Chapter 1874: Everyone's Hope
"Just as I thought, there's no such thing as a flawless item. I was wondering how that thing could even withstand an A-grade item—thought he'd gotten his hands on a super item!" As the item vanished, Juan Er was the first to charge into the still-raging storm.
The battle had briefly paused due to the explosion, but when both sides clashed again, the Sand Sea players' advantage became less pronounced. After all, neither side was particularly strong to begin with; otherwise, the fight wouldn't have dragged on until now.
The convoy outside the city had already been whittled down by half by Xu Huo and the others. The remaining few had entered the city. How could the Sand Sea side not know that someone in Zone 010 was helping? Seeing that continuing the fight would only increase casualties, after nearly half an hour of stalemate, the Sand Sea players finally retreated.
The Zone 010 side arranged for medical treatment for the wounded. Liao Xiaoyi, who wasn't too badly injured, came over to thank Xu Huo and the others. She and several other safe zone leaders had shed their previous tough stance and spoke very politely.
"I apologize for our differing positions earlier," Liao Xiaoyi said frankly, apologizing for what had happened in the Polar Safe Zone.
Since there had been no direct conflict or casualties in the Polar Safe Zone, it was easy to mend relations.
After a few polite exchanges, they headed to the centralized lodging area for the Radiant Safe Zone players. Along the way, Liao Xiaoyi brought up the situation in the Radiant Safe Zone again.
In truth, it wasn't just the Tomorrow Safe Zone that had been attacked. They had originally gathered in the Polar Safe Zone. If only the Tomorrow Safe Zone had been hit, rescue would have been very convenient, since all the strong players from various safe zones were there. But the reality was that many safe zones had received distress calls from home one after another.
Some, like the Tomorrow Safe Zone, were being overrun by Xenomorphs. Others, like the Radiant Safe Zone, were under heavy assault from Sand Sea players. Still others were just feints—staged attacks designed to lure players back.
But with the precedent set, even if players from other safe zones wanted to help, they couldn't fully commit. They could only spare a portion of their forces, and even that risked being wasted on false information.
"Didn't you send out distress calls to the players who had left?" Xu Huo asked.
Liao Xiaoyi looked a bit embarrassed but still explained, "Players who leave Zone 010 don't necessarily have the heart to help the safe zones. Especially here—our safe zones are destroyed and rebuilt constantly. We can't expect someone to rush back every time we call for help. Besides, leaving doesn't mean all players live better lives. Everyone is still struggling in the game."
After she finished, Xu Huo asked to speak with her privately.
Liao Xiaoyi was slightly surprised but arranged a place for them to talk.
In a sealed room, Xu Huo first briefly explained the situation with Little Melissa, then brought out Chang Shoujie.
Liao Xiaoyi had already learned from Gan Feng that Melissa had been found. After hearing Xu Huo's account, her excitement was inevitably tinged with disappointment. However, when she saw the living child, her expression softened.
"Daddy!" Melissa said, still using that word.
Liao Xiaoyi looked at Xu Huo, who could only say, "The players traveling with me are all men."
So no one had thought to teach the child the word "mommy."
Liao Xiaoyi patted the child's head and asked Xu Huo, "You want to entrust this child to me?"
Xu Huo nodded slightly. "You already understand Melissa's situation. The hopes pinned on her by the people of Zone 010 are likely to be dashed."
"You're worried that once other players learn that even Melissa can't break the curse of childlessness in Zone 010, they'll abandon her," Liao Xiaoyi finished his thought. "You chose me as the first person to talk to because I'm a woman, and might be more easily swayed by maternal instinct."
"Or rather, you want me to take in this child while concealing her true condition, so that the people of Zone 010 will protect her as she grows up?"
The word "you" clearly included Chang Shoujie. Xu Huo was an outsider; everything he did was to clear the instance smoothly. The child's fate wasn't important to him. But Chang Shoujie's reputation preceded him, so Liao Xiaoyi naturally assumed he wanted her to be the scapegoat, only revealing the truth when it could no longer be hidden.
"Then, when the time comes, other safe zones will think I'm using Melissa to control all of Zone 010. I might gain some benefits, but in reality, Melissa can never bear children. I'll become the culprit who deceived my own people and crushed their hopes. Is that it?"
Chang Shoujie's expression remained unchanged. He was about to say something when Xu Huo raised a hand to stop him. Xu Huo looked at the older woman across from him and asked solemnly, "Isn't that a good plan?"
"Yes, it is a good plan," Liao Xiaoyi said. "At least it buys ten years of breathing room. In those ten years, I can unite the people of Zone 010, maybe even convince some of the players who left to come back, because Melissa might be the key to curing the Black Thorn Disease. When the ten years are up, I can claim ignorance about Melissa's true condition—after all, who can say what problems might arise as a child grows up..."
"But," she changed her tone, "the players who are still holding on in Zone 010 are sustained by a shared belief. Everyone watches out for each other to preserve the last embers of our district. Since Melissa isn't that ember, then others have the right to know the truth!"
"As for the real ember..." She looked tenderly at Little Melissa. "We'll find it again. Melissa is a child of Zone 010. We won't fail to accommodate even one child."
"Raising Melissa will cost a lot of money," Xu Huo said. "She carries the disease-causing gene. Unless we build her a separate living space, she might have to spend her entire life in a protective suit."
"Zone 010 isn't just us," Liao Xiaoyi said. "I believe the players who left would also be willing to contribute for this child."
But Chang Shoujie thought her idea was too naive. "Maybe for a year or two, it can hold. But over time, no one will keep throwing money into a bottomless pit. Eventually, someone will blame her for every sip of water or bite of food they go without. You've been a player for so many years—are you still unaware of human nature?"
He then covered Melissa's ears and asked a very harsh question: "Can you guarantee that Melissa won't become someone else's food?"
Liao Xiaoyi was provoked into anger. "Then what can you do?"
Chang Shoujie's expression didn't waver. "Precisely because I can't do anything, I have to entrust her to someone else."
Liao Xiaoyi's gaze paused on his legs. Her anger gradually subsided, and she turned her head away. "I can't sacrifice ten years of Zone 010 just for her alone. Every player out there, every ordinary person, has been holding onto hope for decades."