Chapter 2500: Melee
"Where did the person go?" Bubble Bean shouted at Xu Huo, then couldn't help but ask, "Where's this wind coming from!"
"Isn't it normal for wind to come in when the blockade barrier is broken?" Xu Huo symbolically looked back. "The people are coming. Let's split up. Set the fire when the time comes."
Bubble Bean stopped worrying about the Painting Woman and ran off in another direction.
By this time, the rising fluff had already covered a large area of the surrounding woods. Since it wasn't dawn yet, nothing could be seen with the naked eye.
But players didn't rely solely on their eyes to judge direction.
Xu Huo had barely taken twenty steps into the medicine field when several players appeared around him. At the same time, three Space Ray Blades released by instruments converged on him crosswise.
Without using any defense items, Xu Huo simply manipulated his Space Power. The Water Cube hidden within his body automatically released its power, wrapping around his skin and effortlessly blocking the three Space Ray Blades.
Since cutting was impossible, these three small forces couldn't restrict Xu Huo's movements either. He released the Armed Robot to further stir up the airborne fluff, then charged at the player on his left at maximum speed. Relying purely on physical strength and momentum, he smashed through both the player and their defense barrier, sending them flying. Using "Eyes in the Back of His Head," he instantly teleported behind the opponent and drove the Black Blade into their throat!
A stream of blood was pulled out by the Black Blade. Pushing aside the lifeless corpse, Xu Huo threw out "Center of Gravity," letting the item's power pull him and two other players into the air. As the three closed in, he used "Door Sealing" to strike at one of their foreheads.
The instrument's power, strong enough to alter even the Water Cube's blockade barrier, easily broke through this player's defense barrier. However, this person seemed to have a decent life-saving item. A dull collision sound rang out the moment the forehead was struck. In the end, "Door Sealing" didn't pierce through his skull, only leaving a shallow bloody hole between his brows.
As expected of a capable district—advanced players had substantial resources.
But dodging one move didn't mean dodging the next. The "All Things Want to Cut Everything," hidden by the fluff, smoothly sliced through his neck.
A sudden force clamped Xu Huo in midair, as if a narrow cavity had appeared in the air, trapping him inside. Then, the player who had earlier used his trait to freeze space appeared.
"Again?" Xu Huo twisted the ring on his finger. Time Power pierced through Space Power, surging overwhelmingly into the center of the medicine field. The range wasn't large, but it was enough to cover that player.
His range control wasn't precise, so the edge of the Time Power's coverage was a certain distance from the player. Unable to step into the Time Power's range, Xu Huo hurled the Black Blade through the air. When the blade entered the slowed zone, he stopped activating the Time Power.
Deprived of the Time Power's restraint, the Black Blade suddenly accelerated, hurtling toward the opponent's throat. But that player reacted quickly, using his trait to slow the blade's speed. Without even touching the Black Blade, he retreated without hesitation.
The other two players retreated with him, widening the distance to over a thousand meters in an instant.
Xu Huo didn't pursue. Instead, he sheathed his blade, waved at the sky, and waited for the frolicking Painting Woman to descend. Then, he took out a lighter and set a fire in the air.
The fluff was highly flammable and light. The fire quickly spread through the air, surging across a large area in one breath. The falling sparks, without exception, ignited the surrounding medicinal plants. In an instant, the area covered by fluff was filled with black smoke, turning into a blazing field.
With the fluff gone, Xu Huo could see the three players who still hadn't left. He released several trackers, accompanied by the mechanical warning sound:
"You have become enforcement targets. Put down your weapons and surrender voluntarily!"
The three didn't even change their expressions, clearly not believing he was really from the Enforcement Team.
At that moment, fires also broke out in two other directions of the medicine field. Armed Robots and trackers flew out from there too, issuing the same warnings:
"You have become enforcement targets. Put down your weapons and surrender voluntarily!"
Wen Xin and the others had returned, and as expected, they had brought an enforcement squad. The two sides had basically fought all the way into the medicine field, which was why so many Armed Robots were chasing them.
Gunfire rang out continuously. Besides them, several other players in the distance were also driven over. They were part of the same group as those who had surrounded Xu Huo. When Bubble Bean flanked from the side, she successfully swept them into the battle between Wen Xin and the Enforcement Team.
The melee had begun.
Enforcement Team members usually didn't carry full gear. Besides Armed Robots, trackers, and other small devices, they were more accustomed to using items. Earlier, when Wen Xin provoked them, he deliberately smashed their enforcement officer badges and struck ruthlessly. This infuriated the enforcement squad, and they showed no mercy. Although the robots shouted for them to surrender voluntarily, the Enforcement Team members were aiming to kill!
The Enforcement Team was enraged. Even when the gambling group's relevant personnel produced 001 District credentials, they didn't believe them at all. Simply put, Wen Xin had used this method earlier to trick and kill one of their people.
The credentials might be real, but the people might not be.
Whoever they were, setting fires in the medicine field and causing massive losses gave the Enforcement Team every reason to suspect they were members of a conspiracy organization, deliberately sent to sabotage 001 District's trade.
The Enforcement Team might not have much else, but they had plenty of trackers. Combined with other instruments, they could record everyone's appearance and combat methods. Even if the gambling group's players escaped, they would soon be identified—unless they never returned to 001 District!
"We miscalculated!" the gambling group's players regretted bitterly. Xu Huo's two consecutive impersonations of Enforcement Team members had made them let their guard down. They hadn't retreated the moment the real Enforcement Team appeared, which exposed some of their information. In the information age, no wall was airtight. Even if the Enforcement Team's database didn't have records, someone might still point them out.
"Let's go!" To avoid escalating things to an irreparable level, and because they still needed to clean up the aftermath, this group fought for only a short while before using teleportation items to escape one after another.
With these people gone, they would likely lie low for a while. Xu Huo signaled Bubble Bean and Wen Xin to retreat. After using the "Time Ring" again to freeze some Enforcement Team members, he used several items taken from previously killed players to continue fighting the rest. When he felt it was enough, he set a few more fires around the medicine field, then took out a teleportation item. Before leaving, he cast a contemptuous glance at the Enforcement Team:
"Enforcement Team? Just dogs raised by the government!"