death of hope

Chapter 1017 "Psionic Storm" (91) Company Dog
Smoking, excessive drinking, gambling, overeating, and even experimenting with hallucinogens—he's addicted to all vices, and has given up on himself.

Li Ang, who once prided himself on being self-disciplined and diligent, was almost crushed by immense pressure and a poor mental state. Once a person falls into self-doubt, they enter a self-destructive state of giving up.
He spent the first half of the night repeatedly watching that news video.
The television screen repeatedly showed images of the massive shipyard in his hometown of Ikers, cheering crowds, and banners and petals fluttering in the air.
And his mother, Kyria Vilnius—at these moments, Leon would freeze the image with the remote, trying to find a sliver of solace in their presence, but it was all in vain.

After all, it wasn't warm flesh and blood, but just a bunch of digitally simulated graphic signals.

Exhausted until late at night, too weak to even go to the bedroom, I collapsed on the sofa for the night, forgetting to close the window.

Feeling groggy and disoriented, I woke up with a splitting headache.
I reached for the alarm clock, but knocked over an empty beer can and a cigarette dish on the table. The cold air stung my nose, and I sneezed.

The TV screen was still automatically playing recorded news broadcasts, which was incredibly uncomfortable for my eardrums. I picked up the remote and turned it off.

I forgot to close the window and didn't cover myself with a blanket last night. Lately, I've picked up many bad habits that have lowered my immunity, making it easy to catch a cold.

The electronic thermometer showed he had a fever, but he still staggered like a zombie to the bathroom to wash up.

The face in the mirror was still handsome, but it had a hint of melancholy. His skin was covered in pimples, and his hair was a little greasy and messy, making him look a bit like a college student who had failed his exams and was giving up after staying up all night in an internet cafe.

His therapist said he was on the verge of a breakdown, and that simply taking sedatives and antidepressants wouldn't be enough to alleviate his symptoms.

Mental illness requires mental treatment. I suggest taking a few weeks off, and ideally spending a month or two traveling to relax and clear your head.

But how could that be possible?
Project Zero is at a critical stage. It's crucial to appease Zero and stabilize its psionic energy; any mishap will lead to the utter destruction of the entire project.

Leon has gone all in, betting everything on Joseph's ambitious gambling table.

Now, he and that mad psionicist are in the same boat.

To escape exile and reclaim their glory, this is their chance to turn their lives around.
Forget about taking a day off, even being late is not allowed.
·
After washing up, showering, and changing clothes, he stuffed a handful of psychotropic drugs into his mouth, then gulped down a large amount of water from his glass.
I strapped my tablet to my arm, grabbed my keys, locked the dorm room door, and headed out.

The morning rush hour in Shin-Sapporo is as bustling and noisy as ever, with energetic young men in factory blue uniforms and glamorous young women holding hands while waiting for the bus.
Office clerks and their colleagues, dressed in cheap suits and carrying briefcases, were telling vulgar jokes in front of a vending machine.
Homeless people and scavengers crowded in front of a lottery station, clinging to dreams of a better life, clutching crumpled lottery tickets and waiting for the draw, occasionally tossing a rotten sausage they'd scavenged from a trash can to a stray dog ​​nearby.

A member of the "Hells Angels" biker gang, dressed in a leather jacket and helmet, rode a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, with a heavily made-up young woman with a nose ring riding on the back.
Li Ang recalled a remark made by a teacher at the Ikes Noble Academy when he was a child: "Humans are social animals; regardless of wealth, they will flock together."
Now it seems even more desolate; Li Ang is the only one walking alone on the entire street.
Lost

Lost on this colony planet far from home, lost in the neon-lit new Sapporo,

No one truly loves him or cares about him; they're all just thinking about how to use him and squeeze every last drop of value out of him.
There was one exception, but the director said it wasn't a person, but a lab rat.

I wake up alone every day, go to work alone, and return to my dorm alone.

Alone and utterly alone,

Alone and alone... This morning, only one thing occupied Li Ang's tired and confused mind;

(Yuna... Yuna, I miss you so much... It's only been half a day, but it feels like a lifetime has passed...)
·
There are fewer breakfast stalls on the street in front of the Psionic Research Institute.
I saw the news yesterday; the weather was abnormal, and many undocumented immigrant families, crammed neatly together in their cars, froze to death in the drizzling, freezing rain.

(I don't like this damn city... It's always raining... It's gloomy, and every moment, impoverished bankrupts or illegal immigrants die silently in the dark alleys. But in my hometown, the underworld of Iks, it seems even worse...)
I clocked in for work with mixed feelings, took the elevator down to area B14,

For some reason, both Director Joseph and Project Leader Ryan arrived at work early today, meeting with someone.
The door to the reception room was half-open. Through the crack in the door, one could see a thin, pale figure sitting on the sofa. It was the middle-aged man from the Spirit Clan whom I had seen before. The man's tone was clearly pleading.
"Please, Dr. Joseph... have mercy, let me see Evelyn, just once..." The Eldar's humble tone was completely different from the arrogant, pointy-eared pirate in Leon's memory.

“You want to see your daughter? Fine, but it won’t be free. You’ll have to exchange her for intelligence from the Commune.” Joseph’s voice was rational and cold. “Valuable intelligence.”

"We...are currently planning an operation...targeting Senator Tosaki Shino..."

"Um?!"

Joseph was clearly intrigued. He squinted, touched the tip of his nose, and muttered to himself, "If I can thwart this assassination attempt... I'll have a powerful backer in the Terra Council..."

"I'm willing to betray my comrades... just to see my daughter... so please, I beg you, have mercy... she's the only family I have left in this world..."

“Words are no proof,” Dr. Lane said.
"Bring us your complete plan in black and white. If it's true, let alone a meeting, we can just take that pointy-eared brat away. What do you say, teacher?"

"Yeah, with Zero around, that kid's research is useless to us now," Joseph nodded, speaking in an extremely calm yet menacing tone:

“Mr. Drizzt, as is customary, psionic talents who are of no use are dissected and made into specimens.”

"No! No! Give me two weeks! I'll bring you the whole plan!"

"You'd better hurry, your daughter can't hold on much longer. It's time, Mr. Twisted Fate. We have other projects to attend to, so we won't see you off."

·
Li Ang hid at the corner of the stairwell, secretly peeking out to watch the tall, thin figure of the Spirit Clan member disappear into the distance.

The man swayed unsteadily, almost unable to walk, and after a few steps, he suddenly leaned against the wall and burst into tears.
After the director and team leader left, Li Ang walked over and handed the spirit race member a packet of scented tissues.
The man paused for a few seconds, seemingly wanting to say thank you, but his eyes suddenly focused, staring at the plastic name tag hanging on his chest;
(Project Zero, Psionic Security Supervisor: Leon Vilnius)
Suddenly, the man's eyes filled with hatred, and he forced out a sentence from his tightly pursed lips:
"You're the one who put Eve in shackles, aren't you... Get lost! You corporate dog!"

The middle-aged man from the Spirit Clan spat at his feet and quickly walked away.
Two corporate soldiers followed from a distance, clearly arranged by the director.

"Company dog..." Li Ang savored the insult, making no attempt to defend himself;

(So ​​that's how it is. This man is Evelyn Darkmoon's father. If I hadn't insisted on stopping him that day, that child might already be free... instead of being locked in a cage in the research institute...) (Chapter 2 of "Psionic Storm")