Chapter 1642: Chapter 1642: Heading to Tan-skinned City
The woman, who had been gravely injured on the train, desperately pleading just to have a chance to see her child again, now had a ferocious look as she held up the head of an ordinary person she had just decapitated. She shouted at the terrified people from Zone 013, who were surrounded by several players, screaming and crying in horror, “Shut up, all of you! Anyone who makes a sound will be killed!”
These people from Zone 013 seemed to have escaped from somewhere, carrying crude bundles, dragging their children along. In the face of the murderous players, they could only desperately try to hide their children in their embrace.
A player laughed menacingly, dragging a woman out from the edge of the crowd, but his target was not the woman, it was the child in her arms. Grabbing the child’s thin shoulders, the player said to the people, “I originally didn’t plan to eat you, but you had to try running away, didn’t you?”
This statement drove the trapped people into an even greater panic. Amid the terror, someone summoned the courage to stand up and strike the player, “You beasts! Don’t forget who raised you! Our parents starved to raise you, not to see you treat your fellow humans as food!”
The player kicked him back with one foot, “Who told the last batch of runaways to take so much food? What they took, I can only get back from you.”
“If there’s a shortage of food, why not purchase from other zones? The luggage compartment is empty; a round trip could bring back a lot of food,” Xu Huo said, stepping behind the person.
The players were laughing, but suddenly seeing Xu Huo among them, their expressions changed drastically. Especially the player standing in front of him, who raised a prop intending to kill, only to realize in the next second that his opponent’s strength far surpassed his own; he couldn’t move at all, not even turn his head to look back!
Xu Huo used the Secant Line to kill the two players who moved first, then repeated his earlier question, “Why not buy food from other zones?”
These people were clearly players still active in the game. Without suspending their player status, it would be easy to bring back food, eliminating the need to resort to cannibalism.
The remaining six players looked at each other, unsure of his intention, so no one spoke.
The middle-aged female player had already recognized Xu Huo. When his gaze turned towards her, she instinctively felt guilty and embarrassed but quickly masked it, speaking in a slightly lowered voice, “Because not every player can navigate the game easily. Many instances can’t be cleared, and even if they are, the rewards aren’t substantial. None of us have much money, and no one is willing to sell their props and potions to buy food…”
“And it’s even harder to justify buying it to keep these people alive.”
“Why are you explaining so much to him!” the player in front of Xu Huo shouted defiantly, “Quickly, kill him…”
Before he could finish speaking, his head smoothly fell to the ground.
After kicking aside the corpse in front of him, Xu Huo asked again, “Is what you said true? Are these people really your food supply?”
Several players didn’t even know what prop he used to kill, but seeing the scene, they knew he must be like most players, hating Cannibal Players. Killing one or two or three didn’t matter; they wouldn’t be spared, so the next second, they used their tickets to flee without hesitation.
Xu Huo didn’t act quickly enough and only managed to kill three of them, including the female player, while the other three escaped.
Retrieving his prop, Xu Huo asked the people of Zone 013, “Where do you plan to escape to?”
After a moment, a man cautiously replied, “Just ahead is Tan-skinned City, and we plan to settle there.”
“The situation in Tan-skinned City is not better than other places,” Xu Huo said, “Isn’t there a better option on this island?”
“It’s not that we don’t want to go elsewhere, but besides Tan-skinned City, the other cities on this island don’t have many players. They won’t protect us; instead, they will drive us away.”
Those tormented by fungal parasites and the ghost-like residents of Tan-skinned City are, in contrast, free from harassment, becoming their last choice.
“I’m also heading to Tan-skinned City.” Xu Huo intended to take them along. In their condition, they definitely couldn’t fit into container props, and fungi once inside might not be easily cleaned, so he only allowed them to follow him.
Soon after, Chi Xian and Tong Qi arrived, seeing the dead players and the group of thin, pitiful people. It was clear enough, so they shared some of their food since they were out of the instance anyway.
With only half a day’s walk to Tan-skinned City, even on foot, they weren’t far. Players traveling would be even faster, so after walking for about an hour, they encountered players scouting for news.
Since they came, Xu Huo certainly didn’t plan to let them go and left them in the woods.
“Are there really so many Cannibal Players?” Chi Xian was still skeptical of the people from Zone 013. According to their account, most players gathered in an entire city were cannibals. Where did the other players go?
“It might be due to the environment.” Tong Qi speculated, “Those living here are parasitized by fungi, have nothing good to eat, and might have a frail will during evolution, thus producing so many Cannibal Players.”
“Plus, ordinary players don’t have as much stamina as Cannibal Players in the early stages of evolution, so it’s not surprising they’re slowly killed off.”
Chi Xian looked ahead, “That’s the direction of Tan-skinned City, and players are constantly coming, but they’re not from Tan-skinned City. Could they be Cannibal Players?”
“Possibly,” Xu Huo said, “This isn’t the first batch of escapees; those who left before likely went to Tan-skinned City as well. Since those Cannibal Players treat ordinary people as backup food, instead of chasing them around, it’s better to nip it in the bud and take Tan-skinned City into their domain.”
His words cast despair on the faces of the people from Zone 013.
“There should be quite a few players in Tan-skinned City,” Chi Xian said. According to what they heard from the Tan-skinned City dwellers in Midsummer Night’s River of Stars, the players in Tan-skinned City were very united.
Of course, given the state of Tan-skinned City dwellers, most who stayed did so because they couldn’t leave their homeland, while those not of one mind had already left.
“We should speed up,” Tong Qi said, “If a fight breaks out, we can help.”
Xu Huo and Chi Xian had no objections, but the refuge couldn’t move fast, and potions shouldn’t be put in danger, so Tong Qi volunteered to scout the path to Tan-skinned City.
“Why don’t you both go together?” Xu Huo suggested, “It’s safer.”
Chi Xian nodded, “I’ll make contact with the players in Tan-skinned City if necessary.”
The two of them went ahead, transferring Tong Qi’s path-clearing props to Xu Huo, and the people from Zone 013 helped clear the vegetation on the road, allowing the “Twisting Pulley” to travel as fast as possible.