Saving Unpermitted

Chapter 59: Rain and Smoke

Luo Duan wandered around the celebration venue, but with the thousands of laborers coming from the settlement, finding Shu Jun seemed like an impossible task.

Yi Ning set up his camp near the settlement residents, and the podium was well constructed. Although the guards were close by, he still interacted warmly with the residents coming and going.

Luo Duan watched coldly as his feet stepped on the plastic lawn.

A few days ago, Luo Duan was still the gentle captain of Groundwater. Things had changed on the side of the Blackbirds—perhaps Hu Yan wasn’t used to being the captain, and the actions of the Blackbirds were more restrained and steadier, lacking the vigorous momentum of the Shu Jun era. However, their abilities were as different as night and day, which suited the situation.

With the ventilation from the Erosion Swamp, Luo Duan was quite informed about Shu Jun’s situation. Unlike himself, Shu Jun had an extremely high adaptability to the Erosion Swamp. He could only bear a small amount of the Erosion Swamp and couldn’t fully merge with it. But Shu Jun directly fused with that enormous entity.

The last time they met, Shu Jun had someone else by his side. With the ability of the Blackbirds captain, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to recruit companions from the settlement. Shu Jun must have gathered some people, and his influence was strong enough to get him into the command center. Of course, Shu Jun naturally couldn’t make contact with powers from the three major families. It was highly likely that he had joined forces with the grassroots Old Fourth.

Shu Jun was going to be a revolutionary seeking a decisive counterattack.

As always, Mr. Shu had a heroic script. Unfortunately, this time, they weren’t standing on a fair battlefield—protecting was much harder than destroying; a hundred times harder.

He had been living peacefully here for a few days, surrounded by players. Shu Jun probably wouldn’t dare to forcibly escalate the situation. Luo Duan was curious to see how the former captain of the Blackbirds would dismantle his opponents when he officially took action.

Fortunately, the answer was right in front of him.

On the fifth evening of the Reunion Festival, the voting had ended, and the identity of the elected candidate would be announced the next day.

The people from the settlement had already set up various tents and stalls around the square, selling food, drinks, and various rare items dug out from the erosion zone. Yi Ning hadn’t left yet, and his tent was particularly easy to spot, spacious, and brightly lit.

In the magnificent square, the bonfires sent sparks into the sky, and various colorful lights of different shapes flickered and spun. Players were laughing, singing, and even setting up small stalls, exchanging goods with each other. Luo Duan even saw Dr. Ai from the Ai’s Clinic nearby. Dr. Ai had a small cart and was promoting homemade herbal remedies to the players. Xia Liang stood on the stage near the bonfire, singing relaxing and cheerful songs.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, the consumption of alcohol and fights were strictly prohibited. Although the rules had been established, there were still plainclothes guards moving through the crowd, silently extinguishing any potential conflicts. In just seven days, this place was even safer than the command center in Y City.

Everyone was singing and laughing, creating such a harmonious atmosphere.

Unfortunately, Luo Duan was frozen beneath the ice lake while the gentle breeze blew outside the ice layer. He tightened his cloak and left the center of the celebration.

The Marshals’ speeches went smoothly, and the players’ activities didn’t encounter any hiccups. The dust settled reluctantly, and everyone had to wait until the results were announced before engaging in any scheming. This was the most relaxing day of the celebration, the most leisurely period of time.

Until a scream echoed through the square.

Several figures hung in the air; their faces concealed within their cloaks. The concentration of the erosion substance suddenly increased, and the alarm of the purifiers blared, assaulting people’s eardrums.

The leader of the group seemed to have a voice amplifier, as his voice was deliberately distorted, reaching every corner of the square.

“Good evening,” he said in a hoarse voice. “All players, please stop what you’re doing and listen to what I have to say.”

The nearby stationed guards reacted promptly, firing their guns at the figures, attempting to bring them down. Bullets clearly passed through their bodies, but no one fell from the sky.

Then, a touch of icy laughter permeated the voice. “I am also one of you, and I have some bad news to share.”

“What is this, a surprise event for the festival?”

“The content sounds interesting, but I don’t recall this being part of it…”

“Interesting, they’ve created such a realistic environment. Is the one up there the new boss? It’s a good change of pace from fighting ordinary Erosion Swamps—I was getting tired of it…”

The players exchanged their thoughts excitedly, indeed stopping their actions, but the relaxed atmosphere didn’t dissipate.

However, in the next moment, the ease was shattered by bloodshed. The person in the air threw a short spear-like object, which precisely pierced through the chest of a young man.

He was a member of Groundwater, a devoted admirer of Captain Luo Duan. Those familiar with Groundwater had some impression of him.

The young man knelt on the square, clutching the short spear in his hands, his eyes filled with shock. He opened his mouth but only coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“It hurts… Captain… Where is the captain?” He murmured in confusion.

This was supposed to be an absolute safe zone. Every combat player knew that attacking other players carried severe penalties. In <Erosion>, wounds couldn’t be immediately healed and could potentially affect combat in matches. Although there were occasional conflicts among players, they usually stayed at the level of normal punches and kicks.

Not to mention on a day like this, during such a joyous occasion.

For a moment, nobody moved, and nobody spoke. Even the medical personnel around the square were slow to react.

“Remember this impact,” the person said again after a long pause. “This world is the real world. That perfect society is nothing more than an illusion, a tool to enslave all of you.”

It felt as if the entire world had exploded into a cloud of dust.

The medical personnel couldn’t locate the injured person before, but now players were sprawled all over the place. The young man kneeling on the field became exceptionally conspicuous. Dark red blood had pooled around him, staining the plastic lawn.

The young man was already dead. The spear had pierced him diagonally, penetrating his heart.

The surrounding players held their heads, groaning in pain. The cheerful music continued playing, but the colorful lights now appeared especially terrifying. The actions of the guards didn’t stop, but those people seemed to have no bodies, completely impervious to any gunfire. The military in Y City had prepared for the invasion of the Erosion Swamps, the existence of assassins, and the possibility of flying monsters, but they had never considered guarding against players with supernatural abilities.

They were weapons, and weapons never rebelled. These concepts had been written in their textbooks since the first day of enrollment.

For the past two hundred years, nothing like this had ever happened. The guards could only helplessly deplete their ammunition while continuing to bombard the ghosts in the sky.

The warnings had already been sent out, and once the main forces arrived, things would surely return to normal. Since they were so close to Y City, the people above would definitely not ignore the situation.

However, the residents of the settlement didn’t possess the same psychological resilience. As soon as the players fell, chaos erupted among them. Some took their time to pack up their tents, while others hastily grabbed valuable items and ran, abandoning their merchandise.

“Calm down!” Yi Ning shouted.

The handsome Marshal was surrounded by a crowd, standing on the podium. He also turned on his voice amplifier, but his target was the panicked settlement residents.

“Evacuate the square and assemble behind my tent!” His voice was confident and resolute. “You don’t have weapons, and running around will only make you more vulnerable. There is an anti-air net behind my tent—hurry!”

He dispatched a group of guards, fired a few signal flares, and gradually calmed down the previously chaotic settlement residents, who obediently moved away.

‘It’s useless,’ Luo Duan thought.

As the center of chaos, Luo Duan remained remarkably calm—so calm to the point of numbness.

The following events were straightforward. Y City would send more guards, and until they confirmed his identity, the settlement residents wouldn’t be able to escape. Then, his “reinforcements” would arrive.

At that time, he wouldn’t immediately kill his fellow compatriots. Instead, he would first kill most of the people present, followed by taking all the players and bringing them deep into the erosion zone, where humans couldn’t reach.

Unable to “log out” and with no supplies available. After learning the truth, those with resolve would decide to resist on the spot, while the indecisive ones would have no other choice.

He wouldn’t leave a single person behind, and even Shu Jun wouldn’t be able to save them.

The timing was about right. Crossing the encirclement formed by the purifiers, Luo Duan hovered directly above the square, gazing at the gradually awakening players below before waving his hand.

A black torrential rain poured from the sky.

Before coming here, he had accumulated enough erosion substance within his body—breaking them down into extremely tiny particles, enough to infect thirty thousand people. His Erosion Swamp was already skilled at crushing and combining, and controlling erosion substance was its specialty. They would rapidly destroy the brain chips implanted in the players and shatter any possibility of a mental shock.

The violent surgery of thirty thousand people officially began now.

“You all had a brief moment of amnesia just now. But I guess the emotional impact won’t disappear.”

Luo Duan halted the black rain, and his compatriots broke free from the first chains. Now they could truly hear his words.

“I’ll say it again. The world of <Erosion> is the real world, and we have all been thoroughly exploited. I—”

However, before he could finish his sentence, a sudden change occurred.

The stage where Xia Liang was performing suddenly erupted in a burst of fireworks, seemingly triggered accidentally by someone. Strangely, the fireworks themselves were exceptionally crude, but the smoke generated was overwhelming. The white smoke dispersed throughout the area, perfectly covering the entire venue. Players inhaled a considerable amount of it, causing coughing to echo around.

It was like it was planned in advance.

Soon after, Y City’s defense mechanisms also activated. However, the first to arrive weren’t the guards, but aircraft spraying purification smoke.

… Someone must have adjusted the defense level from B to A. Level A defense was meant for erosion storms, and preliminary purification was a standard requirement. Although the effectiveness of this purification smoke wasn’t particularly strong, it excelled at obscuring vision—a bright green mist spread, completely obscuring the entire sky.

Crackling sounds emanated from the smoke, followed by a loud voice joining the chaotic stage.

“The impromptu team mission has officially begun. Everyone, don’t panic, the previous effects were all part of the show!”

Hu Yan’s voice sounded calm. “Now, please board my Light Shell ship, and I will take you to the next mission site. I apologize, but I received a notification that the mission system has encountered some issues, so I’ll have to broadcast the information manually.”

The guards were momentarily unsure how to react—Hu Yan’s words seemed like an attempt to placate them, undoubtedly a direct order from Y City.

With the sky shrouded in smoke, they put down their weapons and began assisting the players in boarding the ship. With the help of the NPCs and the Blackbirds captain’s guidance, the players, dazed and confused, formed a line and obediently followed instructions.

‘…It’s Shu Jun’s doing, but it doesn’t matter,’ Luo Duan thought.

Perhaps Shu Jun had encountered some fortuitous event and united with many skilled individuals. However, Luo Duan had an even more powerful ally—

It wasn’t the Erosion Swamp King in the distance, but his helper right here, in front of his eyes.

Having spent several days in the command center, he had studied the information on every high-ranking member. He was well aware of their modus operandi.

Y City, command center.

“Zhu—Zhu Lao, I just received a report that a super-sized Erosion Swamp suddenly appeared at the edge outpost. It’s rapidly advancing towards us, almost as if… as if it has consciousness.” Xia Yufeng’s voice trembled slightly. “There’s also trouble at the Reunion Festival. A team of ‘synthetic humans’ has ‘awakened’ in rebellion, but their identities are unknown. For some reason, they seem to be able to counter the mental shock…”

“Hmm.” Zhu Sheng closed his eyes and responded emotionlessly.

“Seal off the relevant areas, and no one is allowed in or out.” He tapped his cane on the ground and fell silent for a moment. “Convert all surrounding outposts into defensive mode and cease purification operations. While these synthetic humans haven’t fully awakened, we must destroy them all.”

“But, what about their supernatural abilities…”

“It doesn’t matter. They have weaker constitutions. Even if we can’t kill them all, we can delay them. As long as those people from the settlements die inside, the settlement residents will naturally step up for revenge and help weaken the synthetic humans for us.”

“But…”

“The survival of the majority is paramount,” Zhu Sheng said. “Eliminating this group is for the best. Coincidentally, the research department has made progress, and once the new type of synthetic ‘humans’ is ready, purification operations can continue.”

Xia Yufeng took a sharp breath in response.

After cutting off the communication, Zhu Sheng continued to gaze at the disappearing spot on the screen.

“…Humans will no longer resemble humans, and we’ll have fewer troublesome matters.”

The elderly man sighed wearily.