Chapter 1265: Fresh Flower City
The incident of the child being taken away seemed like mist blown away by the wind, quickly forgotten by the people. When the woman tried to jump off the boat, someone nearby exclaimed in surprise. But when they saw the mustached man’s disheveled state under the woman’s assault, others couldn’t help but laugh, shouting teasingly, “Are you even a man? Getting beaten up like this by a woman!”
The mustached man grabbed his torn collar while pushing away the woman’s reaching nails, defending himself, “I’m just being a gentleman—not fighting with a woman. A real man has to be magnanimous!”
“Didn’t expect you to be so good at moral blackmail on yourself,” a strikingly beautiful female player nearby pointed at a cartoon doll tied to his belt. “Since you’re so magnanimous, how about giving me that little trinket? I have a kid at home who’d love it.”
The mustached man had already caught the mother’s hand, restraining her movements without letting her hurt herself, and turned to the female player with a sincere smile. “I’m afraid I’d dare to give it, but you wouldn’t dare to take it.”
The female player’s face stiffened under his direct gaze, and she immediately looked away.
Only when the mother was completely exhausted did the mustached man help her sit down. He first offered her water, and when she stared blankly without reaching out, he opened it himself and took a drink, then looked up at the ship’s ceiling, sighed, and said, “When I was little, I also showed signs of degeneration. The government took me away too.”
The woman didn’t react. He continued, “I was still conscious when they took me, so I saw my mother kicking, hitting, and kowtowing to those people, trying to keep me. She was like a madwoman—nothing like the loving mother she usually was.”
“I stayed in the government hospital for a long time. In the end, the tests showed it wasn’t degeneration. I was one of the lucky few. Many of the other kids who came with me died.”
“The hospital uncle sent me home. I was so happy I even picked some flowers from the hospital to give to my mom, thinking she’d be happy to see me too.”
“But no. When I got home, I found out she had killed herself half a month after I left—hanged herself in my room.”
“I was too young to understand life and death back then. In the end, the most vivid memory I had was of her acting like a madwoman, blocking the government people… I wonder if she regretted leaving that image in her beloved child’s heart, covering up her usual gentleness and kindness, leaving only a ferocious impression.”
He seemed to choke up at this point, then brushed it off lightly. He said to the woman, “Your son might not be as lucky as me, but children are like adults—he must also want his mother to live well.”
The woman turned her head and stared at him blankly for a while, then suddenly burst into loud sobs.
“Cry it out for a bit. You still have to live your life later,” the mustached man said gently, patting her back until they arrived at Fresh Flower City.
The passengers disembarked one after another. The two of them were among the last, coincidentally meeting Xu Huo and the young female player he had spoken with earlier. The young woman was skeptical of his story. After the mother left, she asked curiously, “Is that really your background?”
“How could it be?” The mustached man rolled his eyes. “My mom’s alive and well!”
The young female player laughed in exasperation. “Then why were you lying? You made it sound so real!”
“A harmless lie can save a life—that’s too good a deal to pass up,” the mustached man said matter-of-factly. He paused, then turned to look at the young woman, grinning. “You’re so concerned about me—does that mean you’re interested?”
The young female player was straightforward. “Yeah, I’ve taken a liking to you. You’re not much to look at, but that contrast between a plain exterior and a good heart has been appealing to me lately. How about we explore Fresh Flower City together?”
The mustached man immediately straightened his clothes and said solemnly, “I plan to find a job here in Fresh Flower City. If you’re willing, we can settle down here in the future.”
The young woman didn’t seem to take it seriously and casually replied, “Sure.”
Xu Huo, walking beside them amid the crowd, witnessed the birth of a romance. The two even pulled him aside to take a manual photo for them.
The mustached man said shyly, “I’m a bit broke lately—can’t afford a high-end auto-camera… But don’t worry, once we’re together, I’ll work hard to earn money. You spend the big bucks, I’ll spend the small ones.”
The last part was directed at his newly minted girlfriend.
“It’s okay. If you don’t have money, I do,” the young female player said with a smile.
Xu Huo found it amusing. After taking their photo, he casually gave them one of the flowers he had picked in the maze. “Wishing you happiness.”
Both were delighted and pulled Xu Huo into a selfie with them.
Passing players gave them looks as if thinking, “These three must have something wrong with their heads.”
It was a fleeting encounter. They nodded to each other and then dispersed with the crowd.
Fresh Flower City was indeed a very beautiful city. Unlike ordinary cities, nearly half of the visible area within the city was greenery, mostly flowers, so a sweet floral scent could be smelled as soon as one approached.
True to its name, the city didn’t plant tall trees but replaced them with enormous, non-threatening mutant flowers. Even a small park by the roadside felt like stepping into a fairy tale world, with mutant flowers of various strange colors planted in staggered heights—every step was a scenic view.
Moreover, the city was extremely clean. Not a speck of trash could be seen anywhere on the streets. The local residents walking the streets wore identical clothing, as clean as the city itself.
Every one of them wore a joyful and enthusiastic expression. They were warm and hospitable to every foreign visitor, pointing out places for leisure and entertainment, where to find centralized lodging, and recommending cheap shops. At the same time, they would kindly warn that if one wasn’t a player, it was best not to enter the government’s directly administered district—the concentration of Fresh Flower City’s “upper class.” When pressed for reasons, they would put on a “I’m telling you for your own good, don’t ask too many questions” expression.
Apart from this, the streets had more surveillance robots and cleaning robots than Card City. As Xu Huo crossed a street, he saw a toddler accidentally drop a lollipop on the ground. A cleaning robot immediately appeared to clean it up and issued a warning to the child’s hurriedly approaching parents.
There were readily available aircrafts by the roadside. Xu Huo randomly chose one to head to the city center. According to the 001 District’s zoning, 001-01 was Fresh Flower City, but the city was too large. The key He Pu had left him didn’t have a more specific address, so he decided to check out the city center first.
(Chapter End)