Chapter 3015: Invading Starships
After Xu Huo gave his reply, the Enforcement Department players approached the starship and issued another warning.
But this time, the starship was no longer silent—it responded with weapons.
An energy cannon fired at ultra-high speed, exploding in the sky almost instantly. It not only knocked back the 014 Zone players positioned in front of the ship, but the kinetic energy from the blast also reached the city below. Even though a defense barrier was raised immediately, some buildings were inevitably toppled. This was the first time 014 Zone truly witnessed what a super-large war instrument was capable of. Just the shockwave from a single warning shot could destroy half a small city. It was hard to imagine what 014 Zone would become if a war of this scale actually broke out!
After the 014 Zone players retreated, no one came out of the starship, nor did they give any response. No one knew what they were trying to do.
But to be safe, 014 Zone still arranged for players to set up defenses in the air. In addition to defense instruments, a special escort team carrying jamming devices surrounded the starship in a blockade.
However, a faint wave soon emanated from the ship. The people didn’t feel much impact, but the instruments they carried all malfunctioned one after another.
There were three starships in total, having come through the teleportation channel. They were spaced far apart, arranged in a triangular formation, with their prows aimed directly at Jing City, where the district government had just been established. They were still a long way from Jing City, but there was no doubt that if they wanted to, their weapons could rain down on Jing City like a storm.
This was undoubtedly a greater crisis than the zone fusion. During zone fusion, as long as no major forces launched an organized invasion, players coming and going wouldn’t be a problem. As long as the zone didn’t completely collapse, it would eventually recover. But if a major force intervened, it was hard to determine their true intentions. Control would be the best-case scenario. If they came with the purpose of destroying the zone…
It shouldn’t be like this.
Inside the newly established district government headquarters, the old and new national leaders all stared grimly at the projection screen showing the starships.
As the most important brains of a nation, the government had a natural advantage in gathering information. As long as a zone didn’t die prematurely like 017 Zone, most zones could develop smoothly. Even if a major force coveted them, it was far more profitable to let the zone develop and reap greater benefits than to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.
The zone fusion had been going on for a while now. Thanks to the existence of super-strong evolvers, 014 Zone had even avoided the greatest crisis that other zones under the same wormhole point faced during fusion. It seemed like a smooth transition was within reach. Who would have thought that this sudden complication would arise? Was this tacitly approved by the game’s higher-ups?
014 was a zone with enormous potential. Not only had it produced a powerhouse like Xu Huo, but all parties had also responded quickly and appropriately after evolution began. Under these circumstances, someone still wanted to make a move. Were they really targeting 014 Zone?
People like Zong Lanzi and Xiao Yue, who had just entered the national power center and would eventually become core members of the zone’s leadership, were naturally unwilling to accept this. The situation in 014 Zone was so promising—how could they let others carve it up like a cake?
“Let’s deploy energy weapons,” Zong Lanzi suggested. “At the very least, we need to force the people inside out and make them understand that 014 Zone won’t just sit back and wait for death.”
To prepare for the zone fusion, the government had long been stockpiling energy weapons. Combined with the various instruments transported through the Platinum Eye, 014 Zone could still put up a fight in a large-scale war, especially since the enemy only had three starships.
“Taking action is easy, but if they send more people, how do we handle the aftermath?” Nie Xuan objected. He then asked the technician beside him, “Do we have any information on the starships?”
“This is a standard warship model used in advanced wormhole points. Many zones have them. No special markings have been found so far,” the technician replied.
The lack of special markings was a good thing. It meant that the invasion of 014 Zone couldn’t be done openly. At the very least, it wasn’t a public move by other zones to carve up 014 Zone.
“What does Mr. Xu say?” Xiao Yue asked. Xu Huo’s attitude had already been conveyed through the Xiang siblings. The reason he asked again was simply to get Xu Huo to handle it.
“Don’t you even have the courage to face the enemy openly?” Team Leader Ming said coldly. “No strength, and no guts either?”
Xiao Yue remained calm. “I’m just proposing the most likely solution. While a zone’s development can’t rely on a single player, this is the best option right now. The country has paid a huge price to maintain stability. We can’t let it all fall apart now.”
Zong Lanzi shared the same attitude. “Mr. Xu doesn’t work for the government, but we can offer him sufficient compensation.”
“The Enforcement Department already owes him a stack of IOUs,” Nie Xuan said expressionlessly. “What are you going to use to hire him?”
Zong Lanzi fell silent.
It wasn’t that she had nothing to say, but there was nothing worth saying.
Everyone present knew the truth. 014 Zone’s only face was Xu Huo. He was the only one strong enough to challenge a battle starship and the A-rank player team that might be inside. They wanted to step up, but they would probably die before even touching the enemy’s clothes.
Circumstances were stronger than people. No matter how assertive they had been before, at this moment, they had to bow their heads.
Bowing their heads wasn’t a big deal. Compared to giving up some benefits and face, they were more worried that Xu Huo might not be able to do it. As for whether he would stand by and do nothing, there was no need to worry about that.
Xu Huo had always acted this way. Compared to material things, he seemed to have a peculiar obsession with stability and order. Although many people didn’t understand what he was after, given his performance during the zone fusion, calling him a great benefactor wasn’t an exaggeration.
So, when a crisis came, he would definitely step up.
It was clear that everyone in the meeting room thought the same way. It wasn’t that they wanted to shirk responsibility or were afraid of death, but that they were powerless. Truly powerless. Even if they risked their lives and fortunes, they might be no different from ants in the eyes of those outside forces.
That was the truly frustrating and heartbreaking part.
“Even if Xu Huo has the strength to act, taking action isn’t the best choice,” Nie Xuan said.
This involved inter-zone relations. The best approach was for the zone government to negotiate and strive for a peaceful transition.
“The negotiation team has already been dispatched,” Deputy Minister Ji interjected at the right time. But it was useless. The people in the starship simply wouldn’t respond.
“Mr. Xu gave a time limit of half an hour. Let’s wait a little longer,” Team Leader Ming said. “Maybe they’re waiting for us to make the first move.”
Talk was talk, but they couldn’t really pin all their hopes on one person. The government’s countermeasures were still being executed, including the contingency plans previously drawn up to prevent chaos during the zone fusion.
Various energy weapons were also being continuously transported to the starship’s location. The conflict hadn’t even started, but everyone was already prepared to burn their boats. If they couldn’t repel the enemy in the first large-scale battle, then what awaited them was a slide into the abyss!