NOVEL WEB Chapter 346: You Like Her
As Rita soaked the last batch of materials in ice water, her thoughts gradually fell into place. Finding an Oak Owl with an S-grade Divine Gift wasn't going to be easy, especially not here. Most of the foreign races on Blue Star were cannon fodder, spawned from giant sea creatures, and true S-grades wouldn't show up in the early stages just to play disposable pawns. She'd have to go to Lania Kaia for that…
Just as she was lost in thought, another message arrived. Assuming it was from Shadow.Q, she opened it immediately, only to see that it was from Rick.
[Rick]: Can you revive Zoey one more time?
Rita sat cross-legged on the grass in her backyard, propping her chin in one hand as she stared at the message. Her eyes lingered on the word "Zoey" for a long moment, lost in thought.
Instead of replying in the game's chat interface, she put everything else aside and flew to the ruins of The Lopez Family's estate. There, she found Rick sitting alone in front of the wreckage. His Trust Level with her was still at 83. He was hugging his knees, staring blankly at a patch of grass in the distance. Following his gaze, Rita's eyes landed on the spot where Zoey had turned to ashes.
In the background, Black Jade and a group of Eclipse Vanguard members were discussing something amidst the ruins. Rita eavesdropped for a moment and heard that Black Jade had taken a liking to the place and was asking Eclipse Vanguard to clean it up for him so he could move in. Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
Legally speaking, most of The Lopez Family's members were dead. With Black Jade staking his claim on the property, the estate would likely fall into his hands. As compensation, the remaining assets would probably be given to Sofia—things like The Lopez Family's dungeon profits and other properties. Considering Zoey had gone out of her way to spare Sofia, Eclipse Vanguard, ever the crafty old fox, would no doubt protect Sofia as a hidden card for potential future use.
When Rita landed, several people approached to greet her. She waved them off and flew straight to Rick. By now, she was so accustomed to using her wings for travel that walking felt like a waste of energy.
Sitting down beside Rick, she asked, "I thought you hated her."
That was the reason she had come in person—she was genuinely curious. For someone as selfish and cold-hearted as Rick, who had completely fallen out with Zoey, to ask this of her? She had to know why.
Rick turned to her, his eyes filled with a pleading desperation. His voice was hoarse as he asked, "Can you? Sis! Can you revive her? I have an item that can reset cooldowns." As he spoke, he pulled out a metronome-shaped item and held it out to her.
Rita didn't take it. Instead, she looked him straight in the eye and said, matter-of-factly, "You like her."
Rick pushed the metronome closer, pointing at the patch of grass in the distance with his other hand. "Sis! Please! You can, right?"
"The skill's cooldown can't be shortened by any means." Rita gently pushed the item back. Anything in Rick's possession that she hadn't personally stolen, she didn't dare touch. "Did you come here last night?" she asked.
Rick didn't answer. He hugged the metronome tighter and looked away, clearly unwilling to face the question.
"So, you came, saw Zoey clearing out The Lopez Family, and ran off?" Rita guessed.
"I didn't!" Rick's low growl betrayed him.
So she was right. That was exactly what Rick would do. Feeling rather amused, Rita sighed lightly. "Did you give her something recently? Maybe it's your fault she ended up like this."
"Impossible!" Rick shot up, his voice trembling with indignation, as if he'd been deeply wronged. "Impossible! What I gave her could only help her find what she's always wanted most!"
Ah, so that's it… Rita nodded. "Well, she found it."
Rick straightened his posture, a movement that made him look even more snake-like. "What do you mean? Do you know something? What kind of instance did you guys go into?"
Looking at the worry in Rick's eyes, Rita couldn't help but feel curious. After all, this was the same Rick who, in her previous life, had simultaneously been involved with Zoey, Sanchez, and Camila. Her tone lacked any trace of mockery or malice—only genuine curiosity as she asked, "Do you even really know her?"
"I do! I understand her! I know her better than anyone!" Rita's question seemed to ignite a fury in Rick. His voice grew louder and more insistent, each sentence more resolute than the last. It was unclear whether he was trying to convince Rita or himself.
No longer attempting to pry information out of her, Rick began speaking with a venomous intensity, rattling off evidence to prove his feelings. He must have seen the lip-reading breakdown of her and Zoey's fight from the forums—deciphering even Oak Owl language wasn't a challenge for the community, given an entire night to work on it.
"You were all fooled by her!" Rick's voice dripped with contempt. "Do you really believe all that nonsense about how she just wanted to be 'seen'? How she craved family? No, not at all. She's far more greedy than that.
"She wants everything! Power, wealth, love—she wants it all! But her family doesn't love her, and the love of the weak disgusts her. The love of the strong? That wounds her pride.
"Most people try to make themselves more likable if they want love. Not her. She points a gun at you and demands you love her. She wants everyone to submit to her, but when someone kneels before her and asks, 'What do you want?' she can only say, 'What I deserve.'
"What the hell is 'deserve'? She doesn't even dare admit what she truly wants. She's terrified that people like Theodore and Mateo will laugh at her behind her back, calling her pathetic. The more exceptional she is, the more Matthew resents her. That man made his fortune through conquest and swallowing others whole—how could he ever feel proud of someone like Zoey? She knows all this, but she can't swallow her pride. She wants to win.
"She longs to give love, but she's always on guard against hidden motives. She hopes that emotions can be like business deals, earned through skill and merit. Yet deep down, she secretly wishes for someone to love her unconditionally, for a world where everything is fair—except when it comes to her, where all the bias favors her.
"I know her better than anyone. I am the one who understands her best in this entire world! She's a pain in the ass! She's such a goddamned pain in the ass!"
Rick's voice was nearly a shout now, his words spilling out with no clear structure or logic, each one more emotional than the last. As if thinking about Zoey's flaws both exasperated and captivated him.
Rita quietly observed him. Despite his angry tone, she felt that the very traits he listed might be what drew him to Zoey in the first place. Rick didn't fall in love with her polished, perfect facade—that was boring and forgettable. What he truly liked were the messy, complicated, and maddening parts of her.
She caught the glimmer of tears in Rick's eyes. His first instinct was to blink rapidly, forcing them back.
Rita found the scene amusing. Rick wasn't the type to believe that men shouldn't cry; quite the opposite—he was excellent at it. If he wanted to, he could cry beautifully, in a way that didn't make him seem weak, but instead more charismatic.
Yet now, as he shed a few genuine tears for Zoey, he felt ashamed and panicked, as though such vulnerability was a crime.
Rita's voice was calm as she delivered the truth: "She found it. All those things you said were such a pain about her? She found them."