Counterfeit Hero

At this time, in this place, there were only men and women.

Everyone knows, in the end, something is bound to happen in the life that ends without their knowing.

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"Want to go shopping?" Fatty asked ingratiatingly, with his eyes lowered after finishing his meal.

This suggestion instantly brightened up Helen and Meiduo’s eyes.

Since the outbreak of the Leray National Defense War, the originally prosperous cities of Leray rapidly declined, and women who naturally loved beauty found it challenging to add a couple of beautiful clothes to their wardrobes.

Having fled to the Free World, shopping had become a luxury. Even Helen and Meiduo themselves did not know how long they had stayed at the bandit army’s Base No.1.

Anyway, the time had passed long enough for them to forget the word "shopping."

Upon hearing Fatty’s proposal, Helen’s originally fierce glare softened, and Meiduo nodded vigorously. Her gaze toward Fatty was sweet enough to melt anyone. The prosperity of Chuckna Hanjing, even during wartime, far exceeded that of the peaceful Leray Capital Ludelit. To enjoy the feeling of shopping during this period was enough to make any woman who had experienced brutal war uncontrollably excited.

Fatty was almost propelled by the two girls’ eager urging to get into the flying car.

Looking at Helen and Meiduo’s sparkling eyes, Fatty didn’t know why, but his heart felt a bit sour. If they wished, they could have enjoyed this lifestyle freely. However, even after arriving in Hanjing, they only regarded themselves as guests in this beautiful city, wholeheartedly accompanying him.

It was precisely this sentiment that made them so elated over such a simple proposal of going shopping.

Fatty clenching his teeth, patted the credit card in his pocket, and under the adoring gazes of the girls, heroically set the flying car’s autopilot to the most luxurious Silver Bay Commercial District in Hanjing.

This card, specially prepared for him by Audrey, held at least ten million Fei Yuan. With all of Mars backing him up, though it couldn’t buy all of Hanjing, it was perfectly feasible to let Helen and Meiduo buy clothes until their hands were tired.

With the ambition to flaunt like a nouveau riche, Fatty drove the flying car swiftly into the rolling traffic of the highway, entering the Central City of Hanjing in the twilight. Outside the car window, the adjacent Space City continuously whisked by. Laser lights and spotlights illuminated the sky above the city in a myriad of colors. Giant posters on buildings, unpredictable neon lights, and massive light screens brought a long-lost taste of prosperity.

None of the three spoke. Meiduo and Helen, one on each side, clung to Fatty, silently watching the scene outside as the flying car proceeded quietly.

On the streets, various international brands of high-end flying cars flowed like crucian carp crossing a river, endlessly overtaking from both sides. In the brightly lit shopping malls, people were bustling around. Young mothers with children, employees carrying briefcases, fashionable girls hand in hand with shopping bags coming in and out of various malls, couples kissing without a care in the world amidst the fast-moving crowd, as well as greeters at bars and nightclubs, attentive valets at restaurants, a long line of luxury taxi flying cars waiting outside hotels...

All of this was so familiar, yet so strange.

The flying car stopped in front of the most upscale mall in Silver Bay Commercial District. Fatty took out the Disguise Potion from Boswell and dabbed a little on his face and chin. He knew his appearance had become infamous throughout Chuckna, and wanted to shop peacefully without parading this big face around. The potion was given by Boswell when he disguised as Mechanic Zhang Yuan to go to Gazalin, and alongside Milan’s Mauser pistol, it had become Fatty’s treasure.

Just after putting on sunglasses and pulling the jacket collar up to his chin, Fatty was eagerly dragged into the mall by Helen and Meiduo.

The mall was grand, with the thick silver-white alloy frame door standing twenty meters tall. In the shop windows were posters of Chuckna’s superstar celebrities and the products they endorsed. The floor was made entirely of a rare stone produced by the Tatania Commercial Alliance, with star-like natural patterns making the entire mall luxurious and comfortable under the lighting.

Upon entering the mall, the three of them attracted quite a bit of attention.

Beautiful women always draw people’s gaze, and when two simply dressed yet devastatingly beautiful women hold the arm of an equally simply dressed Fatty walking into the well-known affluent Essa Department Store in Silver Bay Commercial District, it’s hard not to catch attention. Especially seeing the two beautiful girls affectionately walking with Fatty, many couldn’t help but gape.

Helen and Meiduo directly ignored the reaction of those around them. Even beyond just being known as Leray’s top beauty, Helen was accustomed to various gazes, as was Meiduo. They had long learned to look straight ahead to avoid unnecessary trouble. Besides, the two girls were already captivated by the merchandise in the mall, leaving them little mind for anything else.

As for Fatty, he was indescribably proud. This feeling of being the center of attention was something he enjoyed immensely. Since childhood, he had imagined such scenarios countless times, never thinking his dream would turn into reality.

Fatty pretended to be impatient as he was dragged onto the ascending escalator by Helen and Meiduo, his eyes collecting the amazed, envious, or bemused stares behind his sunglasses, his vanity almost bursting.