With the final arrival of the Lungmen Guard Department, the party began in full swing. Players celebrated the end of Terra Year 1096 together, operators chatted and joked with the guards, and the higher-ups gathered to drink quietly among themselves.
"I don't remember seeing your name on the invitation list."
Ch'en Hui-chieh took a sip of beer and shot an unfriendly sideways glance at Lin Yühsia, the woman in black who had appeared beside Felix at some unknown moment. Lin Yühsia held a glass of champagne, her expression cool and composed, giving off the unmistakable first impression of an underworld heiress.
"Tomorrow's Developments and Rhodes Island are using territory in Lungmen's gray zones. As the host who received the invitation, it's only natural for me to be here," Lin Yühsia replied.
She glanced at Ch'en Hui-chieh. "You, on the other hand. I thought a workaholic like you would still be working overtime on the last day of the year."
"Unfortunately for you, the Lungmen Guard Department was invited as well."
"…."
Their gazes collided, and both snorted at the same time.
"Listening to the two of you talk is surprisingly entertaining," Felix commented while sipping a sweet wine. "Calling this a fated rivalry would be quite appropriate. Just hearing you two go at it is oddly relaxing."
"She's the one trying to provoke me," Ch'en Hui-chieh said, pointing accusingly at Lin Yühsia.
"And someone explodes the moment they're poked," Lin Yühsia replied with a light snort.
Felix cleared his throat, cutting off the sparks between them. "This war with no real justification is nearly over. Does Chief Wei or Elder Lin have any plans?"
"On the official side," Ch'en Hui-chieh said, "Chief Wei likely intends to enter negotiations with Ursus. I don't have the authority to know the details."
"What negotiations?" Lin Yühsia scoffed. "Isn't it obviously compensation? Ursus swallowed a bitter loss this time. Even though Reunion has completely withdrawn from Ursus, the conflict between the old and new nobility hasn't stopped at all. It's no different from before Reunion ever existed."
She drained her champagne. "As for my father, he's dissatisfied with Reunion's actions this time. In fact, people in the gray zones have already begun to move."
Felix nodded. Elder Lin had already spoken to him about this. Within their respective areas of operation, underworld forces loyal to Elder Lin were also hunting down Reunion's Infected. When their people crossed paths, both sides simply kept to themselves.
"Now that Reunion is nearing its end, these may be my final weeks in Lungmen," Felix said calmly. "Their commander has already been captured and is being held aboard the Venus. I haven't spoken to her face-to-face yet, but I believe both Ursus and Yan have the right to judge her. Beyond them, there are also the Infected who gave their lives for her without hesitation. What they need is justice."
Ch'en Hui-chieh opened her mouth slightly. "Can I go with you to the Venus? I want to see her."
Felix agreed without hesitation.
Ch'en Hui-chieh took a deep breath. "And… I've decided to temporarily step down from my position as head of the Inspectorate."
Both Felix and Lin Yühsia looked at her in surprise. Lin Yühsia couldn't help speaking up. "Are you… having problems with your head?"
"Shut up."
Ch'en Hui-chieh shot Lin Yühsia an annoyed look, then turned back to Felix, her expression serious. "I've been thinking about what Chief Wei meant when he said I wasn't mature enough. I think I may have found the answer. Watching the scenes of survival and conflict between the Infected and the uninfected, I realized that governing Lungmen alone will never truly satisfy me. This may be my starting point, but it isn't my destination."
"So I want to follow the Venus and act alongside it."
She straightened her posture, her gaze fixed on Felix, yet also seeming to look toward something far away. Perhaps that distant place was the ideal she wished to reach.
"In my life, there were only two things: studying and work. I never spent time on anything else. I didn't care, and I didn't mind. But…"
Her voice paused, her eyes turning toward the Infected children sitting together, eating carefully and quietly.
"I know there are countless things like this happening across Terra. I want to see them with my own eyes."
"Does Chief Wei know about this?" Felix asked.
Ch'en Hui-chieh shook her head slightly. "He will."
"Aunt Fumizuki will miss you."
Ch'en Hui-chieh gave a quiet hum. "I'll write to her often. Besides, the Venus has a landing pad now. If I miss Aunt Fumizuki, I can come back anytime."
Felix reached out and gently patted Ch'en Hui-chieh on the head. She let out a soft protest, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
"Ahem…"
Realizing Lin Yühsia was still nearby, Ch'en Hui-chieh quickly cleared her throat. "Tomorrow may be New Year's Day, but there's still cleanup work to be done for Reunion. I'll go look for Hoshiguma and Missy."
She waved as she left, as if setting something down behind her. There was an unusual lightness to her steps, nothing like the Ch'en Hui-chieh of the past.
"Tch. I never thought the day would come when she'd leave Lungmen, and to board the Venus of all things. A real miscalculation," Lin Yühsia said.
With Ch'en Hui-chieh gone, she leaned even more unrestrainedly against the man beside her. "So, once she's aboard, what position are you planning to give her?"
"Hm… Head of the Defense Division, perhaps. Ch'en Hui-chieh isn't suited to being an ordinary soldier. She's a natural-born commander."
"Oh, speaking of commanders," Lin Yühsia continued, her tone turning more formal. "This came from my father. Yan's official stance toward Tomorrow's Developments has improved somewhat. It seems the Grand Tutor spoke up for you at court."
"Maintaining good relations with Yan is exactly what I want," Felix replied. "That exchange with Envoy Liang Xun clearly yielded good results."
His tone softened. "I've also received a great deal of help from Yan. The land of Kazdel is far cleaner now than it used to be. One day, the Sarkaz will be able to eat fruits and vegetables grown by their own hands."
Lin Yühsia liked Felix when he spoke like this.
While laughter and cheer filled the camp, at the site where Reunion players were being camped, the professional players squatted on the ground eating boxed meals brought over by Infected children, chatting as they kept track of the time.
"Oh, it's coming, it's coming. The big one's about to log in."
"You go ahead. I'm still eating."
"Alright."
As the words fell, two red-name players' bodies materialized at the camp site. Seeing the crowd around them, they immediately burst into curses. This wasn't their first countdown. Every time they logged back in, someone was waiting to camp their corpses. Their experience kept dropping, their equipment had been stripped clean, and there was nothing left to play. What was the point anymore?
A sword flashed. The two red-name players fell again, turning into corpses and starting another countdown.
"Let's calculate by Terra days. Next time they log in should be about a day from now, right?"
"Eh, we'll still be in Lungmen by then."
Huangtian Houtu was nearby, happily eating the lunchbox Sheila had brought him. The timid little girl who had once been brought back from Kazimierz by Cheng had grown into a gentle, friendly young lady. Everyone on the Dynasty team liked her. Even though the mark of slavery was still branded on her shoulder, no one ever treated her like a slave.
Perhaps this was the joy of nurturing. As Huangtian Houtu chewed away, he thought it might really be a good idea to have their affiliated guilds interact more with NPCs. When they eventually set up companies, they could even bring some NPCs on board. After all, if a company was made up entirely of players, there would always be times when people were too busy in real life to log in.
Hearing the discussion about the red-name players nearby, he raised his chopsticks. "Next time they log in, let's just capture them. Their levels have dropped enough anyway. That Butcher guy used to be almost on par with us, but after being killed so many times by Cosmic, he's fallen to mid 2.0. He's no different from roadside trash now."
"That's not a bad idea."
Cheng recalled an incident from Yan, when someone committed a crime, kidnapped a little girl, and was arrested by the authorities. He'd been sentenced to a few years. Back then, no one had any money. By the time they thought about bailing him out, the guy had practically quit the game.
"Where would we hold them?"
"Once we establish a company, why not set up a dedicated inspection division?" Cheng suggested. "With an inspection division, we'd have a prison. Yellow-name and red-name players ruin the experience for ordinary people. Their way of playing fundamentally harms others. At its core, that's wrong."
"We'll talk about it later," Huangtian Houtu said, jutting his chin forward. "Cosmic said these people are temporarily being handled by the North American players."
In the distance, Cosmic could be seen chatting with Shroud and the other North American players.
"To the year 1096."
"To 1096!"
As fireworks ignited and bloomed across the skies above Lungmen, players rose to their feet to celebrate the moment. Naturally, there were also red-name players who had only just logged in, only to be sent straight back by professional players before they even had a chance to see the fireworks.
___
Today was the year 1097.
Felix lifted his head. He had done well this past year, truly well. The fact that Tomorrow's Developments had grown into what it was today owed everything to the combined efforts of the people of Terra and the players alike. As for himself, there was still much more strength he needed to gain.
He had been trying to ignore the words spoken by the Preserver, trying to numb himself with the busyness of the present. In that regard, he had succeeded. He was still an optimistic person, but until the moment of true success arrived, he would not pop champagne prematurely.
On the morning of January 1st, Reunion launched its final collective assault. This time, their offensive was fierce and relentless. Though they lacked a commander, they came with the mindset of taking a vicious bite out of Lungmen since they were already here, planting large numbers of Originium explosives at several key intersections.
Breakfast began with a thunderous explosion.
In the camp, Felix remained calm and composed. All capable operators under his command had been deployed. Only wounded operators still in need of rest remained behind, along with the doctors caring for them and the children.
These Infected children were themselves infected, but compared to the wounded, their injuries were far less severe. Some of them chose to help the doctors. Though they knew nothing of medical practice, they could still assist with simple tasks. Their presence alone helped ease the patients' moods.
Misha, brought back by the Ursus squad, was among these helpers. She had no combat ability and was just an ordinary child. She chose this path perhaps as a way to atone for her younger brother.
Felix walked to the outside of the holding cells, where several high-ranking members of Reunion were being detained. Among those he remembered were Skullshatterer, brought in by Lappland, and the Crownslayer, who had been so thoroughly intimidated by a single strike from Hellagur the day before that she no longer dared to resist.
Crownslayer sat on her bed, head lowered, eyes fixed on the floor. According to Amiya, Rhodes Island had made contact with her yesterday. They had intended to question her about Reunion intelligence, but upon seeing Doctor Kal'tsit, her emotions became violently unstable. Yet when she noticed the operator Red standing beside Kal'tsit, she suddenly fell silent in fear.
"..."
"If you've got something to ask, ask it quickly. I don't know much."
Crownslayer raised her head, her tone rough. She knew Kal'tsit had returned to the base last night, and that the chilling Lupo was no longer around. To be honest, the mix of anger and shock from yesterday had left her in a terrible mood.
Through the bars, she saw Felix and froze for a moment. Then she shrank deeper into the corner, fear overtaking her. She would never forget who it was that had nearly cleaved her in half with a single strike back in Chernobog.
"Crownslayer. Why did you join Reunion?"
"What kind of stupid question is that? I joined Reunion…"
Seeing his indifferent expression, Crownslayer swallowed hard. She had never felt such pressure before. It was as if the man standing before her was about to pass judgment on her, making her heart clench with tension. The oppressive aura was overwhelming. Even her long-healed wounds sent phantom pains through her body.
"I joined Reunion to survive."
She spat to the side, psyching herself up. "I'm Infected. If I didn't join Reunion, I couldn't find work. Within Reunion, I held a high position, and the leader promised to fight for the rights of the Infected. So I joined."
"Is that so? Regardless of your past choices, perhaps you should start thinking about the life that comes after."
Felix paused briefly. "By the way, according to our intelligence, among your leadership, only one remains at large. Someone named Faust."
"You… what are you trying to do? Who are you, exactly?!"
"I am the leader of Tomorrow's Developments. As for what I intend to do, it is to pass judgment according to your crimes. You are no exception, Crownslayer. Killing demands payment with life. Even if death is avoided, lifelong imprisonment awaits. Do you really think Reunion can take so many lives and walk away unpunished?"
"..."
"Crownslayer, you should be grateful that you never killed civilians. Otherwise…"
Crownslayer wrapped herself tightly in her blanket, her voice trembling, edged with tears. "Why are you scaring me like that?!"