"My ideal?"
Li Lin thought for a moment, then said very straightforwardly:
"World peace."
"I'm not joking."
"I'm not joking with you either, I really want world peace."
"…????"
"Is it that hard to understand? Then let me explain it in a way you can understand."
Looking at the bewildered Lappland, Li Lin sighed and said slowly:
"As you guys said, my body actually has problems, already on the verge of collapse, could kick the bucket at any time. So what do I want? To slack off. How can I obtain entertainment more easily? How can I live more happily? Do you think that's possible in an era of war?"
"Definitely impossible. In an era of war, everyone has to make way for the war. All entertainment activities and related public facilities will cease. Say nothing else, just talk about Lungmen itself. Wasn't the atmosphere tense some time ago, so many nightclubs were closed? It doesn't matter to me, but for others, it's a very big blow. Why? The entertainment industry disappears, people can't release their inner pressure and emotions. And it's even worse for me."
"What I like isn't nightclubs, but more virtual entertainment activities built upon nightclubs. And none of these entertainment activities don't require world peace. I want to play team competitive games with people without people actually dying; what does that require? Stable electricity, internet, operating companies, computers, lines, a group of players who actually live in a peaceful environment and don't need to be ready to run at any moment. Do you think such requirements can be met in an era of war and chaos? Impossible. Even if I just want to eat something, want to taste better food, that still requires arable land to have the leisure to grow spices, the premise is still world peace."
"If the world is full of war and chaos, manpower itself will be lost, and thus cease to exist. Without manpower, there are no producers and consumers, and without these two, do you think there can be any entertainment? Even Sora singing those pop songs like that, everyone can listen with relish; this is just Lungmen and other peaceful areas, what about the demand of the whole world?"
Thinking of this world's barren lifestyle, Li Lin felt a burst of anger.
Yes, cohabiting with beautiful girls isn't bad, but idiot netizens are life necessities! Chatting nonsense with people online, discussing news from all over the world, playing games, listening to music, reading good novels, then watching those streamers do stupid things , sleeping after eating full, waking up and doing it again, that's life.
What about now?
"…Wait a moment."
Tugging at her collar, Lappland raised her hand seriously to interrupt Li Lin, asking earnestly:
"I basically don't understand what you were just saying, can you describe it again in language I can understand? Please directly use the simplest way to describe your dream."
"What I'm saying is wanting to enjoy life, comrade."
Looking at the completely uncomprehending Lappland, Li Lin felt like hitting iron that wouldn't become steel ( - exasperated at someone's failure to meet expectations).
"You guys are good-looking, live long, are healthy and everything, why don't you do human things? Clearly, there's this thing called Catastrophes hanging over your heads, yet you don't think about how to fight Catastrophes; fine if you just focus on running away, but you're still fighting wars. And what damned Oripathy. For heaven's sake , does each of you have ninety-nine lives, feeling uncomfortable if you don't throw one away idly? Is it that hard for me to want to play some things, write some novels?"
"Smile more? Make more good-looking clothes and safe environments? Everyone eats delicious food, drinks delicious drinks, then doesn't harm each other and happily plays games together, isn't that good? Now there's internet, everything is available, yet it's messed up like this just because of fighting wars; don't you have peace agreements ensuring mutual destruction?"
"Peace agreements ensuring mutual destruction? What's that?"
Lappland asked somewhat curiously.
"It's a dead hand device ensuring that while destroying oneself, the enemy can also be destroyed. This is the foundation of peace."
Li Lin looked at Lappland's uncomprehending appearance and sighed regretfully.
The longer he stayed in this world, the more he missed the goodness of his original world. On-demand food delivery, the happiness brought by memes and idiot netizens online, the flame wars between various keyboard warriors, the fun of playing games with friends , and those trolls he hated immensely but now somewhat missed.
All these joys and pains were built upon the foundation of peace. Can you say life here is bad? Can't say it's bad either. Have cute work partners, stable work, dormitory provides food and lodging, can even exercise. But is it really happy? Li Lin didn't feel he was very happy. Various dangers constantly accompanied him; mornings were okay, but evenings were time for gangster vendettas. Curfew accompanied by faint gunshots and explosions.
Lungmen like this was considered the area with the best public security, yet various entertainments and films were incredibly awkward/cringey ; those from Yan Country were slightly better, but other stuff from Lungmen really couldn't be complimented.
"I just want to live peacefully and happily in this world…"
It would be even better if I could play games with idiot netizens.
Preferably grinding Girls' Frontline.
Grinding ranking events was super fun.
Thinking of the life he once didn't cherish, Li Lin looked at the white plaster on the ceiling and couldn't help but sigh deeply.
And Lappland, sitting aside, watched the sorrowful Li Lin, unsure what she analyzed herself, lowered her head fiddling with her cuffs for a moment, then looked towards Li Lin, asking directly with a serious expression somewhat resembling Texas's:
"Overall, your wish is just wanting to live happily, that's right, isn't it?"
"That's right?"
"Not joking?"
"Why would I joke with you? What dream do you think I want to have? Become a leader and cause trouble?"
"…I understand. Then I'll leave first. Rest well here."
"Oh? Oh."
What on earth did you come here for?
Under Li Lin's blaming gaze, Lappland stood up, walked out swaying her tail, and closed the main door behind her.
The well-soundproofed door isolated the sounds inside and outside. Lappland walked to the corner of the corridor, looked at the few figures standing in the blind spot holding a radio, and grinned. Tossing the recorder in her arms towards the figure with a halo, she then looked towards another person.
"The Prophet said this, what do you think? Texas?"
"…Who cares about him."
Crunching the Pocky, Texas, leaning against the corridor shadow, looked up at the ceiling, her voice calm as she spoke.