Chapter 1506: Blowing Up the Slums
For the time being, no one came to bother the children who had enjoyed two days of food and warmth. The innkeeper, fearing trouble, had shut the doors and left. Those children instinctively hid in inconspicuous corners, especially the orphans, hoping not to catch the attention of adults.
The most disappointed was the youth who had come from the Underground Palace. He was now left on the streets, and it was the two injured brothers who secretly took him to a place to stay. After the Water Shop players entered the inn several times, those nearby who realized Xu Huo might have already left began lurking around.
Although the youth was male, his beauty and weakness invited greed. Without protection, he wouldn't survive long in the slums.
So, after a day of inner struggle, he persuaded the two brothers to escape the slums with him.
"I have hands and feet. I'm healthy. I can work. There must be a place that will take me in," the youth said.
The two children were scared, but the temptation of escape was too great. Plus, the older brother's leg had mostly healed, so they agreed to the youth's proposal. The three set off quietly before dawn.
Xu Huo had led them out twice before, and children who had come to the inn from other places had inadvertently revealed some paths that adults found hard to traverse. The three pieced together these scattered routes and mapped out an escape path.
This path was far more difficult than the "main road" in the middle, with constant ups and downs. But when they set out, they were full of hope, and they successfully made it out of the Water Shop's territory.
Because the Water Shop had been fighting with the casino for turf over the past two days, the area near the slum's exit was actually more dangerous. The three planned to climb over from a high point, but since they couldn't leave from the hilltop, they had to crouch near the entrance, waiting for a fight between players to seize their chance.
However, they didn't know that they had been spotted by players even before leaving the Water Shop's range. Two players had been tailing them, probably curious about what they were up to. It wasn't until they reached the slum's exit that the two players revealed themselves and grabbed the three. One of them, a tattooed man from the casino, said to his companion, "These three little brats are trying to run."
"Oh?" A flashily dressed man choked out a laugh. "Isn't this the little pet raised in the Underground Palace? How did it end up here?"
As he spoke, he reached out to touch the youth's face. The youth, pale-faced, stepped back and forced himself to stay calm, saying, "Mr. Xu told us to come here. He said he would take us away!"
The casino people hadn't faced Xu Huo directly, but they knew how formidable he was. Hearing this, they turned serious. However, the flashy man soon looked in a certain direction and asked, "Didn't you say that Xu guy had already left?"
The Water Shop players appeared, and there were quite a few of them. "He really has left. Don't you know that the people from the Underground Palace are either dead or on the run?"
In fact, both sides had heard some news about Bai City. They only knew that Xu Huo had gone on a killing spree there, but where he went afterward was unclear. Since he hadn't shown up for so long, it was unlikely he would return to the slums—he was just passing through.
"Give a beggar two meals, and he really thinks he's a savior." The tattooed man slapped the youth to the ground, seemingly pleased by his tears. He then grabbed the youth's head and said, "Since the Underground Palace is gone, you'll be entertaining guests at the casino from now on... and the two little ones too."
The two brothers were too young to understand the situation, but the youth knew exactly what the man meant. Intense humiliation and anger momentarily overshadowed his fear and despair. He suddenly pushed the man and shouted to the two children, "Run! Mr. Xu is outside!"
The older brother reacted quickly and dragged his younger sibling toward the exit. The players standing nearby didn't immediately stop them, instead hesitating to confirm the youth's words—they were also afraid that Xu Huo might actually appear.
But a few seconds later, they realized they had been tricked. The tattooed man grabbed the youth by the hair and dragged him out of the slums, saying, "You want to run, huh? I'll show you what happens when you try to escape!"
Other players went after the two brothers.
The players didn't take the two children seriously at all. The flashy man pulled a dagger from behind his waist and slowly followed them, watching them stumble forward with a cold laugh.
"The only ones who leave the slums are the dead..."
As he spoke, he moved behind the two children, kicked the older brother to the ground, and then stepped forward, gently pressing his head into the mud.
"Big brother..." The younger child clung to his leg, crying loudly. Annoyed, the flashy man was about to deal with him when he suddenly saw cars appear on the horizon. First one, then a second, then a third—in an instant, it became a long convoy.
The flashy man's expression changed. Forgetting the children, he quickly retreated into the slums. "It's the Central City cars!"
Central City was the ceiling of power in the 01 Settlement. Even the settlement's water supply was under their control. The slum players couldn't understand why such people would come to the slums!
Before the convoy even arrived, all the players in the slums gathered near the exit. While they were discussing their strategy, the youth, who had been thrown aside, seized the opportunity to run out of the slums. He grabbed the two children and sprinted forward, shouting, "As long as we get out of here... there are so many people—there must be good people among them!"
The convoy was approaching. The slum players, worried that killing someone would be seen as a provocation, let the three escape.
The three children ran slowly. As the convoy drew nearer, they huddled together in fear, trembling, and lowered their heads, waiting for the cars to pass.
The vehicles passed by them one after another, but soon they stopped. A female player got out of the car nearest to them, showed goodwill, and checked the child's shoulder. Then she turned back to the car and said, "The shoulder blade is cracked. Nothing serious."
Only then did the youth dare to sneak a look into the open car door. His eyes widened in shock. "Mr. Xu!"
Xu Huo smiled at the three children. The younger one immediately clung to the car door, snot and tears streaming, and tattled, "They hit my brother! And they wanted to take big brother away!"
"No one will hit you anymore." Xu Huo waited for them to get in the car before signaling the convoy to continue.
The original Central City convoy, plus the people sent by Flower City, lined up thirty-two vehicles outside the slums. Before the slum representatives could even speak, Bian Zhichuan used a prop to announce:
"Attention everyone. Central City has decided to blow up the slums in thirty minutes. Please evacuate immediately!"
(Chapter End)