Chapter 124: Sudden Shift in the Situation
"In recent days, multiple low-level areas in Country Y have experienced riots. Large numbers of unidentified terrorists have raided military arsenals and carried out indiscriminate massacres. According to incomplete statistics, eleven cities have already fallen to the flames of war. Country Y calls this the most appalling atrocity of the century..."
"...Several high-ranking officials have simultaneously vanished from their homes, their whereabouts still unknown. The highest ruler of Country B has declared heavy firepower strikes against such criminal acts disrupting the order of Country B..."
"The entire family of the highest ruler of Country S died tragically in their villa..."
"...Country H has seen twenty-nine consecutive mass murder cases within a single week..."
"Seven fully loaded passenger planes in Country W have disappeared without a trace..."
"...A tsunami in Country N has submerged one-third of its territory..."
"...The sudden outbreak of riots and crime has become the prelude to global turmoil. Criminal incidents are frequent in various countries. Cult members claiming to be pioneers of evolution are spreading everywhere. On online platforms, some are even declaring intentions to destroy nuclear bases, providing specific information..."
Xu Huo drove while adjusting the radio. In just a few days, almost all public channels, television, and online platforms were dominated by reports of riots. Aside from incidents possibly caused by players, most were violent acts initiated by local people amid the chaos—robbery, murder, attacks on state institutions, large-scale protests, and even political wars in some smaller countries.
Once the fuse was lit, the entire world was drawn into a vortex of chaos in an extremely short time, including the cities he passed through.
Although the country had immediately deployed the military and armed police, uncontrollable factors remained. Explosions occurred frequently within cities. Large numbers of residents fled urban areas, while those with nowhere to go looted daily necessities, leading to frequent bloodshed. Suppression was met with repeated backlash.
The larger the city, the harder it was to control. Some cities near Hai City had already been placed under lockdown, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving. All problems, unless they escalated to the point where all violent agencies of a city could no longer suppress them, had to be resolved internally.
As they neared Hai City, Wang Chaoqing shrank in the back seat and said fearfully, "Brother, maybe we shouldn't go to Hai City. Those foreign players might specifically target big cities. Besides, Hai City is one of the top economic metropolises along the coast. There are countless smart and educated people here. There must be many players who survived the initial screening. If a fight breaks out, we might end up as cannon fodder!"
"Not many players are coming. There won't be large-scale one-on-one battles. Some low-level players can be worn down by the state machinery. Someone will step up for dialogue soon."
Xu Huo kept his eyes on the road, his expression unchanged.
Having passed through so many cities, and even deliberately detouring to observe some dangerous ones, he noticed that after the initial chaos, it was mostly local evolvers and criminals who emerged. The situation remained within controllable limits.
This indicated that the tickets and instances were holding back most players from other zones.
The truly troublesome ones were some high-level players. Their entry channels might differ. Unless they found super items, they likely wouldn't leave Zone 014.
"What does that have to do with us?" Wang Chaoqing hugged his arms. "I just want to survive."
Xu Huo ignored him, presented his documents at the checkpoint, and entered Hai City.
As a super metropolis, Hai City remained relatively stable. There were plenty of vehicles and pedestrians on the streets, though most moved with haste. Places like shopping malls and stores were crowded, with everyone glued to TV and phone news.
Finding a place to park, Xu Huo casually chose a restaurant and sat by the window.
"Hello, what would you like to order?" the waiter hurried over.
The Painting Woman ordered a few dishes. The waiter apologized, "We're out of that special meat today. The city's locked down, so some supplies can't get in. Could you choose something else?"
"I came from outside. I think Hai City is still doing okay," Xu Huo said.
The waiter looked at him in surprise. "You came from another city? The news says many cities aren't allowing people in or out."
"I left early." Xu Huo paused, then added, "Hai City is a big city, so it must be much safer."
"Absolutely," the waiter agreed. "I have friends from other places who say they don't even dare step out. Sometimes they hide at home without turning on the lights. Daytime looting is nothing. The scariest part is at night—there are cannibal demons roaming around. It's terrifying!"
"But with the city locked down, people can't go anywhere. They can only hide at home in fear."
"Compared to those places, Hai City is much better. Patrol cars are everywhere on the streets. It's fine to go out."
Xu Huo praised the big city and added another dish. The waiter smiled and left.
"Brother, you really have foresight," Wang Chaoqing gave a thumbs-up. "Coming to Hai City early."
Xu Huo turned to look at the news playing on the square's big screen and said nothing.
Even a heavily guarded heartland city like Jing City couldn't claim safety. Hai City being so calm was the most abnormal thing.
What exactly were they planning to do?
*
"What the hell are they planning to do!" A military-uniformed old man slammed the table in fury. "In less than an hour, fifty players are dead! No warnings, no demands—they're killing almost one person per minute. All of them are elites!"
The other old men in the meeting room also wore grim expressions.
After the announcement of the super item's appearance, they had immediately responded by raising the alert level in all cities to the maximum. Secret cities were heavily guarded, fearing players might target these locations.
This had some effect. Some impacted areas didn't suffer devastating losses—at least not like Country Y, where arsenals were emptied.
Although Jing City faced some crises, as the nation's heart, the existing players, combined with elite players gathered from across the country, formed a sizable team. With military support, they managed to temporarily suppress those individuals at a certain cost.
Before they could devise strategies to address the next issues, the Special Affairs Bureau started losing people.
To handle the crisis, they and the selected key players had already entered safe zones. Yet these people died one after another, in ways so bloody they were hard to witness!
In the first ten minutes, they dispersed all players separately. But no matter where the players hid, they couldn't escape their fate. Fifty died in an hour. By the time the military-uniformed old man lost his temper, two more had been added.
"Are they going to kill every player in Jing City?" another white-haired old man asked.
"Based on current information, only the players from the Special Affairs Bureau are being killed in large numbers," the director of the Special Affairs Bureau said from the computer screen at the other end of the conference table.