Chapter 970: Final Ultimatum
"Absolutely no concessions! They killed the mayor! Shouldn't we avenge the mayor instead of giving in to their demands?"
"Then what do we do? Just watch them destroy the mayor's remains?"
"Would the mayor want us to compromise with people who wrecked Base City like this for her sake?"
"..."
The encirclement continued without pause, not hindering the argument in the slightest. Both sides were somewhat deadlocked, but the final decision rested on Gao Xiaoyan and the Lou family.
Gao Xiaoyan was one of the children adopted by Mayor Gao, and had been the openly acknowledged successor for three years now. The Lou family, on the other hand, represented the peak of Base City's combat power, and his attitude could largely influence the entire Enforcement Team system. Therefore, the final say ultimately belonged to these two.
Lou Jia didn't seem like someone with strong opinions. His attitude toward Gao Xiaoyan was the same as toward Mayor Gao. "Miss Gao, you make the call. You are the successor chosen by the mayor. Whatever decision you make, I will unconditionally support it."
Gao Xiaoyan naturally couldn't abandon Gao Zhen's corpse. Moreover, there was still an unfulfilled agreement between her and Xu Huo. So, the moment she answered the phone, she repeated her earlier words. "State your conditions! Anything you want!"
"One A-grade item in exchange for Mayor Gao Zhen's corpse," Xu Huo said without ceremony. "I didn't come all the way to W37 just for the excitement. My people are injured, and I've lost quite a few items. I won't haggle over the details with you, but at the very least, I need an A-grade item to compensate for my losses."
"You're dreaming!" Zhao Jie gritted his teeth from not far away. Even though he wasn't the one on the phone, players had sharp senses, and anyone standing close enough could hear.
"It seems your people disagree. In that case..." Xu Huo chuckled, about to call off the deal, when Gao Xiaoyan interrupted. "There aren't many A-grade items in the entire Base City. They're all under strict supervision. The person in charge is currently at the training base. Even if they use an item to get here, it'll take at least an hour. You have to give us some time."
"No problem," Xu Huo said cheerfully. "I'll give you half an hour. If the training base can't make it in time, you can consider having the person next to you contribute one."
"During that half hour, your people cannot approach the Bird Tower. If anyone dares to set foot there, I will consider it a unilateral breach of contract. In that case, I'll have no choice but to take Mayor Gao's remains with me. As the mayor of W37 Base City, I'm sure many people would be interested."
Although she knew he likely had no such intention, Gao Xiaoyan couldn't help but seethe with rage. While agreeing, she signaled to the ponytailed man behind her to arrange for someone to approach the Bird Tower at an opportune moment. She couldn't fully trust a stranger, especially since Luo Changren was also on his side. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, if the plan were leaked, all previous sacrifices would be in vain!
The ponytailed man and a few others had crossed paths with Xu Huo's group and were familiar faces. Like the Lou family, they couldn't leave abruptly, so they could only arrange for others to approach from behind.
However, at that moment, the outer perimeter of the Bird Tower was covered by a spatial barrier. Two players who got too close accidentally collided with it.
This was a dual-function item with long-range perception and defensive capabilities, obtained from the female player who had been trapped in the laboratory with Zhu Feiyun in W19. The true intention of using this item wasn't to block people or detect sneak attacks, but to notify the Enforcement Team.
"My item covers a fifty-meter radius around the Bird Tower. Please have your people step back a bit," Xu Huo said to Gao Xiaoyan.
Gao Xiaoyan stood in the distance, her eyes fixed on the first floor of the Bird Tower. Xu Huo had shown himself, but from her angle, she could still see Gao Zhen's legs. Her expression turned cold. "I'll give you the item you want, as long as you stop harming the mayor."
Xu Huo gave a provocative smile, then, under everyone's watchful gaze, raised his communicator high and hung up.
Gao Xiaoyan slammed the communicator heavily onto the table beside her and asked the person behind her, "Is the jamming device ready?"
"It needs at least another twenty minutes," the ponytailed man paused, then added, "Xiaoyan, with his spiritual power value being so high, the jamming device might not be very effective."
Forget about them, even some more advanced districts couldn't manage it. Especially against someone with strong mental evolution, ordinary instruments were absolutely incapable of targeted interference. To reach a level that could affect their minds, everyone within range would have to be affected as well.
"I know. We'll give it a try anyway. Tell the other squads not to give up on probing," Gao Xiaoyan said, casting a deep glance toward the Bird Tower. "If a conflict erupts prematurely, no longer consider the mayor or the Bird Tower. Everyone inside—kill without mercy!"
This decision earned considerable approval from the government officials and Enforcement Team captains present. Compromising for Gao Zhen was their duty as comrades, subordinates, and friends. But not compromising was equally a sign of respect for her lifelong aspirations as comrades, subordinates, and friends. The deceased were gone; the living still had to move forward!
W37 seemed to be gradually finding its footing amidst chaos and disorder. However, Shangguan Xi and the others, after hearing Kuang Wenjun relay Gao Xiaoyan's words, didn't feel quite so optimistic.
"I was still thinking about splitting the items, but I didn't expect these W37 people to be so ruthless, insisting on pinning the old lady's death on us." Shangguan Xi grabbed his hair. "Brother Xu, I'm afraid it won't be a few minutes before some aggressive players start trouble."
"What do we do now?" Zhu Feiyun, still wearing his clown makeup, floated in the air. "Aren't we supposed to clear the instance?"
"Not yet." Xu Huo walked to the center of the first floor, looked at the ground, and turned to ask Luo Changren, "Is it here?"
Luo Changren forced himself to walk over, gestured for him to break the floor tiles, then sat down and began digging through the dirt with his hands.
Xu Huo glanced at Shangguan Xi, who stepped forward to help.
Luo Changren didn't refuse. After all, hands weren't as effective as items. Shangguan Xi quickly cleared away the soil and retrieved a metal block from two meters underground, placing it on the ground.
"What's the use of this thing?" Shangguan Xi flipped it over.
Luo Changren took it with slightly trembling hands, pressed his thumb against a corner until it broke the skin, and let the blood flow along the barely visible fine engravings on the metal surface. After a second, two small compartments on the front of the metal block rose and slid apart, revealing a screen no larger than a spectacle lens. He traced a fingerprint pattern on it with his fingertip in a specific sequence. After successful unlocking, the small screen retracted to the side...
"Why is it empty!" Luo Changren, who had been emotionally agitated, was utterly shocked when he saw the empty compartment behind the screen. He reached in with both hands, searching frantically, repeating "impossible" over and over. His face turned pale, and sweat poured from his forehead. This reaction was far more intense than when he had learned the truth about Mayor Gao's broken promise at the Government Hall or when he had been deceived by Dr. Zhang.
(Chapter End)