Chapter 1643: Chapter 1643: Living Is Hell
The situation in Tan-skinned City is indeed dire; the Hope City players arrived suddenly, taking advantage of their tricks to kidnap many children under the cover of night as hostages. Both players and ordinary people in Tan-skinned City are apprehensive, and eventually, under the threat from Hope City players of killing one child every ten minutes, some players had no choice but to surrender.
Tan-skinned City players know well that even sacrificing their lives might not stop Hope City players from setting fire to the entire city. Everyone is aware of the Hope City situation, but being controlled by others, they can only choose to sacrifice some people.
However, the people from Hope City did not directly kill the players who voluntarily stepped forward; instead, they blinded them and broke their hands.
Due to the unique physical condition of Tan-skinned City dwellers, Hope City people did not intend to use them as food; instead, to provoke Tan-skinned City players and to vent their violent desires, they hung these people in front of an abandoned building, playfully peeling off the brown, hard skin attached to their flesh, savoring their painful wails and the constantly flowing blood.
This scene caused the players observing from afar to bite their lips until they bled.
“These beasts! They’re not even human!” Someone immediately wanted to rush out and perish together with Hope City players, “Even if I die, I’ll take some down with me — one is not a loss, two is a gain!”
Others stopped him, “Look at how many players Hope City has; at least thirty before, while our people have gone to other zones to find medicine, and many are in instances. Even if you want to trade one for one, you can’t kill all Hope City people!”
Indeed, Hope City had over thirty players, while Tan-skinned City had only a dozen or so, including those who stepped out voluntarily.
“Are we just going to watch our companions being tortured to death?” The impulsive player asked in a low voice, then turned to Cong Yu standing by the window, “Cong Yu, say something!”
Cong Yu only then withdrew his gaze from outside, glanced at his companions around the room one by one, “It’s hard for us alone to save everyone.”
Outer zone players might avoid them due to the fungal toxins in their bodies, but Hope City players, who were similarly parasitized, had no such worry and were better at fighting than them. One-on-one might not win, let alone rescue the children and companions they held hostage.
“Is there no other option but to watch?” The impulsive player questioned again, this time with a bit of desperation.
“We might not be able to save them, but we can leave hope for everyone on this island,” Cong Yu said in a deep voice, “Abandon those children, abandon our companions, try to kill Hope City’s players, weaken their power, as long as we kill twenty people, the rest is up to other players on the island.”
“Hope City has been rampant for too long; many people hate them, and the news of losing half of their players will naturally lead to retaliation.”
After a long silence, someone spoke with disbelief and choking voice, “Abandon Tan-skinned City directly?”
Even if they succeed in killing twenty players, the rest will inevitably retaliate madly, targeting ordinary people in Tan-skinned City, facing the calamity of a massacre then!
“I disagree!” another player said, “My family and friends are here; I can’t watch them die!”
“I don’t want that either,” Cong Yu said painfully, “But they have a Rank-B player; we’re likely to die at this person’s hands. If we die, Tan-skinned City will surely be occupied by Hope City players, and everyone’s situation will become worse than those ‘food supplies’ who escaped from Hope City. What happened to players today will happen to our family and friends in the future.”
“It’s already hard to stay alive; falling into Hope City players’ hands will only bring more suffering, worse than death.”
The opposing player looked at his companions, then stepped forward, grabbing Cong Yu’s shoulder, “Look at those children only a few years old; they don’t understand anything yet. Can you say in front of them that they should die?”
Tears welled in Cong Yu’s eyes, “Is there a better way?”
If they go out now, most likely they won’t leave alive; once all the players are dead, no one will care about the life and death of Tan-skinned City dwellers, and that is true despair.
In fact, when Cong Yu proposed this method, half of the players present had already tacitly agreed. Living like non-human beings, full of toxins was already painful, not to mention bearing the weight of a city, living every day with physical and mental exhaustion.
Since they couldn’t ruthlessly walk away, dying in front of Tan-skinned City dwellers also meant they were doing their utmost for this city.
“Then let’s die; I’m done with living!” A player punched the wall, then turned to Cong Yu, “I’m with you!”
Once one person relented, gradually, others also made up their minds, and someone said, “The game world is hell for us; what’s the point of living.”
Even the previously strong opposing player gave up arguing, his eyes gradually resolute.
But as they were about to set up, a “clap, clap, clap” sound came from behind, startling everyone as they turned to see a man with a hat sitting in the corner, seemingly listening for a while, yet Cong Yu and others didn’t notice at all.
“Liao Jie.” Cong Yu gritted his teeth, calling out the man’s name.
The man named Liao Jie stood up, stretched lazily, and smiled, “What’s wrong? Surprised to see me? You just said yourselves you’re likely to die by my hand.”
Liao Jie was the Rank-B player from Hope City and its leader, inherently a Cannibal Player. Somehow, after returning from other zones, not only had he cured most of the fungal toxins, but also acquired a Rank A Prop; he stood at this island’s combat pinnacle, precisely why Cong Yu and others were so constrained.
With the formidable enemy before them, Cong Yu looked around cautiously, realizing some Hope City players were approaching, he immediately said, “Enter the game!”
While speaking, Liao Jie attacked swiftly, killing a companion in front of him instantly!
“Get in the game, quickly!” Cong Yu shouted, personally confronting Liao Jie, and urgently yelled at the hesitating companions, “If we don’t leave now, we’ll all die here!”
If they all died, even wanting to perish along with Tan-skinned City was impossible!
“Be careful!” The companions gritted their teeth, dodging into the game, while Cong Yu was kicked out of the building by Liao Jie.
Outside, several Cannibal Players surrounded him; Cong Yu, in pain and vomiting blood, barely adjusted his posture and fled towards the city outskirts.