Chapter 557 - 343: Arriving at World City
Liu Xingyuan was filled with worry.
Liu Xinglu, who was at his side, could only offer some comfort. "Honestly, there’s no need to worry so much. The Eastern Alliance is keeping an eye on Lin Qi. Given Xiaoxuan’s relationship with him, perhaps the Eastern Alliance will look after us as well."
Liu Xingyuan said no more, just nodding silently.
Liu Xinglu took a deep breath. His prosthetic lungs drew in a large amount of air, filtered out all the oxygen, and infused it into the organic fluid in his body.
"It’s about time, Xing Yuan. I need to lead my team out now."
Liu Xinglu glanced at the time. If he departed now, he would be able to rendezvous with the Eastern Alliance’s convoy perfectly.
The Eastern Alliance had deliberately publicized their chosen route and schedule, precisely so the major corporations of the Asian Administrative Region could piggyback on their security detail.
After all, not everyone was Lin Qi, able to receive exclusive protection arranged by the Eastern Alliance.
Meanwhile, as Lin Qi boarded the Floating Vehicle with Liu Xuan, he couldn’t help but wonder.
’Where are the people from the Eastern Alliance?’
’What happened to the promised protection?’
’My Spiritual Vision has already expanded to a three-thousand-meter radius, yet I haven’t found anyone from the Eastern Alliance.’
Lin Qi didn’t even feel anyone else’s gaze fixed on him.
Lin Qi’s confusion persisted.
「Two hours later...」
"Lin Qi, look. That Eastern Alliance Floating Vehicle, isn’t it heading toward us?"
Liu Xuan was looking out the porthole of the Floating Vehicle.
Liu Xuan’s brows furrowed slightly. The trajectory of the other Floating Vehicle seemed odd to her.
It was making a beeline for the Liu Clan’s vehicle, and at an incredible speed!
If not for the Eastern Alliance logo emblazoned on its hull, Liu Xuan would have mistaken it for an enemy attack.
Hearing Liu Xuan’s words, Liu Xinglu, who was sitting nearby, immediately stood up. "I’ll contact them right now."
Lin Qi, however, remained calm and activated his Spiritual Vision to investigate.
The distance between them was only a few hundred meters; Lin Qi didn’t even need to use his enhanced Spiritual Vision to see what was going on inside the other vehicle.
After taking a look, a knowing expression appeared on Lin Qi’s face. He turned to Liu Xinglu and said, "Fourth Uncle, no need. It’s someone we know."
’Someone we know?’
Liu Xinglu was just about to hail the other vehicle when he heard Lin Qi’s words.
Although he wasn’t sure who Lin Qi was referring to, he chose to trust him.
Liu Xuan, however, seemed to have realized something. "Could it be..."
Before she could finish, the Eastern Alliance Floating Vehicle had already drawn alongside, flying parallel to the Liu Clan’s vehicle.
The Eastern Alliance vehicle was a fair bit larger than the Liu Clan’s, and its proximity created a bit of turbulence, causing the Liu Clan’s Floating Vehicle to shudder.
Fortunately, the Liu Clan’s industrial design and manufacturing capabilities were top-notch. The vehicle, developed and manufactured in-house by Liu’s Heavy Industries, quickly stabilized its flight attitude.
At that moment, a face familiar to both Lin Qi and Liu Xuan appeared in the window of the other vehicle.
Lin Xin was standing in the other Floating Vehicle, waving her arms and legs excitedly while mouthing words at them.
They could make out what she was saying by reading her lips.
"Sister-in-law! I’m here! Surprise! I’m here to protect you!"
Lin Qi broke into a resigned smile.
’This girl... causing such a scene is actually pretty scary...’
At the same time, Lin Qi received a communication request from Lin Xin.
Lin Qi immediately accepted, only to hear Lin Xin say, "Lin Qi, switch to holographic projection mode! I want to talk to my sister-in-law!"
Lin Qi didn’t refuse her; after all, it hadn’t been long since he’d received one million Credit Points from her.
The "indebtedness" buff was still in full effect.
His Prosthetic Body projected the image, and Lin Xin immediately began greeting Liu Xuan happily.
Lin Xin repeated what she had just said, "Sister-in-law! I’m here! Surprise! I’m here to protect you!"
Liu Xuan replied with a smile, "It’s been a while, Lin Xin."
Seeing this, Liu Xinglu finally understood what was happening.
’So that’s what it was. There’s a little princess in the other Floating Vehicle...’
But as Liu Xinglu processed this, he was utterly astonished.
’What exactly is Lin Qi’s sister’s status within the Eastern Alliance?’
’He had only heard from Liu Xuan that Lin Qi’s sister was with the Eastern Alliance, but he never imagined her authority would be this high.’
To be able to make an Eastern Alliance Floating Vehicle alter its course on a whim, to come right up and get "cozy" with a Liu’s Heavy Industries vehicle... this was, in a sense, a declaration that the Liu Clan’s vehicle was now under the direct protection of the Eastern Alliance.
This placed them worlds apart from the other corporate vehicles that were merely tailing the Eastern Alliance’s convoy.
The other corporations’ Floating Vehicles might be following along, but they were only "piggybacking" on the security.
It was a gamble, betting that other powers would give the Eastern Alliance enough face to leave them alone.
But if trouble did break out, the Eastern Alliance wouldn’t necessarily intervene to help them.
As a result, many of the big corporations tailing the Eastern Alliance convoy, just like the Liu Clan, began chatting on their private communication channels.
"What’s the Liu Clan’s angle? How did they get so close with the Eastern Alliance?"
"I heard there was a massive Tier Four battle in Red Fruit City a while back. Maybe they established a connection with the Eastern Alliance then."
"Liu Xingyuan has some insane shit-luck! He was almost taken out by the Si Clan but managed to rise from the ashes. Now his daughter has launched United Pharmaceutical, and he’s cozied up to the Eastern Alliance. Don’t tell me that old bastard is planning to take the Liu Clan to the next level."
"Hard to say. The Prosthetic Body market in the Asian Administrative Region is already saturated. There are three Intercontinental Giant Corporations operating in that sector here."
"But what about the pharmaceutical industry? The Asian Administrative Region doesn’t have a single Intercontinental Giant Corporation in pharmaceuticals. That’s an untapped market."
"The pharmaceutical industry in the Asian Administrative Region is under dual regulation from both the Eastern Alliance and the Big Business Alliance. It’s not that easy for a major corporation to break through those restrictions. But now that old bastard Liu Xingyuan has connections to the Eastern Alliance... it’s really hard to say anymore..."
"Forget it. Unless Liu Xingyuan can become a Tier Five Extraordinary, even with strong connections, he won’t have the personal power needed to support the Liu Clan’s growth into an Intercontinental Giant Corporation."
All because of a single whim from Lin Xin, the communication channels across various frequencies erupted with activity.
𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Many corporations now viewed the Liu Clan with a newfound sense of apprehension.
...
Once Lin Xin and Lin Qi began their call, the Eastern Alliance Floating Vehicle pulled away slightly from the Liu Clan’s.
However, they didn’t move too far, maintaining a parallel formation in a continued declaration of its protection over the Liu Clan’s vehicle.
Meanwhile, Lin Xin used Lin Qi’s comms to chat idly with Liu Xuan.
It was a long journey; even in a large Floating Vehicle, the flight would take over eight hours.
World City was located at the geographic South Pole, a megalithic Cyber City built with the pole at its center.
By size alone, it could be called the largest single Cyber City on the planet.
Lin Qi had no idea how Lin Xin and Liu Xuan found so much to talk about; to him, it all sounded like pointless chatter.
In any case, the two of them chattered away in his ear for the entire trip.
He couldn’t block it even if he wanted to, since Lin Xin was patched into his personal comms.
He even had to use his Prosthetic Body to project the call externally for Liu Xuan.
The entire journey was incredibly noisy.
It wasn’t until Lin Qi heard Lin Xin say to Liu Xuan, "Sister-in-law, we’re almost there!"
That Lin Qi finally perked up and looked out the window.
Below the Floating Vehicle, a continent covered in ice and snow had appeared, and the sky outside was growing increasingly dim.
In April in the Cyber World, the Antarctic Circle was in its period of polar night.
As the Floating Vehicle continued onward, the sun slowly sank below the horizon.
Once the sun disappeared completely, it would mean they were about to arrive at World City.
’For the next half-month, if I want to see the sun, I’ll probably have to go to the Doomsday World for a look,’ Lin Qi thought.
Looking farther out the window, he could see countless Floating Vehicles slowly making their way forward.
All the world’s top powers were converging on World City.
’I wonder if Guang Ling, Capitalist, Master Ma, and King Arthur have arrived yet...’