Chapter 1988: Years of Effort Wasted
There were many outer zone players in the East District. Whether they were currently in an instance or had already failed to clear one, they all began to stir upon learning the news about the "White Blood." To be fair, Jade Spring City was not a suitable place for long-term residence. Aside from everything else, Agor's control over the city alone was unbearable for players who were used to lawlessness. Many players had no concept of right or wrong, good or evil, but having to pay for air was simply ridiculous. Although this fee might not be collected from them directly, staying here meant that their food, clothing, housing, and transportation all included this hidden tax—a small city in a small district, and a tech company in this small city, how could it be more arrogant than the players? Moreover, from what they heard, they intended to use the "White Blood" to restrain the players.
Of course, that was only one reason. More importantly, if the "White Blood" was real, they could use it to exchange for a better district to live in. With such a miraculous potion, even if the Game Government didn't want it, there would be plenty of people in other districts who did. In that case, whether it was clearing instances or high-risk random events, it might no longer be a problem.
It wasn't just the outer zone players who were tempted. The players within Jade Spring City felt the same way, especially those who had undergone the surgery.
Most of the players who had undergone the surgery didn't actually know that Agor had implanted chips in their brains. They only vaguely knew that something had been done to their heads, but since the results were good, no one said anything. Even if there were side effects, they could understand. Besides, didn't the company regularly arrange psychological treatment and injections for them?
Some of them were from Jade Spring City, some were brought here by Agor, and others had come from other cities later. Accepting the surgery meant they were bound to Agor Corporation. But as news of controlling the number of newborns spread, they became consumable materials that the company could discard at any time. Agor didn't even want the people of Jade Spring City to have offspring, which naturally turned this into a one-time deal.
If they could get Zheng Yuci and the potion formula into their own hands, that would be a different story.
Since the news had leaked, it couldn't possibly circulate only within Jade Spring City. Soon, other cities in this district also learned about it from the Message Collection Terminal. Before dark, players from other cities had arrived one after another. Some used items to directly break through the blockade barrier on the city's outskirts, while more waited outside the city, holding their positions.
The Rebel Army, of course, wasn't idle either. While the outer zone players were causing chaos inside the city, they focused their efforts on destroying many of Agor's laboratories and companies. Their goal was to strike at Agor, and it didn't matter which angle they attacked from.
By the next day, the East District had completely lost the liveliness of the previous two days. Although the city's various lights and electronic screens were still on, there were no figures on the streets, making the entire city seem exceptionally empty.
In the past few days, many buildings in the city center had been destroyed. Blockade barriers and busy robots could be seen everywhere on the streets. On the other hand, the East District players had gone into hiding. Even the sentry posts placed in conspicuous locations were left unguarded.
"I thought they really weren't afraid of death," Qiao Qiao couldn't help but sneer. "After getting a batch killed, they start acting like turtles too."
"What else can they do?" Old Zhou rubbed his neck. "Those outer zone players are like lunatics. They open people's heads as soon as they see them. Who wouldn't be scared?"
Some people genuinely wanted to verify whether the advanced players in the East District really had chips in their brains. Others simply wanted to kill, or take advantage of the situation to profit. After all, in the original environment of the East District, opportunities for looting during chaos were rare.
"But since this has been made public, Agor can't possibly have no reaction at all, right?" Qiao Qiao turned to Xu Huo, who was sitting by the window wiping his black blade.
After parting ways the previous night, Qiao Qiao, Old Zhou, and Lin Cao had gone elsewhere. When things settled down, Lin Cao was nowhere to be found. Rather than searching for a partner now, Qiao Qiao and Old Zhou figured it was better to contact Xu Huo. After all, having gone through life-and-death battles together, they had some understanding of each other's combat style and strength.
So the three of them agreed to meet at a spot in the city center.
Now, many outer zone players were showing themselves openly. Quite a few building rooftops had been taken over by players. The three of them found an entertainment complex and chose the top floor to rest.
From their position, they could see the City Government Building and the Agor Headquarters Building, though due to the distance, only the rooftops of both were visible.
Xu Huo wrapped the blade with a towel and slowly wiped from the hilt to the tip. He heard Qiao Qiao and Old Zhou's conversation. Agor would likely take two approaches. If they weren't too dependent on Zheng Yuci, they would already be preparing a counterattack, at least to scare off the first wave of players from the same district who had come to observe. Otherwise, the consequences would be endless. But if they trusted Zheng Yuci too much and had also made their own advanced players undergo chip surgery, then they would have no choice but to pack up and move.
Because after this incident, whether Agor won or lost, Zheng Yuci could no longer stay in Jade Spring City.
"They'll probably test the waters with a batch of East District players first," Xu Huo said. "Right now, everyone has their eyes on Zheng Yuci, waiting to see if Agor will really protect him."
"Is that Zheng Yuci really that formidable?" Due to the large number of incidents, Agor's control over the Message Collection Terminal wasn't as tight anymore. Information about Zheng Yuci was slowly appearing online, such as the players responsible for protecting him and the more than a dozen attacks he had experienced from yesterday until now.
Qiao Qiao had originally taken a mission to assassinate a psychotherapist, and coincidentally, the target was Zheng Yuci. A couple of days ago, it seemed like a feasible task, but now that he knew Zheng Yuci was also an A-rank player, he had abandoned the idea.
"Jade Spring City has planted so many mutant plants that can sense spiritual power. It's not just to monitor the mental state of East District players," Xu Huo said, holding the blade upright and looking at its sharp edge. "It's because someone understands the power of spiritual force, so they set up defenses everywhere."
After being affected by the chips, the mental state of East District players would eventually deteriorate. Whether due to poison or medicine, the fact that they were easily disturbed was undeniable. Otherwise, no one would choose to implant instruments on both sides of their temples.
Using mental interference instruments could affect them, but the best method was still using spiritual power. This was the publicly known weakness of East District players.
Knowing this, the East District had so many mutant plants.
"He is a Mental Super Evolver," Xu Huo added. "Unfortunately, his years of effort have been wasted."