Chapter 998: Chapter 998

The night breeze ruffled the woman’s disheveled hair, and the world seemed to fall into silence. Ini stared at the scene on the screen, the blazing wreckage reflected in her pupils, as if branding itself into her memory.

She lowered her head, murmuring to herself.

Beside her, Liz propped up her head and slowly began to speak.

Ini turned her head to look at her friend.

"That old man was a bit too cool, wasn’t he?"

Liz massaged her face, turned her head to look at her friend, and scratched her hair, "He gives off an explosive sense of security, as if he could solve any problem."

Ini turned her gaze back to the screen, but now all that was left was an empty stage, and the elderly man who stood behind it had already left.

It seemed to tell everyone that everything was over, and the night in Yilan City was as usual.

The war was just a minor episode under the calm night sky, it began abruptly, and then was effortlessly ended by that old man.

Ini paused for a moment, then slowly said, "It does seem a bit..."

In the midst of their conversation, lights turned on not far behind them, and the sound of a car approaching was heard.

"Is that the car coming back?"

Liz lifted her head to look at the approaching glow.

"It’s probably from hearing the war has ended, and they’re heading back,"

Ini watched the lights that shone from the darkness, "There aren’t many people now, but once the first returnees find out the war has really ended, everyone will slowly come back. After all, no one wants to leave their home in the middle of the night, taking their family to flee."

"Should we still head north?"

Liz turned back to look at Ini.

Ini clapped her hands, her gaze swept over the advertisement board still showing ruins, then focused again on the towering city walls as they continued walking into the depths of the night, "Even though we won, we need to gather firsthand information. If we don’t report the truth, those who make fake news will."

Liz patted her somewhat sore thighs and caught up with her friend.

"I was thinking," then she seemed to come up with something and asked, "Should we do an exclusive interview with Mr. Lin En?"

Ini was slightly startled to hear this question.

"I have a feeling that after tonight, Mr. Lin En’s prestige will skyrocket. If we can get this first-hand interview, the traffic will definitely explode. Plus, think about it,"

Liz raised her hand to count on her fingers,

"All the mainstream media are under the control of big consortia. Mr. Lin En surely needs someone to promote his philosophy, isn’t that why he invested in us? We could take advantage of this momentum to start the promotion.

"Mr. Lin En can convey his ideas to the public, and we can gain traffic and exposure to build up our grassroots team."

"But an exclusive interview, I have no experience, I’m just an intern,"

Ini hesitated, "If it doesn’t go well..."

"Opportunities wait for no one, my dear,"

Liz stood on her toes and reached out to embrace her friend’s shoulders, "If we miss this chance, it would be a loss for both us and Mr. Lin En. And we need to show Mr. Lin En that we can achieve results so that his investment isn’t in vain.

"Speaking of which, don’t you know any news bigwigs, like your former teachers or classmates? Those who are doing well, ask them for help? Maybe borrow some of their resources? It’s mutually beneficial."

Liz leaned against her friend, speaking earnestly, "No matter what, we have to shoulder this responsibility. Opportunities wait for no one."

Hearing Liz’s words, Ini seemed to remember something and nodded lightly, "Okay, I’ll think of something,"

Then she hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice, "But how do we make an appointment with Mr. Lin En? Do you think he’ll agree to our agreement?"

Liz released her embrace and scratched her head, "Should I call the Mayor’s office and ask? Don’t worry, everything is difficult at the beginning. Once we start, the hardest part will be over."

Ini nodded, then she turned around, looking back.

More and more vehicles and pedestrians began to return from the depths of the dark night, heading toward the direction of home.

City Council Building

The man in a white shirt slowly walked out of the elevator, looking at the quiet night outside the corridor floor-to-ceiling windows.

Just outside this huge glass wall on the street, a giant, still smoldering Blazing Angel Mech wreckage was crashing at the edge of the street, leaning against the building opposite.

And underneath this mech, warning lines had already been drawn, some soldiers were quickly disassembling the wreckage within the warning line with engineering machinery.

"I just asked, that’s a mech shot down by Scott’s army,"

The man behind the man in the white shirt lit a cigar, biting it in his mouth, and walked out slowly from behind. "It seems the war is really over, and Lin En has won."

The man in the white shirt was stunned for a moment, raising his hand, "Wait a second, let me get this straight,"

He slowly organized his thoughts, "In the North, Kopace sent two of the most advanced Mercenary Corps. In the South, Yiwis Space System brought a Mercenary Corps and an air force unit with four Sky Behemoths, and the Commander of North City, Scott, has even rebelled,"

He looked at the cigar-smoking man beside him, "How did he win? No, how did he win this? With this little military force and equipment, I couldn’t win even if I cheated in a war chess game, is he a War God with Divine Descent?"

"How the hell would I know,"

The man with the cigar took a drag, "If I could fight a battle , why would I be a councilor? Wouldn’t any big consortium come begging on their knees for me to be their Mercenary Corps’ chief of staff?"

He took the cigar from his mouth, sighed, "Forget about it, after tonight, Yilan City will definitely change. A mayor who gives a good speech and a Leader who can protect the city during a war, their prestige is not on the same level."

He looked up at the man in the white shirt, "We’ve seen too many feeble mayors, why did the Yilan Morning Post assert so confidently that he fled on a plane? It’s because they thought he’d definitely be scared and run away. As it turns out, he didn’t run and even beautifully won a big battle. To be honest, I’m starting to admire him. He might really be the savior sent by Heaven to save Yilan City."

The man in the white shirt looked at the cigar-smoking man next to him.

"First thing tomorrow morning, impeach him."

The man with the cigar took a puff, looking at the mech wreckage outside, exhaling a dense cloud of smoke.

The man in the white shirt was taken aback, staring wide-eyed at his ’colleague’ next to him.

"Lin En’s ability is too strong, the more time you give him, the greater the likelihood he will rise,"

The man with the cigar, still holding the cigar, looked toward the man in the white shirt, "I’ve been in contact with the consortium, they’ve already bribed nearly half of the council members, including quite a few from Lin En’s faction. Once these members turn, along with the original members who opposed him, we’ll have enough to get two-thirds of the votes against him."

He took out his cigar, exhaling a puff of smoke, "This procedure is absolutely legal. Right now, Lin En has just triumphed over the consortium’s army, riding high.

"People tend to overlook the dangers around them when they’re flying high. He most likely won’t notice the stir in the council, and we, we’ll take advantage of his carelessness to deliver the killing blow."

"Damn, that’s ruthless,"

The man in the white shirt said with a wry smile, "You just said Lin En was sent by Heaven to save Yilan."

"For us, is it not easy to change identities and cities?"

Wisps of smoke spilled from the mouth of the man with the cigar, "After this, we’re no longer people from Yilan."

"To be honest, I’m looking forward to it,"

The man in the white shirt looked out at the mech wreckage under the night sky and said with a smile, "I really want to see what Lin En’s face looks like when, after being lifted up triumphantly by his supporters, he suddenly learns that the impeachment has succeeded."

"That will be very interesting."

The man with the cigar laughed as well.

Saint Ilan District·Yiwis Space System Yilan City Head Office Building

Scattered beams of light reflected like stars in front of the top-floor floor-to-ceiling windows.

A middle-aged man in a neat suit sat behind an obsidian desk, slowly flipping through the documents in his hands.

Soft footsteps approached from a distance as a somewhat nervous man walked into the office, looking at the man sitting behind the desk, "Mister Executive."

"Don’t be nervous, I’ve seen Lin En’s speech. What’s the specific intelligence we’ve received now?"

The middle-aged man didn’t look up, instead slowly continuing to browse the documents in his hands, and asked slowly.

"The Third Mercenary Corps has been completely routed,"

The man sighed with relief, then continued, "And those four Sky Behemoths were shot down too."

"The Mercenary Corps Commander of the Third Mercenary Corps, Kroswei?"

The middle-aged man’s movements stalled, and he continued to ask.

"We haven’t received any messages from him; our people are still investigating,"

The man paused, "However, based on the information from the headquarters, this Commander is likely..."

The middle-aged man slowly closed the document in his hand and sighed, "Our Mr. Mayor is more capable than we imagined."

He looked up at the man, "Has the headquarters given any response? What about Kopace Mining?"

"The headquarters expressed that pulling out one Mercenary Corps is already the limit,"

The man slowly began, "They will continue to sanction Yilan City in other ways. Kopace Mining stated that they haven’t been able to contact their own Mercenary Corps and don’t know the specifics. Their intelligence personnel are still searching for their Mercenary Corps in the wilderness."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man took a deep breath, "How about the city council?"

A trace of a smile appeared on the man’s face, "Aside from the person in charge of this matter at Kopace, no one knows our arrangement. We found council members who have always had contact with us. Linen is being careless right now, and tomorrow’s council meeting will definitely give him a big surprise."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Tell everyone not to be nervous. Linen won’t be able to jump around for much longer."

At that moment, the piercing alarm suddenly sounded in the office.

The middle-aged man’s expression changed as he picked up the phone on the desk.

Then his movement froze, and he stared blankly out of the floor-to-ceiling window.

In the pitch-black night outside the floor-to-ceiling window, a massive Blazing Angel Mech aimed its main cannon right at the office ahead.

The surging engine behind the Mech spewed flames, its bright and dazzling light illuminating the surrounding darkness and also brightening the somewhat dim luxury office.

Suddenly, a Dragon Cavalry Fighter approached closely, shattering the floor-to-ceiling window. Several soldiers, led by a young officer, rushed out from the fighter, leaping into the office and aiming guns at the two men inside, shouting loudly, "City Defense Army apprehending terrorists, put down your weapons, and raise your hands!"

"What are you talking about!"

The middle-aged man furiously looked at the soldiers rushing in, "Do you know what you’re saying? This is the Yilan headquarters of Yiwis Space System!"

Then he turned to the intercom and shouted, "Security! Security!"

The young officer in the lead smashed the middle-aged man’s intercom with a shot and then aimed his gun at the middle-aged man,

"I’ll say it again, City Defense Army apprehending terrorists, put down your weapons, and raise your hands. Rebels will be killed without mercy! Do you want to see if your security or my gun is faster?!"

The middle-aged man holding half of the intercom turned pale at everything happening before him, and then shakily raised his hands.

The man beside him also slowly raised his hands.

"I remember just a couple of days ago, you were lying here,"

In the brightly lit medical room, Des, wearing surgical attire, looked at the elderly man lying on the operating table and said somewhat helplessly, "Last time you were nearly dead, and this time, your injuries are even worse than before."

"Maybe we’re fated to meet often, so I must come back and see you regularly."

He Ao said with a smile.

"Fate? No thanks, I don’t believe in all that mumbo jumbo,"

Des slowly stripped off the scabs on the elderly man’s body, took out a special potion, and began cleaning the wounds, "I just hope you stop coming here so much. The hospital in Yilan City depends on you, and if you keep this up, I doubt you’ll be alive to approve the funding needed to get the hospital built."

"It’s already being arranged, it will be built very soon,"

He Ao said with a hoarse chuckle.

"Don’t just make empty promises; how much gratis work have I done for you here because of your promises?"

Des put down the cleaning potion in his hand, lowered his head, and carefully examined He Ao’s wounds, "Did you use a Healing Item from the Church?"

He Ao nodded lightly.

"There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. The gifts of the goddess may feel exhilarating when used, but there’s always a corresponding price to be paid. The strain on your body is rather severe now,"

Des sighed, "but I won’t persuade you otherwise. If you hadn’t used that thing, you might not have survived to see me."

Then he fumbled for a mithril small jar from nearby,

"You should count yourself lucky that your doctor is me. Inside the Church, we always have some sort of potion ready to activate the body and relieve the strain, though its side effects are quite apparent. Even when applied to the skin, it is extremely painful, let alone on a wound; almost nobody can bear it,

"If you can’t stand it, and lose control of your body, just tell me."

While they were talking, Des had taken out a silver applicator from the other side and carefully poured the white glowing liquid from the jar onto the applicator, then he started to spread it evenly over He Ao’s wounds.

The intense pain, as if the flesh was being ripped apart, traveled through his sensitive nerves into He Ao’s brain.

"Just say if you can’t bear it."

Des continued to apply the potion, speaking in a calm voice.

He Ao took a slight breath and smiled.

As Des applied the potion, he glanced at He Ao, "You are the only person I’ve seen who can still smile so composedly after applying this potion. Many people are very confident before application, but start crying for their parents after."

"It does hurt a bit,"

He Ao laughed, and then he seemed to remember something and asked, "How’s that young fellow named Jerin? How is his mother?"

"It was a minor surgery; I’ve done it already,"

Des slowly applied the potion, "His mother’s tumor wasn’t serious, and the medicine prescribed by Kewis effectively controlled the condition. It’s just that long-term malnutrition coupled with the disease has weakened her body, so she needs some time to recuperate."

He Ao nodded with a smile.

The operating room gradually became quiet, leaving only the sound of the potion being applied.

It was then that He Ao’s communicator on the platform beside him vibrated once.

He reached out, picked up the communicator.

"Are you still dealing with official duties at this time?"

Des asked with some confusion.

He Ao glanced at the message he had received on the communicator, "The Mayor’s office has received many emails from the citizens of Yilan City. After sorting them, they sent them all to me."

The Mayor’s office had categorized these emails, most of which came from South and North Cities.

He Ao casually opened one of the emails.

At the same time, Des watched He Ao waiting for the email to open and finished applying the potion to the last piece of the wound.

Then he looked at the potion on He Ao’s wound, and back at He Ao’s calm expression, frowning in confusion.

He looked at the applicator in his hand, hesitated for a moment, placed the jar aside, then lifted the applicator and dabbed a bit of the potion onto the back of his own hand.

In that instant, he gasped sharply, clutching his hand. His whole body immediately curled up and tensed, knocking into the stand beside him.

Accompanied by a clattering sound, He Ao turned his head with a puzzled expression.

"It’s nothing, hiss—"

Des, curled up, hurriedly rearranged the items on the stand with one hand, set the applicator right, and leaned against the chair beside him, struggling to wave his hand, "Just a cramp, will be fine after a rest; don’t worry about me, hiss—"

"Alright, let me know if you need help."

He Ao gave him a look, assured that there was no significant problem, and nodded gently.

Then he turned his attention back to the email that had opened on the communicator.

[We have made it home. Our home is still there, just as we left it, and everyone is still doing well.]

[We’re all still alive.]

[Thank you, goodnight.]