Chapter 2665: Final Vote
Xu Huo was being entangled by players on his side, and things weren't any better in the Capital City. After all, more local players were concerned about whether Lian Qingkong was really about to die.
In addition to the earlier rumors, the government side also made some moves to further confirm this.
First, they hid some important government members under Lian Qingkong, not explaining their whereabouts to the public. But those in the know understood that this was to protect their safety, ensuring that when the next Grand Archon took office, there would be people to handle internal government affairs.
Second, they sent interview notices to some player organizations, openly telling them that Lian Qingkong wanted to meet with them.
If Lian Qingkong was truly about to die, then the players under his command wouldn't be enough to maintain national stability. Rushing to win over a group of players before his death to compete with other player organizations was a relatively wise move, and this was understandable.
Finally, they vaguely leaked a message: Lian Qingkong wanted to replicate the government structure from when he first took office.
Lian Qingkong had been able to replace Gao Hui as Grand Archon partly because there were many within the government who opposed Gao Hui, and partly because he had united many players. In the game world, nothing worked without player support, so replacing one player organization with another was reasonable. And Lian Qingkong had been in power for twenty years. If he had any subordinates as outstanding as himself, he wouldn't have held the Grand Archon position until his death. So it made sense that he wanted to choose someone to carry on his legacy.
Of course, more local players believed that Lian Qingkong had actually made his choice long ago. This final round of interviews had two purposes: first, to clear obstacles for the person he had chosen, and second, to win over those who might become allies.
Many of those invited to the interviews were skeptical. They really had no connection with Lian Qingkong and were likely on his must-eliminate list. But not going meant risking missing out on key information, such as changes in domestic power dynamics, the disposition of Lian Qingkong's legacy, or even the chance to be chosen by him.
If Lian Qingkong only wanted his own people to take over the government, there was no need for this charade. Even if his goal was to kill people, players outside would retaliate fiercely once they realized they had been tricked, which would only backfire.
Everyone wanted benefits, but no one wanted to take risks. So the players who received interview invitations united and made a demand to the government: they would agree to the interviews, but only at a venue of their choosing.
The government's response was swift: four words — "Come if you want."
Although the interview location wasn't announced to the players in advance, some had already discovered that Lian Qingkong had been staying in a secret sanatorium, seemingly unable to be easily moved.
Naturally, this wasn't enough to convince the players. But with so many mixed messages of truth and falsehood, it was too difficult to verify each one. Apart from judgments based on facts and private information from different channels, everything else came down to personal choice.
Soon, the interviews began. The government's players started picking people up one by one. The first batch consisted of fifteen people. Two hours after leaving their respective residences, they reappeared, perfectly safe.
This seemed like a signal. If they could go and come back, didn't that mean Lian Qingkong hadn't gone mad yet?
Everyone was afraid that as he neared death, he might lose his mind and act recklessly. A rational person would make trade-offs and considerations, and relatively speaking, the possibility of him flipping the table entirely would be much smaller.
The first round of interviews lasted an entire day, involving twenty batches totaling four hundred and forty-seven people. They all saw Lian Qingkong in person. The content of the interviews didn't leak, but one thing was certain: Lian Qingkong really was about to die.
Nothing was more convincing than seeing it with one's own eyes. Lian Qingkong had been weighing on the player organizations of Isle Country for twenty years. Because of his existence, many could only make small moves in the shadows, unable to act as freely as players in other countries or districts. Now that he was about to die, without him, the living environment for player organizations would only improve. People, once gone, were gone. There were plenty of backward districts in the game world. If there weren't enough people, couldn't they just take them?
What did it matter if the districts were different or the races were different? Once you entered Zone 039, you were all people of Zone 039!
What made them even happier was that Lian Qingkong's meeting with them clearly showed signs of weakness, mainly by ceding certain powers in exchange for their support of the government. Although members of player organizations couldn't openly become the Grand Archon, as long as they supported the successor chosen by the government, the core player organizations would have the power to control other player organizations and, to a certain extent, could mobilize the existing government players.
This was only the first round of interviews. Those who gave a clear answer during or after this round would proceed to the second round. The second round would be determined based on the results of the first round. After all, with too many people, the pie couldn't be divided fairly. Only those who participated in the second round would be qualified to share the pie.
The first round lasted two days, the second round another two days, and the fifth day was when the results would be announced.
On this day, everyone gathered inside and outside the sanatorium — those who had already reached agreements with the government, those waiting to argue for more benefits, and even those who came with the intention of flipping the table, thinking, "If I can't have it, neither can you."
The leaders of player organizations and some core members entered the sanatorium, while more organization members and powerful players responsible for backup waited outside. With so many players gathered, the government only sent a small number of players to maintain order, not taking a strict defensive stance. This put many people somewhat at ease.
Of course, not only local players but also outer zone players were watching the sanatorium. After all, once Lian Qingkong died, some instances might disappear. Coupled with the uproar over the National Heirloom Treasure, what did a civil war in Isle Country matter compared to being teleported into a high-risk instance?
So on this final day, outer zone players also secured a place.
Some might have lived in Isle Country for over a decade, practically half-citizens. If Lian Qingkong didn't consider their situation, then the Isle Country government's arrangements wouldn't go smoothly!
Besides the stranded players, some powerful players currently clearing instances also forcefully intervened.
The courtyard where Lian Qingkong was recuperating had already been dismantled. To ensure everyone could grasp the situation inside the sanatorium at the first moment, he was accompanied by five players, lying on the open lawn, weakly propped up by pillows. After another change of nutrient supplement, he had the government players distribute the pre-prepared micro-terminals.
"Every player present here is the future cornerstone and pillar of Isle Country. Everyone has the right to express their stance," said the short-haired woman by the bedside under Lian Qingkong's signal. "After the previous two rounds of negotiations, I believe everyone understands the government's sincerity and your own intentions. If you agree with Mr. Lian's previous arrangements, please cast a vote in favor. If you oppose, cast a vote against."
"This is a vote concerning the future of Isle Country. Please consider the nation while also thinking about your own interests. Each micro-terminal has a self-destruct program that will activate once the vote is complete."
"Everyone, please begin."
"Wait a moment!" The outer zone players spoke up. "How does the government plan to handle the people stranded here?"
"I should still be alive until tomorrow," Lian Qingkong said weakly. "After the vote ends and the government handles some follow-up matters, I'll deal with your issues."
A bit stuck on writing, just one chapter today.