Chapter 1643: Living is Hell
The situation in Brown Skin City was indeed dire. The players from Hope City had arrived suddenly, fond of using underhanded tactics, so under the cover of night they had kidnapped many children as hostages. The people of Brown Skin City, whether players or ordinary citizens, were hesitant to act. Ultimately, under the threat from Hope City players that they would kill one child every ten minutes, some players had no choice but to surrender.
The Brown Skin City players also knew that even if they sacrificed their lives, they might not be able to make the Hope City players spare the entire city. Everyone understood what Hope City was like, but being at someone else's mercy, they could only choose to sacrifice a portion of their people.
However, the Hope City people did not directly kill those players who had voluntarily come forward. Instead, they first gouged out their eyes and then broke both their hands.
Because of the special physical condition of the Brown Skin City people, the Hope City people had no intention of using them as food. To provoke the Brown Skin City players and to vent their own sadistic desires, they hung all of them in front of an abandoned building, playfully scraping off the brown hard skin that grew attached to their flesh, enjoying the agonized screams and the continuous flow of blood.
This scene made the Brown Skin City players observing from a distance grind their teeth until they almost bled.
"These beasts! They're not even human!" Someone immediately wanted to rush out and die together with the Hope City players. "Even if I die, I'm taking a few with me. One is not a loss, two is a profit!"
Others stopped him. "Look at how many players Hope City has. At least thirty before. Our people have gone to other districts to find medicine, and many are in instances. Even if you want to trade one for one, you can't kill all of Hope City's people!"
That was right. Hope City had over thirty players, while Brown Skin City, counting those who had voluntarily walked out, had only a dozen.
"Are we just supposed to watch our companions be tortured to death?" That impulsive player growled in a low voice, then turned to the person standing by the window looking out. "Cong Yu, say something!"
Only then did Cong Yu withdraw his gaze from outside, looking at each companion in the room one by one. "It's very difficult for us alone to save everyone."
Players from other zones might keep their distance because of the fungal poison on their bodies, but the Hope City players, who were also parasitized, had no such concern. Moreover, Hope City players were more skilled in combat than them. They might not even win in a one-on-one fight, let alone rescue the children and companions taken hostage.
"Then we just have to watch?" the impulsive player asked again, this time with a bit more despair in his voice.
"We might not be able to save them, but we can leave hope for everyone on this island." Cong Yu said in a deep voice. "Give up on those children, give up on our companions. Do our best to kill the Hope City players and weaken their strength. If we can kill twenty of them, leave the rest to the other players on the island."
"Hope City has been domineering for too long. Many people hate them. Once the news of them losing half their players spreads, someone will naturally come to take revenge."
The group was silent for a long time before someone spoke, with a hint of disbelief and a choked voice, "Are we directly giving up on Brown Skin City?"
Even if they successfully killed twenty players, the remaining ones would definitely retaliate fiercely. The first to bear the brunt would be the ordinary people of Brown Skin City. What they would face then was the disaster of a city-wide massacre!
"I disagree!" Another player said. "My family and friends are all here. I can't watch them die!"
"I don't want to either," Cong Yu said painfully. "But they have a B-grade player. We will most likely die at his hands. If we die, Brown Skin City will definitely be occupied by the Hope City players. Then everyone's situation will be even worse than those 'food rations' who escaped from Hope City. What happened to the players today will happen to our family and friends in the future."
"It's already hard to keep living. Falling into the hands of Hope City players will only bring more suffering, a fate worse than death."
The opposing player looked at the companions around him, then stepped forward, grabbing Cong Yu's shoulder. "Look at those children, only a few years old. They don't understand anything. Do you dare to say in front of them that they should die?"
Tears welled up in Cong Yu's eyes. "Is there a better way?"
If they went out, most of them probably wouldn't come back alive. Once all the players were dead, no one would care about the lives of the Brown Skin City people anymore. That would be true despair.
In fact, when Cong Yu proposed this method, half of the players present had already silently agreed. Living covered in poison, not even looking like a human, was painful enough. Moreover, they had to bear the burden of an entire city. Every day they lived was physically and mentally exhausting.
Since they couldn't be heartless and just walk away, dying before the Brown Skin City people could be considered their utmost effort for this city.
"Death is death. I've long been tired of living!" A player punched the wall, then turned back to look at Cong Yu. "I'm with you!"
Once one person relented, the others gradually made up their minds. Someone even said, "The game world is hell for us. What meaning is there in living?"
Even the player who had strongly opposed it earlier gave up arguing, a look of determination gradually appearing in his eyes.
But just as they were about to make their arrangements, the sound of clapping, "clap, clap, clap," came from behind them. The group was startled and turned around to see a man in a hat sitting in the corner, seemingly having been listening for a while, yet Cong Yu and the others hadn't noticed him at all.
"Liao Jie." Cong Yu gritted his teeth and called out the other's name.
The man named Liao Jie stood up and stretched, smiling. "What? Surprised to see me? You said it yourself just now. You people will most likely die at my hands."
Liao Jie was that B-grade player from Hope City, also the leader of Hope City. He was a cannibal player himself. He must have had some fortuitous encounter. After returning from another district, not only had most of his fungal poison been cured, but he had also obtained an A-grade item. He was the peak combat power on this island. It was precisely because of him that Cong Yu and the others were so constrained.
Now, with a great enemy before them, Cong Yu warily looked around and, upon noticing more Hope City players approaching, immediately shouted, "Everyone, enter the game!"
Just as he spoke, Liao Jie struck like lightning, directly killing a companion standing in front of him!
"Enter the game quickly!" Cong Yu roared, taking the initiative to engage Liao Jie, and yelled at the companions who were hesitating and unwilling to leave. "If we don't leave now, we'll all die here!"
If they all died, Brown Skin City wouldn't even have the capital to fight to the bitter end!
"Be careful!" The companions gritted their teeth and one by one retreated into the game, while Cong Yu was kicked out of the building by Liao Jie.
Outside the building, several cannibal players surrounded him. Cong Yu, coughing up blood from the sharp pain in his chest, barely adjusted his posture and fled towards the outskirts of the city.
(Chapter End)