Chapter 2663: Lian Qingkong
The "unfindable" national heirloom treasure was merely a small portion of the Gao family genealogy, which confirmed Xu Huo's speculation was more or less correct. Thus, the Isle Nation government hadn't failed to obtain the national heirloom treasure—they had obtained an incomplete version, and moreover, the useless part. This could hardly be used to negotiate terms with the descendants of the two surnames.
Being able to carry an incomplete Gao family genealogy on his person and casually give it away, the old man's identity was practically shouting itself out—he should be Lian Qingkong.
But this was not a good thing. The matter of the Gao family genealogy had been hidden for so many years, yet now it was casually given to an outer zone player. This meant the Gao family genealogy had lost most of its value; the Isle Nation government simply didn't care whether the information leaked out.
And for the Gao family genealogy to lose its value, there were most likely two reasons. First, the Isle Nation government had found a way to restrain other player organizations and was certain this wouldn't cause outer zone players to bring too much trouble to the Isle Nation. Second, the Isle Nation government was preparing to flip the table.
Lian Qingkong had rarely shown his face in recent years, so his health must have been failing for some time. What kind of illness could keep a super-strong advanced player behind closed doors? Probably only degeneration.
This outstanding leader, who possessed both powerful player influence and political acumen, would surely pull off one last big move before his death. Judging by his condition, he didn't seem to have lost his faculties. The possibility of him allowing the Isle Nation to descend into chaos was unlikely. More likely, he would exhaust every effort to resolve the Isle Nation's current predicament.
Giving away half a Gao family genealogy meant the Isle Nation government's plan probably had little to do with the descendants of the two surnames...
Even Lian Qingkong couldn't find the second half of the genealogy, so Xu Huo had no chance of locating it in a short time either. And judging by the situation, he didn't have much time left.
Sure enough, before nightfall, news spread through the capital city that Lian Qingkong was gravely ill.
In previous years, Lian Qingkong rarely appeared before outsiders, and when he did, it was for very short periods. This alone was highly suspicious. Rumors of his poor health had surfaced before, but the government side had handled them quickly, preventing any major waves. No player truly dared to test Lian Qingkong face-to-face. There had only been a few probing attempts under the guise of the national heirloom treasure, but they all fizzled out.
But this time, the news seemed extremely credible, and the government side was powerless to stop it.
A small ripple quickly turned into a massive vortex. Not only did local zone players spring into action, but the stranded outer zone players also began to move. If Lian Qingkong died, the Isle Nation's instances would be affected to some extent. It wasn't certain that the instances would disappear, but if they did, a large number of people would be instantly teleported to high-risk random instances. At the very least, Lian Qingkong couldn't be allowed to die at the hands of local zone players.
The Isle Nation's capital had become the center of the vortex. Overnight, all ordinary people vanished from the streets. Everyone was warily guarding against everything around them.
But the next morning, Xu Huo still brought Bei Bao to the government building and requested to see Lian Qingkong.
This time, the government did not refuse him. Through the teleportation device inside the government building, they were taken to the sanatorium where Lian Qingkong was recuperating.
Today, he lay in bed, with needles inserted into both his hands and feet. Over a dozen bags hung beside the bed, continuously delivering nutrient supplements into his body.
"Haven't I already given you what you wanted?" Lian Qingkong said.
Xu Huo looked at this old man on the verge of death and said, "The main reason I came this time is because someone entrusted me."
He stepped aside to reveal Bei Bao behind him.
Bei Bao looked at the person on the sickbed with sorrow and disappointment, momentarily unable to utter a single word.
"Good child." Lian Qingkong kindly called Bei Bao closer and said with a smile, "I've seen the messages you sent me several times. For personal reasons, I didn't reply. Don't take it to heart—it has nothing to do with you."
"I'm very sorry. When you left your homeland, the country was in ruins. When you return, the country is still the same."
Tears instantly rolled down Bei Bao's face. She had no deep bond with Lian Qingkong, but seeing the heroic figure who had exhausted his heart and soul to maintain the Isle Nation's situation reduced to this state, she instinctively felt grief and pain. At the same time, she sensed that the Isle Nation's fate, like this old man, was about to descend into darkness.
At this moment, all questions lost their meaning.
"Stay here. The Isle Nation will be unstable for a while, and you'll be safer here." Lian Qingkong called someone to take Bei Bao away and settle her in.
When only Xu Huo remained in the room, he spoke again, "You have another purpose, don't you?"
"The Isle Nation has numerous player organizations, each with its own ideas, none willing to submit to the others. For the government to subdue them one by one would come at a tremendous cost. The best approach would be to kill off the most ambitious ones, or equally weaken every player organization's strength so they cannot oppose the government."
"Of course, besides them, it would be even better if they could take the stranded outer zone players with them..." Xu Huo paused. "When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. After you're gone, the path for the newly appointed Grand Archon will be smoother."
"You've guessed it." Lian Qingkong wasn't surprised, nor was he afraid Xu Huo would leak the information. "Humans are easy creatures to control. As long as the benefits are sufficient, they'll dare to venture into even the most dangerous places."
Xu Huo laughed. "Are you talking about me, Mr. Lian? Since I dared to come, I can certainly leave. In Zone 039, aside from the instances, no one can keep me here."
Only then did Lian Qingkong show a hint of seriousness. After a moment of silence, he said, "You have five days left."
Five days. This meant Lian Qingkong would definitely complete his plan within five days, and at the same time, he might only have five days left. Once he died, whether the instance "Illusory Spark" would even exist was uncertain.
"Arrange someone for me. I'm going to Miecheng, Gao Hui's hometown, to retrieve the national heirloom treasure," Xu Huo said. "Preferably a trusted aide of the next Grand Archon."
Lian Qingkong's gaze darkened slightly. "Your approach will take many people with you."
"You've sat in the Grand Archon's seat for twenty years. Don't you understand that there's no such thing as a one-and-done solution in this world?" Xu Huo said. "Have the government arrange someone to go with me. I'll return here within five days. By then, not only local players but also more stranded players will come. You can't be certain that the instances tied to you will definitely disappear after your death, can you?"
Lian Qingkong sighed. The originally brightly lit sanatorium suddenly plunged into darkness. All light in the space vanished completely, and even sounds were extremely weakened. Unable to see or hear clearly, perception was also compromised. Being in this place felt like being submerged deep beneath the ocean, with the body growing heavy.
Xu Huo knew Lian Qingkong had murderous intent. He sat still, gently raising his hand, and time power poured down. Although he couldn't yet freely control the coverage limit of his time power, displaying enough power was sufficient.