Chapter 2899: Willing to Pay Anything
"You guess." Xu Huo looked down at him.
The child thought for a moment. "You're so good-looking, you must be from White Rain City."
Xu Huo smiled. "Are the people of White Rain City very good-looking?"
The child nodded emphatically. "I've seen photos of Mom and Dad. We all used to be good-looking."
Starved and sallow, toiling endlessly, and constantly having to bear children—anyone would lose their looks.
"Maybe it's just that your mom and dad are good-looking," Xu Huo teased him.
"My mom and dad also said that the other uncles and aunties used to be good-looking too," the child quickly defended his words.
"Is that so? Where are your mom and dad?" Xu Huo asked again.
"They live somewhere else," the child said. "I'm here with my other siblings to study."
A little girl ran over, grabbed the boy's hand, and pulled him back, signaling for him to stop talking.
Xu Huo said nothing more. He watched them return to the group of children before turning and leaving the playground. Once he was a bit farther away, he said to the players following nearby, "Seven Alliance Army cities. Have someone who can make decisions come here."
Three players quickly disappeared, heading in different directions.
Compared to the Twelve Main Cities, the Alliance Army was so poor they couldn't even bear to activate their defensive barrier—of course, this was a helpless situation. When strength was lacking, bloodshed and sacrifice had to fill the gaps in other areas.
Members of the Alliance Army from the seven cities soon arrived. Xu Huo met them in the Joint Building of White Rain City.
At a long table, he sat at the far end, while the other fifteen people sat on either side. No one took the seat at the head of the table.
"You should have heard the purpose of my visit here."
"I've already reached an agreement with the Twelve Main Cities. I'll send some of their people out of Zone 031 in exchange for their support in my election to clear the instance."
"Before coming here, I told them that besides the Twelve Main Cities, the Alliance Army also controls five other cities occupied by stranded players. Each city will send one person to participate in the election."
"Your seven cities will select one person today to make decisions on behalf of all seven. After that, I'll only deal with that person."
He said it lightly, but the people in the meeting room felt immense pressure. This was a direct notification, not a negotiation. If it weren't for the fact that the election required locals, given Xu Huo's style with the Twelve Main Cities, the Alliance Army might not even have a say.
Still, those present were well aware that if Xu Huo could really send away some of the stranded players, it would only benefit them.
Furthermore, if the instance disappeared after Xu Huo cleared it, wouldn't that solve everything once and for all?
"This is a good thing for us," said the woman with a fake eye in her left socket. "Cooperating with you is fine, but what if the Twelve Main Cities cause trouble? We don't have the strength to face them head-on. The only reason we've managed to coexist all these years is that they look down on our little patch of land."
"That's not something you need to worry about," Xu Huo said. "Now, you can start the election process according to Zone 031's procedures."
"Use this building as the election headquarters. Decide on your candidate as soon as possible."
Only two or three people at the table nodded, but Xu Huo didn't mind. He added, "Next, I'm going to other cities controlled by stranded players. Any suggestions?"
Everyone exchanged glances. After a moment, the one-eyed woman spoke again. "Pengfei City is already gone. The players from that city have all flooded into the nearest city, Gray City. Gray City is currently at war. I'm afraid it'll be hard to get them to stop even if you go."
"Better go to Xing City. Most of the stranded players there are vicious criminals with no bottom line. Some of them were expelled from the Twelve Main Cities for breaking the rules."
"In my opinion, they're the toughest nut to crack. The Twelve Main Cities at least have their own rules. These people have none. They follow true jungle law. The original Zone 031 residents living there were almost all killed. Sometimes they even raid other places for live people."
Xu Huo nodded. The next second, he vanished from his chair.
The Alliance Army wasn't a problem. They had held out so long outside the Twelve Main Cities, so of course they were the ones most eager to send the stranded players away. Lou Fei thought they might make excessive demands, like taking over the Twelve Main Cities, but in fact, as soon as the Alliance Army heard that Xu Huo could send some stranded players away, half their attitude softened. The other half was betting that the instance might collapse if someone cleared it.
Forget about making demands—they would be willing to pay anything.
Of course, not all of the Alliance Army felt this way. Many local players had defected to the Twelve Main Cities, and there was bound to be some connection between the two sides. Plenty of people didn't want the stranded players to leave.
But that wasn't Xu Huo's concern. The Twelve Main Cities would handle it.
Just as he was heading to Xing City, the instance players from the former Pengfei City had already arrived there and found the leaders of Xing City—a council of twelve players.
Despite the formal name, they had little regard for propriety. At that moment, in the central building where the council resided, a group of people were feasting on fragrant, rich food while loudly boasting about giving Xu Huo a lesson.
Amid the shouting, food scraps and wine splattered everywhere. Some were even covered in grease, but they didn't care. They stripped to the waist, flaunting their blood-red numbers.
The players from Pengfei City frowned at the sight. They didn't join the banquet but seized every opportunity to incite these people against Xu Huo.
"Everyone, that man is no pushover. To clear the instance, he's already approached the Twelve Main Cities and walked out alive. He's probably reached an agreement with them. It won't be long before they join forces to deal with you..."
The feasting crowd ignored them, as if they hadn't heard a word. It was a young man sitting nearby, dressed more neatly and closer to civilized behavior, who spoke up. "From what you say, he'll come for us sooner or later. He just wants to clear the instance. According to records from ten years ago, the instance doesn't collapse when someone clears it."
"If handled properly, this could benefit us too."
"Benefit?" A bearded man looked up, wiped his face, and puckered his lips at the young man from across the room, grinning. "Let's hear it."
"He's strong, but he's going to all this trouble and traveling everywhere because he needs us to clear the instance."
"If that's the case, this is where we can negotiate."
"Clearing the instance will take time. He certainly doesn't want to waste energy confronting us. He'll be willing to compromise to some extent."
The bearded man kicked his stool aside, strode over to the young man, and pinched his cheek hard. "I love it when you put on that serious face while leading me straight into a trap!"