Chapter 1983: Call Me the Messenger of Justice
Third, the Shadow Rope cannot be destroyed by ordinary items and seems to lack other damage capabilities—though this remains to be confirmed, given its short time of appearance.
Fourth, this Shadow Web resembles a spider's web. From its methods of binding, entangling, and dragging, it behaves very much like a real spider web.
"In that case, let me give it a try. Let's see if the item holder can only stay at the center of the web until the prey dies." The Blue Coat, now completely separated from the Black Hood, coldly stared at the masked youth. Reversing his grip, he drew two long blades and slashed toward the center of the Shadow Web from a distance.
The light trailing from the long blades carried equal cutting power, capable of gouging a trench over a meter wide into the ground. With both blade lights striking simultaneously, they could completely tear open the area where the metal box had been placed—and indeed, that's what happened. The metal box was severed in two and sent flying, along with the East District player who had been entangled earlier. Because just as the Blue Coat made his move, the youth at the center of the Shadow Web had run away. He seemed to be connected to a Shadow Rope as well, like a tether. When he moved, the East District player was swapped into his place. As the Shadow Rope on that player loosened, he was inevitably chopped to pieces by his own comrade!
The masked youth, now off to the side, continued to spout sarcastic remarks. "Whoa! You East District folks really are something else, cutting down your own people like that!"
Generally speaking, people with sharp tongues are easy to hold grudges against. In the game, such individuals are rarely encountered because their mortality rate is high. But since this one could bounce around and taunt B-rank players, it was clear he had both skill and brains.
The Blue Coat furrowed his brow, raised his hand, and held up three fingers. "Since you want to be a target, we'll give you all the targets you can handle."
Some present had already realized that the Shadow Web item likely imposed restrictions on its holder. Otherwise, the masked youth wouldn't have dragged the trapped East District player over when he left, nor would he have lingered nearby. This suggested his range of movement was equally limited.
The Blue Coat's command served as an order to all East District players present. From different directions, they attacked the masked youth in groups of three.
Items, after all, reveal their rules and weaknesses the more they are used and the longer they remain active. The masked youth didn't seem to care at all. He bounced in place a couple of times and said with a laugh, "Everyone, see you later!"
As he spoke, he tossed out several smoke bombs—likely specially made devices. The moment the smoke emerged, it spread rapidly in all directions, covering the youth's figure first, then the surrounding players.
This was a good opportunity. Xu Huo took the chance to use "Dimensional Fog" to avoid being suddenly hit by traits in the chaos. He also conveniently activated "Harmonious Atmosphere." Since everyone was gathered here indiscriminately using items, it was better if no one could use them at all.
Now came the time for harvesting. With the fog as cover and some defensive items partially disabled, he manipulated Space Rays, easily breaking through the barriers formed by the devices. In quick succession, he took out six East District players around him.
"Who exactly are you?" The Black Hood, not far from his position, couldn't help but ask when Xu Huo moved while avoiding the Rebel Army.
"Why does everyone always ask that?" Xu Huo chuckled. "If I told you my name, would you know it?"
The other party was silent for a moment before saying, "You helped the Rebel Army. I want to remember your name."
"Names don't matter," Xu Huo said. "But if you really want a name, call me the Messenger of Justice."
The other party fell even more silent.
Xu Huo wasn't joking at all. As he shifted positions, he continued, "Earlier in the West District, I had your people relay a message about cooperation. I didn't expect you already knew the weaknesses of the East District players. My bargaining chip is useless to you, which means the information you gave me was likely fake."
The Black Hood seemed to have died of silence.
"Just a reminder—the interference item has limited time. Everyone will be able to use their items again soon." Xu Huo didn't dwell on the issue. Instead, he accelerated his pace. With his wide control range and the boost from "Cube Space," any player whose defense barrier could be breached after two or three attempts with Space Ray Blades was his target. Those who couldn't be broken through after that number were skipped. In just three minutes, he had killed nearly twenty East District players.
Of course, the East District players, the Rebel Army, and other Outer Zone players weren't idle either. In the first two waves, with most items disabled, they relied heavily on devices. And because the items had failed, many of the large and small blockade barriers created by different players had mostly disappeared. This allowed nearby armed robots to enter the Shadow Web. Since the Shadow Rope had no effect on them, these robots became quite combat-effective, following orders to fight to the death with the Rebel Army.
There were also aircraft, but they were easily disrupted and made a lot of noise. Even with the fog obscuring vision, ground players could still locate them by sound. As long as they pinpointed the spot, they could knock them down with a random rock.
The East District players' locators had been destroyed by the Rebel Army and were now unusable. Through the thick fog, neither aircraft nor robots could accurately identify their opponents. Long-range attacks or airdropped bombs were ineffective. So, during those three minutes, most people relied on devices or physical strength, and not many players died.
"Wind, scatter the mist." A female voice rang out, and suddenly a fierce gale swept through the street. The thick fog that had shrouded the buildings rolled rapidly from west to east, quickly clearing away completely. Xu Huo had no choice but to retract his "Dimensional Fog."
With the fog gone, the Shadow Web and those trapped within it were revealed. The situation was clear at a glance.
Those inside the web could also see outside. More East District players had arrived—nearly thirty B-rank players alone!
In the past few minutes, they seemed to have already formulated a plan. As soon as the fog cleared, the first group of ten appeared and entered the airspace above the Shadow Web.
The item activated, and the ten were inevitably pulled to the ground. As they landed, Shadow Ropes coiled around their feet. But without even looking, they split into two groups—one heading for the masked youth, the other charging straight at Xu Huo!
After "Life Flashback" took effect, shadows of the players appeared before Xu Huo. One, two, three... Almost simultaneously, the few players rushing toward him exhausted the uses of "Life Flashback." The unavoidable trait could actually be used in different ways. Pulling out "Dimensional Fog" again, he raised his hand to form a Space Barrier, blocking three of them for a moment, then turned to face the other two head-on! (Chapter End)