NOVGO.NET Chapter 423: Maddening Hope!
Chapter 423: Maddening Hope!
“I believe she can be cured….”
This was the moment the world changed.
Jack and the Old Man instantly shared a look, one that contained as much hope as doubt. Could the woman missing in their lives really be cured?! It felt too good to be true.
“Mister Director, I hope you’re not joking about this…” Jack growled, his eyes focusing on the man, one who seemed as stressed as truthful as he spread the files on the table.
“Of course not. Look at this right here!”
[Lilly O’Neil — Illness UNKNOWN!]
[Olivia O’Neil — Illness UNKNOWN!]
[Illness Comparison — 100% MATCH!]
What followed was the most intense presentation ever. More importantly, why was it that the one who felt the pressure was the director of a prestigious hospital?!
And the more Jack heard, the more tumultuous his thoughts became. The flash of light? Could it be that the statue he had gathered actually had healing powers?!
Frowning, he reviewed the facts…
1. Lilly had fallen sick after touching it
2. She had miraculously recovered by herself
3. She had been extremely energetic ever since
Could it be that she had the same genetic marker as her mom and that the statue had both made it flare and cured it in one sitting?! Or maybe he was WAY off.
Sighing, he turned to the director.
“Leave for now….”
“?!?”
What the hell?! What was up with that domineering tone?! Jack was akin to an experienced businessman dealing with a junior as he ordered the Director to leave the room.
As if someone that high ranked would listen to— actually, he did. Not only did he go to wait by the door, but he could even be heard pacing around in the corridor.
He paced so much that a few neighbors couldn’t help but stare in shock. A certain auntie even went as far as powerfully exclaiming, “DILF!” with stars in her eyes.
And yet, he didn’t even react, still pacing around. Meanwhile, Jack and the Old Man were having an instant meeting. “Jack, what do you think?”
“I say we don’t tell Lilly just yet.”
“Hmmm, hope can be good at times.”
“And devastating once it disappears…”
The two didn’t seem like father and son but more like two old philosophers lamenting the woes of the world. But a second later, Jack hurriedly went to get something in his room.
It was a statue, one of a cracked and cheap-looking Budha that would have disgusted any antique collector. This thing belonged to the reduced bin at the 1 Credit Mart!
Hell, since the last time he had looked at it, it even seemed to have lost the little luster it used to have. Yet, Jack held it as if the most precious thing in the world.
“If the flash of light came from something, it’s this.”
This decrepit-looking trinket? Anyone else would have been scoffing, yet the Old Man received it with solemnity. Was it that he believed in mysticism? No, he was just desperate.
More accurately, it really wasn’t about the item.
As Jack handed it over, the man saw hope and uncertainty in his eyes but also raw emotion. This statue proved that he cared so much that he’d grasp at straws— or buddhas!
“Try using it on her. If she wakes up, good. If she doesn’t…”
“If she doesn’t, I’ll read her a story like I always do!”
“And as for Lilly, I really feel like—”
“Of course!”
They wouldn’t tell her just yet, not to get her hopes up for nothing. Instead, the Old Man went outside to deal with the situation, grasping a certain statuette in his hands.
Jack heard a tidbit as they left…
“Alright, Director, let’s go to the Hospital!”
“What?! But there’s so much I want to ask your son! He’s—?!”
“He’s busy studying and working full-time, let’s not disturb him!”
The Old Man was akin to an inflexible god as he directed his shepherd and his boss away like he was any regular colleague, all the while staying polite somehow?!
Jack couldn’t help but chuckle as he pictured it all. But then, a second later, he got to work. Typing on his phone like a mad demon in withdrawal from a lack of pumpkins!
<Treasures from the Past!>
“Any update on the Buddha statue I bought? Found anything similar?”
But then he suddenly frowned: this would be FAR from enough. No matter how efficient, a single antique shop wouldn’t be enough to scour the world for potential relics.
Was he getting ahead of himself? Perhaps this whole thing was merely a coincidence. Maybe the statue was just that, a statue. Still, he’d give it his best!
“If this is real, I’ll have to accelerate everything…”
Jack had never cared for fame too much.
Jack had never cared for wealth either.
But this was FUCKING different!
“I’ll need LOTS of influence!”
He kept sending messages. One to a certain cultist, asking for investment. One to a certain Boss Ken for him to register a company in his name, and one at a certain Pancakes.
As for why he was sending it NOW?
Not only had his resolve been rekindled, but it would soon be time anyway!
It was just a simple message, and yet a certain Fat Streamer on the other side of the message almost got a bloody heart attack. T-This… was it all for real?!
He couldn’t keep his eyes away from the screen.
— GET READY, IT’S COMING! —
All Jack did was send a file, but as the man opened it, his entire existence felt like it had been stricken by thunder. The very first sentence had him sweat stress!
“Get a statement out ASAP! We are officially terminating the MeTube Channel!”
Terminating the channel?! Was Jack getting rid of him?! Was Jack quitting Infinite? Was Jack giving it all up?! But just as his stomach tied into a knot, he saw the rest.
Demon King’s analysis…
The incoming fall of MeTube!
The fall of MeTube?! Wait, what the hell?! It wasn’t that he wanted to stop the channel, but he wanted to migrate it instead?! Migrate where… MeTube was king!
Jack had linked a certain forum post, archiving previous EVENTS.
[Player Lightbringer Has Completed Quest “A NEW ERA”!]
[Recording Near Safe Zones Now Available!] ✅
[Infinite Streaming LOCKED!] ❌
[Infinite Forums LOCKED!] ✅
[Trading LOCKED!] ✅
[Guilds LOCKED!] ❌
[Arena LOCKED!] ❌
A user by the name of “HairyGrandma” had added emotes showing the features that had started locked but had already been unlocked nowadays.
The gold Trading was in?! The forums were open, too?! Wouldn’t that just leave Streaming, Arena, and Guilds?! But Jack’s analysis went far deeper than that.
Guilds and Arena definitely had a huge PVP component, so wouldn’t it make sense that those would come a bit later once people had their characters set up?!
Every day, droves of new players came to Infinite, and they definitely weren’t ready to PVP just yet. Besides, even if there weren’t any guilds, factions were already a thing!
A certain Pancakes suddenly found himself choking…
“This isn’t just gambling; this is MADNESS!!!”
What if the streaming part didn’t come any time soon? What if did come but was incredibly shitty?! What if they announced the migration only to lose all their subscribers?! What if—
But just as he was going insane, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, one that belonged to a man so goddamn handsome that no one would have guessed he was homeless recently!
He gave him a bright smile, shaking his head slightly.
“Don’t worry, worst scenario we’ll be homeless!”
“Are you reassuring me of scaring the shit out of me?!”
“Reassuring, obviously! Otherwise, I would show you this…”
Chuckling, a certain “boss Ken” showed his phone screen to his roommate, the later freezing as if a goldfish hit by a meteor. “N-NOONONONONONONONO!”
The screen made it clear…
Jack was already in the process of borrowing and investing?!
Was he trying to pull a gaming studio out of his ass?! But as he read the details, it got even worse. Why was there a loan shark on the potential list of investors?! And what was up with that name?!
< Explosive Pumpkins Studio!>
Want to invest with us? Prove your worth!
Want us to advertise for you? Prove your worth!
Want to join our incredible family? Prove your worth!
Even the most basic blueprint of it oozed so much arrogance that only a madman would have believed it could succeed! Then there was the “Exclusive Infinite Streamer!”
It literally said in there that they ABSOLUTELY wouldn’t stream on MeTube no matter what! The poor streamer would have to convince his patron to change this or their ship would sink!
But just as he was writing a strongly worded letter, he received something new.
<Ding! New Infinite Footage: Not For MeTube!>
While sighing his soul out, he opened it, only to stare slack-jawed. What was he even looking at?! Why was 90% of the screen censored? Was he looking at gameplay or porn?!
But as he slowly made out a blood fountain and a bunch of kids, he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Right, this was the Demon King they were talking about.
Taking a deep breath, all his stress suddenly escaped him.
“Everything he touches turns mad. Let’s just do this!”
Fuck it! Worst case, they’d all be homeless! In the dark, a certain Pancakes worked on an announcement that may just as well end all their careers!
And as for the main instigator, Jack stared at his VR capsule with resolve. “It’s fine. It’s all fine. Streaming should unlock once someone Reach the Capital. I’ll bloody do it myself!”
He muttered under his breath, his new goal clear.
1. Clear the Inferno Trial
2. Save the Goddamn World
3. Reach the Capital No Matter What!
4. Unlock all Streaming Capabilities for everyone!
….
Oh, and of course, he’d deal with the Elves and find Pumpkin Girl in the meantime! After all, even the name of his new gaming studio would be an homage to her!
Still, this new gamble of his would have seemed incredibly stupid to anyone else, but all he did was scoff to the Infinite gods as he logged back in.
But he had barely seen his surroundings when he froze.
“W-What the hell happened while I was out?!”
Apparently, a LOT…