Chapter 2548
The atmosphere around them changed. The twenty people from District 001 stood behind Xu Huo, while the somewhat lax members of the Holy Sword Society gradually reined in their expressions, naturally gathering to either side. They mainly followed the two Golden Disciples, and split some members off to encircle Xu Huo from another direction.
"I’ve never had much regard for wormhole points below Rank-B; no matter how many people emerge from such divisions, they’re no different from ants," the masked man said, staring at Xu Huo. "Being able to block my space line makes you a big ant."
Such blatant arrogance was laughable, and Xu Huo did laugh. Afterward, he asked, "By that logic, you must have been born near a Rank-A Wormhole Point."
"I wonder how your family felt about sending you to seize a division made by ’ants.’ Do you think it’s particularly honorable to fight for territory with ants, considering you’re ’human’?"
Contributing to one’s family is certainly honorable, but fighting ants for territory isn’t something one would boast about. The masked man regarded District 001 and Xu Huo as mere ants, which seemed self-contradictory.
Yet the masked man demonstrated perfect logical consistency, stating calmly, "We are here to exterminate ants, not to compete with them. Ants have no qualifications to compete with humans."
Xu Huo gestured at the Holy Sword Society members beside him. "What about them? Are they ants too?"
"Naturally," the masked man was neither ashamed nor hypocritical, making no effort to hide his attitude as if merely stating a fact. "To clean up ants, you can use other ants."
(To be modified later)
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"We entered from one of the training grounds."
"...Hard to say." The older player glanced at him. Initially, they didn’t believe there were Time-Directed Super Evolvers in the Holy Sword Society, but seeing Xu Huo instilled some doubt in them.
Xu Huo didn’t make things difficult for them. From entering the mountain until now, he sensed the presence of almost thirty players from the Outer Zone. These individuals were often obscured by the chaotic space-time power but returned occasionally to exchange information and change shifts.
In the mountains, loud voices and signal lights worked better than communicators, although they could only convey urgent messages. For truly important information, they preferred face-to-face communication for confidentiality.
The entrances and exits to the Chaotic Space were likely new passages opened by members of the Holy Sword Society. With good luck, the original safe passages might not have been completely destroyed.
"You folks are rather talkative," a member of the Holy Sword Society said, smiling from about ten meters away. "If you’re looking for information, why not ask us? There’s no truth from the mouths of those in District 001."
"Sure," Xu Huo replied smoothly. "When will your Lord Envoy arrive? And as I look around, it seems there are no Golden Disciples here. Didn’t you bring many people for absolute safety? It looks like you’re afraid to step out."
The person chuckled, "The Holy Sword Society dares to come because we fear no trouble. Otherwise, why do you think the one behind you would risk his life? You’re a dungeon player, aren’t you? I heard from the Skinny Monkey that your spatial and spirit evolutions are impressive. What future is there in solo fighting? Join the Holy Sword Society, and you’ll quickly rise to Rank-A."
The "Monkey" referred to the skinny man from earlier. He had since left with the other members, headed towards the Chaotic Space.
"Evolution aside," Xu Huo didn’t take the bait, "at least we should prioritize surviving and getting out first."
The other man still smiled, "Fence-sitters usually don’t end well. You should think carefully and make a decision before Lord Envoy arrives."
The members of the Holy Sword Society nearby all looked at him, their gazes not exactly friendly, although most animosity was directed at the District 001 players. Thus far, the Holy Sword Society had suffered losses due to District 001.
"I’m a bit curious," Xu Huo switched topics, "is there some deep-seated hatred between the Holy Sword Society and District 001? Otherwise, why go to such great lengths to besiege this place?"
"Even if you do seize this division, do you think you can establish roots here? The whole of District 001 might view you as enemies."
"That’s none of your business," the person waved him off, clearly unwilling to engage further.
It was uncertain when Lord Envoy would arrive, but soon two Golden Disciples appeared. They wore badges and accompanied a masked man as he approached.
The members of the Holy Sword Society, though technically a player organization, did have significant resources. Most players joined seeking those resources, lacking any real sense of collective belief or deep camaraderie, and their varied backgrounds and experiences made them a diverse bunch. The two Golden Disciples were similar; despite their commanding presence, they carried a wildness typical of players who fought their way through games.
The masked man, however, was distinctly different.
Compared to a group of cold-blooded killers, he seemed more like a "civilized man."
He wore a long silver robe, even his shoes were silver. The clothes, crafted from special metal, were thin yet had a unique texture. With even the faintest air movement, the patterns on the clothes appeared to ripple as if alive.
His face was obscured by the mask, but his eyes were exposed—a pair of green pupils, reminiscent of emeralds, possessing the beauty of gemstones yet also their coldness.
"Why are there living people from District 001 here?" Upon stopping, he immediately questioned the two Golden Disciples. However, his eyes showed no more emotion, as if discussing a trivial matter. Yet as soon as he spoke, several Spatial Rays sliced toward the crowd from District 001 like scissors!
These were no ordinary Spatial Rays but deadly weapons. They were even more difficult to detect than typical Spatial Ray Blades. Not to mention those without evolution, even the two Space-oriented Super Evolvers from District 001 only realized something was amiss after the rays cut through the spatial barriers that appeared around them!
Xu Huo had already stood up.
He and the Girl in the painting had been sitting in a corner, initially inconspicuous, exuding little presence. Compared to the twenty elites from District 001, they seemed like side dishes to the main course. Of course, in the eyes of that masked man, even the twenty people from District 001 were insignificant.
But having intervened and blocked the Spatial Ray, things were different.
The masked man’s eyeballs shifted slightly, focusing on Xu Huo before glancing at the Girl in the painting behind him, "There’s a good fish here too."
Trait Evolution seemed to have brought some subtle changes to Xu Huo. Even in places severed from gaming connections, if he remained silent, people generally wouldn’t pay attention to him. Yet the moment he stood up, he became conspicuous.
But that was just for an instant, because once facing them frontally, no one would consider him a trivial character.