Chapter 2949: On the Same Boat
Because of the news that had been spread earlier, the Xiang siblings already knew what the "Hunting" instance venue looked like. Such a vast primeval forest, with the instance authorization book possibly buried deep underground, made searching for it like looking for a needle in a haystack. Although they had received warnings that the instance might collapse, quite some time had passed, and rather than the instance collapsing, they had leaned toward a gradual rescue approach. They never expected such a dramatic turn of events!
Calling it a miracle was not an exaggeration!
And now, the man who had created that miracle stood right before them!
At this moment, whether it was the Xiang siblings standing behind Xu Huo, the logistics team coordinating from a distance, the players who had come out of the instance and those from Hai City, or the national high-level officials far away in Jing City, everyone was stunned and filled with admiration. For a brief moment, they all felt, without exception, that as long as this person was here, Country X, and even District 014, would stand firm amidst the storm without collapsing!
The footage from Jing City was transmitted through the logistics team. Without choosing a specific location, the Xiang siblings brought the communication terminal in front of Xu Huo.
"Xu Huo, hello." Inside the conference room, everyone greeted him, and finally, the elder at the head spoke.
"Hello, everyone." Xu Huo nodded slightly. "How is the situation across the country now?"
The elder nodded calmly. "The whole country is united. It's only a matter of time before we overcome the difficulties. The news of your exit from the instance has already spread. I believe the country will soon calm down again."
Xu Huo casually opened the communication terminal and quickly browsed the information online. He found that besides battle reports, distress calls, and rescue information from various places, many heroic deeds had emerged. For example, players from other zones were actively tracked, and information was provided to the Special Defense Department; human walls were formed to block players from other zones who were kidnapping children; safe zones were spontaneously established for protection; supply teams were organized for cross-city support... and so on.
At this time, a powerful spiritual leader had also emerged among these people—a welfare home director. This woman had a speech that was widely circulated online:
"In past TV shows and movies, ordinary people like us with average abilities could be killed off casually, as if in such grand narratives, our lives and deaths were insignificant, and our pain even more so!"
"But from now on, we will tell those protagonists of the game world that our pain can become strength, that our lives and deaths are as valuable as those of players, and that we are not ants they can crush at will!"
"Our players are charging at the front, and we will not fall behind. We are the backbone of Country X, the spark of Country X, the endless hope, and the masters of this nation!"
The Jing City conference room waited until Xu Huo finished watching the video before speaking again: "The Special Defense Department has issued an emergency notice, advising ordinary citizens to seek shelter as much as possible and not to confront players from other zones, to avoid greater casualties."
"If even life and death cannot move people's hearts, then people are truly just cold symbols in data." Xu Huo did not oppose anyone's resistance. Everyone had the right to choose, and before making a choice, everyone should have considered the corresponding consequences.
"First, send me the information on the first-level combat zones within Country X," he said to the Xiang siblings, then looked at the communication screen. "After this, I will close the 'Sky Light Domain' and go to other places in District 014 to deal with some players from other zones."
The people in the Jing City conference room were slightly surprised but quickly calmed down. The elder at the head said, "That's only right. All countries in District 014 are on the same boat."
"The border defenses have not been changed. You can safely retrieve the items. We will also contact other countries to have them send combat zone information, which the military will verify before passing it on to you."
Xu Huo nodded and signaled Xiang Yao to cut the connection.
Amid the Xiang siblings' confusion, he asked again, "Any news from the Eerie Sound Knights?"
"Ting City has entered an instance, possibly related to the Eerie Sound Knights. However, Miss Yan Jiayu is in Ting City, so it shouldn't be a big problem," Xiang Yao said. "Additionally, Team Leader Nie tracked a member of the Eerie Sound Knights to the southwest and then entered an instance as well. He hasn't returned yet."
"Does he have any other information?"
"Team Leader Nie discovered that Bai Tiaoyi of the Eerie Sound Knights was using corpses to plant some mutated plants in different places. According to the Special Defense Department's investigation, these mutated plants can subtly alter human genes. We suspect they are trying to use this method to damage the genes of the next generation of players in District 014. We have already sent people to deal with it based on his movement trajectory."
"Be thorough," Xu Huo emphasized. "You must be very thorough."
The Xiang siblings nodded solemnly, then added, "Currently, among the information we have obtained, Dou Shengnan, Yu Guo, and Li Li of the Eerie Sound Knights have all died. Bullet and Bai Tiaoyi have appeared within our country, but the leader Jin Feixue and another member, Whale, have not been seen. As for whether they have recruited new members, we are not sure yet."
"Later, have the Special Defense Department ask other countries if they have found any traces of them," Xu Huo said. Then he took out the previously pruned Goddess Vine, pot and all, and handed it to Xiang Yao. "This is a plant grown from a seed dug out of Dou Shengnan's eye. Send it to the safe zone in Jing City and store it properly."
The Xiang siblings were somewhat surprised, not understanding why he was doing this suddenly. But since they could carry out this mission, they naturally knew when not to ask questions.
"Mr. Xu, rest assured. We will handle it," Xiang Yao said, knowing he was about to leave again, and solemnly added, "Mr. Xu, please stay safe."
Xu Huo nodded slightly, then left Hai City.
Before entering the Wisteria Instance, he had already mentally prepared himself, but he didn't expect to be so lucky. Before the instance collapsed, he discovered the experimental area left behind by the game. As soon as the experimental area disappeared, the instance collapsed. Most likely, the instance authorization book was there.
Wantonly destroying the instance venue could easily make one a wanted criminal, but the risk of specifically destroying the instance authorization book was greatly reduced... Indeed, as long as the instance venue remained, even if the instance was destroyed, a new one might emerge later.
Not becoming a wanted criminal was naturally the best. The identity of a wanted criminal came with many restrictions. Not only would one lose their ticket, but entering an instance would no longer yield reward settlements. This meant that in the future, neither traits nor game-rewarded items could be obtained. And when a player reached A-rank, traits could be used like items. Becoming a wanted criminal at this point would be like cutting off one's own path forward.
However, wanted criminals could also be cleared... but there was no need for that now.