Chapter 1933: Large-Scale Sweep and Conflict in the West District
Nothing happened in the latter half of the night. After dawn, Xu Huo went out to buy breakfast.
Probably because he had been fine for two consecutive days and had even triggered a brawl the night before, the looks people gave him gradually shifted from pure disgust to a mix of fear and a bit of respect.
This was specifically reflected in the neighbors who previously would have pressed themselves against the wall to avoid him now quietly greeting him, extremely afraid he might hold a grudge against them.
The breakfast stall owner even gave him an extra steamed bun.
When Xu Huo returned, the girl was already awake and recovering quite well. He shared some breakfast with her, and after they finished eating, he said, "Have you decided where to go?"
The girl's movements slowed as she drank water. Holding the cup, she shook her head.
"It's not very safe here either," Xu Huo said, pointing his chin at the broken furniture nearby. "Think carefully about where to go while the roads are still easy to travel during the day. I have to go to work. Close the door when you leave."
The girl sat still, watching him leave.
Another three inspectors had died the previous night, but only the one who had hidden the photo was from Xu Huo's branch. The other two were from a different branch. After the aircraft located the person based on the signal the night before, all their clothes and pants had been stripped off. Aside from a wound on the throat, there were no other obvious marks. Li Song had already examined the body and sent two people to survey the area for witnesses.
However, the chances were slim.
Within the Supervision Department, few people actually cared about the inspector's death. They were more shocked and angered by how brazen the recent attacks on inspectors had become. If things weren't properly dealt with, who knew how many more would die.
"Do you have anything to say?" Li Song asked, seeing Xu Huo hesitate to speak.
Xu Huo brought up the photo incident from the day before. "The place where it happened seems close to that family's home."
"We've already sent people to ask. That family hid out at a relative's place last night and never came back." Li Song waved his hand, indicating the topic could be dropped, and turned his attention back to the crackdown in the West District.
The number of dead inspectors was already significant. With such a high frequency of targeted attacks, it was impossible that there were no witnesses. It was just that no one wanted to get involved in the Supervision Department's affairs. But people couldn't die for nothing. After discussion among several team leaders, the branch submitted a request to headquarters for a carpet-style search. Within less than half an hour, the order came back: approved. Each branch was allowed to conduct a large-scale inspection of their jurisdiction. To avoid uncontrollable situations during the process, they were permitted to carry weapons of Level 3 and above.
Inspectors' standard sidearms were Level 1 weapons. The laser cannons in the armory were Level 2. Throwable laser grenades and upgraded armed aircraft were Level 3. Armed robots were Level 4.
Armed robots were commonly used for maintaining public order in the East District, but they were precious in the West District and usually not deployed.
In addition to these weapons, the inspectors' protective suits were also upgraded, paired with specially matched defense devices. These could not only block ordinary gunfire but also provide some protection against large explosions.
Of course, the search had its methods. With limited manpower, inspectors couldn't search every single house. Most ordinary civilians could be skipped. The main targets were the local power groups. By going in and causing trouble, these well-informed groups would voluntarily reveal what they had seen or heard. Even if they didn't know anything, to avoid making enemies of the Supervision Department, they would actively help find the culprits.
"If we offend everyone, aren't we afraid they'll retaliate even harder against the Supervision Department later?" Han Cong couldn't help but quietly ask Lin Guang.
"They wouldn't dare." Lin Guang lowered his voice as well. "Don't be fooled by them keeping players and having plenty of weapons. The moment they openly defy the Supervision Department, headquarters will send people to deal with them. I heard that two years ago, there was a black force like that. They united with the civilians on the street, relying on their large stockpile of weapons to burn down two branch buildings, publicly declaring that the Supervision Department was no longer allowed in their territory. They weren't happy for even two days. One night, they were all killed. Several blocks were wiped clean, not a single survivor left."
"So what are ordinary people compared to players?" He sighed and shook his head, then heard Team Leader Jiang calling and quickly ran forward.
Most black force organizations swallowed their anger and restrained their men from clashing with the Supervision Department. But it wasn't entirely smooth sailing. Someone always couldn't hold back and attacked, even stabbing an inspector to death in the street!
That was like poking a hornet's nest. The killer and his companions were shot dead on the spot. Some inspectors recognized the identities of these people. Several team leaders used armed robots to clear the way and directly stormed their hideout, forcing the boss to come out and resolve the issue.
Interestingly, this black force organization had just had its game hall bombed the day before, and it happened to be the nightclub owner's rival.
The boss invited the team leaders into the winery, while the others waited outside.
"What are they going to talk about?" Xu Huo said. "If they dare to openly oppose the Supervision Department, shouldn't they all be dealt with to make an example of them?"
"Wouldn't that offend everyone? Sure, the East District is our backing, but we're the ones living in the West District. Why make trouble for ourselves? Peace is best," Lin Guang said.
The situation was actually easy to understand. The owner of Heyue Winery intended to bribe his way out of this.
But what no one expected was a flying blade that pierced Team Leader Jiang's throat from who knows where.
The moment he died, chaos erupted. Amidst angry shouts and gunfire, both the Heyue Winery people and the Supervision Department team leaders quickly retreated. At that moment, Li Song shouted, "Team Leader Jiang has been killed!" The inspectors and armed robots outside immediately charged into the winery.
A melee broke out. All kinds of guns and explosives flew everywhere. Xu Huo, who had been following Lin Guang forward, was thrown back by the blast. In his peripheral vision, he saw Wang Kai shoot and kill the owner of Heyue Winery.
With the owner dead, most of his men scattered and fled, including the players. However, most of them were tracked down and shot by the armed robots and aircraft. They were no match at all.
"Not bad, kid." Li Song patted Wang Kai on the shoulder. "Consider it avenging Old Jiang."
Wang Kai's expression was heavy. "With so many dead, are we going to cause trouble..."
"Trouble?" Li Song sneered. He turned to face the onlookers and declared, "I have reason to suspect that certain black force organizations, led by Heyue Winery, have been premeditatedly and systematically targeting the Supervision Department. If the large-scale sweep yields no results within three days, I will apply to headquarters for a special investigation team to intervene!"
The scene fell silent.
Having made his point, Li Song ordered the sweep to continue.
As the sweep progressed, this warning spread throughout the West District. Before nightfall, quite a few players had already appeared in the blocks.
(End of chapter)