Chapter 277 - 42: The Factory

The city was burning, submachine guns roaring.

Sitting by the window, the Magician watched the fires outside, his heart at peace.

’Winning or losing doesn’t matter. Madness is the only goal I pursue.’

From the moment those rebels appeared, he knew defeat was his only outcome. There was no other way.

The only enemy of madness is order.

Before order, madness stood no chance.

"What a shame they were incited so easily. Is delicious food really that terrifying?"

Beside him, the Acrobat asked in a low voice, "Magician, what should we do?"

"Do whatever you want. We’ve already lost. For the finale, show me your aesthetics."

"Understood."

The Acrobat left the room and stood guard at the door.

A moment later, the door to the next room was smashed open. Five players burst out, appearing before the Acrobat.

The Acrobat didn’t dwell on how this group had appeared. A lunatic from the Madhouse wouldn’t care about such trivialities.

The Acrobat was a player completely wrapped in bandages. He was extremely tall with long arms, giving off a morbid aura.

His face was also covered in bandages, with only two nostrils and a pair of small eyes exposed. He observed the group with a hint of curiosity.

Gripping the scimitar in his hand, he pointed among the five players and finally selected the Maid.

He gave the Maid a slight nod and said softly, "Would you grant me a dignified end?"

The Maid wasted no words. She raised her parasol, aimed, and pulled the trigger on the handle. A powerful bullet sent the Acrobat’s body crashing through the main door, landing beside the Magician.

Looking at the returned Acrobat, the Magician said with dissatisfaction, "You’re not so great either."

Looking at Duan Fei, the Magician raised a hand and said, "I’ll just state my last words. I wish..."

Duan Fei raised his submachine gun, aimed, and emptied the entire magazine into him before saying, "Go on. Sorry, what was that? Speak up!"

Like a ragdoll, the Magician collapsed to the floor, meeting his end in this instance.

Outside, large numbers of militia began to move in. The city started to change hands as minority groups prepared to occupy it, firing the first shot in the rebellion against tyranny.

The seeds of revolution began to sprout. A flawed decree, fanned into flame by the players, finally erupted into a full-blown revolution that began to burn fiercely from this starting point.

Delicious Black Mashed Potatoes became the icon on their banner. Masses of residents rallied under the Black Mashed Potatoes flag and began to fight for their culinary freedom.

This war raged for a full ten years, spreading across all fifty states of the North American Republic. It reduced the population by 20% and lowered the average life expectancy by seven years.

The boons gained from the first world war were completely consumed by this civil war. Consequently, they weren’t able to profit much from the second world war either, which allowed the Ruskies of the frozen north to rise in power.

The global situation underwent a qualitative change, ultimately steering the world in a new direction.

But no matter what, Black Mashed Potatoes were still just as delicious.

In the white room, the group finished watching the subsequent developments.

The follow-up was presented like a sand table simulation, showing the impact of the players’ actions through icons and text, informing them just how significant their influence had been.

The Maid and Flora weren’t interested in this sort of thing, but Duan Fei, Bystander A, Cuihua, and the rescued Little Fatty watched with great relish, occasionally offering their own opinions on the simulation.

But no matter how things ultimately developed, the lion would eventually awaken, and the great man would still arrive. That much hadn’t changed.

After watching the summary, the four young men, still wanting more, gathered in the white room for a heated discussion.

Meanwhile, Flora yawned and said to Duan Fei, "Alright, we’re logging off. The Maid and I sent you our applications. Don’t forget to approve them, Guild Leader."

Duan Fei immediately stopped the discussion and looked at Flora. "Wait, why do you want to join our guild? Our guild doesn’t have much potential."

"But you have Jinghong. Besides, think about it. The Maid and I helped you snatch the factory. You have to thank us somehow, right?"

After hesitating for a moment, Duan Fei realized Flora had a point and had no choice but to agree.

Watching Flora leave with a satisfied expression, the four of them continued chatting until they’d had their fill and left the room.

After they parted ways, Duan Fei stretched and saw he had a new mail message.

Following the mail’s instructions, Duan Fei arrived in front of the Divine Hall, where he saw Yu Bo walking toward him, waving.

After shaking Duan Fei’s hand, Yu Bo said, "I didn’t expect to be providing you with my services again so soon. First off, congratulations on acquiring ownership of a food processing plant. Jinghong has already taken care of the usage rights for the storefront. She’ll be here shortly."

A few minutes later, Jinghong returned with a dark expression. The moment she saw Duan Fei, she puffed up her cheeks like a pufferfish and glared fiercely at him.

"Why did you let those two in?! Do you have any idea how long Flora has been pestering me?"

It was a bit rude, but for some reason, Duan Fei found her expression adorable and couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her cheeks.

The sudden action stunned Jinghong, and Duan Fei as well.

’I’ve pinched Jinghong’s cheeks plenty of times,’ he thought, ’but the feeling and my mood are different this time. I can’t quite put my finger on why.’

Just as the two of them froze, Yu Bo cleared his throat and said with a smile, "Could you two save the public displays of affection for the bedroom? The game doesn’t have a ’rolling in the sheets’ service, you know."

Only then did Duan Fei pull his hand back, feeling a bit awkward.

Fortunately, Yu Bo was a professional. Once the two broke apart, he immediately led them into the Divine Hall, saying as they walked, "The Salted Fish Inn has a permanent instance portal. Later, we will connect the Salted Fish Inn, your storefront, and the factory with doors to make it easy for you to move between them. But before we link them, I need you to come with me to the factory."

He led the two into an elevator. Yu Bo pressed several buttons, and the doors slowly closed before the elevator began its descent to the third basement level.

Taking the opportunity, Duan Fei glanced at the elevator and noticed the button layout was identical to the one at the Abyss headquarters.

’This company really is committed to its chuunibyou aesthetic,’ he mused.

Although they were only going down to the third basement level, the elevator seemed to run for a very long time. It finally stopped just as Duan Fei was getting sleepy enough to yawn.

The moment the doors opened, a pungent odor assaulted them. The foul air rushed into their nostrils, making them sneeze involuntarily.

Yu Bo, however, expertly put on a gas mask and said to them, "Welcome to Tier 3, the Factory."