Chapter 1507: Zone-Wide Announcement
This was a notification, not a negotiation. The slum players had no say in the matter. By the time Bian Zhichuan finished speaking, the players from Central City had already begun moving toward the perimeter of the slums. Not having enough explosive drugs was no problem—props could be used as substitutes. That was precisely why Central City needed to dispatch so many players at once.
"After the slums are demolished, residents currently living there will be taken in by the nearby Rain City and three other cities. Your basic living needs will be guaranteed. This is Central City's promise."
"Please leave the slums as soon as possible. Please leave the slums as soon as possible. Please leave the slums as soon as possible!"
Bian Zhichuan repeated this three times, then prepared to arrange for his companions to enter the slums and drive the players out.
In situations like this, the hardest to deal with were always the players. For ordinary people, as long as food and shelter were arranged, they wouldn't put up much resistance—resistance was basically useless anyway. Besides, given the state of the slums, moving into a proper city was clearly better.
Players were different. No matter why they were holed up in a place like this, they definitely didn't want to lose their existing power base. Once they merged into the city, they would essentially become the bottom rung of the player hierarchy.
Worried that players might block the slum residents from leaving, Central City arranged for people to enter during the warning period to keep them occupied. As for whether those players lived or died, no one cared.
And Central City's aggressive approach did indeed force the slum players into an unprecedented state of "unity." They sealed off the entrances and exits, refusing to let anyone leave, while firmly believing that Central City would never dare to bury the slum residents alive—after all, the slums had originally been created because those cities didn't dare to handle the old, weak, sick, and disabled themselves.
In this situation, they had room to negotiate.
But things quickly changed. The player on surveillance duty sent back a shocking message:
"That Xu guy didn't leave. He's right there in Central City's convoy!"
The water shop players were stunned. Several of them hurried forward to check, only to see Xu Huo stepping out of a vehicle, with Central City's people standing respectfully behind him. As if sensing the gaze from the slums, he happened to look up...
The water shop players quickly pulled their heads back in fright, then nodded to their companions, confirming the earlier message.
Only the players who had survived under Xu Huo's rule in the water shop truly lived in fear. Now they realized why Central City had suddenly shown up here—it was all because of him!
"So he's a Central City player. No wonder he's so strong..." someone in the water shop muttered.
Since Xu Huo had shown his face, there was nothing more to say. Resistance meant only death. The corpses carried out of the slums in the past few days were a clear warning.
"What? You're giving up just like that?" the casino players mocked. "A few deaths and you've lost your nerve. We overestimated you!"
No matter what the casino people said, the water shop players weren't about to gamble with their lives. Besides, Central City had already promised they could move into the city.
"To each their own. Good luck to you." The water shop players banded together and safely withdrew from the slums.
When Central City's people arrived at the entrance and saw so many players obediently coming out, they were a bit surprised. But after hearing that the casino players intended to resist to the end, the leader gave the order to kill—there weren't many players left inside anyway.
With some gone and Central City's main force outside, the remaining players in the slums began to waver.
Things went smoothly from there. After killing off the players determined to fight to the death, Central City drove the rest out and began relocating the slum residents.
Thirty minutes wasn't long, but it was enough for the residents to file out in groups. Emaciated adults, sallow-faced children—they emerged with confusion into the sight of Central City's players. Among them was the mother who had fought two men to the death over a small bag of biscuits, the innkeeper who had cooked for the gathered children, and the kids who had already accepted their fate after just two days of full meals...
"Hey!" The children from the convoy excitedly waved at their new friends in the crowd. Most of the kids recognized Xu Huo and weren't as scared anymore. They ran over to talk to the two brothers who had escaped, asking if they would get enough to eat today too.
Half an hour was more than enough to move everyone out. Once everyone was in a safe area, Central City began demolishing the slums.
The once imposing mountain collapsed under the players' efforts. The abdominal cavity that had housed the residents was filled with falling rocks, and even the entrances and exits were completely sealed. The rising dust was soon buried by the relentless rain. From now on, 01 Settlement would no longer have a tomb reserved for the old, weak, sick, and disabled to await death.
Before coming, Central City had already negotiated with the nearby cities, so the follow-up arrangements went smoothly. Children without guardians were mostly assigned to Rain City, while those with adults were dispersed to the other three cities. The nearby Cypress City didn't receive anyone—in fact, not only did it not get anyone, but Central City also relocated some of its residents to other nearby cities.
Next came the batch-by-batch transport and negotiations over water supply.
To ensure the residents could truly survive in the cities, Central City would send people to accompany the convoys and include the slum residents' survival rate as a water supply indicator in the contract.
At Xu Huo's special request, the young man could, accompanied by a player, go find his original home.
"Thank you... Mr. Xu... truly, thank you..." the young man came to express his gratitude before leaving. "I will remember this day forever. If I ever become a player, I will be a good person like you."
Xu Huo smiled. "Don't think about sacrificing yourself for others. I can do all this because I can absolutely guarantee my own safety."
The young man nodded vigorously, his eyes full of admiration and longing.
Things proceeded in an orderly manner, but Xu Huo had little to do from then on. During his few days in Rain City, he focused on consolidating and training his spiritual power. His sparring partners, besides Shaga, included players from Central City and Rain City. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, though it sometimes left Central City's players trapped in illusory self-doubt, unsure whether what had just happened or what they had said was real. This lingering suspicion persisted long after Xu Huo left 01 Settlement.
After leaving Zone 026, Xu Huo planned to return to E27-001 and then visit Fresh Flower City again. But just as he arrived at the Card City station, a message forcibly popped up on his personal panel:
[Congratulations! Zone E27 Wormhole Point Sector 017 has obtained a Super Item. This is the fourth Super Item at E27 Wormhole Point!]