Chapter 246 A New Beginning

Day 15 of the Highway Survival Game!

Matsuda knew Hagiwara well and knew how much his childhood friend loved cars. Sure enough, when he heard Matsuda say that, Hagiwara stopped complaining and carefully observed the surrounding road conditions.

He checked the road conditions through the in-car screen, which allowed him to have a good grasp of the vehicle's surroundings. He gradually increased his speed, and after the race started, he drove the vehicle forward at high speed again.

Feng Xingshou, standing to the side, asked curiously, "With such difficult driving conditions, aren't you going to use the holographic driving function? You seemed to have praised its effectiveness earlier."

Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled gently, "The holographic driving function is indeed very good. It's even more complete to drive in that way on this kind of road. Moreover, the race time is short, and we can keep up with our energy."

However, holographic driving requires practice. Using the holographic driving function without sufficient proficiency could lead to serious adverse consequences. Therefore, if you want to see Hagiwara use the holographic driving function, you'll have to wait until he's mastered it.

When Kazehoshi first heard Morofushi Kagemitsu's explanation, she thought it was an answer to why she didn't use the holographic driving function. However, after thinking about it for a while, she realized that Morofushi Kagemitsu was actually a police officer.

It seems I just made a little joke about myself. I used to think that Inspector Morofushi Kagemitsu was a gentle but serious person, but now it seems that he can also joke with people he knows well. What an unexpected discovery!

Hagiwara's friends are really interesting. She thought to herself, glancing towards Hagiwara, feeling a little embarrassed and worried. Would Hagiwara feel awkward hearing his friends joking about their relationship? After all, they really weren't a good match. ┐（─__─）┌

Sitting in the driver's seat, Kazesei couldn't see his face from her position, but when she turned her head to look, she could see that the tips of Hagiwara's ears were slightly red.

Seeing this scene, and recalling the kiss from yesterday, Kazesei-no-Mori instantly realized that Hagiwara could feel embarrassed by a friend's joke. He had never considered liking her as shameful; it was all just her overthinking. Hagiwara…

With this in mind, Feng Xingshou stopped worrying unnecessarily and instead tightened his seatbelt to observe the situation outside the car, so that he wouldn't be distracted and fail to help Hagiwara and the others if they encountered danger.

Fortunately, even though the road conditions were quite dangerous today, Hagiwara's driving skills were still able to make up for it. They completed the six-minute race smoothly, and when the race scores were tallied, the rewards reappeared on the game panel.

As they had predicted, the rewards this time were all Level 3 accessory blueprint chests. They already had several other important Level 3 accessories, so the rewards this time were for the ones they hadn't obtained yet.

After exchanging for a Tier 3 accessory blueprint, they still had some points left from today's vehicle racing competition, but not enough to exchange for another Tier 3 accessory. The three of them discussed it and decided to save the points for the next time.

Having experience upgrading to a Tier 2 vehicle, they all felt it was better to accumulate points to upgrade to a higher-level vehicle first. Furthermore, the existence of the Symbiotic Cult and the speculation that it might have a connection with survival games made them quite concerned about whether survival vehicles existed in the real world.

They felt it would be better to have a higher-level survival vehicle in their possession, so that they would have a trump card in case they ever faced the Symbiotic Cult. With this in mind, they closed the exchange shop page and quickly returned to the survival highway.

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Back on the highway, the group looked around. Although the sleet outside was getting heavier and heavier, the sky outside was already as dark as five or six o'clock in the afternoon, even though it was only noon.

The car's external temperature sensor showed that the outside temperature had reached 3 degrees Celsius, but that was exactly how it looked when they left. Seeing this, they relaxed, since the car was kept at a constant temperature and none of them felt cold.

As Feng Xingshou unbuckled his seatbelt, he said with lingering fear, "The road this time wasn't as steep as yesterday's in many ways, but those suspended views were terrifying. I felt more pressure than when the car encountered various road conditions during the race."

“The problem of being suspended in mid-air is more frightening than a steep road surface. At least, no matter how steep it is, it's still a solid road surface. What we just saw wasn't even a road anymore.” Matsuda, on the other hand, remained unfazed: “I guess this is what they call a psychological test!”

Upon hearing this, Morobuchi Kagemitsu couldn't help but smile: "I hope there will be fewer of these kinds of tests in the future."

Hagiwara stepped out of the driver's seat and walked over to Kazesei-no-Mori. He gently stroked her hair reassuringly and asked, "Were you scared just now?"

"It's alright! I was in the car, so no matter how dangerous it was, it wasn't as scary as the view from your driver's seat. Just be more careful when you drive in the future, and if you feel anything is wrong, tell me and I'll figure out a way to deal with it." Feng Xingshou had also experienced today's dangerous road conditions.

It suddenly occurred to him that his water handling skills might be the best suited for the road conditions in outside car racing competitions. After all, ice and snow are also water, and as long as he practices his water handling skills diligently, he might be able to control water to ensure the safety of the vehicle.

"Okay!" Hagiwara didn't try to show off at this moment, implying that he could handle it all, even though that would have been impressive, but in this game where anything could happen.

More important than saving face are the lives of loved ones and the safety of close friends: "If Tier 2 car races are this dangerous, I wonder what it will be like at Tier 3?"

“Although we can’t guess, we might still gain some experience. In the various survival road trip novels and games you’ve seen in real life, have they mentioned similar road conditions or plots?” Morofushi Kagemitsu asked Fusei Shou.

Upon hearing Morofushi's question, Matsuda immediately realized his thoughts and explained Morofushi's meaning: "Since this game is based on a survival game."

Therefore, it's possible that it adopts the plot arrangements of other similar novels, or even that survival road trip novels might be based on real-life stories of other road trip survivors who successfully made it to the end.

Matsuda's words startled the group. They hadn't considered this possibility before, but now, hearing his words, they had a feeling that it might be true.

“If this is true, perhaps if we find out the real identities of those authors, we can find out if they have any connection with this survival game?” Hagiwara said, looking at Kazesei.

Feng Xingshou shook his head helplessly: "Those road survival novels have only become popular in recent years. For example, the one I saw was written in 2019. I don't know if there are any earlier ones. Back then, online novels were popular, and nobody knew the real author's identity."

"99 and 19 years, both of these numbers use the number nine in the Gregorian calendar. Is it just a pure coincidence?" Zhu Fujingguang pondered for a moment after hearing this.

“Since the locations of those authors cannot be confirmed,” Matsuda and Hagiwara both turned to Kazesei-no-Mori, “how much do you remember about the various road condition information in those road survival novels?”

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Feng Xingshou felt a little flustered under Hagiwara's gaze, but he still tried to recall what Hagiwara had said before replying, "Yes! There are many classic similar scenarios, like the dangerous roads we've been driving on these past few days."

Then there are other roads that appear in other novel plots, such as maze roads, poison gas roads, coastal roads, scorching hot roads, extremely cold roads, super humid roads, and roads inhabited by wild beasts.

Or perhaps it's a steam civilization, hmm! Yes, there are descriptions of a steam civilization with mechanical mechanisms, roads made entirely of mechanical devices, and high-speed driving through gunfire, or perhaps swampy roads.

It describes how vehicles can be modified beyond their usual level there. For example, in the novel's storyline, there's a plot point where completing a certain task there earns local currency to upgrade a car with the ability to hover…

I wonder if this vehicle will have similar functions after the upgrade? Feng Xing Shou responded to all the plots related to road conditions in the various survival novels he had read, telling Hagiwara and the others everything he remembered.

After hearing this, Hagiwara and the others couldn't help but say, "It sounds like these roads are actually easier for us."

"What if we encounter something more dangerous like a maze or swamp? Tsk tsk! Looks like this game is still in easy mode at the very beginning!"

"But after learning about all this, I feel even more that there are other road survivors in reality. The novels are so vivid because they can only be written by people who have actually experienced it."

After discussing it for a while, the three of them continued, "Fortunately, we have Feng Sang's reminder, so we can be mentally prepared when we encounter similar road conditions in the future."

"More than these things, I think we should pay attention to other matters. Let's discuss tomorrow's actions. I hope things go smoothly tomorrow and we don't encounter this dilemma again." Matsuda couldn't help but reveal his crescent-shaped eyes as he said this.

When asked about today's events, Feng Xing Shou was speechless: "I've been in the game for almost half a month, and this is the first time I've encountered something like this!"

"This is normal, but such a coincidence shouldn't happen again." Hagiwara smiled upon hearing this.

Matsuda, Morofushi Kagemitsu, and the others shared the same thought, tacitly agreeing that this was the only special case, and therefore did not say anything more.

Just as this topic came to a close, Hagiwara asked, "Morofushi, you seemed to be thinking about something during the dungeon, something very serious. What were you thinking about? Can you tell me now?"

It turns out that although Hagiwara didn't seem to ask Morofushi Kagemitsu why he was distracted, he was actually keeping an eye on his friend the whole time. Not only did Matsuda notice his unusual behavior, but Hagiwara did too.

Morofushi Kagemitsu was surprised that the first thing they cared about upon their return was his question. After thinking about it, he felt that there was nothing to hide, so he told them about his conflicted feelings about whether or not to go back in time to change the fate of his parents' death.

Upon hearing Morofushi Kagemitsu's thoughts, the three were taken aback. Then Matsuda reacted and glanced at him speechlessly: "I thought you were going to wait a long time to bring this up. It turns out you have such a strange idea."

The idea that "it is intolerable by heaven" refers to being brought back to life by harming others and causing enormous damage to the world. We haven't done anything unforgivable, so why do you have such a ridiculous idea?

When Hagi learned about my situation, did she ever consider that she couldn't refrain from saving me just because it went against the natural order? After I learned about your situation, I never felt I couldn't save you. What's the point of agonizing over letting you die for some bullshit "natural order"?

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Upon hearing Matsuda say those words, Morofushi Kagemitsu breathed a long sigh of relief. He felt that his conflicted feelings were like a balance scale, one side telling him to respect the past and have reverence for the forbidden zone of life, and the other side telling him to remember that his parents did not die a natural death and deserved to be saved.

This internal conflict tore at him, until he heard Matsuda's words. Gradually, the weight shifted the balance in his heart toward saving his parents. At that moment, Matsuda's words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back on that balance.

This finally made him make up his mind. He looked at Feng Xingshou with a firm expression and said, "Feng Sang, I know that making this request to you will cause you a lot of trouble under these circumstances, but I still hope you can help me. This time, I really want to change the fate of my parents' death."

"Officer Morofushi, you're too kind. How can this be considered trouble? We've been trying to change Akai-san's father's fate these past few days, haven't we? We don't even know him, yet we're going to help him. Besides, you're a friend of Hagiwara and Matsuda."

How could we watch your parents have a chance to be saved and not do anything about it? Hearing Morofushi Kagemitsu's earnest request, Kazesei no Kami nodded without hesitation and said with a smile.

Upon hearing Feng Xingshou's agreement, Zhu Fujingguang thanked her earnestly and said, "Thank you, Feng Sang. If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word, and I will never refuse."

"Uh...you don't have to be so polite!" Feng Xingshou was a little confused by Zhu Fujingguang's serious demeanor; she wasn't good at handling these kinds of interpersonal relationships.

Hearing Morofushi Kagemitsu's earnest promise, Hagiwara and Matsuda exchanged a glance, sensing the weight of his words.

Because Morofushi Kagemitsu did not impose any additional conditions when making this promise, such as not doing anything illegal or harmful to others, it was a conditional promise to help Fuusei no Kami.

This means that even if Feng Xing Shou asked him to do something illegal or hurt others, he would not refuse. His promise this time is so important, after all, Feng Xing Shou has an older brother who is a cadre in the organization.

They suspected that they also had some kind of connection with the organization. At least so far, they had leaked a lot of information about the survival game to the organization, but the organization had never made any unfavorable plans or schemes against Feng Xing Shou.

If the Japanese authorities knew this information, she would probably have been ambushed and captured by them long ago, or they would have sent people to Zhongzhou to deal with her past self.

This clearly shows that the organization's boss has no ill intentions towards Fuusei no Morishige. Under these circumstances, if Gin encounters any danger or crisis, Fuusei no Morishige will ask Morofushi Kagemitsu for help.

Even if it infringes on the interests of the Japanese government, the rights of the Japanese Public Security Bureau, or many other aspects, Morofushi Kagemitsu will not hesitate to fulfill his promise.

Those who understood the meaning behind his words, Hagiwara and Matsuda, did not point out the difference between the two, nor did they have any objections, because it was a promise made by Morofushi Kagemitsu himself.

Since he made such a promise, he must have already realized something. After all, Morobushi Kagemitsu himself should have been able to guess the identity, status, and background of the Wind Star Guardian.

Knowing all this, he still made that promise, so he should naturally bear the consequences alone. This is what the two of them think. They respect their friend's decision, and of course, they will never refuse to do their part when their friend needs them to.

Therefore, after discussing this matter, they discussed it again and looked at Morofushi Kagemitsu and asked, "So, according to the timeline, the time for Morofushi's parents is longer. Should we go and help Morofushi first and change the fate of his parents' death?"

“Yes! That might make it easier to change Akai Tsutomu’s fate later.” Hagiwara agreed.

Upon hearing this, Fengxing Shou asked curiously, "Why didn't we contact Mr. Akai Tsutomu at that time? Didn't your friend say that Akai Shuichi's father is very smart and capable? What if we had told him about his future a few years in advance?"

Could he have prevented many things from happening before that incident occurred? Could Mr. Akai's adoptive brother have avoided being killed by the organization and found out earlier whether the game vehicles existed in reality?

"Feng-chan, you're amazing."

"Yes, since Kofuya praised Akai Shuichi's father so highly, perhaps if we told him that the information would be investigated faster than the organization, he could avoid being harmed by the organization sooner."

"If you hadn't reminded me, I almost forgot that you could do that too." Hearing Feng Xingshou's question, the three of them exchanged a silent glance, and then couldn't help but laugh.

After praising Feng Xingshou a few times, the three of them talked and then had a detailed discussion. They had clearly made a decision, and since Feng Xingshou was the one who proposed it, he naturally had no other opinions.

After discussing it, the group decided on their itinerary for the next day. They restarted their vehicle and headed towards the coordinates of the day before Morofushi Kagemitsu's parents were murdered, preparing to travel to that day.

Morofushi Kagemitsu had his own reasons for choosing this time. Although he could not forgive Tomokazu for killing his parents, Tomokazu's daughter was not wrong; she was trying to be considerate of her father.

She deliberately hid her physical discomfort so as not to worry him, which led to her being taken to the hospital too late and dying. It's a pity that such a considerate child died. Since she had the opportunity to change her parents' fate, why didn't she start from the beginning when all of this happened?