Chapter 978: Deification
The Bird Tower was also within the range of gravitational chaos. Since it was the center of the props, the most buildings were suspended there. When gravity control was lost, these buildings inevitably all crashed down onto the already fragile tower!
Accompanied by a loud crash, waves of dust surged from around the Bird Tower, obscuring the already dimly lit streets. Many figures swayed within the dust, making it impossible to tell who was going in and who was coming out. At this moment, the Government Hall was more concerned about Gao Xiaoyan's survival and whether Gao Zhen's remains were safe. Xu Huo and the others were a lower priority.
Rescue helicopters and vehicles quickly moved into position, illuminating the area around the Bird Tower as bright as day in an extremely short time. The Enforcement Team players began clearing the piled-up building debris from the periphery while simultaneously contacting Gao Xiaoyan and the Lou family.
The Government Hall personnel first contacted Gao Xiaoyan. She said, "We're all fine. Start clearing from the front of the Bird Tower. The Mayor is here."
The Enforcement Team, assisted by machines, cleared the buildings near the main entrance of the Bird Tower. Four players worked together to push open the blocked door, creating a gap only one meter wide. When the light shone in, Gao Zhen's body appeared in everyone's sight: She sat peacefully leaning against the bell frame, holding a pocket watch to her chest, as if taking an oath in life...
* * *
The entire Base City fell into chaos. Places like Bar Street, which were already unstable, were inevitably affected. Many taverns and small shops had been violently ransacked, with smashed tables, chairs, bottles, and cups littering the streets. However, since this area was on the edge of the Base City and close to the quarantine zone, after most people rushed towards the city center, it became exceptionally quiet, like an unwanted trash can.
The owner of the Star Bar was already showing symptoms of infection. Unlike the strong men who could still fight, given her condition, even if she went to the city center, she would only be pushed to the very edge along with the elderly and children. Even if there were antidotes, she wouldn't be the one to get them.
So she stayed in her shop, closed the drawers that had been forced open, picked up the overturned tables and chairs, and mechanically repeated the motions of cleaning.
"Ding!" The doorbell rang. A man and a woman walked into the shop.
"We're not doing business today," the owner said, gently scratching her itchy arm through her clothes.
"Just a drink," the two were clearly players and had no intention of leaving. The man ordered a drink and asked her to turn on the TV.
The owner had no choice. She first turned on the TV, then found half a bottle of liquor from the corner of the wine cabinet and poured them some.
The TV picture quality was poor, intermittently showing the situation near the Bird Tower. The reporter reported urgently, "...Before her death, the Mayor found a way out for the W37 Base City... Did you see the shell fired from the Bird Tower just now? That wasn't the toxic substance from another base city as outsiders guessed, but a genuine antidote... Those closer to the Bird Tower must have felt the mist-like liquid falling just now—that was the antidote!"
"The conspiracy from other base cities has failed. W37 still has hope!"
"The Government Hall reacted fast enough." At this moment, another person pushed the door open. There were many injuries on his face. He sneered at the TV news, but the movement pulled at his wounds, involuntarily creating a comical expression.
He plopped down opposite the man and woman and raised his hand to the owner, "Give me one too."
"Are you alright?" the pale-faced woman asked him. "I think I saw you had a nosebleed just now."
"It's nothing, just overexerted myself," the injured man grinned. "But wasn't my last act spectacular? I've never had such a blast!"
"Thanks to you," the woman said dryly.
The TV news screen changed again, and the reporter's voice became more solemn, "...A great person has fallen. Her posture, as if swearing an oath to time, is deeply moving... The Mayor dedicated her youth, her life, and even her very existence to W37. Like a deity, she performed a miracle for us at the Bird Tower..."
"This reporter is full of crap," the injured man took a gulp of his drink and then applied some medicine to his face.
"What crap!" Shangguan Xi's loud voice rang out before he even entered the door. "That pose was set up by me personally! That's the effect we wanted!"
He came in, followed by Luo Changren.
"Why did you bring him? Let him fend for himself," Zhu Feiyun glanced over.
Shangguan Xi pulled Luo Changren to a chair and said with a grin, "I saw he couldn't run anymore, so I graciously saved his life."
He patted Luo Changren on the shoulder as he spoke, "You have to thank me for this."
Luo Changren didn't say a word.
"Why set up that pose?" Pan Qiao pointed at the repeatedly shown image on TV of the Bird Tower door opening. "I thought the Government Hall was deliberately creating hype, deifying Gao Zhen."
"It's not deification... Brother Xu told me to do it," Shangguan Xi said. "I guess he had some agreement with Gao Zhen beforehand."
"Honestly, I don't think someone like Gao Zhen is worth helping. Gao Xiaoyan either."
"It's not necessarily helping," Kuang Wenjun said. "People have conflicting emotions about the same thing. Once goodwill is maxed out, it can only go downhill. The death toll in the Base City isn't high. To minimize the impact of the Bird Tower incident, the best approach is to credit the Government Hall with the antidote. After the detoxification, the residents' goodwill towards the Government Hall should be at its peak."
"The invincible Mayor Gao, who saved the entire city from disaster and maintained her heroic 'oath to time' posture even in death, along with her Government Hall, must seem no less than a deity to others right now."
"A deity is omnipotent, but people are not. That's where fantasy and reality diverge."
"The Government Hall wanted to get rid of one problem, but didn't expect to take on an even heavier burden."
Zhu Feiyun opened his mouth, "So that's what it meant..."
Shangguan Xi rubbed his chin, "Maybe Brother Xu didn't think that far ahead... Where is Brother Xu? Why isn't he here yet?"
"Probably got held up by someone."
Before he finished speaking, the doorbell rang again. Xu Huo, having removed his invisibility cloak and revealing himself, looked at the owner, "I'm here for a late-night snack. Do you have enough ingredients for all of us?"
When Shangguan Xi and the others were talking earlier, they hadn't avoided the owner. Having heard the "inside story" about the Government Hall, the owner was already terrified. Seeing Xu Huo, she realized he was the leader of this group. Fear showed on her face as she stammered, "Yes... enough... I'll go cook right away!"
The small tavern was this size, and the owner didn't dare to run. She turned and went to the back kitchen to cook.
None of the people sitting in the tavern cared about the owner's reaction. Shangguan Xi excitedly repeated Kuang Wenjun's words and asked Xu Huo if it was true.
"Sort of. An extra layer of insurance," Xu Huo said. The possibility of Gao Xiaoyan completely falling out with the Lou family wasn't zero, but the uninformed high-level officials of the Government Hall certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity to make a big story. Important decisions are often made under pressure, and opportunities are fleeting. Once someone makes the first choice, the tone for the path ahead is set. Unless you can silence all dissenting voices, you have to grit your teeth and keep going!