Chapter 1430: The Cost of Crime
The castle was located at the deepest part of Gem City, practically on the edge of the entire city. However, because the castle was built tall and imposing, it itself formed part of the city wall that surrounded Gem City.
The king's castle, constructed entirely of gems, was the only building in the city that was brightly lit all night long. Thus, from a distance, one could see the fragmented light refracted by the castle, as well as the wall that divided the light and shadow.
The wall wasn't very high, but behind it was a lush forest belt forming an isolation zone, less than twenty meters wide. Beyond that were several artificial lakes, with roads crisscrossing among them. There were no other obstructions around, making the patrolling guards and sentries on duty clearly visible.
It wasn't difficult to silently cross the artificial lakes, especially since this area of lakes wasn't large at all. But so far, no one had gone in.
"There are quite a few people lurking on the wall," Yan Jiayu said in a low voice. "No one dares to go in?"
"The cost of crime is uncertain. No one wants to be the first bird to stick its neck out," Li Kun said beside her. "Everyone is waiting."
Waiting to see who would lose their composure first.
"Waiting like this, who knows how long it will take," Yan Jiayu thought for a moment, then silently slipped down from the wall. She raised a finger to her lips, signaling Xu Huo and the other two to be quiet, then stealthily crept off to a distance.
The wall was curved, so it didn't obstruct their view. The three of them watched as she pretended to pass by, then suddenly turned around with lightning speed and kicked a player crouching on the wall down!
The incident happened so suddenly that both sides' companions were shocked. However, the one kicked down was, after all, a C-grade player. Even though Yan Jiayu's kick was incredibly powerful, that player still landed silently on the ground—but within the castle's perimeter.
The air fell silent for a moment, and that player stood still. However, a few seconds later, the patrolling guards, dozens of meters away and separated by the dense forest, discovered his presence and loudly issued a warning: "Thief!"
Since he had been discovered, that player decided to go all out and head straight for the castle. He had no intention of avoiding the guards; instead, he planned to use his player advantages to forcefully break through. But unexpectedly, the first guard who rushed to him directly pinned him to the ground—his item had failed.
A flicker of surprise crossed that player's face. He then used his strength to forcefully push aside the guards who were piling on top of him, and with a burst of speed, charged into the castle.
Fortunately, although those guards were as strong as oxen, their speed was about the same as ordinary people. By the time they hurriedly ran inside, that player had already disappeared.
The alarm bell inside the castle rang. While the guards searched floor by floor, the residents outside the city also woke up. More and more people gathered outside the castle, speculating about what had happened inside.
During this time, Xu Huo and the others also came down from the wall and stood in an inconspicuous spot, continuing to observe the castle's situation.
From their current position, Xu Huo could see part of the castle. So, while that player who had entered was both entangled with the guards and ransacking the place, he could somewhat see what was happening.
First, regarding the failed items: generally, items that could directly attack were still effective. However, items that required remote activation through voice commands, or those that needed the target to receive a signal, were ineffective. From this point of view, items specifically designed to affect "people" had no effect on the residents of Gem City. Traits should be the same.
But spatial defense items were effective.
Second, the invisibility item. It wasn't unusual for a capable player to have one or two items that could conceal their form. But strangely, that player tried twice to use an invisibility item to avoid the guards' search, yet he was still spotted immediately, as if he hadn't used the item at all. This included hiding in some inconspicuous nooks and crannies.
More and more guards appeared—it was unknown where these guards had been staying before, but as time passed, they surged out endlessly like ants. Especially after that player killed a few guards, the other enraged guards threw their weapons. These cold weapons looked ordinary, but they possessed extraordinary destructive power. It was unclear whether these weapons were special items themselves or if the gems gave them additional power.
Regardless, after circling the castle without even catching a glimpse of the king, that player retreated from the castle, sprinting all the way and vaulting over the wall.
The area outside the castle was crowded with people. The player originally planned to blend into the crowd, but unexpectedly, as soon as he came out, some residents pointed at his position and shouted loudly: "Thief! Murderer!"
This shocked even the players outside the castle, because that player was wearing an invisibility cloak and should have been invisible to the naked eye!
"Thief!" Yan Jiayu suddenly pointed at a shadowy corner on the street and shouted. However, the people around only turned their heads to look before continuing to chase that invisible player. Only a few came over to comfort her and went to check the spot she had pointed at.
Xu Huo and the others exchanged glances, realizing that the residents of Gem City had a special method to distinguish their own people from outsiders, and it wasn't just because of the intimate knowledge inherent in a fairy tale world.
Then, the entire city began a manhunt for the thief. Every household turned on their lights, took out lighting tools and weapons like hoes and rolling pins, and went out to search.
"You should come along too. If we don't catch the murderer, everyone will be in danger!" a Gem City resident invited Xu Huo and the others.
Having already witnessed the "cost of crime," and not wanting to become a rat hunted by the entire city before making any progress on their clearance mission, the players had no choice but to help.
As they were leaving, Xu Huo turned his head to look in the direction of the castle. He paused for a moment before following Yan Jiayu away.
The entire city didn't sleep that night. During the search for the player who had broken into the castle, two other players took the opportunity to enter a residential house. However, the moment they stepped inside, they too were labeled as "thieves," and the residents chased and intercepted them.
One of them, enraged, used a large-scale lethal weapon. Initially, many people died, but soon the guards arrived with gem shields and cut off the attack, greatly weakening its power. To deal with them, Gem City even brought out large crossbows and cannons.
Unless the players simply killed everyone in the entire city in one go, this kind of chase and interception wouldn't stop. Moreover, there were other players watching from the sidelines, secretly shooting arrows. So no matter how long the struggle lasted, the players who had become "criminals" could only hide and flee.
"That guy who went in is really useless. Since he made it to the castle, why didn't he just kidnap the king?" Li Kun cursed.
"Judging by how flustered he was, he probably didn't find the person," Duan Cheng said. "Besides, even if he found the king, it wouldn't help. The focus of the two clearance missions isn't on the king."
(Chapter End)