Chapter 2895: I'll Give You Half a Day
"Of course not, but that's your problem." Xu Huo said indifferently, "I know that Zone 031's conditions aren't as good as many other districts, but being a big shot here is better than being constrained elsewhere. You can discuss it among yourselves. Those willing to cooperate, I will keep my promise and send them to another district."
"Rather than staying here day and night worrying about when the instance might suddenly disappear, it's better to take the money and go to a safe place to retire."
"Let me be clear," he swept his gaze across the six people opposite him, "For those unwilling to cooperate, I can take the time to send them off myself."
"If such conditions and threats still can't make you help me clear the instance, then I'll have no choice but to dismantle this instance."
Xu Huo's gaze fell on the floating tea leaves, "Although this instance is large, the real core is only twelve cities. Perhaps destroying these twelve cities will make the instance disappear."
"Of course, it's also possible that the instance will still exist after the cities disappear. No one can predict that; we can only take our chances."
The six people across the table all had unpleasant expressions. The short-haired female player who had spoken earlier played the good cop, "Destroying twelve cities? You underestimate the players stranded here! No matter how powerful your time evolution is, you're only one person."
For other players, it might be difficult, but Xu Huo didn't need a direct confrontation with the stranded players to achieve his goal.
"You can try," Xu Huo said. "If I can't clear the instance, I won't be speaking to you so politely anymore."
The six players who held power in Scepter City were visibly frustrated. They had secured their top position among the stranded players not just through ability but also through years of management. Having grown accustomed to a life of calling the shots, being slapped in the face and unable to retaliate was naturally infuriating.
"Destroying the instance isn't that easy. Besides, destroying it does you no good. Your goal is to clear it." Mr. Hu spoke up, "This is a matter concerning all stranded players. Although we are the administrators of Scepter City, we can't make decisions for everyone..."
Xu Huo raised his hand to interrupt him, "I'll give you half a day. By two o'clock this afternoon, give me an answer. If you really can't make a decision, I'll find someone who can."
Mr. Hu's face darkened, "Can you really keep your promise?"
Xu Huo nodded, "Give me a map of the twelve cities."
The other five all looked at Mr. Hu. After a moment, when Mr. Hu nodded, the short-haired female player took out a small projector.
Xu Huo glanced at it briefly, put it away, and prepared to head to the next city. But as he turned, he paused, "Someone has cleared this instance before. Since taking the king's treasure back then didn't cause the instance to collapse and disappear, I guess it won't this time either."
"Who dares to guarantee that?" Mr. Hu's expression never relaxed.
Xu Huo smiled, casually tossed the "Lucky Dice" up and caught it, then opened his palm to look. "Great fortune. Looks like luck is on my side."
As his words fell, his figure vanished from the grassland.
Seeing him leave, the core members of Scepter City who had been waiting nearby hurried in.
"Mr. Hu, what does this person mean? Is he going against Scepter City?"
"He killed so many of our people, why give him any face? Find a chance to kill him!"
"That's right! Kill him! Otherwise, Scepter City will be looked down upon by the other cities!"
"Kill him!"
...
The crowd clamored for a while before someone finally said, "Shut up! Let's hear what Mr. Hu and the others have to say!"
Although there were six administrators, everyone clearly respected Mr. Hu more. The short-haired female player looked at Mr. Hu and the others' expressions and said, "That kid is probably heading to other cities. Let's wait for the results before making a decision."
The other four seemed to have something to say, clearly each having their own thoughts, but none could make up their minds. Mainly, Xu Huo's arrival was too sudden. Without revealing too many of his trump cards, he had already rendered them powerless. But as Xu Huo said, if they couldn't make a decision, there were naturally others who could. Killing them would leave Scepter City with plenty of players willing to cooperate.
Mr. Hu raised his hand, and everyone in the room fell silent, all eyes on him.
"The visitor proposed a condition: if we cooperate with him to clear the instance, he can send some people across the wormhole point to other districts before the instance is cleared."
He did not hide the benefits Xu Huo had offered, because if they agreed, they would need these people's help.
And compared to the king's treasure or ruling the roost here, nothing was as important as freedom. At least going to another wormhole point meant no longer worrying about being randomly teleported into high-risk instances at any moment.
What a tempting condition...
"What if he doesn't keep his promise after clearing the instance?" someone finally spoke after a long silence.
Mr. Hu knew this would happen. He slowly revealed a faint smile, "The twelve cities elect the king. According to Zone 031's past system, there is a final voting round. If he doesn't see the teleportation device, he won't get the votes."
"I haven't seen my family in almost five years." Suddenly, another player said in a low voice.
Stranded in the instance, it was difficult for their messages to effectively reach their families. Although there were already communication tools in the game that could connect across districts, those that crossed multiple wormhole points were rare. And even if they could get them, their families might not be able to keep them safe, and it could even bring trouble.
"What are you thinking? Even if you leave here, you can't go home." Another person said quietly.
The premise for "black households" to avoid instances without using tickets was that they could not return to their original wormhole points.
But that wasn't a huge problem. Once they settled in another district, they could bring their families over and reunite.
"Will other wormhole points even accept us?" A man with half his face covered in tattoos raised his voice, "Districts with good conditions have strict management and high settlement costs. Districts with average conditions—what's the difference from here?"
"Besides, he says he'll open a teleportation channel. Which district would sit idly by while a teleportation channel opens? I'm afraid before we even finish teleporting, the other district will destroy the channel. Isn't that risking our lives?"
"That's right," the female player standing with him said, "Here, we have the final say. As long as we control Scepter City, a king can never be elected! Isn't this life good enough?"
Clearly, some of the core members shared this sentiment. Some were tied by family and longed for reunion, some wanted to escape the shadow of the instance and pursue a better life, and others had adapted to this place and didn't want to change.
Mr. Hu watched them quietly, listening to their arguments.
But the argument didn't last long, because a player rushed over urgently and said, "Mr. Hu, Pengfei City has disappeared!"