Chapter 1293: Pitiful People
This was a battle with a clear disparity in strength. Han Yi Fang was clearly in the upper hand, while the attackers, relying on pre-laid plans and targeted restraints, only managed to be effective at the very beginning. As time passed, they quickly fell into a disadvantage, and their numbers dwindled rapidly.
Many had died, with the majority of the casualties concentrated around Han Yi's position. Uninvolved parties had already retreated into the buildings on both sides, leaving only these two groups on the street. The empty thoroughfare made the bodies lying on the ground particularly conspicuous—twelve players from the attacking side had been killed, and most of them had died rather unpleasantly.
Han Yi's side was primarily composed of B-rank players. Their evolution rates were higher, and overall, their movement speed was faster. Of course, sometimes this speed could be compensated for with items, but when items failed or there was no time to use them, this advantage, which might not seem significant at other times, proved crucial.
Xu Huo observed from the sidelines. At least a third of the dead players had been killed by direct attacks, meaning they simply hadn't had time to use their items.
The players on Han Yi's side were adept at using speed. They killed cleanly and efficiently, striking with a single fatal blow. Compared to the other players who used high-lethality items, they actually seemed a bit more "merciful."
"Boom!" A round glass ball exploded after being embedded into a player's body. The struck player was torn apart, his remains scattered all over the street. This greatly agitated his comrade fighting alongside him. The female player let out a sharp cry, forcefully snapped shut the weapon strapped to her lower back, and a blue light flickered from the cylindrical metal object. She shouted at the player in front of her, "Life and death, bound together!"
The distance between them uncontrollably shortened. That player, having failed to shake off the female player even after using two items, looked up at the sky with a grim expression.
The aircraft that had been lurking nearby began to move. This type of aircraft had both offensive and defensive capabilities. Upon detecting the thermal weapon on the female player, it approached her and, just before she forcibly bound herself to Han Yi's player, deployed an inflatable safety suit that wrapped around her entire body.
Two seconds later, the cylindrical bomb detonated. Although the safety suit was also blown apart, it absorbed part of the impact. The player who had used a defensive item was unharmed, and the bomb's lethal radius, which should have covered at least ten meters, was reduced to five meters. In other words, this suicide bombing ultimately only killed the detonator.
"Idiot." After extricating himself, Han Yi's player looked at the bloodstains on his pant leg, said with disgust and displeasure, and then charged at the other attackers.
"What's going on?" The attackers were shocked and bewildered. "Didn't we use a jammer?"
A planned and organized attack couldn't possibly have overlooked the city full of aircraft. A second before the operation began, they had set up jammers both inside and outside the street. These were supposed to disable all aircraft in the area and prevent any reinforcements from entering the street. But the current situation proved their jammers hadn't worked at all—the aircraft had been lurking around them from the very beginning!
However, the current situation didn't allow them to investigate the cause. After multiple failed attempts to get close to Han Yi and with over half their members dead or wounded, the leader had no choice but to signal for a retreat.
Han Yi's side had also suffered casualties, and with Han Yi so close, some were unwilling to give up the opportunity. They pretended to retreat but then launched a surprise counterattack. But it was at this moment that another group of players appeared around them—members of the Han Clan.
Seeing this, what else could the attackers understand? "The Han Clan had an ambush prepared! There's a traitor among us!"
The player who shouted this was killed as soon as he finished speaking. The morale of the attackers plummeted further. Surrounded on all sides, some fled into the station, while others hesitated about whether to help their comrades escape and ended up trapped themselves. Soon, only three players remained on the attacking side.
The three of them lingered within their defensive barrier, refusing to leave. The burly man shouted at Han Yi, "One who does evil will eventually bring ruin upon himself! One day, you will pay the price!"
"Pay the price?" Han Yi laughed out loud. "With a bunch of people like you, you think you can make me pay?"
He clicked his tongue in mock pity. "Pitiful, truly pitiful to behold. Did you really think your plan was flawless?"
Under the suspicious and uneasy gazes of the three men, Han Yi continued, "News of your planned attack leaked out long ago. Should I say you're simple-minded or just stupid? Buying a large-scale aircraft jammer directly in Fresh Flower City?"
"Is there any news in Fresh Flower City that my Han Clan doesn't know about?"
"Use your brain a bit more in your next life... Oh, and I'll also send your relatives and friends to join you."
With that, he signaled his men to end the battle.
The three men stood rigidly, their backs straight. Looking around with grief and indignation, they shouted, "Do you hear that? This is the kind of person ruling Fresh Flower City! What kind of future can ordinary people have?!"
The player beside Han Yi's eyes turned cold. He wanted to act himself but was stopped. Han Yi said, "Let them speak. We can't deny them the chance to talk."
The burly man's face flushed red, and he became even more vehement: "Do you know how many people in Fresh Flower City are killed for sport by these rich brats every year? How many commit suicide every month? How many are punished for inexplicable reasons every single day? This is where we were born and raised. Someone made laws, but those laws are only used to restrain ordinary people like us! Are you content with this? Do you want to see your own children and grandchildren live like this, just barely surviving?"
These words seemed to strike a chord with many. The street fell into a deep silence, with only the wind and the faint hum of the aircraft's operation breaking the stillness.
"Young master..." The player beside Han Yi spoke up to remind him.
An attack and a confession might not show immediate results in the short term, but once the seeds were sown, one or two were bound to sprout. When those sprouts grew, more seeds would follow. The Han Clan had been in Fresh Flower City for a long time—years, even decades—and had witnessed many things. Some things simply couldn't be allowed to start.
Han Yi's expression darkened slightly. Ignoring his subordinate's reminder, he said to the burly man, "Do you know why I pity you?"
"Because you foolishly think that with a few dozen or a few hundred people, you can carry the entire weight of Fresh Flower City on your backs."
"Have you never been to the game world? Can you find many places more stable than Fresh Flower City?"
"The people of Fresh Flower City enjoy the peace and stability that my Han Clan works hard to maintain, yet they resent that my Han Clan hasn't given up its power and wealth for them to enjoy?"
"Use your brains. Without the Han Clan, there would be another clan. Without Fresh Flower City, there's still Zone 001. Even if Zone 001 were gone, there would be other districts, other wormhole points. What do you want to change? What *can* you change?"
(End of Chapter)