Chapter 1539: The Reality of Helplessness
The storm swept through the city and then departed. Xu Huo stopped in place to check the map. Based on the information from the "Beggar" trio, the Box Carrier was likely in that small country supposedly isolated by Super Players. It was still a considerable distance from his current nation, and according to online information, that country remained sealed off, with no one knowing the situation inside.
If the Box Carrier was after Super Items, he probably wouldn't stay in one place. For ordinary players, killing on a large scale to find a Super Item had very low odds, but for Super Players, it was an extremely efficient method.
Whether using Instance Dungeons or items with massive coverage, killing everyone in a city or a country—including players—in an instant was achievable. The only possible oversight was that they couldn't cover an entire district, so they might not encounter the player holding a Super Item at the very beginning.
This was normal thinking. The Box Carrier wasn't a normal person. Whether killing yielded results might not matter to him at all. Staying in one place without moving likely meant he had something more important to do.
If the "Beggar" trio's information matched the Box Carrier, that small country was geographically remote. If he made further moves, he would definitely head south. It was just unclear which direction he would choose, since there were several large, powerful countries in the continental interior.
Since the four players who left with the Paper Servant Master hadn't shown up yet, Xu Huo hesitated briefly before adjusting his direction, preparing to head to the next major Safe Zone.
Coincidentally, as he passed through the next city, he encountered players from District 014 again. But this time, it wasn't the "Beggar" trio—it was a team leader from the Special Defense Department.
This person had quite a few players with him and was locked in combat with five players. Their contested target was a military transport truck. The two sides were deadlocked, with the truck stuck in the middle of a city road, and both sides using the street as a boundary to exchange blows.
Xu Huo checked the vehicle from a distance. It likely contained family members of important figures—old and young—escorted by players. Facing the crossfire, they were helpless, barely able to protect the vehicle to keep those inside from being caught in the chaos.
After a brief pause, Xu Huo teleported onto the truck. Subduing two attacking players, he said, "Where are you going? I'll give you a ride."
Players from District 017 had a clear power gap compared to players from other districts. Even if some barely reached C-rank, local high-level players couldn't compare to those from other districts. So everyone on the truck was wary, not daring to answer.
"The players outside have us surrounded. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it gets," Xu Huo warned.
"We're going to the AS9 Safe Zone," a girl who looked only fifteen or sixteen said, forcing herself to stay calm. "My family has stored a lot of gold. If you can take us to the Safe Zone, I'll give it all to you."
Xu Huo glanced at her, took out the "Staff Dormitory," and said, "Everyone get into the item. We'll reach the Safe Zone in half an hour."
The people on the truck were astonished. Their eyes showed longing, but they couldn't help doubting his intentions.
Xu Huo didn't waste more words. He packed everyone inside the truck into the "Staff Dormitory," including the little girl.
The moment the truck emptied, a slash suddenly cut through the transport vehicle. As the truck split in half, a player in black defensive gear teleported above, grinning viciously at Xu Huo. "We were fighting tooth and nail out here, and you quietly take the people away. That's not very fair, is it?"
Fair or not could wait. Xu Huo looked up at the man right in front of him, directly opened a door in midair, and sent him over to the District 014 players.
Hearing the intense sounds of battle erupt, Xu Huo grabbed his item and left.
The AS9 Safe Zone happened to be the Safe Zone he was heading to. Using the city as a teleportation unit, the distance wasn't too far. With a Teleportation Item, arriving in half an hour was more than enough.
However, the situation at the AS9 Safe Zone was terrible. The entire city had been reduced to a sea of fire. Amid the spreading black smoke, alarms and cries for help were everywhere. The rescue teams and players scattered throughout the city seemed utterly helpless, as even with all their strength, they couldn't save a single building full of people.
Xu Huo released the people from the "Staff Dormitory."
"What place is this?" someone asked, staring blankly at the scene before them.
"This is the AS9 Safe Zone," Xu Huo replied.
The people transferred from the transport truck gradually came to their senses. Even though the city was in chaos, they could still recognize some landmarks—this was definitely the AS9 Safe Zone.
"Why is this happening... The news said the AS9 Safe Zone was very safe, with an impenetrable underground military base!" These people knew some inside information. Under the weight of devastating shock and despair, some blurted it out without caring about secrecy, even urging each other to find the underground base.
Just then, a vehicle passed by them. A middle-aged woman seemed to recognize someone and rushed over, pounding on the car door. "Where are you going? Take us with you!"
Only players and military personnel had the strength to drive away at a time like this. The convoy paused briefly. The window of the car the woman had stopped rolled down, and a man with blood on his face scanned them, then said apologetically, "The underground base no longer exists. Go somewhere else."
The others caught on—these were base personnel fleeing the AS9 Safe Zone. They quickly crowded around the vehicle, shouting to be taken along, announcing themselves as relatives of so-and-so.
Their answer was a row of dark gun muzzles.
The convoy restarted and sped out of the city.
Those left behind—or rather, abandoned—stood hopelessly at the city's edge, with no idea where to go. Following the military or players would have been better, but on their own, they might not last a day before being killed by passing players, or else caught in a mutant tide and dying in the wilderness.
"What do we do now?" someone asked, staring at the burning city. Even the sight of players killing people not far away couldn't stir their will to flee.
"Mom, are we going to die?" a child held tightly in his mother's arms suddenly asked.
The mother burst into tears.
At that moment, two players from another district, just a few hundred meters away, killed the rescue team players and turned their gaze toward this group. Blinded by bloodlust, they didn't care who the target was. Driven by instinctual pleasure, they hunted like wild beasts!
"Whoever collects the most heads gets half the loot!" one of the players, wearing a tongue ring, laughed wildly as he licked the blood off his blade.