Chapter 2151: Many People Floating Out of the Lake
Doctor Dian glanced at today's work schedule and hesitated for a long time before saying, "Alright, just one day."
Xu Huo stood up to take his leave.
Having completed the arrangement for placing the "Time Tower," he planned to return to Station City to look for the Painting Woman.
Xu Huo wasn't worried about the Painting Woman being caught by the Tian Clan. She had followed so many players before without being taken into their item slots, which showed that unless she was willing, she probably couldn't be collected. Ordinary container items couldn't trap her either. Since she had previously managed to avoid the Tian Clan's people and find the place where the frozen corpses were stored, she was most likely hiding somewhere in the mansion district now, just temporarily unable to get out.
The "Time Tower" had to be taken by her to the Double-Bright Bird Pharmaceutical.
Last night, Station City was relatively calm. The people who had endured a sleepless night were somewhat disappointed not to see the expected drama unfold. However, more people believed that the Tian Clan had already killed the player who came to seek justice in private. Although he had deliberately stirred things up to attract attention, he still hadn't escaped the Tian Clan's pursuit. By now, his body had probably disappeared too.
If a player had actually come out to make a scene, everyone might have had an outlet for their anger. But it seemed like the matter was about to pass quietly. How could those who had grudges with the Tian Clan let it go? More and more people crowded the City Hall to file reports, the public growing increasingly agitated. Some even suspected that the city government was shielding the Tian Clan, which was why the investigation hadn't made any progress.
The investigation wasn't without progress. In fact, the upper echelons of the city government were well aware of what the Tian Clan was doing behind the scenes. Otherwise, how could the Tian Clan have gotten their hands on the ships that were supposed to be used on a rotating basis?
Matters from the outer zones could be silenced, but matters from this zone absolutely could not. Ordinary people were prohibited from using large-scale lethal weapons, but no one could control the players. Whether it was players who had grudges with the Tian Clan or forces looking to take advantage of the situation to attack them, everyone was already on standby. With a just cause, even if they stormed the Tian Clan's residence and killed people, the city government would be powerless.
And most importantly, the city government was unwilling to bear the consequences of this matter.
Although the articles published by the scholars mostly focused on the potential threats that excessive development of instruments could pose to humanity, the Tian Clan's actions seemed to confirm this process. The earlier genetic screening had been a game between technology and human nature. District 008's unity had also maximized the protection of ordinary people's rights. Now that someone was digging at the roots, naturally everyone felt endangered.
When people hadn't seen the darkness, they thought it was far away. But once they truly noticed it, they realized that darkness and light coexist; it had never been far away. With so many reports representing so many people who had disappeared without a trace, who could say who would be next? Even some players could become experimental subjects, let alone ordinary people.
The Tian Clan persecuted ordinary people, so ordinary people could only pressure the city government. The city government didn't want to take the blame, so they turned around and demanded an explanation from the Tian Clan.
In fact, the Tian Clan had already prepared a plan. They would use a large amount of recorded data to shift the blame onto some outer zone players or local zone players who had actually committed crimes. This would ease the conflict with the public while also playing the role of victims—after all, it couldn't be that all the missing people in District 008 were related to the Tian Clan.
Such news had already spread on the Message Collection Terminal. That is, until the lake in the mansion district where the Tian Clan lived suddenly surged with corpses and living people.
From the very first report, many places related to the Tian Clan were being watched, especially where the Tian family members lived. The mansion district in Station City was a conspicuous location. Although the Blockade Barrier was active, under the city government's request, the Tian Clan was not allowed to interfere with or block the outside view. So when corpses and people floated up from beneath the lake, the flying surveillance instruments and players lurking nearby saw everything clearly.
The Tian Clan players guarding the entrance were stunned, all looking toward the villa.
There were seven or eight corpses with numbers on their feet, but more than twenty living people. These people surfaced and cried out for help, shouting that they had been kidnapped by the Tian Clan.
Regarding the missing persons, neither the city government nor the player organizations could really do anything to the Tian Clan. After all, with items, it was very simple to dispose of corpses and people—searching was futile. But it was rare for evidence to so blatantly float up on its own. So when the Tian Clan players tried to destroy the evidence immediately, the nearby Enforcement Team stepped in. They used instruments to directly interfere with the external Blockade Barrier, entered, and immediately protected the people on the lake.
The twenty-plus people included both men and women, most of them good-looking. Some bore signs of abuse. Those quick on the uptake, upon seeing the Enforcement Team, eagerly spilled the truth. "The Tian Clan locked us in the villa's basement to entertain guests. Every two or three days, someone would be taken out and never come back. They must be dead!"
"The Tian Clan said that even if we died, we couldn't escape this place. The dead would be sent to the laboratory to feed the Xenomorphs!"
"...Besides being forced to sleep with them, some people would have their body parts taken..."
"Those corpses were all hollowed out..."
Under the Enforcement Team's blockade, the Tian Clan players couldn't intervene. Two or three who tried to use Mental Power to interfere were knocked unconscious by the Enforcement Team leader, who was also a Mental Evolver. Facing the Buzz Cut player walking in front, the team leader smiled. "With me here, don't even think about pulling any tricks."
Buzz Cut's expression was cold and stern. "Yang Chong, the Tian Clan is also a part of District 008. We've made tremendous contributions. You shouldn't treat us like this."
"As if only the Tian Clan has contributed to District 008," Team Leader Yang Chong raised his hand and pointed behind him. "Everyone here works diligently, pays taxes, and supports every blade of grass in this district. The Tian Clan is no different from them."
Buzz Cut didn't move, but other Tian Clan members clearly didn't think so. Someone said, "When the outer zone players attacked, let the people behind you go and fight them off."
Yang Chong's face darkened upon hearing this. "The players of District 008 already have enough privileges. If you think you can ignore ordinary people's human rights just because they are weaker than you, then the Tian Clan is no different to the city government and District 008."
His gaze locked onto the other party. "The only reason I'm standing here reasoning with you right now is precisely because of District 008's laws and system. Otherwise, the moment you tried to interfere with the Enforcement Team carrying out their duties, you should have been executed on the spot!"
"Beep!" As his words fell, the twenty Enforcement Team players scattered across the lake simultaneously activated their equipped Energy Weapons, their muzzles all aimed at the Buzz Cut players and others in front.
The well-trained Enforcement Team didn't show the same emotional fluctuations as their leader. They calmly watched the players ahead, waiting for orders at any moment.
Yang Chong sneered, waved his hand, and turned around. "Take them all away!"