Chapter 2768: Real-Time Hotspot Tour
The collapse of Supervision Punishment City did not stir up too much of a wave on the Message Collection Terminal. Although many people and instruments in the same city captured footage of the collapse and the tsunami, the Enforcement Department reacted quickly. Besides blocking the relevant videos, they also provided an explanation at the first opportunity.
Claiming it was an attack by Outer Zone Players would inevitably damage their own image, and revealing the truth was absolutely impossible. So their official statement was that the collapse was caused by a leak of experimental materials in Supervision Punishment City. As for the tsunami, it was an emergency measure taken to prevent the harmful substances from spreading further, and the losses would be covered by the relevant departments of the city government.
Of course, some people who understood the situation would not easily believe the Enforcement Department's explanation. Not only that, but there were also those who, not minding the chaos, uploaded some live-stream clips to the Message Collection Terminal.
Soon, people who didn't know the details traced the source of these clips and analyzed that they were fragments from certain underground live streams. Such clips had appeared before, but they were only circulated on a small scale and quickly deleted, always lingering in a gray area—few people cared, and no one pursued the matter. But this time, when linked to the timing of the Supervision Punishment City collapse, it was easy to associate it with a conflict involving Outer Zone Players.
The scale of Player battles was extraordinary, so accidents during such underground live streams were hardly surprising. Besides, most of the dead were Outer Zone Players, which wasn't a big deal.
What truly stirred up the ordinary citizens was a suddenly cut-off underground live-stream clip. The person in this stream was none other than Toven Smith of Black Sea Technology Company. He sat alone in a chair, not appearing to be under duress, but his eyes were somewhat vacant. He muttered to himself about matters concerning Black Sea Technology Company. What he said had little to do with the underground stream; instead, it involved the dealings between Black Sea Technology and certain high-ranking members of the Enforcement Team—such as how much they had received in benefits and what convenient doors they had opened for Black Sea Technology...
Although the streaming channel was very secretive, and it was a disguised channel layered with several covers by Black Sea Technology, with Toven Smith having locked the permissions in advance, it was still forcibly interrupted shortly after it began.
Of course, that was enough.
The citizens of District 022, though unconcerned about the lives and deaths of Outer Zone Players, were very concerned about the dealings between local capital and the government. Once someone started, others pushed the matter along. The incident quickly fermented on the Message Collection Terminal, and the next day, when Toven Smith's body was discovered, it pushed the situation to a climax—especially the "Welcome to Watch" sign hanging on the corpse in plain sight.
For a time, the Message Collection Terminal was ablaze with heated discussion. Many believed this was retaliation by Outer Zone Players against the underground live streams that deliberately tortured and killed them.
When something exists and brings in substantial income, everyone is happy to see it, no matter how much blood it's stained with—as long as that blood isn't their own, it doesn't matter. But if that thing backfires and brings unpredictable danger, then its existence comes under scrutiny, especially since the targets of such streams weren't just Outer Zone Players.
Personal safety was one aspect; another was the collusion between the Enforcement Department and Black Sea Technology. It wasn't unusual for government departments to give certain capital companies preferential treatment, but if Supervision Punishment City, nominally a penal facility, had actually become Black Sea Technology's private property, did that mean the government hadn't fully supervised the criminals? And if Black Sea Technology wanted, could they drag anyone into their domain, even without government oversight?
The storm erupted, but it would eventually calm down—such incidents weren't unprecedented. However, where the storm would blow was hard to control.
As some of Black Sea Technology's underground industries were exposed, and scandals involving high-ranking officials of the local Enforcement Department were continuously revealed, the District Government had to step in, announcing that they had sent people to take over the investigation. But perhaps as a deliberate provocation, at the same time the District Government announced the investigation, the "Welcome to Watch" sign was hung on the door of the local Enforcement Department.
"Who did that?" In a restaurant not far from the Enforcement Department building, Levi scrolled through the messages on the Message Collection Terminal while talking to Zhan Erliu. "That's too blatant. They better not shift the District Government's attention onto the Outer Zone Players. Let them just focus on investigating their own affairs!"
"Hard to say—someone might be deliberately diverting attention." Zhan Erliu stuffed a mouthful of vegetables. "When the Enforcement Team has problems, the District Government naturally wants to turn this embarrassing page as quickly as possible. When internal conflicts are hard to resolve, it's best to use external conflicts to shift the focus."
"Xu Zhi posted a log," Levi said, disabling the Communicator's shielding so they could both see. The photo showed a person wearing a mask and giving a thumbs-up, with the Enforcement Building they could see in the background as the backdrop. The title of this log was "Real-Time Hotspot Tour."
"He's here too," Zhan Erliu said. "He moves pretty fast. I thought he was still behind us."
Levi left a comment under the log telling Xu Zhi their location, not lifting his head as he said, "He's faster than both of us. How could he be behind?"
"We used Teleportation Items; he took an Aircraft. Who's faster, you say?"
"Taking different routes and still running into each other halfway—that's quite a coincidence." Levi said, "I called him over to eat together."
Zhan Erliu paused in his eating. "Do you know that some people in this world are just born unlucky? Wherever they go, trouble follows, and everyone around them ends up suffering too."
Levi looked up at him. "That's not bad luck—it's overflowing good luck. Why else would others always be the ones to suffer while he survives?"
Zhan Erliu was speechless and simply waved his hand. "Eat up. Finish early and leave early."
Xu Zhi arrived quite quickly. He had a brand-new face, and his body shape had also changed somewhat. When he walked over, Levi and the other didn't notice anything amiss until he sat down before they reacted.
The three of them talked about the situation over the past few days. Overall, things were going smoothly. Levi and Zhan Erliu had only met up here yesterday. Zhan Erliu had already obtained his souvenir, but Levi hadn't found his yet.
"I've been here for three days already," Levi said helplessly. "Not a single clue."
Xu Zhi had been delayed for quite a while, but he had also gotten to know many people. He contacted Chai Sheng, Lei Xiaohe, and others. Lei Xiaohe quickly replied, saying a friend had one.
Levi immediately perked up. "Is it reliable? Could it be a trap?"
"Shouldn't be a big problem," Xu Zhi said. He discussed the exchange location with Lei Xiaohe, then added, "Just go to the address. Lei Xiaohe is the middleman. Give him a bit more money."
"Money is a small matter," Levi said. "I really have to thank you this time. Otherwise, I don't know how much longer this would drag on. If you ever need help in the future, just say the word. I won't hesitate!"