Ryoma Raiden going to prison was non-negotiable. It was a key checkpoint for the story to continue.
At the same time, Li Mu could not afford to lose the identity of "Ryoma Raiden, President of ME Corp." That identity was tied to the construction of ME Corp itself, the building of St. Freya, and the resolution of the Third Great Honkai Eruption.
Faced with this multiple-choice question, Li Mu's answer was obvious.
He would pick everything.
"The identity of ME Corp's president stays, but Ryoma Raiden still goes to prison."
As for how to do it? Simple.
Li Mu would continue acting as Ryoma Raiden and remain president of ME Corp, while the real Ryoma Raiden would be tossed into prison to complete the plot check-in.
A perfect solution. A win-win.
Of course, since he had taken Ryoma's identity, Li Mu was willing to give him some compensation. That was only if Ryoma truly turned over a new leaf and became a responsible, upright man.
Before that…
He could stay in prison for a bit of reeducation.
After all, prison was prison, but the treatment varied wildly depending on where you ended up. What kind of prison Ryoma would be sent to next depended on how much he had changed during these two months on the African plantation.
If he had truly kicked his gambling and drinking habits, Li Mu did not mind arranging a prison that felt more like a resort hotel.
But if he remained hopeless, Li Mu also had no problem sending him somewhere rough, where dropped soap was a serious occupational hazard.
"Still, after two months of picking bananas in Africa and getting beaten up by life itself, he should have improved at least a little… right?"
As someone with actual plot relevance, Li Mu still hoped Ryoma would turn out normal. It would make things much easier later on.
While thinking this through, Li Mu pulled out his communicator and sent a message to another "good brother" who was currently in Africa, verifying certain matters.
Mu: Professor V, the plan is moving to the next stage. Send Ryoma back.
There is a kind of game.
It does not trick you into spending money. There is no stat inflation. No annoying recharge menus.
The welfare is absurdly generous. Log in and you get one hundred pulls immediately.
Morning, afternoon, evening, no need to sign in. One hundred pulls each time.
Miss a daily task? No punishment. Instead, another hundred pulls as compensation.
At this point, someone is bound to ask:
Bro. Bro. Does a game this generous really exist? Where can I play it?
It does, brother. It does.
In the limited-time rerun of the America Classic Server.
Africa. Ethiopia.
Inside a newly developed plantation.
Crack. Thwack.
A scream tore through the air.
Two muscular men holding whips snapped them loudly, striking Ryoma, who was tied to a tree trunk.
Listening to Ryoma's hysterical howls, one of them frowned and said to his companion, a little uneasy.
"Hey, should we go a bit easier on him? Wouldn't want to actually kill the guy."
The other said nothing. He only put more strength into his arm, drawing another anguished scream from Ryoma before replying with irritation.
"This guy doesn't work hard, slacks off whenever he can, and even tries to drag others into gambling. Our honest boys from the tribe are getting corrupted by him. To be honest, I've wanted to whip him for a long time."
"Still, we shouldn't beat him to death…"
"He won't die. This whip was given by Miss V. Hurts like hell but doesn't injure."
"And Miss V specifically told us not to hold back. You think you know better than Miss V?"
The moment the name "Miss V" was mentioned, the hesitation vanished from the other man's face, replaced by a mix of reverence and worship.
The two of them stopped holding back.
Soon, Ryoma received his one-hundred-pull reward for failing to complete his morning check-in.
When they finally untied him, Ryoma collapsed onto the ground, sobbing.
He was already familiar with this. The whip left no visible wounds, but the pain would linger for at least three days.
Feeling the burning agony all over his body, hot tears poured from his eyes. A grown man with a sturdy build cried like a lost child.
"When will these days ever end… Mei, Dad misses you so much…"
Ever since that woman who called herself the Faded Fairy dumped him on this African continent, he had been working like a beast of burden on this bizarre plantation.
The owner of the plantation was known as Miss V, and she paid him "special attention." At the very least, he had never seen anyone else whipped besides himself. It was as if he alone was trapped in this limited-time classic server.
Ryoma vaguely felt that all of this was targeted at him.
He had only felt a little itchy, wanting to gamble with others to relax a bit. The result was being tied to a tree and whipped mercilessly.
How could Miss V be so cruel?
He was a scientist. His brain could create far more value than brute labor. Why treat him like an ox?
Ryoma did not understand. He only saw darkness ahead.
Still, if there was any upside to this place, there was one.
He actually looked better than when he first arrived. His once gaunt body from drinking had filled out and grown stronger.
After all, a full day of banana picking left him exhausted. No gambling, no drinking. He could only collapse into sleep on schedule.
Regular routines, three meals a day, heavy labor included. After two months, he had bulked up considerably.
Even his spirit felt different now. The old wretched look was gone.
As the pain coursed through him, Ryoma knew from experience that no one would bother him for at least half an hour after a beating.
A morning of labor, followed by another round of torture. Fatigue quickly overwhelmed him.
His consciousness blurred.
Vaguely, he heard a distant voice.
"Will you gamble again?"
Ryoma hesitated. The lingering pain forced an answer from him.
"No. I won't. I won't gamble anymore."
"Will you be a responsible father from now on?"
This time, he answered without hesitation.
"I will. I'll be a role model. I'll make Mei proud."
In his sleep, Ryoma felt someone shaking him. He opened his eyes groggily and saw a row of white teeth, then a dark face behind them.
The man smiled.
"Bro, you awake?"
Ryoma jolted upright.
"I wasn't slacking! I'll get back to work right now, please don't whip me!"
He recognized the man as one of the supervisors, someone who had whipped him plenty of times before.
But the fierce expression was gone. The man looked unusually gentle and was holding a briefcase.
He reached inside.
Ryoma braced himself.
But what came out was not a whip. It was a sealed document envelope.
"Mr. Ryoma, although our time together hasn't been pleasant, I regret to inform you that you've been optimized."
Ryoma stared blankly.
"Huh?"
"Inside is your salary for the past two months, plus severance pay."
Seeing Ryoma's confusion, the man explained patiently.
"We've purchased engineering robots from ME Corp specifically for banana harvesting. They only need sunlight to function."
"The remaining workers are being retrained, and some have been transferred to new banana byproduct companies. We no longer need so many people."
"So, unfortunately, you're fired."
"This is your pay. We're a proper, ethical company. Not a cent missing."
Ryoma froze.
Then froze again.
He pointed at his own face, disbelieving.
"I… can leave?"
The supervisor's patience wore thin.
"If you don't want to leave, you can stay. Learn machine operation and maintenance. No salary during training, but food and lodging are provided."
"No! No no no! I'm leaving! I'm leaving right now!"
Only after walking out of the plantation, feeling the thick envelope in his hands, did Ryoma realize this was not a dream.
He thought of the clattering pachinko machines back in Nagazora City.
He thought of his gentle, home-loving daughter.
He thought of the warm little family he had missed so desperately in his dreams.
Tears streamed down his face.
He wiped them away, his voice trembling.
"The good days… they're finally coming back."
…
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