“Everyone,” said the black trench coat player holding the iron box as he swept his gaze across the crowd. “I have no ill will toward any of you. I just need your help with something.”
“The owner of this hotel took a very important item from me, but they’re a real thorny character. So I can only borrow all your lives for a moment.”
As he spoke, the original players in the banquet hall and the security players who had rushed over were all moving toward him, encircling him and his companions. At the same time, a streak of light flashed outside the hotel building like a meteor, shooting straight toward the banquet hall—visible through the only floor-to-ceiling glass window left intact.
But the intruders surrounded in the middle showed no sense of urgency whatsoever. The black-line player, the metal player, and two other masked players retreated to the black trench coat’s side. Just as the surrounding players were about to strike and before the light outside could crash into the building, the iron box in the black trench coat’s hand transformed into a ten-centimeter-tall glass octagonal pillar. He pinched both ends and pulled them apart, and a translucent barrier ejected from the glass pillar, expanding into a massive column three meters high and about ten meters long!
When the column extended, the air twisted and distorted slightly. As the players either launched attacks or braced themselves, a black line shot across the ground, dragging Jiangjiang and the player protecting her into the column space—this made the players who had suspected the column was some kind of defensive item strike out at once, but they were too late. The moment Jiangjiang and her companion were dragged inside, the octagonal column space fully solidified, even isolating item effects!
“Boom!” At the same time, the light from outside crashed into the building with tremendous force, so powerful that the metal plates sealing the glass window shook and deformed. But the light slammed into the column’s surface and exploded like sparks before vanishing, as if it had done nothing at all.
Two seconds later, cracks appeared on the column’s surface. Then, like shattered glass, it instantly disintegrated.
The black trench coat and his crew didn’t seem to care. The player protecting Jiangjiang was already dead. The metal player grabbed Jiangjiang by the throat and shoved her forward, laughing at the players arriving from outside: “Your Zone 009 treasure is in my hands! If you want her dead, just make a move!”
Many players had arrived outside the hotel, all riding flight devices imported from other game districts. They wore matching uniforms and half-masks over their faces, with no distinct features. But these were genuine players. Among them stood a man with a silver mask on a flight device, who didn’t take their threats seriously at all. He said, “Release her now, and you can leave Zone 009 safely. This is your final warning. If I don’t get a satisfactory answer, the Xuantian Player Organization of Mao City will hunt you down to the last until you’re forced out of Zone 009.”
The silver-masked Chairman Chang frowned. “I warned you all not to gather during this critical period. If you run into trouble, that’s your own bad luck.”
The message was clear: he wasn’t going to help. Whether they lived or died was up to fate.
The banquet hall erupted in chaos. Many people sat down without any dignity, wailing and crying. Some even dropped to their knees and begged. Only a very few felt anger and cursed Chairman Chang and the other players.
This kind of hostage situation wasn’t rare in Zone 009. Over the past few years, countless cases had occurred, and barely any could be considered even marginally resolved. Most hostage incidents ended with a massive number of casualties. The root cause was simple: the real decision-makers were player organizations, not the government.
Ordinary people were weak. They had neither suitable weapons nor the power to morally blackmail player organizations. When faced with such situations, all they could do was leave it to fate or hope the player organization involved had a conscience.
Of course, player organizations wouldn’t sacrifice themselves to ensure the hostages’ safety, let alone obey the hostage-takers’ every demand.
Having seen it all too often, ordinary people had come to accept their reality. When this happened, they just had to accept their bad luck.
So what if they had money? What if they once held power? Without the ability to protect themselves, they weren’t much better off than stray dogs on the street.
“I’ll give a million White Bills to anyone who can protect me!” a wealthy man shouted on the spot. “Per head!”
Plenty of people were tempted.
The players in the banquet hall now fell into three categories. First, those responsible for protecting the hotel or under private employment, like the player guarding Jiangjiang. Second, ordinary players originally from Zone 009 who didn’t want to risk everything but hoped to wait out the chaos safely in the hotel. Third, players like Xu Huo, who had traveled from afar and just wanted a place to rest.
Items and potions weren’t cheap. Most players struggled financially. Hearing the offer of a million White Bills, naturally some were tempted. And this wasn’t a particularly high-risk task—they didn’t need to get involved in the fight between the Xuantian organization and the black trench coat. They just had to find the right opportunity to get the employer out.
Some began to move.
Others weren’t stupid either and started shuffling toward the wealthy man who had made the offer.
Unfortunately, the black trench coat’s side was dead set on not letting them go. The metal sealing the windows began to spread and grow, gradually extending toward the floor and ceiling. At the same time, black lines slithering along the floor, impossible to predict, began attacking players. Two players who reacted too slowly were dragged over to the black trench coat and killed.
Xu Huo dodged the black lines at his feet and used “Danger Prediction” on the black trench coat and his crew:
[Based on known data from both sides, the opponent’s danger level is roughly equivalent to a hyena facing an unarmed human with a gun.]
[Based on known data from both sides, the opponent’s danger level is roughly equivalent to a hippopotamus facing an unarmed human with a gun.]
[Based on known data from both sides, the opponent’s danger level is roughly equivalent to a brown bear facing an unarmed human with a gun.]
...
Among the five, the strongest was the black trench coat, followed by the metal player. The black-line player, who specialized in ranged attacks, and the other two masked players were roughly on the same level.
Although the item’s assessment seemed to favor Xu Huo’s side, the opponents couldn’t have all their items equipped on them, so their true strength would certainly be higher.
But once the silver-mask made his move, the situation was bound to get even more chaotic.
Xu Huo casually pulled a chair from the nearby rest area, kicked it toward the black trench coat’s position, and appeared before the metal player in the same breath. He grabbed her hand and twisted it outward with force while simultaneously lifting his leg to block the kick she aimed at him.
The “Truth Transcends All” characteristic nullified items and ability effects. He snatched Jiangjiang away, and under the shocked expressions of the black trench coat and his crew, raised his hand and said, “Please take a seat.”
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