Chapter 1767: The District Government's Concession
"What do you mean?" The middle-aged man stared sharply at the person across from him.
"Make this public." The woman took a deep breath, a guilt that didn't match her relatively young face appearing on it. "We've killed so many people. Now it's time for us to atone."
Not to mention the middle-aged man, even the others in the conference room couldn't accept this proposal. Several people slammed the table and stood up one after another, glaring at the woman. "Do you know what you're saying?!"
"Because of your little bit of guilt, are you going to let our century of hard work go to waste?"
"This isn't as simple as you just admitting a mistake and apologizing. Once we publicly acknowledge it, no one will be able to control the situation!"
The speakers were all very agitated, determined to convince the woman in order to persuade other colleagues who might also be wavering.
After a moment of eye contact, the Grand Archon spoke again. "This proposal is absolutely impossible to pass."
The woman remained calm and said, "I have a second proposal."
Her gaze swept across the middle-aged man's face opposite her. "It was the Mining Group that initially proposed using human bone gems to get through the crisis. It was also the Mining Group that recruited people to carry this out. They were the ones who repeatedly ignored government warnings and acted in secret, failing to properly compensate the victims' families. Let them confess their crimes and dispose of a batch of the group's top executives. District 019 can turn the crisis around."
The eyes in the conference room fell, overtly and covertly, on the middle-aged man. The reason he was here was that he represented the Mining Group, and he himself was a relative of the head of the Tiantianle Group.
The woman's previous proposal was absurd, and the vast majority would not agree, because it would not only plunge District 019 into unprecedented turmoil but could also cost them their lives. In the end, all participants would have to die. What was even more chilling was that the District Government was full of young and capable backbone personnel. The people working here were not saints. Whether for the sake of those who had sacrificed or for themselves, these people could still strive. At this point, saying something like 'the whole district is united' would only make people laugh. If they truly wanted to maintain peace in the district, they might as well commit suicide collectively to atone...
But now a second-best option had appeared: sacrifice the Mining Group, let them bear the infamy. The District Government would at most be guilty of poor supervision and helplessness. Even if they knew, it wouldn't cause a huge backlash. This was very beneficial for maintaining district stability. And within the Mining Group, there were plenty of people ready to take over. Once internal division appeared, the District Government could openly send players to deal with the Mining Group.
After a few seconds of freezing, the middle-aged man kicked over his chair and stood up, pointing at the woman. "Fang Jing, you are truly vicious!"
The man was panting like an ox, his breathing becoming the only sound in the conference room. The others silently watched him.
Realizing he was isolated and helpless, the middle-aged man coldly swept his gaze over everyone in the room before storming out.
The player standing behind the Grand Archon was about to move but was stopped.
"Let him go." The Grand Archon said, "The truth is like sand in the sea; the more you dig, the more you find. So many players have been involved in this. There's absolutely no way to walk away unscathed, unless the District Government abandons the credibility it has built up over the years..."
That was absolutely impossible. The reason District 019 could be as peaceful as it was now was not only due to its military strength but also the sense of belonging and pride felt by all the people in the district, including the players. It was precisely because the District Government had achieved fairness and integrity that players were willing to execute the decrees issued by the government and actively and vigorously maintain the district's order.
If they were to change course now, District 019 would be stepping right onto the edge of the abyss!
"Since we can't change, then let's prepare. Call everyone in. Those willing to talk, let them talk properly. Those unwilling to talk, make them sit and listen. The butterflies flying in from other districts can leave anytime, but every one of us is responsible for the storm in District 019."
Having made the decision, the District Government began to act. Such a large operation couldn't be completely silent. For a time, messages flooded the Message Collection Terminal. And the Mining Group couldn't possibly cooperate obediently. Some tried to escape by vehicle, others put up stubborn resistance. But it was only a matter of time before it all ended.
After the District Government and the Mining Group began their open confrontation, the assassination attempts on Xu Huo increased dramatically.
There was no doubt that the Mining Group wanted to deal with Xu Huo the same way they had dealt with Old Lady Mei's family: eliminate the one who stuck his head out first, then slowly find ways to suppress the rest. After a few years, everyone would forget. As for other troubles, that was the District Government's problem.
The District Government naturally wouldn't allow them to do this. If they didn't want their credibility to collapse, they had to keep Xu Huo alive in District 019. And what was even more urgent now was to turn the tide and win back the people's understanding of the government at the minimal cost. As long as the government's credibility didn't collapse, it didn't matter how many government members were replaced.
A century ago, the Mining Group was the sole economic pillar, but now it was no longer the only factor the District Government had to consider.
A player from a C-rank Instance could find local Storm Factor helpers to complete a public appearance. After the incident fermented, so many players began to act, searching for physical evidence and witnesses at the fastest speed... This behavior, like moving in the dark, once again made the District Government personnel feel the taste of a century ago. They couldn't sit still for a moment, feeling thorns in their backs every second!
The District Government arranged for many players to come to the city where Xu Huo was stranded, mainly to protect him. These players mostly surrounded the high-rise building, enclosing him in the middle. The nearby residents had all been evacuated. Large numbers of Armed Robots filled the streets, forming the first protective wall around the building.
The second protective wall was composed of government players, distributed within a range of one to two thousand meters from the building. While protecting him, they also had to block players arriving from other places.
That's right, players rushing in from all directions had almost filled the entire city. Some came from Player Organizations, but most had no affiliation. Among them were also people sent by the Mining Group. However, under the control of the government players, they were not allowed to approach Xu Huo.
Defense Barriers were layered one upon another, and some Player Organizations even actively used props to protect Xu Huo's safety. Most people came here mainly to wait for the government's follow-up actions, so although there were many people, there was no chaos.
Sitting on the top of the building, Xu Huo took out his Message Collection Terminal and contacted his remaining partners. More than half of those who had scattered the Amber Puppets had been caught, and there was probably no hope of them being released. He guessed the District Government also knew the agreed-upon meeting signal. So when he took out the terminal, the few people handling things in Ember City were frantically trying to contact him.
(End of Chapter)