After Beating the Game, I Became the Villain BOSS

"I asked." Su Mo interrupted him, "I may not have said it outright, but in my heart, I consider you all my friends. I know about your sister’s illness, so I asked Zhao Yiming a long time ago. Do you want to hear the conditions he laid out?"

"Tell me!" Troy looked at Su Mo like he was holding on to his last lifeline, eyes full of hope.

Su Mo: "It’s simple, just one condition—Fenrir must pledge full allegiance to Hegemony Company."

Troy’s expression quickly turned distant; he seemed to collapse, as if stripped of his backbone, retreating weakly and leaning against the wall, trembling as he held his forehead.

After a long silence, he forced a few words out of his mouth: "I’ll go talk to the boss..."

"Troy!..." Suddenly, a weak, hoarse voice called out.

Hibell had regained consciousness at some point.

"Hibell!" Troy quickly ran over, half-kneeling before her, gripping her cold, small hand.

Hibell bit her teeth tightly and with difficulty raised her hand to slap Troy, seemingly light but actually exerting all her energy.

"Do you have any backbone?!"

"Why do you think Fenrir exists? Have you forgotten? And our dreams, have you forgotten all of them?!"

"On this road, we’ve lost so many companions. So many have died, it’s just my turn now."

Troy said nothing, simply bowed his head in defeat, biting his lower lip until it nearly bled.

Hibell looked at Su Mo, her withered face barely squeezing out a smile, hoarsely saying: "Leader, I heard everything just now, thank you for considering me a friend..."

"Though we haven’t known each other long, it’s really a joy to meet someone who shares my ideals..."

At this, Troy suddenly felt the hand in his grasp lose strength, and upon closer inspection, Hibell had fallen back into a coma, unsure when she might wake up.

Blood Code Dissociation Syndrome cannot be cured with medication other than gene-compiled proteins, and Su Mo truly couldn’t help her with anything right now.

He initially thought of moving Hibell to the medical district of the Edge Mansion for recuperation. Though it wouldn’t result in any substantial change, at least the environment was better.

But he later found out City Council President Amir had instituted very strict regulations, forbidding border refugees from leaving their relocation zones to enter other city districts.

Now that Sikinkov had been suspended, the Public Security Bureau was temporarily managed by Amir, with whom Su Mo had no connection, naturally unable to open a green channel.

The most Su Mo could do was leave some money for Fenrir, ensuring Hibell wouldn’t wake up only to have to eat those cheap instant noodles.

Troy clutched the bank card Su Mo had given him, collapsing weakly beside Hibell, murmuring, "I regret it so much..."

Su Mo: "What are you referring to?"

Troy’s eyes and voice were laden with sorrow: "Their meeting was a mistake."

Su Mo sighed: "You and her were saved from the black market by Fenrir in the past; without her, you wouldn’t have survived until now."

Troy gave a faint smile: "At least I get to die before her, not having to watch her die little by little in front of me."

Su Mo remained silent, speechless.

There was nothing he could do here, and he didn’t want to disturb Hibell’s rest. After a farewell, he left the room.

Just as he stepped out, he suddenly noticed a tall figure leaning against the cement wall.

Fenrir leaned against the wall, her head tilted back slightly, a lit cigar between her lips. From the thick ash gathered at the tip, it was clear she’d been standing there awhile, her dark purple eyes partially concealed by swirling smoke.

Su Mo lowered his voice, speaking so only she could hear, "You heard it all?"

Fenrir simply flicked away the ash from her cigar and led the way down the stairs: "Let’s talk."

The two of them arrived at the rooftop terrace.

It was morning; the rain from the previous day left the air thick with mist, the horizon a hazy gray.

The sprawling city skyline was obscured by the thin mist, its gray tones washing out the city’s colors; the wind carried from afar the sound of honking traffic, cold and impersonal, leaving an indescribable sense of desolation.

Su Mo and Fenrir stood side by side on the edge of the terrace, gazing at the skyline, and asked, "Why didn’t you go in to see her when Hibell woke up just now?"

Fenrir: "Afraid I’d scare her."

Su Mo: "Scare her?"

Fenrir, with a self-mocking tone, replied: "She’s been sick for years now. Every time it happens, I don’t have time to see her, and she’s gotten used to it. If I suddenly went today, wouldn’t she be shocked?"

Su Mo laughed: "What you said reminds me of my grandfather. In his later years, he was bedridden, and usually, we’d visit him in pairs or threes, and there was never an issue."

"Then one day, the relatives all happened to be there, so we all went to see him together, and he passed away the next day."

"The doctor said that because we never visited in such large numbers before, my grandfather thought his time had come for everyone to see him one last time, and the breath he was holding in his heart was released, and he was gone just like that."

Fenrir couldn’t help but smile softly, murmuring, "So maybe I should just let it be. I’ve never visited her before; I shouldn’t pretend to be a saint at the end."

Su Mo paused in silence, then spoke: "Fenrir, you truly are quite the bastard."

"I know." Fenrir didn’t deny it, her voice lingering with a touch of reminiscence, "So sometimes I wonder why she’d follow a bastard like me so devotedly."

"When I saved her ten years ago, she was just a naïve kid... Well, maybe ’save’ isn’t the right word; I merely saw a chain around her neck and helped her take it off."

"I’ve saved quite a few kids like that, most would just bow, say thanks, and run off."

"But Hibell was different; she said her life was given by me, and she’d belong to me for the rest of her life, always following me."

At this point, Fenrir laughed lightly: "Kids that age, you know, in their rebellious phase, claiming things like pledging their lives, even though they’ve barely lived at all—I never believed that nonsense of theirs."

For some unknown reason, Fenrir ceased speaking.

Su Mo picked up the conversation for her: "But Hibell is different."

Fenrir’s eyes continued to gaze into the distance as she said slowly, "Among the earliest group that followed me were my father’s old friends, childhood buddies, and many idealistic companions I met later on."

"Compared to them, Hibell seemed incredibly insignificant, so much so that I wouldn’t bother to acknowledge her. Sometimes I couldn’t even remember her name when we met."

"But those very same people, later on, some sacrificed for the group, some couldn’t resist all kinds of temptations and either retired or joined better groups, and some lucky ones were hired by big companies, becoming the very thing they once despised."

Su Mo suddenly realized that Fenrir wasn’t gazing aimlessly; she’d been fixated on one direction the entire time.

At the far end of the cityscape, the towering triple spires seemed to pierce the very sky, the Heaven-Reaching Tower reflecting in the center of Fenrir’s eyes, symbolizing the highest authority of New Moon City.

"When I finally came to my senses, I found that although Fenrir had grown stronger under my leadership, my original companions had all left me."

"In the end, the only ones left were that insignificant kid whose name I could seldom remember, and her loyal brother always by her side."

A vague melancholy swept through Su Mo’s heart.

Leaders often tread a lonely path, especially ones like Fenrir.

For she stands too high, focusing only on the untouchable, traversing paths no one has taken before, with barely a chance to look back.

Yet, when she suddenly turns around one day and finds those who were once close behind are all gone, like a dream, it truly is the most profound loneliness in the world.

The cigar in Fenrir’s fingers had burned down to the end, scorching her fingers, yet she remained entirely oblivious.

"When everyone’s gone, only then do you see who was truly devoted to you; nothing could be more lamentable."

"I once thought that perhaps it’s not too late, and that I could make up for what was missing."

"But reality taught me it’s too late, there’s no more time. For fighting by my side time and again, she’s developed Blood Code Dissociation Syndrome, and there’s nothing I can make up for."

At this, Fenrir lowered her head, uncharacteristically, her voice so low it was almost inaudible.

"I’ve let her down."