Chapter 1953: Breaking Away from the Inspector Team
The "crack crack" sound of bones breaking, accompanied by the nauseating squelch of stomping, made many people present look away.
The other two who tried to force their way through the checkpoint were also killed, but the Eastern District player's movements still didn't stop. He repeated his actions expressionlessly, not pausing even after the thing on the ground had turned into paste.
No one around stopped him. The Eastern District people watched the scene in silence.
At this point, not to mention the Outer Zone players mixed in with the group, even the Western District inspectors felt something was off. But before they could think it through, the player finally stopped.
He shook off the stuff stuck to his shoe, signaled the nearby staff to drag the corpse away, then nodded to his companions, indicating they could continue.
The inspection team continued moving forward. Xu Huo and the other five inspectors from his batch had already stepped into Eastern District territory.
Their position was still some distance from the Eastern District city center, but standing here, they could get a glimpse of the entire city's appearance. Although the Eastern District also liked all kinds of flashy electronic projection screens and aerial holograms like the Western District, the buildings on both sides were incomparable. At least at first glance, the Eastern District looked like a display cabinet filled with various transparent boxes. These boxes were framed in dark black metal, with all four sides of the houses transparent, very different from ordinary architecture.
A bit further in were towering buildings with silver metal as their main body. These structures came in various shapes—some like spires, some like ellipsoids. They maintained a certain distance from each other, surrounding a super-large building in the center that twisted upward like a giant tree.
Manned aircraft had become common in the Eastern District, but there was traffic control in the sky, so suspended runways existed in the air. From far away, one could see aircraft lining up to enter these runways.
After seeing the true face of the Eastern District, the Western District inspectors' anxiety gradually gave way to excitement and thrill. One of them took a deep breath and couldn't help saying, "Even the air here is sweet."
It wasn't that this person had successfully achieved synesthesia, but the air in the Eastern District was indeed cleaner than the Western District. First, the factories that polluted the air and soil had all been moved to the Western District. Second, the Western District was in a state of anarchy, with street planning and environmental cleaning relying entirely on self-discipline. Clogged and broken sewers, random dumping and drainage of sewage—all made the Western District's smell very unpleasant.
A distant glance was enough to see that the Eastern District was much cleaner than the Western District.
The inspectors were picked up by large manned aircraft, each carrying about twenty people. Once they entered the Eastern District, the players no longer followed them closely. They were directly put on the vehicles, and the self-driving aircraft would take them to their destination.
So after boarding the aircraft, the Western District inspectors started talking. Some were making friends, some were marveling at the Eastern District's advancement, and of course, some were still hung up on what happened at Gate 3.
Not because they were particularly righteous, but because they found the Eastern District people's attitude too strange. Trampling a corpse seemed abnormal to anyone, yet those Eastern District players acted as if it were nothing unusual, not even intending to stop it, letting that player vent freely... Did this mean that if they encountered the same situation in the future, the Eastern District people wouldn't stop it either?
"No way. Once we settle in the Eastern District, we'll be Eastern District people. If they treated their own like that, wouldn't the Eastern District have been in an uproar long ago?" someone said.
"Right, wasn't the incident a couple of days ago pretty big?" another young man with a hunched neck said. "I saw the game forums were almost in an uproar, people even talking about organizing protests. But isn't the Eastern District pretty calm?"
They had already entered the city's airspace, and from this position, they could see the streets below. Everything was peaceful, nothing like the uproar described in the game. At least those kind-hearted people who claimed to support the Western District hadn't actually taken action.
"Maybe they're all in the game," Xu Huo interjected.
There were too few people on the streets.
Those who could become inspectors were generally pragmatic, at least not addicted to games, and they had goals to strive for. Therefore, most of them found it incomprehensible that some people wished they could live entirely in virtual game worlds. Besides, what difference did it make if you talked until the sky fell in a virtual game?
The Eastern District was several times larger than the Western District. The aerial roads circled the city with designated routes, so it took some time. There were also three identity verifications along the way. They had originally expected to reach the dormitory arranged for them by noon, but halfway there, a factory in the city exploded, affecting the nearby streets. The area was immediately sealed off by instruments—not only was ground traffic blocked, but the aerial roads were also temporarily suspended.
However, it was somewhat humane that they didn't have to wait on the road. They could go down and rest.
There were plenty of places for leisure and entertainment nearby. The Eastern District inspectors informed them via the aircraft that they had one hour of free time, but it was best not to wander too far, as the aircraft might depart at any moment.
But the Eastern District overestimated them. Few Western District inspectors were well-off. Even if they were allowed to go out and spend, they didn't dare go too far.
"It's noon. Let's go eat first." Lin Guang called Xu Huo. The two team leaders had grouped together, and the other two younger ones, who came from well-off families, disdained to mix with Xu Huo and Lin Guang, leaving first after getting off.
"Actually, I didn't want to come," Lin Guang confessed over lunch. "The Eastern District isn't so easy to get into. Who knows what kind of training this is? We might end up losing our lives. Besides... you saw it too."
With that attitude from the Eastern District players, even if they died in the Eastern District, what would it matter?
Xu Huo nodded, saying he shared the same concern, and even brought up the Rebel Army causing trouble. "Maybe they're plotting an attack on the Eastern District."
Getting caught in the crossfire would be bad.
The two ate their meal with heavy hearts. Afterward, Xu Huo went to the restroom and successfully made contact with the Rebel Army.
The person who came to meet him was a middle-aged man, a player. After Xu Huo entered a stall, he entered the one next to it.
"Your new identity documents are ready. Wait ten minutes after I leave before you go," the voice came through a prop. At the same time, the handband on his wrist vanished into thin air, leaving only four deep blood holes.
Two minutes later, the person next door walked out wearing a face identical to his and his handband. When Xu Huo went out, he picked up what the other had left behind.
Besides the Eastern District residence permit, there was also a cheap mask prop.
To facilitate contact with the Rebel Army, he put on the mask. Just as he finished washing his hands and bandaging the wound, he walked out and ran into a middle-aged woman. "What took you so long? Hurry up, or we'll miss the next shuttle."
Xu Huo followed her smoothly, leaving the Western District inspectors' rest area.
The Eastern District also had ground-level roads. City public transportation was automatically scheduled. After getting on the vehicle, the middle-aged woman said, "You'll stay with me for the next few days. After I explain the situation in the Eastern District, you can decide whether to stay or leave."
Just noticed it's already reached four million words. So many, haha!
(Chapter End)