Chapter 2551: Zone Occupation Mode and Partition as Hostage
Inside the council hall of District 001's district government, the council led by Valen and some council candidates were silently waiting at the table.
At least half of the tables here were empty. Those vacant tables belonged to the district government's Grand Archon and two-thirds of the original council members.
These absent individuals were originally the core members of the entire district government, but now none of them were present. They, along with their families and the families of the district's political figures present, had all disappeared on the same day—the day the relic area was sealed. It had been over a month, and no real or effective information had been sent back yet.
The disappearance of these people was inseparable from the Holy Sword Society, but District 001's strength was not weak. To capture so many government officials in one go, the Holy Sword Society alone could not do it. Such a swift and watertight operation could only be the work of an even stronger hidden opponent.
A time-reversal device placed in one official's home happened to capture traces of the opponent. Even though their identity information was hidden, their movement habits suggested they were most likely from a major force in some district. As for which one, the people of District 001 could not determine. Even a B-level zone had dozens of wormhole points, and among these wormhole points, there were countless player families with strength and heritage.
So there was simply no way to investigate.
But the opponent's goal was clear: to replace District 001's original government officials with their own people, turning District 001 into a supply zone.
District 001 had been integrated into the game for quite some time, so they were well aware of the methods used by major forces in high-level wormhole points.
Generally speaking, high-level wormhole points would not target newly emerged districts or those that had just integrated into the game. It wasn't worth it. Players and districts alike were resources, and player evolution represented district evolution. Only with better evolution would the district's resources increase. These resources could, of course, also become resources for high-level wormhole points.
But there were exceptions, such as when a testing ground or breeding area was urgently needed, or when they might directly arrange to destroy a district for use.
For districts that had been in the game for a long time and had a certain level of strength, it was not so easy for other districts to take over. First, districts were numerous and large, and controlling them required manpower and effort. Second, if control was not handled well, it could easily lead to backlash—when the game first evolved, multiple districts were not directly merged into one, nor were multiple wormhole points merged into one, not only because the time gap in evolution was small, but also due to player retaliation. One district paid a heavy price for this.
Of course, this did not curb the ambitions of powerful districts. After all, a district's resources were limited. Rather than internal strife, it was better to seize from outside. This gave rise to three modes of zone occupation.
The first was player warfare. The victor naturally took the district.
The second was like District 001's current situation: not openly declared, but gradually transitioning in the shadows.
The third was direct massacre of the district. Since there was fear of future retaliation, this possibility was completely eliminated.
Massacring a district was not difficult for technologically advanced districts; in fact, it was very simple. Every district stored certain super-scale weapons. They only needed to arrange for someone to interfere with the weapons, and the district would immediately self-destruct.
Of course, this method was rarely used, especially for developed districts. To plunder resources, there was no need to resort to such a costly approach.
But it was indeed a method. So once a district was chosen and targeted, everyone in the district became hostages. A powerful district might not even need to take any actual action to obtain a district.
For a district like 001, with sufficient strength and resources, massacre was not an easy option. Open warfare would incur massive losses. The covert transition method was most suitable, reducing casualties and controlling information.
Coinciding with District 001's council elections made it even better. They only needed to have the district's key officials step down at the right time, and new people would naturally replace them.
District 001 realized too late. When they became aware of the conspiracy, it was already irreversible. Yet they could not publicly announce the impending takeover—first, to protect the captured individuals, and second, to protect the ordinary people who knew nothing. But the fate of becoming a supply zone was clear for all to see. How could the district government willingly let their descendants unknowingly become nourishment for others?
There was no time to turn the tide, so they could only rely on time itself. They planted a seed, hoping that in the future, it would bear the fruit they desired.
The final election day had not yet arrived, but half a day ago, they gave up searching for the officials' families. Eight hours ago, they gave up searching for the officials themselves. Seven and a half hours ago, they mobilized the military, the Enforcement Team, and all high-level players from player organizations to stand by. Six hours ago, all on-duty staff of the district government evacuated the office building. Five hours ago, the joint capital began martial law, and all protesting citizens were dispersed. Four hours ago, military bases around large and medium-sized cities in District 001 entered a state of lockdown. Three hours ago, all players on secret missions abroad were recalled. Two hours ago, the district government office area unlocked the game and disconnected. One hour ago, children who had undergone early talent screening were sent away in batches and directions...
Many other tasks were being carried out in secret, but time was tight, and the external forces would not allow them to take away important resources. So aside from children and high-IQ talent, everything else was compromised in moderation. At least they had to leave an invisible wealth for District 001.
On the conference table sat a specially encrypted terminal. This terminal could directly contact all members of the first squad. Once they returned to District 001, the terminal would immediately receive a signal. Their ultimate purpose in sitting around the table was to wait—to wait for a result.
If a new Super Player emerged, District 001's crisis would soon pass. But if only some players escaped, their latest order was to evacuate.
If District 001 was successfully taken over, then this group of elite players would be both torches and seeds. Their strength and experience would be enough to educate many generations to come.
"Mr. Valen, only eight hours left," said the player who had previously welcomed Xu Huo and the other two into the district government, coming to stand behind Valen to remind him. In eight hours, it would be time to announce the final election results.
Valen took a deep breath and glanced at another external candidate sitting at the same table. This was his colleague and his comrade. Their eyes met, and they both nodded slightly to each other.
"Go to the Wan Clan yourself," Valen said. "Send the hero off first. I, the sinner, will follow shortly."