Chapter 2626: Massacre
The hair of the petite woman was disheveled and clung to her face, making it difficult to see her features, but the deep lines on her face revealed that she was quite old and very haggard. Her hands reached toward the female corpse several meters away, and after emitting a few meaningless howls, she suddenly stopped all her movements. Her eyes flipped upwards, staring at the man beside her, "I curse you, curse all you execution team members, to die a miserable death..."
Before the last word fully fell, the dark-skinned big man cut off her head and tossed it to the ground, saying to the execution team members maintaining order: "Go to the third-class area for inspection, kill everyone related to this woman."
A portion of the execution team members split off, and even the convoy saw two vehicles leave, carrying bodies as they flew away from the city center.
This minor incident didn’t affect the emotions of the execution team or the ordinary citizens; the parade and cheers continued unabated.
Xu Huo left the city center and used a teleportation prop to enter the Old City Area, where the third-class residents clustered. Both above and underground were packed with people. News of the execution team’s arrival had already spread, and after the players maintaining order here killed two chaotic third-class residents, most began rushing to their quarters.
"Anyone who hasn’t reported their location within three minutes will be treated as committing treason!" Armed instruments transmitted the message to every corner, and within such a short time, the sprawling old city area fell into silence.
The subsequently arriving execution team obtained the identity of the slain woman from the duty players and went straight to her residence, starting to slaughter anyone related to the woman—neighbors, colleagues, friends—listening to no excuses and asking no questions. They killed upon sight, and for a time, screams and pleas for help became the only sounds in this old city area.
In such circumstances, a player managed to barge open a player who found them, leading two children in a breathless dash from an old building in the old city area into the underground passage.
Players and armed flying devices continuously entered the underground through various passageways. Although the underground pipes were interconnected, to limit the third-class residents, some passages would only open at specific times, so the execution team just needed to block certain entry points to intercept people.
The player escaping with the children was evidently not an advanced player, lacking even two decent props, relying solely on his legs to run through the sewer pipes. His only advantage was his familiarity with the underground pathways.
But this only bought a little time; he didn’t even have time to contact his comrades and had barely entered the sewer for half a minute before the armed flying device behind caught up and disabled his micro terminal.
The sound of pursuers echoed through the pipes from all directions. The young player was drenched in sweat and water, anxiously searching for a possible exit but, after looking around, was still hesitating in place... There was nowhere left to go!
The sound of the armed flying device was already close; the young player’s eyes sank, ready to charge forward for a fight, when he unexpectedly stepped into a void, pulling both children with him into a mental portal in the water pit beneath.
The armed flying device and execution team player naturally lost their target, but suspecting the young player had assistance, they contacted those on the ground to block off this area immediately, even bringing high-sensitivity detectors.
Xu Huo transferred the trio to another underground passage several kilometers away. The temporarily safe young player didn’t know who had rescued him, whispered a thank you, and then followed the numbering in the underground passage to find a way out.
They were only temporarily safe. Once news of the escaped player was reported, more execution team players would soon come to hunt them. When the machines scanned, any moving people would stand out.
Xu Huo followed them a while on the ground, and upon seeing them being picked up by two other players, he changed direction, creating a little chaos elsewhere for the execution team before heading to queue at the checkpoint to leave the city.
Clearly, this unrest made many from the outer zone feel it’s unnecessary to linger long, forming a long queue at the checkpoint.
"Do you need someone to queue for you, sir?" A middle-aged man with a simple smile approached cautiously, "Today’s checkpoint inspection is strict, there are many people, and you can’t cut in line, so it will take some effort. If you pay me a bit, I’ll queue for you and make sure not to waste your time!"
Many local residents here provided queueing services, and it wasn’t expensive. There were dedicated rest areas for travelers nearby.
Xu Huo paid, the middle-aged man gave him a number, gifted him a drink, and went to join the queue.
There were quite a few outer zone players in the rest area, constantly approached by youngsters selling local specialties. The handsome boys and girls were adept at reading expressions, accurately identifying which customers might visit and which ones not only wouldn’t buy but might scorn them.
Sitting unnoticed in the corner, Xu Huo was mostly overlooked. Only a stammering boy, driven away, stood beside him for a long time before mustering the courage to inquire.
Xu Huo picked a few items, gave him a tip, and asked, "Why’s the checkpoint so strict today?"
"They found anti-government alliance members in the city, fear they might slip out," replied the boy.
"Does this happen often?" Xu Huo asked again.
The boy nodded, pointing to a direction in the city, "There are often heads hanging on Execution Street. They all say those who are hung are anti-government alliance members."
Xu Huo nodded slightly. Besides the unlucky, most who got caught probably weren’t strong enough, not even having the chance to escape to the station. The corpse he had seen under the convoy during the parade was likely an anti-government alliance member who had died at the station.
Without further inquiry, he waved the boy off.
Soon, the city’s various holographic devices published the appearance of the young player and two children who escaped from the old city area. All three were wanted, with a sizable reward.
"Even the children are wanted, how cowardly can this bunch be?" An outer zone player laughed.
"You can’t underestimate the children," another chimed in, "These kids might grow up to become players, might become underground anti-government alliance members, inheritors of a legacy of resentment?"
"Being born here is truly unfortunate." The jesting player retorted, "Though I hear the Moon Corner Duchy is significantly better, without such an anti-government alliance."
"A nation as rotten as this one yet still standing shows how other nations are," someone joined in, "The Moon Corner Duchy doesn’t have an anti-government alliance. They have several regimes domestically, warring among themselves. The majority buried in the public cemetery died due to domestic conflicts yet they shamelessly erect martyr monuments!"
"That’s essentially the Moon Corner Duchy’s characteristic," jested another player, "At least the dead are those seeking death, not like here, where ordinary people are slaughtered at will."