death of hope

Chapter 1016 "Psionic Storm" (90) The Forsaken

"The next news report will be brought to you by Jon Sina, our correspondent on the Ix colony planet;"
The "Ark of Elysium," a mega-luxury interplanetary cruise ship ordered by Royal Caribbean Cruises, held its maiden voyage ceremony today.

This colossal warship consumed approximately 310,000 tons of high-performance steel, took over 20 million hours to build, laid about 54,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables, and is equipped with four high-powered warp-space engines at its stern. It is a powerful testament to the advanced shipbuilding industry on Planet Ix.

At the press conference, Royal Caribbean CEO Baron Constantine Borridge announced that the company will order several more sister ships of the same class to gradually replace its older cruise ships and provide better service to travel enthusiasts.

Now the scene shifts, and the guests attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony include Conservative D (Red D) Senator Lord Bessant Warren and other high-ranking federal officials. What a grand occasion! Iker Industries' stock is bound to skyrocket again!
Now, follow the camera as His Excellency the Senator reads his congratulatory address for the new ship. The next step is the bottle-breaking ceremony, which the reporter will explain here.
The so-called bottle-throwing ceremony involves a lady of high status throwing a bottle of 12-degree champagne towards the bow of the ship. After the bottle shatters, the ship's horn sounds, the dock gates open, and the new ship is released into the vast universe, a blessing for a smooth voyage and good fortune.
Okay, now we see... the beautiful lady appearing on camera is Kailea Vernius, the sister of Count Vilnius.
She's smiling at the camera! That smile! Truly the light of Iks!

At that moment, someone pressed the remote control, and the television screen froze on a close-up shot of Ms. Kylia.

This middle-aged beauty smiled radiantly and posed for the camera repeatedly, looking to be in a fantastic mood;
In the dimly lit living room, illuminated only by the screen, Leon Vilnius knelt on the floor in front of the television, two streams of tears sliding down his cheeks:

"Mom...you've already..."

Have you forgotten me...?

·
Li Ang recorded this news segment, played it repeatedly, and paused it.
The shipyard in his hometown of Ikers was his favorite playground since childhood. Boys are naturally drawn to huge engineering equipment, and there was even a funny story about it at the time.
Even the poorest scavengers in the Iks Nest City would unconsciously puff out their chests whenever the topic of Iks's industry and wealth came up…

Li Ang didn't take this as a joke; he genuinely loved his homeland and was determined to fight to the death against the demonic pirates who had destroyed Iksil's prosperity.

At that time, he was the most outstanding and valiant young talent in the Vilnius family, and was revered as a god by the people... but he was forgotten in just a few years.

On the television screen, huge portraits hanging in the dock were of the count himself and his relatives. The count's foolish son and greedy distant relatives were also depicted, as were the bankers and engineers of Ikers, the naval officers and firefighters. But there was no portrait of him—Lion Vilnius.

He had his glory days. After defeating the Eldar pirates and capturing their ship, Leon stood on a float in the victory parade, with hundreds of thousands of Iks cheering wildly for him on both sides of the street. Colorful flags and petals fluttered between the skyscrapers, and girls danced wildly for him, waving glow sticks...

In just a few years, the once-promising Prince of Iks, the heir to the earldom, virtually vanished after his illegitimate status was revealed…

The news footage featured many familiar faces in fine clothes: noble hostages rescued by Li Ang from the Spirit Clan pirates, and sailors who had fought under Li Ang, most of whom had been promoted to officer positions.

Leon Vilnius knelt in front of the television screen, clutching his hair, and muttered to himself in despair:

"That's not fair! This is not fair! I should have been invited to this ribbon-cutting ceremony... Without me, Iks' shipbuilding industry would have been destroyed by pirates long ago..."

(I love Iks... I'd give my life for her... but does she love me...?)