Chapter 1872 - 1871

Hoo—

Anke got off the troop carrier, glanced at the parked vehicles, touched the Gauss Pistol in his pocket, and walked into the crowded alley.

The officer did not count the number of people when getting off the vehicle. He got off shortly after entering the city, seemingly with a planned destination.

The automobile soldier brought them here and told them to gather here tomorrow.

The sleeping mercenary was still asleep; perhaps the automobile soldier would wake him up later, but that had nothing to do with Anke.

Anke walked through the alley and onto the open street, letting the cold night wind blow against his cheek.

The surrounding pedestrians eyed his attire, intentionally avoiding him, but he didn’t mind. Instead, he raised his hand ring and began operating it quickly.

Soon, he exited the website and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Finished buying?" He Ao asked with a smile.

"Finished," Anke nodded, "I bought a direct airship ticket from Ilotan to Vissen, two in the morning, a red-eye flight."

"What does red-eye flight mean?" He Ao asked curiously.

"It’s the kind of midnight airship flight that requires passengers to stay up late. These flights are generally very cheap," Anke explained thoughtfully, "Passengers strain their eyes staying up late, hence the name red-eye flight."

He chuckled, "A classmate told me about this when I was studying. At that time, I hadn’t left Vissen yet. He probably didn’t expect me to remember it."

"Sometimes, certain bits of information from our youth always mysteriously stick with us for a lifetime," He Ao remarked with slight sentiment.

"Can they really stick that long?" Anke responded with a touch of sentiment.

Then, he swiftly gathered his words, as if realizing something, and asked gently, "So, where are you planning to head, old man? Are we heading to Vissen together?"

"I may have some tasks to attend to in Ilotan." He Ao replied softly.

"Huh?" Anke was taken aback, "Aren’t you looking for that Kovotra? Didn’t you say it was near Vissen?"

"But Ilotan also has some important clues," He Ao smiled, "I need to clarify them."

Anke pondered for a moment, raised his hand ring, "Should I reschedule the airship ticket?"

"You’ve already bought the ticket home, right?" He Ao asked quietly, "The tasks ahead might be very dangerous; it wouldn’t be suitable for you to get involved."

"But our agreement is that I must help you find the Kovotra you mentioned," Anke said earnestly, "I can’t break our agreement because of my matters, and besides, your current situation clearly isn’t convenient. I could assist with many things; if I left now, wouldn’t it be ungrateful?"

"If you follow me, I might be fine, but you could possibly die," He Ao asked with a smile.

Anke was slightly stunned and asked in a low voice, "Will I really die?"

"Really." He Ao gathered his tone and answered earnestly.

"Then, when it’s imminent, could you tell me in advance so I can leave first?" Anke spoke with slight embarrassment.

He Ao calmly asked, "Do you really want to accompany me?"

Currently, he indeed found it inconvenient to do certain things; from what he saw, Anke seemed to be a perfect ’companion’, at least in task execution without error.

Anke nodded slightly.

"Alright," He Ao smiled, "Then when I ask you to run, you run."

"Okay!" Anke nodded, then curiously asked, "Do I need to reschedule? Like, change the departure time from Ilotan?"

"We can go and see first," He Ao thought, "If your ticket is for two in the morning, maybe there’s no need to reschedule, but we need to check the time first. What’s the cost for rescheduling?"

"Cost?" Anke was slightly stunned, seemingly not quite used to He Ao’s phrasing, but quickly reacted, "As long as it’s two hours before take-off, rescheduling is fine; the fee is pretty much the same now."

"Alright," He Ao said, "I’ll try my best to avoid you needing to reschedule."

"So where are we heading now?" Anke asked.

"Number 55, South Sixteenth Street, that address, head there." He Ao said quickly.

"Old man, where did you learn about this address?" Anke was curious hearing He Ao’s word.

Meanwhile, he quickly raised his hand ring, switched through several taxi apps, and finally booked a driverless taxi on the express travel app.

"A Witch Cultist told me," He Ao said, "Didn’t I mention before that this is the headquarters of the Witch Church? Do you need to reconsider?"

"Did you really hear what she said clearly?!" Anke was a bit surprised, then he shook his head, "I made a firm decision, so it’s a definite yes; don’t bother asking me again, old man."

At this point, a driverless taxi with the express travel emblem stopped in front of them.

Anke opened the car door and got in.

"The Rockville Energy Group Mercenary Corps is launching a full-scale assault on the rebel-controlled key energy city of Wint City."

Anke had just sat down in the taxi when he heard the sound from the car’s speakers.

Anke was slightly taken aback and then chuckled, "In the past, when riding the express taxi specials, it was always advertisements; this is the first time hearing the news."

"Is there any difference?" He Ao asked slowly.

"The express travel provides the lowest-priced driverless taxis in many cities," Anke smiled, "But, in return, you have to tolerate the constant appearance of commercial ads inside the taxis,"

He glanced at the media screen in front, "This is my first time seeing non-commercial ads, but rather political news in the express taxis."

"What is political news?" He Ao continued to ask.

Anke thought for a moment and explained, "It’s similar to the current broadcasting of intercity and Federation vs. rebel warfare political events."

"Are these news publishers completely independent?" He Ao continued asking.

"They all claim to be completely independent," Anke laughed, "But almost every major TV station and media outlet is backed by a large consortium, similar to the current powerful forces and big families we face. But I think it’s normal; these glamorous journalists and hosts also need to live, right?"

"That sounds like your news is just an advertisement for the conglomerates behind them," He Ao laughed.

Upon hearing this, Anke was slightly taken aback, "Seems like that’s the case."

After a brief silence, he said with some emotion, "Old man, you always talk too sensibly, it’s like you know everything already. Sometimes, I even start to wonder if you’re actually an ancient person."

"I’ve said this many times," He Ao replied, "I’m just from the past, not primitive. We didn’t have these new things back then, but we still had related ’information’ and similar items."

He continued slowly, "For example, this kind of political news. Back then, to make the public better understand and support some of my policies, I would also distribute similar informational papers in various regions. But since this information came from me, it was naturally biased. I would tend to promote the good aspects of my policies."

He Ao continued with a laugh, "And since these ’political news’ come from media controlled by big conglomerates, they naturally speak for them. In this world, many things share the same destination. People often just feel responsible to their sources of income."

"I seem to understand a bit," Anke thought briefly, "Old man, sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t talk too much with you. It feels like my head starts to itch, like I’m growing brains."

He Ao was momentarily speechless, then laughed, "How can you have such witty remarks one after another?"

"Old man, now I feel like you must be an ancient person," Anke nodded. "Your speech is too refined, like someone who hasn’t used the internet."

He Ao was momentarily dumbfounded and chuckled.

After entering Ilotan and buying the airship ticket back to Vissen, Anke’s mood noticeably improved.

Even though he knew they were going on a dangerous ’adventure’ with He Ao, he wasn’t as nervous and stressed as before.

"Hmm~ hmm~" Anke started humming a tune.

He looked at the media screen in front of him.

"Rockville Energy Group, along with several major conglomerates, held a press conference, stating the siege battle has entered the final stage. In seven days at the earliest, they will break through Wint City and occupy this bustling energy city, severely impacting the rebels’ energy supply."

"Gray Stone Palace praised this action on social media."

"However, some experts believe Rockville Energy Group’s battle reports tend to be exaggerated. A month ago, they claimed they would break through Wint City in seven days, but as of today, Wint City remains firmly in rebel hands."

The advertisements on the media screen continued playing normally.

"President Skewis recently stated in an exclusive interview that the Federation’s war against the rebels has reached its final stages."

"Federation Army and mercenary corps loyal to the Federation have completed the division and encirclement of rebel forces, with many cities previously controlled by rebels now occupied by the Federation. Christos’ stubborn resistance won’t change anything; the righteous Federation Army will inevitably win."

"Skewis urged loyal Federation citizens to enlist eagerly, participate in opposing the rebels, and maintain the Federation’s integrity."

"At the same time, Skewis hopes citizens of cities under rebel control will eagerly participate in resisting the rebels and strive to oust their leader."

"Behind the scenes of the interview, Skewis stated the war will end soon. Within three months at the most, the Federation will achieve absolute victory over the rebels."

"Meanwhile, he emphasized that the Federation remains governed by law and freedom. He hopes for a quick hearing at the Supreme Court regarding the charges of treason against Christos."

Anke watched the news on the media screen, his gaze somewhat distant, as if it had already drifted away from Ilotan.

"It sounds like your Federation is about to win," He Ao’s voice pulled Anke back to reality.

"Who knows," Anke returned his gaze to the media screen and sighed. "Actually, I think it’s all the same regardless of who wins."

He raised his hand and put up one finger, "The rebels are led by a fanatical, brutal cult. Going there, one becomes the sacrifices of those fanatical believers and Christos."

Then he put up another finger, "But how good is the Federation here?"

He lowered his hand and looked out at the city shrouded in night.

Tents covered in thin ice and snow stood along the old, cracked roads.

Silhouettes hid inside these tents, some watching the outside taxis with confusion and numbness.

He looked at the people outside and sighed deeply, "Everyone still can’t eat enough."

As he spoke, he seemed to recall something and continued, "Among us mercenaries, many tie their lives to their belts to earn a living. Many people, like me, sell themselves for a good price so their families can eat."

"Some old mercenaries, without much family, spend their wages in casinos or strip clubs. We don’t have a tomorrow, so we can barely make today count."

He said this while turning his head to glance out the window. The driverless taxi moved forward, but the tents seemed endless, stretching into the darkness.

"But we’re still better off than many people," Anke gazed at those silhouettes, "At least we can afford a bowl of rice."

He paused, "Actually, many of my comrades hope the war continues."

"Why?" He Ao asked.

"As long as the war continues, mercenaries are always needed," Anke replied, "That way, we can keep our bellies full until we die."

Upon hearing this, He Ao was silent for a moment before saying thoughtfully, "It seems your ’governor’ is not a good governor."

"Governor?" Anke paused, "You mean the President? Actually, there have been good Presidents."

He seemed to be lost in memories, "There was once a Kemingda, he toured Vissen with speeches. I even went to listen to one. He promised us a new Federation, one without hunger, without pain, where everyone can live with dignity. My friends and I voted for him."

"So what happened to him?" He Ao asked.

"He died," Anke lowered his head, "assassinated shortly after taking office. Then Skewis took over."

He shrugged, "So no one can change the Federation, not even the President. There was once an old President too, who did some things, and he got assassinated as well. Good people can’t stay in that position."

At this moment, the driverless taxi slowly came to a stop, seemingly having reached its destination.

"So I always felt this war has nothing to do with us," Anke took a deep breath, collected himself, and pushed the car door open, "Is this the headquarters of the Witch Church? It’s my first time seeing the cult headquarters."

He raised his head to look at the buildings at the address before him, staring at the towering walls, and his expression paused slightly.

In front of the towering buildings, a large radiant sign illuminated the night:

[Ilotan City Defense Army Command Center]