1 The Death of the Brilliant Politician

Srangg-!!!

Roarrrr-!!!!

"Too many zombies in front of me!! We need backup as soon as possible with some closer battle-!!!" shouted one of the individuals in front of thousands of zombies launching a massive attack towards a group of people wielding meat cleavers in panic.

"Wind Blast-!!!"

After chanting his skill and swinging the sword he carried, dozens of wind blades suddenly shot out like bullets towards the zombies, cutting through some of them.

Move-!!

Dashing towards a different direction, a young man with a cold face immediately slashed several monsters much larger than himself. "Edge of Death-!!"

Aura gathered around his sword as he swung it, cutting down all enemies in his path, before returning to his original position.

"J-Johan-!! Can we hold this area?! Why don't we retreat for now to the defense camp! After all, the enemies we are facing here are on a completely different level-!!!" protested one of Johan's companions.

Shaking his head heavily, Johan explained, "We can't do that! This is the main route connecting our main territory with the heavily infected outer regions! If we leave, there will be more room for them to attack-!!"

"But-"

Before his companion could argue further, Johan continued, "In that case, you and all the injured should go back to our defense camp first. Let me hold off all the enemies here for a while! I have plenty of room to unleash deadly attacks-!!"

His companion nodded in agreement. "Alright, we'll go back first, and I hope you'll be careful fighting those evolved zombies and strange-shaped monsters!"

Grinning...

With a cold expression, Johan responded, "I know... So, hurry back-!!"

Then, hundreds of retreaters ran back, leaving Johan alone amidst thousands of zombies and monsters preparing to attack them.

Standing on a pile of corpses and looking calmly at all his enemies, Johan declared, "Alright, since everyone has moved away from this area, I'll have fun with you all without holding back-!!!!!"

Sreztttt- Sreezzzttttt- Sreeeeezzzzzztttttt-!!!!!

Slowly, Johan's body generated sparks of electricity, which grew in intensity and quantity, covering his entire body with blue and white electric currents, emitting a dazzling light.

"Kuhuhuhhh... This feeling... This feeling...!! It seems I've been holding back this special ability for too long-!!!"

Lifting his sword lightly, Johan shouted, "Come on, all of you, and die to become part of my EXP to level up-!!!!" His eyes were now white, filled with electric currents flowing through his entire body.

Then, he dashed towards the monsters with maniacal laughter, carrying thousands of volts of electricity in his sword and his unstable body.

Dashhh-!!!!

Moving at lightning speed, Johan grinned widely!

"I'm coming, Apocalypse-!!!!!"

That was a conversation and action from a scene in a novel being read by a man lying calmly on a hospital bed.

"Enjoyable, isn't it, watching them have ambitions and something they love and fight for. Building enjoyable friendships and uniting to fight enemies together..." mumbled the man as he watched the battle scene between the main character and the enemies in his story.

Thinking about all that the main character did in the novel, he couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.

A question that could only be asked to himself, "Is there a reason for me to live?"

***

In a hospital room, I, a 29-year-old man, am currently being treated for a terminal illness. The doctor said I've been suffering from this terminal illness for a long time and only have a little time left to live.

"A life full of misfortune, what's the point of all my efforts? Should I work hard for something that's futile?" I murmured while reading the novel.

Srekkk...

"Huh... I'd better enjoy my last moments before I die," I said, continuing to read the novel.

I am Ray, a successful young leader, but in the end, I fell ill and could only lie on a hospital bed.

Reflecting on my life from childhood to adulthood, I have never experienced anything pleasant or enjoyable. I tried to recall all the events that happened in my past life.

My parents died in an accident caused by a truck driver when I was still a child, and I was forced to take care of my baby sister alone when I was only seven years old.

But unfortunately, my sister passed away from a severe illness despite my efforts to save her.

I even begged on the streets every day to collect small amounts of money to take her to the doctor.

I tried everything, seeking help from relatives, but they all just mocked and distanced themselves from me.

Not without reason, it was because of a bad rumor that anyone who got close to me would be plagued by various misfortunes, leading many people to blame me for the death of my parents and my sister's illness.

Honestly, I didn't care how they insulted me as long as at least some of them were willing to help my sister.

But that hope was shattered along the way. It was too late, amidst the pouring rain here. As I walked towards our damaged tent, where both of us lived after seeking help and begging on the streets as usual, I saw my sister lying motionless on the broken bed we used for her to rest.

I didn't suspect anything at that moment, but when I prepared to feed her, I felt that her body was already cold and stiff.

I panicked immediately, trying to shake her body, blowing into her mouth, and trying everything possible to wake her up.

I myself didn't know what happened at that moment, and in that critical moment, I saw an old scavenger not far from my tent preparing to take shelter.

I approached him and brought him to my tent to check on my sister.

"Old man!! Old man!! Please help me check on my sister!! Sob~... Sob~...," I pleaded to the old man while crying.

"Alright, my son, please calm down first, lead me there," the old man replied while putting down his sack and running with me.

When the old man saw my sister, he was slightly surprised, but he would still examine her carefully.

To his astonishment, when the old man finished checking on my sister, he immediately hugged me without saying a word.

"I'm sorry, my son, but it seems your little sister... has passed away," he said.

Instantly, my heart shattered into pieces. I couldn't hold back my tears upon hearing that, I never thought I would be too late to save my only remaining family!

"The old man must be lying, right? You must be lying! Hey, answer me, old man... Answer me!!" I asked while resisting strongly within his embrace.

"I'm sorry, my child, but this bitter reality is indeed true. There's nothing we can do now. Accept this reality with all your heart, and if you need to let out your emotions, go ahead and vent as much as you need to. It's the only way to complain at this moment," the old man said while hugging me tightly.

"Hiks~! Impossible... This can't be! My little sister, she's my only family~! Uwahh...!"

I cried, cried with all my might, regretting not making money faster to take her to the doctor earlier!

And since that day, I couldn't feel any emotions other than sadness and regret.

As time went by since then, after we buried my sister in a public cemetery near my parents' grave, I was adopted by the old man.

Over time, he taught me all the amazing knowledge he possessed.

No one knew that the old man was actually a genius Law and Political Science Professor!

Then I was told his story, he was once the top graduate from the best university in the world in Country X! But when he returned to this country, there was a coup in the government instigated by Country Y, which forced him to become a scavenger to save himself from the massacre carried out by the rebel forces targeting politicians with political affiliations from Country X!

To this day, he never used his political knowledge and merely observed the country, gaining a deep understanding, especially in geopolitics.

With all the stories he shared, I became obsessed with political science.

For years, I began to understand the essence of politics, its importance, and why all politicians sought the highest power!

When I turned 20, we finally had a place to live, even if it was in a slum area.

The old man's physical condition had deteriorated, he was now very old and feeble, but I still diligently took care of him.

To me, he became my dearest substitute for family.

However, due to his old age, he eventually passed away when I was 22 years old.

I tried not to cry or regret it, as he had instructed me not to mourn his departure upon his death.

Before his passing, he gave me one final instruction, to live with passion and work as a politician, helping as many people as possible with the knowledge he had imparted as a repayment for taking care of him from childhood to adulthood.

"Child... And before I go, I want to give you one last piece of advice... Be careful when entering the world of politics... Honestly, the world of politics is even more disgusting than swimming in a sea of excrement and scarier than living in a forest with thousands of wild animals," the old man said with a hint of humor.

Even before his passing, he tried to create a cheerful atmosphere.

I understood what the old man wanted to do before his death, even when he could no longer move and could only speak with a hoarse voice.

Holding on...

"I understand, old man. I will definitely be cautious when entering the disgusting and terrifying world of politics," I replied while holding both his hands as he could no longer open his eyes.

"Yes... I hope you will understand that..." Those were the last words of the old man before he stopped breathing altogether.

When I felt that he had completely stopped breathing, I could only embrace his lifeless body tightly, just as he had embraced me when my sister passed away.

I had tried very hard not to cry... But my heart couldn't contain the sorrow I felt.

"Hiks~... Hiks~... Forgive me, foolish me, for not being able to hold back my tears for you, old man..." Those were the only words I could say to apologize to the old man who had loved me dearly for over a decade.

In that slum house, the only person I cherished after all my family members had passed away took his last breath.

"Old man... I will truly fulfill your final request with all my strength, that's my promise to you, old man..."

I could only weep uncontrollably in the silence that engulfed this sorrowful heart.

***

Since then, I became determined to become the kind of politician the old man wished for.

Starting from the first year after the old man's passing, I joined a political party with the potential to get me into the central government.

Armed with the political knowledge I learned from the old man, I did everything to gain the trust of the party's higher-ups, demonstrating my political talent, completing all tasks perfectly, and even elevating the party's reputation in the country.

Many rivals stood in my way due to my lack of formal education, but I faced them all easily by taking specialized courses for a few months and obtaining a diploma to counter all arguments from the opposition!

And of course, I accomplished all this within just two years. While it may seem long to the average person, those who understand the political world know that rising from nothing to enhancing a political party's reputation in a country in just two years is a remarkably short time!

Finally, I secured a high-ranking position in the government as a Governor, and during my tenure, I carried out massive reforms in the regions under my authority.

I overhauled the infrastructure, ensuring that citizens could enjoy well-distributed state facilities throughout the area.

I implemented policies to redistribute the population, relocating homeless and destitute individuals to rural settlements that I had created, allowing them to work as farmers or in that region.

I introduced an innovative curriculum in the education sector, making it easier for students to learn, ultimately making the students in my region far superior compared to those in other areas.

The industrial and economic sectors experienced significant growth after I implemented new government policies, leading to greater prosperity and well-being for the community and eliminating unemployment in my region.

All these efforts earned me immense love and gratitude from the people under my governance, who were proud to have me as their leader.

"Oh, Governor, we will support you if you decide to run for office again!"

"We plead for that! Don't let those scoundrels disrupt our region with an untrustworthy Governor-!!"

The people wanted me to serve another term, and even my political party supported it because their reputation was also greatly enhanced in the eyes of the media and the public in this country.

However, fate had a different plan. Just as I was about to be sworn in for a second term as Governor, I suddenly felt excruciating pain and collapsed on the spot.

Brukk-!!

"Governor!!"

"Call an ambulance immediately!"

Soon after, when I regained consciousness, the Doctor informed me that I had a deadly chronic illness that had gone undetected until then.

And my remaining time on this earth was merely one month.

Unlike others who might feel sad, scared, or frustrated when facing death, I did not feel any of those emotions because I was already accustomed to what is known as death.

Sheshhh...

I used that remaining time to cancel my inauguration as Governor and inform the people I led about my true condition.

When they found out, they became deeply saddened, as their beloved leader would soon leave them forever.

Crying in sorrow, many of their hopes were shattered, as the person who rescued them from poverty suddenly discovered a deadly illness, despite being young and having no wife or children.

With no means to save me, the inhabitants of the region could only pray for me to be saved by a higher power. They even organized a massive prayer gathering for me. When the news spread throughout the country, people from all over also felt great sadness because a wise and kind young leader was about to pass away.

Yes, I understood their wishes, their sadness, but I couldn't do anything about it.

I then handed over my position to my protege, whom I had trained previously, so that he could carry out the work as I desired before returning to the hospital.

And with that, I could breathe a sigh of relief. At least, for the next term, there would be a leader capable of gaining the people's trust.

Then, the month finally passed.

When the last day, the moment of my final breath, arrived, I briefly thought, 'If there were more time, I would live life better.'

But there was no more time for me.

Nevertheless, I did not regret my death, I only hoped that if there were another chance at life, I could live freely and happily.

After all, in that world, I was alone without family, without a partner, and relatives who had distanced themselves from me due to the belief that I brought bad luck in my childhood.

Most importantly, I had fulfilled the old man's mission.

And also, everyone I cherished had already passed away.

Truly, it was a sorrowful life...