Chapter 1661: Legalization of Identity
"How do we solve this?" a tall, thin man said with a grim face. "A large number of missing person cases have been dug up, and now the Special Defense Department is hunting for us everywhere. Are we supposed to abandon our homes and leave Nan City?"
This was the sentiment of most people. Not everyone who became a player aspired to level up or carve out a broader world in the game. For them, their current life was already good enough; they didn't need extra thrills or dangers. Things like more power or more influence—they might have thought about them when they first became players, but as they gradually understood the game world, those ambitions faded. That was a world better suited for young people, for those with drive and ambition to struggle.
Not to mention those born into wealth, even those who had slowly become rich didn't want to give up their comfortable lives to run instances. So most of them here were E-rank. When they absolutely had to enter an instance, they would spend money to hire someone to carry them or buy guides, caring only about clearing it, not about quality.
"Everyone, calm down," Hua Baoren said, raising his hand to signal for quiet. "Actually, you don't need to be anxious about the missing person cases, because those cases have nothing to do with us."
Nothing to do with them?
The crowd exchanged glances. Someone said, "Then what about the supplies we've been getting..."
"I said from the very beginning, we became players out of necessity. We have money and free time—why not do something good? There's no need to run around like ordinary players, exhausted all the time."
"But since we've already become players, and there are some things we have to do, we might as well contribute to the country."
"The people we killed were all criminals, not good people. Killing them counts as ridding society of harm. There's no need for a guilty conscience."
"It's just that I recently discovered someone has been impersonating us behind our backs, kidnapping many ordinary people. That's why the Special Defense Department has pinned this debt on us."
After hearing this, the crowd relaxed somewhat. The tall, thin man spoke again, "Then what should we do? The Special Defense Department is hunting cannibal players with red eyes right now. They probably won't care whether we did it or not."
The main issue was their awkward position. They had indeed killed people. Who could guarantee none of them had been wrongfully accused?
"I founded Wushan Sect to help everyone live better and to provide a way out for those forced to become players. Taking advantage of this incident, I plan to have a face-to-face talk with the Special Defense Department to legalize Wushan Sect!" Hua Baoren said with full confidence.
But this statement met with widespread opposition.
"The Special Defense Department has always targeted cannibal players. How could they possibly legalize Wushan Sect?"
"Once we confess to the Special Defense Department, our sect's activities will definitely be restricted. They would never allow us to freely kill people! Even criminals wouldn't be allowed!"
"Besides, the Special Defense Department is itching to catch people everywhere. Wouldn't we be walking right into their trap? They won't care who we killed—as long as we're cannibal players, that's enough for them to claim credit!"
"Even if the Special Defense Department makes concessions for now, they'll come for us sooner or later. Don't forget what's on our menu. We're naturally opposed to ordinary players and ordinary people!"
In short, cannibal players were human-shaped beasts. When they weren't hungry, they could be reasoned with. But once hunger struck, anyone could become their target. Forget gaining the trust of others—even fellow cannibal players couldn't trust each other. Hua Baoren's words were nothing short of a fantasy!
The opposition was expected by Hua Baoren. After the noise subsided, he said, "Of course, I won't spill everything from the start. Your identities will remain confidential. I'll be the one to negotiate with the Special Defense Department. If it works, you can continue hiding your identities and living your current lives. As long as you don't cause trouble for the country, the Special Defense Department will be happy to turn a blind eye. If it doesn't work, only I will be exposed, and you'll all be fine."
"But I believe the country has a broad-minded spirit. Becoming a cannibal player wasn't our choice. Surely someone will understand our plight. Besides, the number of cannibal players isn't small now. The Special Defense Department can't wipe us all out—they have to use soft tactics."
"This is our opportunity."
"Even if the Special Defense Department turns a blind eye, they can't possibly allow us to kill people freely," the tall, thin man couldn't help saying. "We can't survive without food. None of us want to relive the time right after evolution, when we were delirious and ate the people around us..."
This was a painful memory many found hard to revisit. Some were lucky—when they evolved, they were with colleagues or subordinates. They bit people but didn't kill anyone. Others were unlucky, evolving near a family member they couldn't bring themselves to harm. After the person died, they didn't dare to report it publicly, living in fear while hiding the secret and drowning in guilt and daily repentance.
"That's not hard either." Hua Baoren had clearly thought ahead. "We've lived in Nan City for decades. It wouldn't be right to keep causing trouble for our fellow townspeople. But we have money—we can buy food from other districts. Besides, we don't need much food on a daily basis. Relying on 'imports' is no problem."
"Furthermore, if our model succeeds, we can bring in more of our kind. Wouldn't that stabilize society?"
He paused and said seriously, "Don't you want a legal identity? Do you want to keep sneaking around forever, worrying every day about being exposed?"
Hua Baoren's vision wasn't naive wishful thinking. In fact, in some game districts that had to rely on the power of cannibal players, this model had already been implemented.
And in a populous district like Zone 014, even if cannibal players only made up a tiny fraction of the total player population, that was still a significant number. These people were indeed a threat to social order, but they couldn't be completely wiped out, as that would inevitably cause backlash. So acknowledging the identity of cannibal players and relying on imported food for self-sufficiency was a compromise.
Though everyone subconsciously ignored the question of where the imported food came from.
"Your method might be feasible, but have you considered that some cannibal players might take the opportunity to kill their own kind? Or that the insatiable hunger of sect members might gradually spiral out of control, dragging the entire sect down?" A voice came from the back of the crowd. "Isn't that exactly what happened with the missing person cases that just erupted?"
"Having money alone isn't enough to restrain the members of the sect."
In fact, this wasn't hard to understand. It was like someone who had never killed a chicken—the first time they saw it, they might feel uncomfortable. But if they worked in a slaughterhouse for a while, they'd gradually get used to it. The same went for these cannibal players.
In the short term, they might feel uneasy about "eating people" due to humanity and societal judgment. But once their identity was publicly acknowledged, this indelible pain of cannibalism would slowly fade, until they completely regarded humans as just another dish on the table.
(End of Chapter)