Chapter 2109: A Lesson Learned from Loss
"What else could it be? Definitely because they've suffered losses." A person who knew a bit about Zone 011's past said, "Only those who have suffered greatly at the hands of cannibal players would hate them so deeply."
In most zones of the game, the attitude toward cannibal players was ambiguous. Cannibal players didn't just appear at the beginning of a zone's evolution; given their massive numbers, subsequent evolved players could still become cannibal players. If they were wiped out completely, it would inevitably cause backlash, and killing them all was impossible anyway. For the stability of the nation and the zone, turning a blind eye was the easier path.
Additionally, while cannibal players weren't exactly welcome, not all of them succumbed because they couldn't control their gluttonous desires. A considerable number became cannibal players unknowingly or under duress. These individuals had the will to abide by the law and the basis for cooperating with the national government. Moreover, cannibal players themselves were a combat force that could be useful in many situations.
Thus, different zones had different policies toward cannibal players. The basic principle was that as long as they didn't cause trouble in the zone, the government wouldn't openly target them. Extreme aversion like that in C11-011 was rare.
"I don't believe it. If one of their own became a cannibal player, they'd still hold the same attitude." A player said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Young man, don't be so absolute." An elderly man dressed in local Zone 011 attire said, "I'm from another zone, but I've lived here for over twenty years. If you're talking about Zone 011's attitude toward its own cannibal players, it's even harsher than toward those from outside."
"Thirteen years ago, a batch of cannibal players appeared in one of Zone 011's cities."
"Those people were clever. They avoided the notice of local players, gathered and hid in a super-large city at the time, and formed a sizable organization. When they were discovered, they simply took the entire city hostage and demanded to establish their own nation."
"At that time, nearby cities alone gathered a force ten times the number of cannibal players to besiege the city. The neighboring capital city also issued a notice on behalf of the entire zone, clearly stating when the siege team would enter the city, when they would attack the cannibal players' main strongholds and key hostage locations, and demanding the cooperation of the entire city."
The old man spoke with slight excitement, "Even after more than a decade, I still remember the fearlessness and bravery shown by Zone 011's players and ordinary people at that time. Because the cannibal players had seized some important military locations in the city, a forced assault by the siege team would have killed the most ordinary people. But unexpectedly, after the capital issued the notice, the few players and ordinary people hiding in the city launched an attack on the cannibal players first, even blowing up two underground weapon research bases, killing over a thousand on the spot!"
"That was completely a ten-for-one or hundred-for-one trade to buy time. But the city was still mostly ordinary people. Most of them couldn't kill players, but they were willing to risk their lives to hold back the cannibal players. A city with millions of people—even if the cannibal players killed nonstop, how long would it take?"
"The final result was predictable. Both the besieging players and the local ordinary people paid a huge price to drive back that batch of cannibal players."
"Of course, it was impossible to kill them all. Many cannibal players escaped into the game. But to show their determination to eradicate cannibal players, Zone 011 completed a city-wide population relocation within three days, then leveled the entire city to the ground, publicly declaring that they would never give cannibal players any soil to survive on!"
"Since the beginning of evolution, Zone 011 has had over a dozen large and small wars against cannibal players. Those who had already become cannibal players from this zone simply dared not return. And if a family produced a cannibal player, several generations would be unable to hold their heads up. There have even been multiple cases of family members turning in their own."
"So in the past decade, fewer and fewer cannibal players have emerged in this zone. Not only locals, but people like me who moved here from other zones have also benefited."
"In Zone 011, there's no distinction between local cannibal players and outside cannibal players—only ordinary players and cannibal players."
The old man stared at the questioning player and said, "You may not have experienced the tragic ordeal of having friends and family become food, an entire city turned into a breeding ground, or even players from the entire zone forced to eat people. That's why you don't understand why some people hate cannibal players so much. But you should at least show basic respect for righteous actions, not sneer at them."
The younger player's face turned pale. He didn't bother to queue and left directly.
Some questioned, some complained, but most Zone 011 players were too lazy to waste words on this. Anyone causing trouble was simply driven away.
"But I feel like the checks on cannibal players are stricter now than before?" Another player found it unusual.
"Maybe more cannibal players have been coming recently." Someone else said.
"I still think their attitude toward cannibal players is too harsh. A one-size-fits-all approach isn't good for stability." A young woman standing behind Xu Huo said, "Some people can't control their desires and degenerate into cannibal beasts, but others are victims. They don't want to eat people, nor do they do it voluntarily. Treating them the same as ordinary cannibal players isn't fair."
Of course, there were also those who admired Zone 011's attitude toward cannibal players, and they retorted, "There are so many cannibal players. Who has the time to distinguish them one by one? Besides, whether forced or voluntary, the moment a person takes that first bite of their fellow human, they should spend the rest of their life repenting and atoning!"
"I'm not speaking up for cannibal players. I just think some of them also have the right to a space to survive." The young woman frowned. "If everyone does this, aren't we pushing them toward self-destruction?"
"The first bite might be forced, but can the second and third bites also be fed into their mouths by others?" The man looked suspiciously at the young woman. "You keep defending cannibal players. Could you be one yourself!"
The woman's expression turned cold. "Whether I'm a cannibal player or not, the inspection will reveal soon enough. It's not your place to play judge here."
There were patrolling players nearby, so the two exchanged a few words and let it go, avoiding a bigger conflict.
"They eat people. Is it tasty?" The Painting Woman raised her communicator and said to Xu Huo, "I think regular meals are delicious enough."
"Most do it out of necessity." Xu Huo said, "Only very few take pleasure in it."
The Painting Woman nodded, her fingers sliding quickly across the communicator. "If we locked them up and only gave them regular food, would they starve to death or eat themselves?"
"Never experimented. If you have time, you could try catching one."
The people around them all turned to look at the two.
(Chapter End)