Chapter 662: Attack on the Safe Zone
Xu Huo didn't mind this proposal. If he refused again, this plane might not even make it to Y Country's territory, and he really didn't want to come a second time.
After he readily agreed, Nyx also seemed more relaxed. He sat across from him and chatted, not probing into his identity or the so-called transaction, merely discussing the recent situation in Y Country.
Nowadays, news between countries didn't travel as fast, and the major powers were too preoccupied with their own troubles.
"X Country is really fortunate. So far, there haven't been large-scale casualties," Nyx said with a hint of envy. "Unlike my country, where a quarter of the territory has been forcibly abandoned."
Y Country's main problem was still the epidemic incident from the last player invasion of Zone 014. To this day, it hadn't been properly resolved. To curb the infection, Y Country had directly quarantined certain areas. Coupled with the appearance of Xenomorphs, half the country was now in dire straits.
"Large-scale casualties?" Xu Huo tapped the table. "Didn't the Special Defense Department Headquarters just experience the black rain? Anyone caught in it gets infected and turns into a Xenomorph in a very short time."
"I've heard about that, but X Country has Detox Fungus, so it shouldn't be a big problem," Nyx put on a compassionate expression. "In the grand scheme of things, the most pitiable are still the ordinary people."
"Yeah," Xu Huo said nonchalantly, showing no pity for the dead.
"Mr. Yu, what's your view on players?" Nyx observed his expression. "As the situation changes, more and more people are shifting from aversion and fear of players to trust and dependence. All countries in Zone 014 will eventually become a community of shared destiny. In my opinion, players, like weapons, are a double-edged sword."
"You're overthinking it," Xu Huo glanced at him. "Do you really think ordinary people can control players? Zone 014 isn't some community of shared destiny; it's just a game partition. Players can leave and never come back."
"This place is a mess. It's better to settle in a more stable partition."
Nyx smiled. "It's still our homeland, after all. Family and friends are here."
"Life is what matters. Who needs a homeland?" Xu Huo scoffed at his words and called for the flight attendant to bring him some alcohol.
The passengers on the plane still didn't know his identity, but the crew did. The flight attendant first looked to Nyx for confirmation, and only after he nodded did she go to get the wine.
An unopened bottle of fine wine was brought over. The flight attendant performed the uncorking on the spot and was about to pour it for Xu Huo when he covered the rim of his glass with his hand.
"You guys really have no sincerity. Is this how you treat a guest, by spiking the drink?"
The flight attendant's expression changed. Nyx waved for him to leave and then offered Xu Huo a sincere apology.
Xu Huo was still somewhat gracious. "Don't think that just because a player acts, no one will notice. I see you haven't managed to make much antidote, but you've got plenty of poison. You really take after your ancestors."
Nyx could no longer maintain his smile. He said in a low voice, "Mr. Yu, please respect my country and my forefathers."
"I was complimenting you. Didn't you catch that?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "Either don't do it, or go all the way. But if you do it, don't be afraid of people talking. Where's your backbone?"
His words and expression were completely at odds, and Nyx couldn't figure out what he really meant.
This lengthy conversation wasn't just small talk; it was a psychological assessment of a player who had managed to sneak onto the plane. Every player entering Y Country had to go through this. If they could be recruited, that was best; if not, they would be driven away.
Nyx wasn't sure of Xu Huo's identity yet, but from his words and demeanor, he didn't seem angry about what happened in Jing City, though he did have some hostility towards Y Country. But that wasn't a big deal.
As long as it wasn't a matter of national or familial vendetta, ordinary personal grudges could be smoothed over with generous material conditions.
Nyx relaxed his expression and was about to sit down again to continue the conversation when Xu Huo suddenly took out a telescope and looked at an island on the sea. "This is already Y Country's territorial waters, right?"
Nyx had just opened his mouth when his expression changed. The next second, he saw Xu Huo, along with his seat, plummet from the plane into the air. Amidst the roaring wind, the man disappeared from the seat in the next instant!
"Space item!" Nyx roared with rage. Ignoring the passengers crying for help and the panicked fellow players, he jumped directly from the disintegrating plane. Two seconds later, he also vanished in mid-air.
This plane was destined never to reach Y Country. It would crash into the sea in a few minutes.
Meanwhile, Xu Huo had already crossed the ocean and land, arriving at a safe zone in Y Country that had been completed and put into operation.
"Shortest Straight Line Between Two Points" didn't toss him into the air like "Fifty-Fifty Air Vent" did. Instead, it slammed on the brakes and dropped him directly into the core building of the safe zone.
Of course, this was the location he had set, but he hadn't expected it to be so central—he crashed right into the main conference room where a meeting was in progress.
More than a dozen people in the room, plus several on video calls, all turned to look at him.
"Hi!" Xu Huo showed a friendly smile. The next second, he pulled half the conference room into the Spiritual Realm. The chaotic hail of bullets instantly all shot towards the window, but he had already moved to the door before that.
Donning a stealth item, he walked out as the players guarding outside burst in. He dodged the surging crowd, casually chose an empty office, went in, tore down the light fixture, and pulled out the wires.
He only needed to use "Life Core" to destroy the metal structure of the safe zone. He didn't need to pick a specific spot. As long as there were cables running under this safe zone, there would always be metal for him to reach.
To be safe, the moment he landed, he had already equipped "Three Seconds of Life" on himself. Not only for health regeneration and revival, but also to restrict the safe zone's space items.
He had seen the list sent by the Special Defense Department on the Vanguard Forum, but that was just a feint. His real destination had been set from the start.
It wasn't some secret weapons manufacturing site, military base, or other covert research facility. It was the several large safe zones that Y Country had publicly built and put on display.
Nyx would never let him set foot on Y Country's soil. So the military airport he mentioned was probably a facility built on some small island, not only likely swarming with players waiting for him but also sure to have countermeasures against space items—Y Country had already traded with the Artificer, so they would certainly be prepared on that front. That was why he didn't choose a secret location.
Even destroying a military facility on an island wouldn't mean much. In comparison, the newly built or soon-to-be-completed safe zones were much more suitable.
The final "sanctuary" that the Y Country government and its people had pinned their hopes on. When the safe zone collapses under the watchful eyes of the public, and the Xenomorph threat resurfaces, the Y Country government will remember this painful lesson.
(Chapter End)