Chapter 2630: Why Fight to the Death with a Passerby
The dark-skinned burly man's expression shifted, clearly unwilling to retreat like this.
The tall man and the bearded man came up behind Gao Ming, urging him to leave with them, otherwise, given the Execution Squad's vengeful nature, even if they left today, they would surely return for revenge in the future.
"If you leave, nothing will happen here." Gao Ming dismissed them bluntly. "Leave the child behind. You can go."
The two didn't want to give up, but with the Execution Squad watching menacingly, they couldn't just abduct the person. After a two-second stalemate, they finally decided to withdraw.
But how could the Execution Squad let them go? Earlier during the confrontation, some players had already used their traits on them, and now they couldn't leave even if they wanted to.
"Round them up." An Execution Squad player waved at the two, and the pair frozen in place were suddenly yanked to the ground, sliding like snakes along the ground toward the Execution Squad.
Gao Ming's lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing. However, the young player who had been trembling all along suddenly lunged at the two, trying to save the tall man and the bearded man.
"We forgot about you." The dark-skinned burly man appeared beside him. "We went through all the trouble to let you go, and you're really useless."
As he spoke, the long blade in his hand thrust toward the young player's heart.
"Ding!" The blade was blocked by an invisible barrier. The dark-skinned burly man immediately looked up toward the wooden house, his gaze sharp as an eagle's: "Do you want to interfere in the affairs of the Eternal Tower Nation?"
Xu Huo stepped out. "The matters between the Execution Squad and the anti-government alliance have nothing to do with me. But this young man's original intention was just to save someone. He's not part of the anti-government alliance. Why not show some leniency?"
The dark-skinned burly man sneered, exerting force in his arm and pressing downward. As the defensive barrier shattered, the blade tip closed in on the young player. But just before it pierced his body, the Painting Woman, who had suddenly appeared beside him, grabbed his foot and yanked him back!
As the young player escaped danger, the dark-skinned burly man swung his blade horizontally toward the Painting Woman. She leaned back, crashing right into the person struggling to crawl away. Even in such a dangerous moment, she had the leisure to turn her head and look at the young player. He looked up to see the cold gleam of the blade descending, and in his panic, he shoved her aside and rolled over to shield her from above.
"Bang!" The sound of clashing weapons echoed through the air. The dark-skinned burly man was forced back several steps. After steadying himself, he looked at the man standing in front of the Painting Woman, lightly shaking his long blade. "Are you going to oppose the Eternal Tower Nation?"
Xu Huo held the Black Blade diagonally, its tip pointing to the ground, and slowly revealed a smile. "Isn't it you who's opposing me?"
The dark-skinned burly man's expression turned ugly. Clearly, the contrast in Xu Huo's demeanor made him realize this was a troublesome opponent. The Execution Squad members had already gathered behind him, waiting for his command.
At the same time, the Painting Woman stood behind Xu Huo, and the communicator mechanically read out her thoughts: "Should we kill them all?"
Xu Huo said nothing, merely watching the people across from him. Unlike the dark-skinned burly man, who was hesitating, he was waiting—waiting for the other side to make a move.
An immense mental pressure, carrying the wind of death, swept over. The dark-skinned burly man's gaze slowly darkened...
"Aren't you leaving yet? What are you waiting for?" Gao Ming's shout came from behind. He stared at the Execution Squad. "If you're not strong enough to win, then be smart and run fast. Why fight to the death with a passerby?"
The dark-skinned burly man's gaze shifted briefly toward Gao Ming, then quickly returned to Xu Huo. After a moment, he finally sheathed his blade and withdrew from the village with the two anti-government alliance members.
Once they were gone, the villagers finally breathed a sigh of relief. The children who had been muffled to keep them quiet finally burst into tears. Many people gathered around Gao Ming, asking if he was injured.
Gao Ming calmed the crowd and refused to let anyone repair his wooden house. He just found two pieces of cloth to cover the doorway. The child hadn't passed the danger period yet and couldn't be moved, nor could construction begin. He would have to stay up all night to watch over him.
"Thank you for today." After the other villagers had returned home, Gao Ming looked at the young player and said to Xu Huo, "He's a good kid. If it weren't for you, he probably wouldn't have survived today."
"From your conversation, I could roughly guess your connection to the Eternal Tower Nation," Xu Huo said. "Zhu Bu should hold the power of speech in the Eternal Tower Nation. Since you saved him, why not choose a more suitable place to live?"
Gao Ming shook his head. "There's no place more suitable to live in Zone 039 than here."
Whether it was the Eternal Tower Nation or the anti-government alliance, they clearly both wanted him to work for them. Otherwise, today's incident wouldn't have happened. In the struggle for political power, both sides were in a gray area, with no absolute good or evil, and their actions were extreme. Working for either side would feel like aiding the oppressor.
"Can I stay here?" The young player suddenly spoke up. "I understand. The Execution Squad deliberately let me go to lure out the anti-government alliance members. But the anti-government alliance deliberately brought me here to force Dr. Gao to join their camp, right?"
"Before today, I kept thinking about who I should work for. But now I understand. Neither of them are good people. They would ruthlessly use even a child a few years old for their own benefit. I can't stand by and watch innocent people die in front of me without doing anything. Unfortunately, I'm too weak to change this district on my own... Dr. Gao, I want to stay here. I can do odd jobs or farm!"
Gao Ming refused him. "When I made the agreement with Zhu Bu, it was clearly stated that I don't take in any players here. Besides, there's no justice here that you're seeking."
"Your room is prepared over there. Go rest. Leave tomorrow."
He nodded to Xu Huo and then entered the tent to look after the child.
The three walked out of the wooden house. The young player said in confusion, "Since Dr. Gao saved Zhu Bu, why doesn't he use that to restrain the Execution Squad players? He probably doesn't want to see the people of the district killing each other, right?"
Judging by the Execution Squad's attitude toward Gao Ming, it was clear that Zhu Bu's words had been implemented and the promise kept. But that didn't mean Zhu Bu was a good person. If Dr. Gao deviated from his neutral stance, it would mean he would inevitably get involved with one faction or another. With his abilities, saving one person was easy, but the killing that came with saving a life was something he didn't want to see. That's why he chose to be just a doctor.
"I saved you just now," Xu Huo said.
The young player snapped back to reality and quickly thanked him. But Xu Huo waved his hand. "I hope you can repay me by helping me kill someone you consider innocent. Would you do it?"
The young player was stunned and immediately said, "That's different..."
"What's different about it?" Xu Huo countered.
The young player opened his mouth but couldn't find words to refute.
"Go back to sleep." Xu Huo called the Painting Woman and walked toward the wooden house next door. "We have to get up early tomorrow."
Thanks to Kong Sheng Higgi for the reward, also the fourteenth patron of this book, scattering flowers! ヽ(°▽°)ノ