending?” he asked.
“Yes. In the end, only my brother is left in the city, and then he commits suicide.”
He Fang’s heart skipped a beat. “Only Chong Xiao is left?”
“Yeah, I die—towards the later part. My brother is still alive,” Chong Ying said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “So actually, my brother is way stronger than I.”
He Fang frowned. This dream was probably something they hadn’t told anyone. Listening to their words, he felt an inexplicable chill.
“Is the dream very real?” Could it be real enough to directly affect the attributes of the city’s NPCs?
“Very real. My brother and I are connected. We have truly experienced both my death and my brother’s death. We’ve both died twice, but it’s okay because it’s all just a dream—fake. City Lord wouldn’t let dreams become reality!”
On the young face of Chong Ying, full of childish innocence, was complete trust and reassurance. Under the morning sun, his eyes shone brightly, free of any shadow.
![You’re Causing Chaos Again [e-sports]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1sMqC2JNjIep8Ov.jpg "You’re Causing Chaos Again [e-sports]")
