Chapter 1972: Intensifying Conflict
The East District players could set up the first round, so they could also set up a second. For one thing, they might not be in such a hurry to deal with the captured players. For another, if objective factors forced them to handle things quickly, then the place where they did so would definitely be more heavily guarded than the trading company's setup, making it even harder to enter.
"Cutting losses in time is also a good choice," Xu Huo reminded the other two.
However, Lin Cao laughed heartily after hearing this. "The more Agor Corporation tightens its defenses, the more curious I become. Anyway, I've got nothing better to do."
If they couldn't clear the instance, they might end up stranded in this district. Naturally, they hoped the environment here would be more suitable for their survival. The East District's environment was decent, but Agor Corporation's control over Jade Spring City was too tight. It wasn't relaxed for them either. If the Rebel Army could loosen Agor Corporation's grip, that would be for the best.
Old Zhou also had no intention of backing out. After discussing it among themselves, the three decided that gathering the Outer Zone players again for action would be too troublesome. Anyway, no matter where a fight broke out, everyone would want to join in. So they might as well just spread the news. Players interested in this would naturally make a move.
The virtual game was convenient, but information didn't spread that quickly. So Old Zhou bought a few cheap virus programs through Under Dimension. Before Agor's main control could react, they released the "inside story" of how Agor Corporation cultivated players. They were vague about it, not pinpointing specific methods like potions or other means. Instead, they emphasized that Agor Corporation had only taken control of Jade Spring City through such methods, and also attracted players from other cities.
To make the story more credible, they also mentioned Agor Corporation's small moves to control the population. Controlling newborns meant that Agor Corporation didn't need to rely on players who grew up in Jade Spring City. This was a threat to both ordinary people and players from Jade Spring City, especially the latter. The stronger their own people were, the more say they would have. If Agor cut off Jade Spring City's foundation, the number of players from there would definitely dwindle, and their situation would become increasingly difficult.
The message disappeared shortly after being sent through the Message Collection Terminal. Whether discussed online or through communicators, as soon as related words appeared, posts were forcibly deleted, and communications were interrupted and lost signal.
This coercive move caused the public opinion to ferment on a small scale. If even free speech was being silenced, what rights did they have left?
But this was only on a very small scale. The message blocking from the Message Collection Terminal came too quickly, and the two hospitals involved could only affect the residents nearby. So the matter hadn't spread across the entire East District. More people were still focused on the anniversary celebration.
Ordinary people didn't care. These messages were mainly used to attract Outer Zone players. Therefore, after the news broke, multiple hospitals in the East District were attacked—finding evidence from the hospitals was the most direct method.
By the next morning, many streets in the East District were cordoned off. Although the blockade could cut off outside views, such frequent attacks inevitably caused panic among the public.
Later, a representative from the City Hall made a public statement, saying that this situation was temporary. It was precisely because the anniversary was approaching that the Rebel Army was causing trouble, using this to attack Agor Corporation and the City Hall, disrupting order in the East District.
That's right. Agor Corporation blamed everything on the Rebel Army and even increased patrols, capturing some Rebel Army members in the process.
Having been busy all night, Xu Huo took a car back to Sister Yan's residence after dawn.
Sister Yan and a Rebel Army member were staying in the house, their expressions very grim.
"What happened?" Xu Huo asked.
"Two of our people were captured. The player who went to the training base in your place has also lost contact," Sister Yan said.
Xu Huo wasn't surprised. The trading company was originally set up for the Rebel Army. The Rebel Army members who successfully infiltrated were just bait. Now that they had lost their use as bait, they were surely taken away along with the West District inspector. His tracking trait and items had lost their target. The person might be dead, or locked inside a Container Item, whereabouts unknown.
"Can we still move around outside?" Xu Huo asked. "Last night, I ran into two Outer Zone players. They said Agor Corporation is now blaming all the attacks on the Rebel Army. Now that they're arresting people, are they preparing for a full-scale operation?"
Sister Yan and the others were worried about this too. They thought their secrecy was good, but only when the East District players started acting did they realize it wasn't that safe at all. Outer Zone players, new to the area, might have a hard time finding them, but they and Agor had been infiltrating each other. The one who knew you best was definitely your enemy. The current situation proved that saying.
"The brothers stationed nearby were taken. It probably won't be long before they trace it back to us. We have to leave," the man urged Sister Yan.
But Sister Yan shook her head. "I'm registered as living here. Besides, I'm not a player. Where can I run to? You take him and go quickly. Don't let anyone catch you."
She was determined to stay. It seemed she not only intended to die but also wanted to take a few with her.
The Rebel Army member couldn't persuade her. He could only look at her deeply with reddened eyes, then called Xu Huo to leave.
Just as they left her residence, Armed Robots leading the charge surrounded the building. Aircraft also landed outside the house, using a Jammer to forcibly disable the glass's shielding function, aiming their guns at the interior.
Sister Yan inside had already prepared bombs. She curled up in the pile of explosives, threw out a small detonator to shatter the window, but paid the price by having her hand blown off by the aircraft.
The simple homemade explosives were already ignited. Sister Yan lay back inside, using all her strength to shout: "Agor killed my child, wanting the people of Jade Spring City to have no descendants! You'll get your retribution sooner or later!"
With a huge explosion, flames shot out from the house, blasting away the surrounding Armed Robots and aircraft. Alarms sounded everywhere. Several aircraft, destabilized by the impact, crashed, causing new accidents.
This was a residential area. The timid hid in their homes to watch, while the bold found a place with a good view. They all remained silent, watching the Armed Robots clear Sister Yan's remains from the explosion's wreckage.
Xu Huo had already followed the Rebel Army member out of the neighborhood. Once they were far from the trouble spot, the man said to him, "Sister Yan is dead. The Rebel Army is about to go to war with Agor. Find a place to hide on your own. Don't follow me anymore."
"Did Sister Yan have to die?" Xu Huo called out to him.
(Chapter End)