Chapter 2964: Chaotic Present Situation
Xu Huo came out to understand the situation of the instance; people were dying every minute. Even though the entire city was large enough, he could easily encounter someone in the process of dying.
The incident occurred in a queue for receiving grain. An old man suddenly suffocated. He had been chatting with someone just moments before when he suddenly fell to the ground, convulsing and clutching his chest. Nearby players had already arrived at the first moment and performed all the rescue measures they could, but they still couldn't save his life.
Xu Huo watched from a distance. The moment the suffocation happened, he sensed that the air inside the old man's body had been abruptly drained, as if a leak had grown from within his body, completely pulling away the air needed to sustain life. Under such depressurized conditions, his lungs couldn't function normally, and he died faster than if he had been suddenly thrown into a vacuum environment.
Gradually, crying sounds emerged from the onlookers. People embraced each other, filled with both fear and sorrow.
This wasn't the first case to happen around them, but once chosen, they could only die helplessly.
"Isn't there anyone who can save us?" Someone couldn't help but grab a player carrying away the body. "What about that very powerful player? Get him to save us!"
Although no players had died yet, all players knew in their hearts that they absolutely couldn't escape. They were still busy maintaining order and rushing to rescue people everywhere without trying to find a way to clear the instance because they trusted the government. But as more and more people died, this bizarre and incurable way of dying was putting tremendous psychological pressure on them.
"Wait for news. The country won't abandon us," the player said to others, and also to himself.
Ordinary people couldn't change anything; they could only try to conserve their strength, hoping to survive until the instance ended.
Of course, there were also extraordinary people trying every means to save themselves.
Not all players belonged to the government. At this time, players who held container items and could still send people away became highly sought after. Some players openly or secretly spread news, and even in the fog-shrouded city, some drove across the city to find other players to join forces.
No wonder the balance kept being broken. Under these circumstances, the government couldn't possibly restrain everyone completely.
Xu Huo arrived at the South City District and saw a player from the Special Defense Department chasing another player across the block. He secretly intercepted them. The Special Defense Department member subdued the person, put a Spider Lock on him, and then beat him up fiercely, saying while hitting, "We've already notified all players through the internal network—no sending people away, no sending people away! Can't you understand, you bastard? How many more people do you want to kill?"
The same thing was happening elsewhere. Some players, after gathering large numbers of people, clashed with the Special Defense Department and the military in group conflicts.
"What's wrong with us wanting to save people!" They shouted loudly. "At a time like this, shouldn't we save whoever we can? You people from the Special Defense Department have been quiet for so long—what the hell are you doing?"
Most of the government's players didn't know the latest news either. They were just following orders from above and naturally couldn't explain to them. They could only find a way to catch them and be done with it.
At this moment, the government issued a new notice through the city network, requiring players not to send people away privately. If discovered, the government would definitely hold them accountable.
Some understood, some didn't. But even those who understood, with the shadow of death hanging over their heads, felt more resentment and dissatisfaction, even anger, upon seeing this notice. Because it meant the government had ways to evacuate people but was temporarily not doing so.
The fog continued to fall, the damp air carrying a chill. The sky, which should have brightened long ago, remained immersed in darkness.
"The city is so desolate," the Painting Woman said to Xu Huo after walking around. "No one is coming out."
Spotting two sneaky players scurrying through the streets, Xu Huo pointed with his chin. "Aren't those people coming out?"
Even at a time like this, some people still thought first about making a fortune. These two had low evolution rates and were heading to a nearby shopping mall. Using items, they entered the largest jewelry store without triggering the alarm.
Nowadays, jewelry stores in Jing City not only sold precious metals and gems but also some items. The instance came so suddenly that these things hadn't been taken away.
The two swept through the mall, but as they were about to leave, they noticed someone stealthily coming out of the mall's rest area.
The two players exchanged glances and chose to follow.
The middle-aged man from the rest area went to the underground supermarket. He looked around first, then walked familiarly toward the warehouse.
The warehouse door was already closed. He knocked and lowered his voice, "Xiao Mei, are you in there?"
He knocked several times, and when his voice grew louder, someone finally spoke from inside the room. "Brother Wang, do you need something?"
"You're alive, that's good." The middle-aged man, Brother Wang, breathed a sigh of relief. "I have a relative who found a way to send people out. I'm going there right now. Do you want to come with me?"
"Aren't we not supposed to leave?" The voice moved closer to the door.
"We're not supposed to, but people are still leaving." Brother Wang lowered his voice. "I'm afraid the government wants to let those with power and money leave first. People like us at the bottom can only stay as cannon fodder. But it's not like only government players have connections. Spend a bit more money, and we can get out too."
"I don't have much money," Xiao Mei hesitated.
"I know. I can lend it to you first, and you can pay me back later." Brother Wang said, "Don't you know how I treat you? Just consider it a favor from me. Time is running out—hurry up and come out!"
The door still didn't open. Brother Wang's face darkened. "Ungrateful! If you don't want to go, I'll go myself!"
He then hurriedly left.
Hearing the footsteps truly fade away, Xiao Mei inside finally couldn't help but open the door. But before she could call out, a shadow lunged at her with incredible speed, directly pinning her down at the entrance.
"What are you doing!" Xiao Mei screamed in terror, but soon her terror turned into despair, because Brother Wang's uncontrollably drooling saliva dripped onto her face.
"Xiao Mei, you smell so good. Let me have a taste, just one taste. Once I get off the trial train, I'll protect you, let you eat well and live well, be above others!" Brother Wang then opened his mouth wide. But the next second, a steel spoon was shoved into his mouth, prying his jaw open and pulling him up.
"You can't even control your hunger, and you expect to come off the train and be a good person?"
The ones who acted were the two thieving players. One held the person down, while the other drew a knife and cleanly stabbed it into Brother Wang's back.
Brother Wang quickly breathed his last. After pushing the body aside, the two looked at Xiao Mei sitting on the ground and asked with a grin, "Are you hungry?"