Chapter 2320: Zone 014 Temporarily Does Not Welcome Outer Zone Players
The middle-aged man and the representatives of several major player organizations had their own hidden agendas. Their initial idea was to gain some support by replacing Xu Huo's authority. Given how long Xu Huo had stayed in Zone 014, it was impossible for him to return every single month. Once a player organization was established, someone would have to handle the affairs, and over time, they would be the ones calling the shots.
Of course, if Xu Huo was unwilling, it had both pros and cons for them. The downside was that it wouldn't be easy to ally with other player organizations. The upside was that they actually didn't want someone hovering over their heads either. The original intention behind forming a player alliance was to contend with the Special Defense Department.
But Xu Huo's tough attitude caught them off guard.
There weren't many people present today, but they represented dozens of player organizations and groups, with even larger groups behind them. His words essentially meant that Ting City was his personal territory, and he alone had the final say. So what did that make the player organizations that had specifically moved here?
"Mr. Xu, don't be so absolute," the middle-aged man spoke again. "A single tree does not make a forest. The Special Defense Department is easy to deal with now, but there's an absolute information gap between them and us. Right now, they're busy accumulating resources. By the time the game merges, we'll likely fall far behind. Everyone who becomes a player hangs their life on the line. Outside is dangerous—can't we at least have some freedom when we come home?"
Xu Huo raised his hand to cut off his rambling. "I've already said I have no interest in an alliance, and I don't care about the grudges between the Special Defense Department and player organizations. Ting City has been assigned to me now. On my turf, respecting the owner's wishes shouldn't be too difficult, should it?"
"In Ting City, we're certainly willing to follow Ting City's rules," a female player spoke up. "But I'd like to ask, Mr. Xu, if you were to go to our territory, would you follow our rules?"
"As long as you can make me," Xu Huo said meaningfully.
The female player gave a slight smile. "So can I take that to mean that, in your view, whoever is stronger calls the shots? Here, your rules are the rules, but elsewhere, other people's rules don't count?"
"Rules?" Xu Huo swept his gaze across the crowd and singled out a D-level player standing in a corner. In a flat tone, he said, "Why don't you go discuss rules with him?"
The singled-out player initially flinched, but when he met everyone's gaze, his expression changed. He immediately said, "Yeah, yeah! Why don't you talk about rules with me? Last time, those guys from the road robbed us in a random instance. Didn't we agree that player organizations in the same instance wouldn't interfere with each other? How come it's okay for them to rob us, but the rules we agreed on beforehand don't count?"
Although his expression was arrogant, few people present took him seriously. The weak seemed to have no right to talk about rules or equality.
The expansion of power had already created a clear rift between players and ordinary people. It was normal for those who considered themselves "above others" to feel this separation. What was needed now was official and humanistic restraint, but that required a relatively peaceful environment.
Zone 014 wasn't quite there yet.
"I understand Mr. Xu's stance," the middle-aged man finally said with a cold laugh. "Looks like I made a wasted trip. I really shouldn't have placed my hopes on any one person."
Xu Huo gestured toward the door with a "please" motion.
The middle-aged man left with his companions. One by one, others also began to wait and see and withdraw, and soon more than half of the attendees were gone.
Just then, the meeting hall's door was suddenly slammed open. The Painting Woman, clutching several paper bags, landed on the table closest to the door. She stood up, glared angrily at the entrance, and tossed her things aside in frustration. Various paper animals made from the paper in her clothes shot out like cannonballs, exploding along the doorway and into the adjacent walls, circling nearly a third of the hall before finally stopping.
Then the Painting Woman's gaze snapped directly onto Xu Huo.
Xu Huo was seated in the center of the hall, the most conspicuous spot. So when everyone's eyes followed the Painting Woman's gaze, they naturally saw the player who had suddenly appeared behind him!
The newcomer was draped in black clothing, looking like a twisting black smoke. Because of his incredible speed, it was almost impossible to make out his face or movements. But the cold gleam of a blade pressed against the side of Xu Huo's neck was crystal clear!
Everything happened too fast. No one else had time to react. In the blink of an eye, they only saw the cold light stop mere inches from Xu Huo's neck. Then the seated figure moved with abnormal speed, circling behind the black shadow. At the same time, a line connected to the tabletop sliced in from the shadow's side.
Both sides' traits had taken effect. Xu Huo, having circled to the rear, was frozen in place and couldn't move. The black shadow, forced by the Passerby A's trait to look at Xu Huo, had to use his weapon to block the ray.
But that A-grade prop snapped on contact, and several of the black shadow's own defensive barriers were completely severed. It was only thanks to a life-saving item that he managed to twist into an awkward posture and barely dodge the ray.
But the danger wasn't over. As the black shadow arched his upper body, he met Xu Huo's downward gaze.
The moment their eyes met, the black shadow's lower half inexplicably sank into the floor!
"Boom!" A thick plume of smoke erupted with an explosion. The next second, two figures retreated from the smoke, each backing up more than ten meters before charging at each other again!
With vision obscured and senses unable to keep up, the people in the hall had no idea what was happening inside the smoke. They only heard sounds of combat—props clashing, instruments activating, and arcs of power occasionally spilling out...
The players originally in the center of the hall were forcibly pushed aside. Some, caught off guard, were even injured. But before they could all retreat outside, the sounds of fighting abruptly stopped.
Then they saw Xu Huo stride out of the smoke and dust. Behind him, the black shadow player who had moved so quickly was frozen in place, motionless.
Looking back at Xu Huo, they saw his gaze lift slightly, and then he vanished from where he stood!
Movement within the spiritual realm was nearly impossible for the players in the hall to track. It wasn't until Xu Huo emerged from another direction that they sensed someone had arrived outside the hall. They quickly moved outward.
On the large roof of the hall, Xu Huo stood on the central metal framework. He looked at another figure, also with their face concealed, standing a hundred meters away, and spoke: "Zone 014 temporarily does not welcome outer zone players."