Volume 3, Chapter 37 – Nightfire!
Volume 3, Chapter 37 – Nightfire!
Anran’s head was full of fantasies.
The organization had already decided: she was the final boss of version 2.0.
Right now, she was firmly committed to making herself stronger. Whether or not the game’s adjustments would eventually force her into becoming a boss, winning over some players would still be useful.
Even if she couldn’t get them to work for her, they would still make decent targets to unload her goods on.
Brimming with motivation, Anran decided that after she got back and finished dinner, she would immediately throw herself into mechanical manufacturing.
She needed to save up enough EXP as soon as possible, advance to [Basic Mechanic], and begin her soaring career.
The distance was 4 kilometers, but with Anran’s current 18 points of Agility, it only took her about ten minutes to get close.
When she lifted her excited face, the scene reflected in her eyes made her freeze.
…
It was now 8:00 p.m.
Night had only just fallen over Twinmoon City in the summer.
The lights had come on, but the area near the old district had not yet been swallowed by their glow.
Normally, it should have been a place of alternating brightness and shadow.
But now it was drenched in a crimson glow.
Those rising, leaping flames had become the most glaring focal point beneath the night sky.
Nearby NPCs and players throughout Twinmoon City had all turned their eyes toward it.
Fire.
A huge fire!
Anran suddenly realized what was happening.
And the direction of the fire…
The moment she remembered that her own house had been burned down just two days ago, a surge of uncontrollable panic welled up inside her.
She broke into a run.
It did not take Anran long to reach the vicinity of the fire.
Rеαԁ оո KαtRеαⅾiոɡСαfe
But as she stood some distance away and looked on, she felt all the strength leave her body in an instant.
Bracing herself against a wall, Anran panted hard.
Like a terminal patient struggling at death’s door.
Checking that dreadful diagnosis again and again.
She didn’t dare believe it, but in the end, she had to accept reality.
The house on fire was Eudora’s house.
This couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.
It had to be the people from Morningstar. They must have tracked the place down and done this!
After burning her house, they had extended their reach here as well.
The firefighters were working hard to put out the blaze, and Anran simply stood there.
She didn’t dare step out rashly. The people from Morningstar were very likely lurking in the dark, lying in wait for her to walk right into their line of fire.
So despite the anxiety and fury filling her chest, Anran forced herself not to go out.
She did not hurry to leave either.
The house had burned, but maybe Colin, Eudora, and Aila were all right?
She stood there for more than twenty minutes.
At last, the fire was extinguished.
Quite a few people went into the house as well to conduct search and rescue.
Anran stared at the doorway in dread, until two stretchers were carried out from inside.
With her excellent eyesight, what Anran saw were two charred corpses.
Their heights were almost the same as Colin’s and Eudora’s.
Anran silently pressed her lips together.
Aila wasn’t there. She had no idea whether Aila had been completely scrapped, taken away, or had escaped.
Anran had always felt that, as a fake NPC who had transmigrated into this place, she could completely disregard the NPCs in this game world.
Rеαⅾ оn КаtReaԁiոɡCаfе
These NPCs were probably just a pile of exquisitely designed data. No matter how perfect they seemed, in the end they were still only data.
So Anran had been able to deal with NPCs without much psychological burden.
Whether that meant tricking them, hitting them, or killing them.
They were just data, after all.
But now she realized she had been wrong.
It was very hard for people to be absolutely rational.
Even if she believed in her heart that these NPCs were only data, there was no difference at all between the way they behaved and real people.
In a world like this, what did it even mean to be human?
Anran realized this had risen to the level of philosophy.
The more she thought about it, the more her head hurt!
Take a simple example. If someone was a hypocrite, but kept up the act for an entire lifetime, then was he really a hypocrite or a true gentleman?
Even if his heart was utterly dark, every word he said and every action he took was that of a gentleman.
In short, after witnessing all of this, an indescribable emotion rose within Anran.
She was angry.
The relentless pursuit, the merciless attacks even on the people around her.
People like that, an organization like that, might as well disappear!
…
After the blaze was put out, the commotion continued until late into the night before finally dispersing.
The street became deserted and quiet again.
Anran wandered nearby for a long time. Only after confirming that no one was around did she clutch a bag she had picked up from the roadside and pretend to be a scavenger girl who just so happened to pass by Eudora’s home.
The delicate little courtyard was covered in debris after the fire. More than half the flowers and plants had been burned away, and much of the house had collapsed.
Anran carefully stepped into the ruins.
Reaⅾ oո KаtRеaⅾіngСаfе
There were still many spots on the ground steadily smoking.
She looked around but found nothing unusual.
Only when she entered a room with a large hole smashed in one wall did Anran suddenly notice a slight disturbance.
She swiftly pulled a gun from her backpack, gripped the handle tightly, and aimed at the ground.
“Crash…”
The pile of rubble on the ground suddenly bulged upward a little.
What was under there?
Anran took a step back.
Could it be a rat?
“Crash…”
Another large heap of rubble was shoved aside.
Just as Anran was wondering, a much louder noise suddenly rang out. Chunks of debris flew everywhere, and a white figure abruptly sprang to its feet.
“Aila!”
Anran’s eyes widened.
Wasn’t that Aila, standing up from the rubble?
Joy instantly spread across Anran’s face.
At first, she had thought Aila had been taken away, or had died in the fire.
Meeting again now, Anran found the expressionless little girl before her incredibly dear.
She was the NPC with the highest favorability toward her in this world.
Even now, she was also the NPC who had accompanied her for the longest time.
“Big Sister Anran!” Aila called out.
“How did you end up buried in here?” Anran hurried over.
“Dad told me to hide here.”
Read οn KаtRеаԁіnɡСαfе
Aila pointed beneath herself.
It was a shallow pit, covered by a hatch. The space inside was so cramped that only someone with Aila’s build could curl up inside it.
Anran’s heart stirred at once.
So this was a father’s love.
Colin had poured all the love he had for his daughter into “Aila.”
“Big Sister Anran, is Dad already dead?” Aila suddenly asked.
There wasn’t much change in Aila’s tone, but Anran could sense the emotion she was trying her best to express.
For a moment, Anran didn’t know how to answer.
Aila was not a real child, after all. Her logical thinking ability was better than most people’s.
Putting all the information together, she had already obtained the answer she wanted.
Anran could feel Aila’s invisible rage.
Her little fists clenched tight, and the power hidden within them was enough to easily kill a cow.
Then Aila formally made her request to Anran:
“Big Sister Anran, now you’re the only one who can help me…”
Ding! Hidden quest triggered: [Aila’s Heart]. Accept?
[Aila’s Heart]
Quest Description: The ruthless Morningstar Resistance has destroyed the world Aila had only just built. Emotions called rage and hatred are beginning to grow. Help Aila destroy the Morningstar Resistance!
Quest Rewards:
- 200,000 EXP
- Aila’s Heart
- Title: Planetary Turmoil
Repeatability: Unique
Quest Rank: A
“Leave it to me.” Anran gently hugged Aila.
No matter how you looked at it, she was now locked in a clash with the Morningstar Resistance.