Chapter 766: Player Autonomy

(To be revised later) The situation in the city center was still manageable, with patrol vehicles everywhere and players stationed at some congested traffic points. The only downside was the overcrowding, and occasionally people or corpses would appear out of thin air on the streets. Patrol players and armed personnel would drag them away as if it were nothing unusual, but this put considerable pressure on ordinary people, with some panicked individuals gathering to protest against the government.

By the time they reached the city center, the road was blocked again. Xu Huo simply turned off the engine and browsed real-time news. There were many sudden incidents, and the situation in Zone 009 was constantly changing.

Apart from Mao City, many places in Zone 009 had already implemented security autonomy, generally formed spontaneously by families with players or wealthy individuals. The government's presence had weakened, and there were even news reports of government agencies in certain areas actively inviting civilian player organizations to move in.

Civilian organizations in Zone 009 matured relatively quickly after gamification, benefiting many cities. This led subsequent players to trust player organizations more than the government. There were at least twenty or more super-large player organizations across the entire district, and these organizations had a recognized ranking—determined by scores from both players and ordinary people. The super-large organizations were basically all on the list, and even if some had poor reputations in certain aspects, they received very positive feedback on major issues of principle.

On the surface, the government still existed, and various countries were still governed by it, but what truly supported the nation had become player organizations, and most of these organizations were developing well.

"Brother Xu, why are you looking for Mr. Shang? Are you and Mr. Shang relatives?" Probably because the wait was too long, Peng Ya couldn't help but speak after fiddling with her fingers for a while. "I heard from the dean that Mr. Shang actually had some distant relatives still alive. If he had had family support when he was suspected of being a murderer, he definitely wouldn't have committed suicide due to external attacks."

"I don't know him," Xu Huo said, resting one hand on the car window as he watched the slowly moving vehicles ahead. "But I think one of his friends might be someone I know."

Peng Ya didn't quite understand but tactfully didn't press further. After a moment, she said, "I see... Mr. Xu, what is the game world like?"

Xu Huo glanced at her. "Haven't you seen all the news online?"

Peng Ya was very nervous. "I never thought I would become a player. Actually, there are very few people becoming players now; most are forcibly evolved by injecting potions. I'm really scared..."

"The survival environment for players in Zone 009 is pretty good," Xu Huo said. "Major player organizations are willing to take in newcomers, and they've even publicly shared many instance guides for free. Compared to other chaotic game zones, the survival rate for newcomers is decent."

Peng Ya had previously lived at the bottom of society and only became a minor celebrity because of the Shang Family Welfare Home. She was more concerned about how to live as an ordinary person, so her understanding of players and instances was limited to an outsider's curiosity.

"I usually read posts like 'Survival Guide for Ordinary People Caught in Random Instances.' The survival rate for new players in Zone 009 isn't high either..."

Her mental state gradually became unstable, and she couldn't stop swallowing saliva.

"Don't be too nervous," Xu Huo said. "Before you board the Preliminary Trial Train, deposit more money into your bank account and bribe the conductor. Your first clearance shouldn't be too big a problem."

Overall, the survival rate for new players wasn't high, but Zone 009 was at least much better than Zone 014.

Peng Ya stared blankly ahead, her heartbeat and swallowing frequency increasing. She didn't even hear what he said.

He lightly patted her shoulder and pointed with his chin at the vending machine on the street. "Go buy a drink."

Zone 009 had already developed a potion that could slightly suppress the desire for gluttony, sold nationwide. Any evolver could purchase it freely, and neither player organizations nor the government monitored the drinks.

This was one of the benefits of having player organizations as a strong backing. Evolvers experiencing gluttonous desires would voluntarily seek out organizations. After the gamification of Zone 009 deepened, except for some remote areas, cannibal players rarely appeared in slightly more developed cities.