Chapter 2898: Take Down
"Small cities don't count for much. The residents around the twelve main cities can also be controlled by the main cities, but the areas occupied by stranded players and the Rebel Army won't be so easy."
Mei Zheng's eyes were hidden behind his lenses. Under the shifting light and shadow, his gaze was somewhat blurred, as if he were peering at something.
"Killing them all won't work." Lou Fei beside him said, "A candidate slaughtering their own nationals before the election—that wouldn't allow you to succeed in any district."
"Of course, you can negotiate terms with them, but the Rebel Army and we stranded players have different stances. The conditions you offer us hold no appeal for them."
"I can't guarantee anything for the other main cities, but King's City will never cede power." Her voice sank slightly.
"It's not that Ms. Lou is being stubborn," Mei Zheng said. "Crown City and King's City are different from the other main cities. Although we occupy better resources, we haven't mistreated the local zone residents living nearby. On the contrary, we provide them with shelter and some survival benefits."
"Just look at the scale of the buildings around here—many people moved here later."
"Although most of the Rebel Army are local zone people, they aren't necessarily kind to their own kind. Ceding power to other ordinary people might not be a good thing."
Xu Huo understood their meaning. They were simply trying to throw the problem back at him, letting him deal with the Rebel Army and the other stranded players. But these two matters indeed couldn't be left to the twelve main cities to resolve.
"Follow the election process and start preparing," he said. "Aside from me, the twelve main cities, the Rebel Army, and the five medium-sized cities will each send one candidate."
"Discuss the specifics with Scepter City and Sword City. You'll handle contacting the remaining eight main cities."
"Once the Rebel Army side is settled, I'll begin arranging the cross-wormhole teleportation devices."
After saying these words, he vanished from above Crown City.
After the players waiting outside the city were freed and confirmed that Xu Huo had completely left, Mei Zheng said to Lou Fei, "What do you think he'll do to deal with those Rebel Army?"
"With his methods, can't he even subdue the Rebel Army?" Lou Fei said with a faint sneer. "As long as they want to live, they have to accept their fate. That's how the game world works."
"I'm not so sure." Mei Zheng smiled. "This person isn't cruel to everyone. Besides, if he really massacres a large number of local zone people, how can the election proceed? If he wants to become king through the election, he must gain the support of the local zone people."
That was the theory, but anyone with a bit of understanding knew that such elections were highly manipulated. The facts and process didn't matter—only the final result.
"Living a dull and uneventful life for too long gets boring. A drop of water in an oil pan—I want to see what it will turn into." The old man adjusted his glasses.
Lou Fei didn't follow his topic but said, "Among the remaining main cities, you're closer to a few. You notify them."
"No problem." Mei Zheng said, "I'll call everyone out. Besides arranging the election, we also need to figure out how to ensure the instance doesn't collapse."
Lou Fei gave him a deep, meaningful look and said, "I just want to send these people away as soon as possible. Only when they're gone will Zone 031 be safe for us."
Mei Zheng's smile deepened. "Sending them away is certainly necessary. It just depends on how it's done."
A flicker of impatience passed through Lou Fei's eyes, and she left with her people.
Mei Zheng stretched lazily and instructed the two-meter-tall man, "Get in touch with the other main cities. Pick a suitable place to meet up. Tell them to move quickly, or they'll end up as someone's punching bag."
The main cities could communicate with each other, so even though Xu Huo hadn't visited the remaining eight main cities, they all received the news, including the five medium-sized cities—only four remained after Pengfei City collapsed.
Compared to the boiling excitement among the stranded players, the Rebel Army side was very calm. Only a small number of them had received the information, and because local zone people were relatively marginalized among the stranded players, their understanding wasn't detailed. However, Xu Huo's appearance had still been transmitted through the Under Dimension to this side.
The seven large cities each had their own leaders. On the surface, they had formed an alliance, but in reality, they still held their own territories without any subordinate relationship.
The Rebel Army among the stranded players, also called the Zone 031 Allied Forces by the local zone people, had cities that weren't as good as those of the stranded players. Most of the buildings in their cities were old and dilapidated, including the areas where local zone players gathered. The only relatively well-maintained structure was the Allied Forces Joint Building.
Xu Huo visited three cities in a row, and each city was the same.
Furthermore, because Zone 031 itself wasn't rich in resources, some land and water sources were contaminated, and they were squeezed out by the stranded players, the areas occupied by the Allied Forces weren't very livable. Long lines of people fetching water could be seen everywhere in the city.
The land near the city government was extremely barren but had still been cultivated. The crops were visibly poor, and there weren't even half the smart pods that the twelve main cities had.
Most of the people he saw were relatively thin and in poor mental state. There were many children, but judging by their complexions, they weren't very healthy either, only slightly better than the adults.
There were too many children in the cities occupied by the Allied Forces. These children were divided into two categories: one group lived with their parents, occasionally receiving aid from the Allied Forces to ensure they grew up smoothly; the other group was taken away by the Allied Forces for centralized care and training.
In the end, Xu Huo chose to stop at White Rain City. He came to the edge of a dirt playground and watched a group of seven- or eight-year-old children practicing martial arts with their master.
Unlike the children outside, these kids were in good shape, apparently well-nourished.
He hadn't been standing there long when players from White Rain City began appearing one after another near the playground. The master teaching the class paused, his gaze also falling on the old man who had appeared at a corner of the playground. After the old man nodded slightly, he continued his instruction.
The children's youthful shouts gathered together. Even though they were sweating profusely and their hands and feet were trembling, no one stopped.
Xu Huo ignored the players who had arrived later, and the White Rain City players didn't dare approach either. The former watched the children practice, while the latter watched the former. In this state of mutual non-interference, the atmosphere still grew increasingly tense, as if a single spark would set everything ablaze.
The bell hanging by the playground rang, forcing the master to let the children rest.
The children didn't understand the strange atmosphere among the adults. They hadn't seen many Allied Forces members besides their master, but they noticed Xu Huo, who was very close.
His clothes were clearly different from the locals. The children were curious. After huddling together and watching for a while, a bold boy approached, "Uncle, are you from White Rain City?"