Chapter 1840: A Forced Wrong Decision
Chang Shoujie finished speaking quickly and, seeing the xenomorph lunging from the side, pushed Gao Dawei aside and collided with it. His intention was to let Gao Dawei escape quickly, but the recovered Gao Dawei immediately turned back to rescue him. It took some effort to kill the xenomorph, and he was injured in the process.
He walked quickly to Chang Shoujie and turned around to carry him on his back.
Chang Shoujie pushed him away. "Go to the station. Complete the next instance and then come back!"
Gao Dawei silently tried to pull the man onto his back, only to receive two slaps from Chang Shoujie. "Go!"
Gao Dawei's head was knocked to the side. He turned back, his eyes red as he stared at Chang Shoujie. "Don't you know me? I'm not the kind of person who can burn himself to light up others. I just want to live a good life!"
Chang Shoujie's face was ashen. "Zone 010 is your roots!"
"What use are these roots?" Gao Dawei demanded loudly. "Do you want me to be like you, contributing to this district for decades, only to end up as a rat in the streets?!"
Chang Shoujie didn't feel embarrassed. A person who could uphold a belief for a lifetime had long since maximized the suppression of personal emotions in the process. As for others' perceptions of him, the key point wasn't even about himself—whether being disliked would negatively affect his plans.
He reached out and flipped up Gao Dawei's sleeve. The patterns of Black Thorn Disease climbed up his skin like blood vessels. "With this thing, how long can you live a carefree life?"
"So what?" Gao Dawei said. "With my abilities, I might not even live long enough to die from the disease. My life has been bitter enough. Why should I make it even harder?"
As he pulled at Chang Shoujie, he continued, "Anyway, I won't live much longer. I might as well enjoy myself. Don't worry about me. I'll take you out, support you in your old age, and make sure you're comfortable."
Chang Shoujie grabbed his arm. "Dawei, what I just said is my dying wish."
Gao Dawei suddenly became very angry. "Why are you forcing me? I just want an easy life!"
Chang Shoujie looked at him. "Do you know how I managed to shed my player identity?"
"To shed your player identity, the best way is to apply to the Game Government through the district government. If the district government can be established early and gain recognition from the game, the Game Government will grant this authority to the district government, along with services like Non-Player Tickets."
"Zone 010 is on the verge of destruction. The district government is long gone. The pseudo-district government established by Outer Zone Players is not recognized by the game and has no authority to apply for shedding player identities."
"The last time I returned from an instance, I was severely injured, the Black Thorn Disease flared up, and Degeneration traits appeared. I couldn't leave Zone 010 anymore. The players in the Safe Zone pooled money to buy a Non-Player Ticket for me to go to another district. Then they negotiated with the local district government, paying an enormous price to secure an opportunity for me to shed my player identity."
"Do you understand? Zone 010 has almost been abandoned by the game. Even a chance to pause an instance—our players have to pay more than ten times the price to get it. Without perseverance, the remaining people in Zone 010 will only face even harder times."
Gao Dawei's eyes were filled with tears. "But so what? Since I was born, the most suffering I've endured has come from my own people. My mother and sister were both killed by our own kind, and I couldn't even retrieve their remains. What does it matter if they're in a tough spot? Why not let them rot along with this Sand Sea? They're beyond saving anyway..."
Chang Shoujie pressed down on his shoulder. "The choices a person makes in life aren't always voluntary, and they aren't always right. This time, consider it me forcing you to make a wrong decision. If you find Dr. Joyce, continue on my behalf. If he's dead, then leave."
Gao Dawei shed two streams of hot tears, but with the wind and sand and the protective barrier in the way, they weren't easy to see. He instinctively raised his hand, found he couldn't wipe his eyes, and turned around. "As long as you agree to leave with me, I'll handle what you've asked."
As the two talked, prop power occasionally swept around them, causing the number of xenomorphs to drop sharply. Chang Shoujie glanced at the surroundings before climbing onto Gao Dawei's back and instructed, "Those B-level players won't be done so quickly. If you run into them head-on, immediately drop me and head to the station. I don't have much time left. There's no need to risk yourself for me."
Gao Dawei suddenly grew defiant. "Aren't you telling me to think about my fellow people? Aren't you one of them?"
"Don't say anything about dropping me again, or I'll kill myself right now and make sure you never find peace."
Chang Shoujie's eyes flickered. He wanted to pat Gao Dawei's head, but his hand moved and then stopped.
In fact, the two had already left the main area of the player melee. But at that moment, a B-level player suddenly appeared in front of them. "There are still some stragglers here."
Gao Dawei's face changed. The tone clearly wasn't from Brother Wu's group. The man ahead didn't waste words and struck to kill. Gao Dawei couldn't react in time. Seeing him stubbornly refusing to leave, Chang Shoujie had no choice but to pull him down with all his strength, shielding him with his own body.
"Bang!" The flying arc light cut through several curtains of sand but stopped precisely at their feet. Even the kicked-up sand didn't land on them.
"Brother Xu!" Gao Dawei saw the man standing ahead and burst into immense joy.
Chang Shoujie suddenly turned his head and immediately took in Xu Huo's condition. He had some superficial injuries, but nothing like what Gao Dawei had described earlier. If he had truly been at a disadvantage against two B-level players, the stalemate wouldn't have lasted this long. And after his arrival, the two B-level players who followed were in even worse shape than he was.
At some point, the sandstorm had diminished. Without the strong wind kicking up sand, visibility had cleared considerably.
Xu Huo stood in front of the prone Gao Dawei and Chang Shoujie. The B-level player who had tried to kill them was twenty meters directly ahead of Xu Huo. The two B-level players who had chased after him occupied Xu Huo's left and rear.
On the "Deathbed Wish" instance side, there were six players. Besides the two already killed by Pink Hair and Brother Wu's group, three were concentrated around Xu Huo. The remaining one was surrounded by Brother Wu's group, a bit farther away but barely visible.
The first B-level player to arrive had been chased over by Pink Hair, so she was also nearby.
Given the situation, anyone with eyes could see where the problem lay. Pink Hair cheerfully gave Xu Huo a thumbs-up and mocked the Black Coat group. "You went to all the trouble to create a sandstorm, only to end up working for someone else, huh?"
(Chapter End)