Chapter 1499: A High-Stakes Gamble
Aside from the barren land, the 01 Settlement had no rare underground resources, leaving the city stagnant like a pool of dead water. Apart from using money earned from outside to solve the entire city's food and survival needs, there were virtually no other goals at this stage.
The overall situation of District 026 was actually similar to the slums. The vast majority of players were not talented individuals; they had merely survived after being forced to become players.
Listening to Mayor Song describe the situation in District 026, Xu Huo fell into thought. In the districts he had visited, the strength and number of players were almost directly proportional to the quality of the environment. The better a district's environment, the more species that underwent evolution, and often the more players it possessed.
"...Mr. Xu comes from another district. This old woman presumes to ask, does District 026 still have a way out?" The elderly Mayor Song asked, her voice filled with concern for the future of District 026.
The water in the teapot bubbled and steamed. Xu Huo stared at it for a moment before saying, "Unless a super-strong player is born."
For a district to defy its fate and change its destiny was as difficult as reaching the heavens, especially when the overall level of players was low and resources were scarce. Moreover, District 026 had a large population; relocating to another district was absolutely impossible. To improve the entire district's environment based on the current foundation, there was no other way but to obtain advanced technology from the games. Therefore, at least one player had to be capable enough.
Based on the experiences of Mayor Song and the others, to them, that B-rank player in Central City was the unparalleled genius of District 026.
"Unfortunately, he has never left Central City." Mayor Song's eyes were clouded with gloom.
In truth, she knew a bit more about the situation in Central City. It wasn't just the problem of that B-rank player; the entire Central City held an attitude of indifference to the fate of others. If it weren't for player resources and the fear of being besieged by other cities, they probably wouldn't even share the water. Central City's environment was so good that it even rivaled some medium-sized cities they had seen in outer districts, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding cities. If they had any intention of helping their fellow countrymen, they wouldn't have waited until now.
The topic ended there. Xu Huo borrowed a room, planning to head to Central City after dawn.
The brief conversation left Mayor Song and the others unsettled. They vaguely guessed what Xu Huo intended to do but weren't sure if he could accomplish it. If external intervention truly changed the situation in the 01 Settlement, this could very well be their chance to turn things around.
But if Xu Huo failed, then Rain City might face retaliation from Central City.
"Should we seize this opportunity?" The burly man Da Jiang, who had been to the slums, lowered his voice. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Our district hasn't merged with the game, and almost no outer district players have ever come in. Even if someone did, no one would meddle. Whatever this Xu wants to do, why don't we hitch a ride?"
"It's not that simple. We don't know his intentions yet. Even if he succeeds in killing that B-rank player, don't forget that the C-rank players in Central City are almost all gathered from other cities. There are quite a few of them. How can we compare? Don't let him smash the situation we've worked so hard to build." Female player Kang Miao didn't agree with taking the risk. "Even if, hypothetically, that outsider player does some good out of kindness, he can leave at any time. District 026 has nothing to do with him anyway. But we would be staking everything we have."
Yes, everything—their lives and fortunes.
If the operation against Central City failed, they would be massacred within ten days. Players might be lucky enough to escape into the games, but the ordinary people in the city would definitely not survive. Central City wouldn't take in so many people waiting to be fed either.
Calling it a high-stakes gamble with extremely low odds was not an exaggeration. If they failed, the death toll would be far more than just a few hundred or thousand.
The thirty or so core elites who had dispersed earlier were now all sweating from their backs. Placing their hopes of turning things around on the possible goodwill of an outer district player seemed foolish to anyone, but they truly had no better options.
Before District 026 merged with the game, the current state of the 01 Settlement would not change. Rain City's population was nearing saturation. If it increased further, they would have no choice but to periodically eliminate the old, weak, sick, and disabled, just like other districts.
Even when the day came for District 026 to merge with the game, their situation would likely not improve. Perhaps, aside from Central City, other cities wouldn't even have the ability to defend themselves.
Mayor Song and the others had seen how some players treated weak and poor districts. Without any constraints, they might kill at any moment on a whim.
But if they could use this opportunity to weaken Central City's strength, they could then unite with other cities to negotiate, securing more water for farming. This would ensure more people could survive without having to strictly limit births. With a larger population, the probability of producing excellent players would increase.
Everyone turned their gaze to Mayor Song.
This weathered old woman looked around at the crowd. "Prepare for both outcomes. Half of the D-rank players and one-third of the E-rank players should prepare to head to Central City. In both groups, the number of women should be less than one-third."
The players stood up in unison, responding without hesitation, "Yes!"
Xu Huo only rested for two hours. When he walked out of the room, he saw Mayor Song waiting outside the door.
The old woman had stayed up all night. After arranging matters, she had come to wait for him, staying until he emerged.
"Mr. Xu, let's have breakfast together."
Breakfast was a bit more formal than the previous night's conversation, but the food on the table was very simple, mostly steamed dishes.
"These are all made from grains planted by the players of Rain City. The taste might not compare to outer districts, but they're considered good things here. Please forgive the poor hospitality." The old lady said with a smile.
Xu Huo went along with her, casually chatting about the customs and local conditions of Rain City.
The conversation didn't delve deeper during the meal, but after finishing, Xu Huo took the initiative to say, "The Rain City players can follow along to Central City for a look. If I leave early, your people don't need to enter the city."
Mayor Song's expression visibly relaxed. She said gratefully, "Thank you. Is there anything we can do to repay you?"
Xu Huo smiled. "Let's talk about that later."
Rain City truly had nothing that could catch his eye, to the point that Mayor Song couldn't even propose offering some benefits first. She called over Da Jiang and Kang Miao. "Both of them are experienced veterans. Can they go with Mr. Xu to lend a hand, just in case any special situations arise?"
In truth, Mayor Song was worried that Xu Huo might fall into Central City's traps.
"Alright." Xu Huo didn't refuse her goodwill and asked the two, "Do you have any teleportation items?"
(End of chapter)