Players, Please Board the Train

”Then that has nothing to do with us.” Xu Huo looked up towards the direction of Sunset Clown City.

”I doubt Clown City will necessarily get better from now on. If all these Warriors trapped in the cleanup area return, their first order of business will definitely be to seek revenge on those in the know...” Zhuo Wangsun digressed, glancing towards Sister Shan and the others, and when he turned back, the person beside him was already gone.

”He’s already left.” Si Ming pointed in the direction Xu Huo had departed.

The Female Player hadn’t yet withdrawn her gaze, saying with a hint of envy, ”That potion of his is just too good, and it doesn’t seem very costly either.”

”Where did you get the idea it’s not costly?” Zhuo Wangsun paused.

”If that kind of potion was truly rare, why would he be willing to use it on those people underground.” Si Ming stated matter-of-factly, ”How many potions would be consumed for that many people?”

Judging by their expressions, the two clearly thought Xu Huo was taking advantage of the situation.

Zhuo Wangsun didn’t waste words with them either, turning and leaving.

”Why is he so touchy? We didn’t say anything else.” The Female Player said, slightly embarrassed, ”At least Old Wu saved our lives. It’s only right to exchange something for it. I just feel a bit of a sting, that’s all.”

”Enough.” Si Ming stood up, ”We promised to help. Let’s work together to send these children back to Clown City before we leave.”Unaware of the debate still happening here, Xu Huo rushed towards Sunset Clown City at high speed.

The fall of just one Clown City alone wouldn’t achieve much. The two Clown Cities were isolated from each other. Even if Sunrise Clown City suffered heavy losses, as long as the Protective Wall here didn’t fall, Sunrise Clown City could simply become part of the cleanup area.

Just as he was approaching Sunset Clown City, planes were continuously taking off from the Sunrise Clown City side.

Whether it was fate or coincidence, that water sphere that had nearly engulfed a third of the city ended up collapsing the ground and sinking into the Underground Nest. The deep, intersecting underground ravines swallowed a massive amount of water, greatly alleviating the pressure on the surface. This prevented large-scale destruction of the Urban Buildings, allowing many people to survive.

This also bought time for the residents in the city’s high-rises to escape. Helicopters of all sizes took off one after another, following the General Administration Office’s planes towards Sunset Clown City.

At the same time, the high-level players who had been locked in fierce combat within the city finally paused their fight. The bearded man standing atop a tall building saw the sheets of paper whirling around him like a barrier gradually slow down and cease, turning into a few medium-sized sheets of paper fluttering behind his back.

A mere hundred meters away stood another man. He was the high-level player who had used the water sphere attack earlier. Of his companions, except for one who had escaped using a train ticket, the others had all been killed by the bearded man. Blood continuously trickled from the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating he was seriously injured.

The two faced each other. Although the bearded man’s eyes couldn’t be seen, his body language showed he was in a relaxed state, as if he didn’t take this fight seriously. The injured player’s eyes, however, held deep apprehension.

”You’ve killed so many of us, Paper Artisan. From now on, don’t think you’ll have peace in any Game Partition you go to!”

The bearded man, the Paper Artisan, slightly raised his head. His mouth seemed to twitch as if wanting to say something, but he quickly held back.

The injured player grew even more resentful. ”Am I not even worthy of a word from you? You’re arrogant enough!”

The Paper Artisan restrained himself once more, then spoke, ”You know as well as I do that the Holy Sword Society is like a flea, infecting one partition after another, spreading panic and killing on a large scale. Is that something worth boasting about?”

The injured player’s face flushed red with anger. He pointed at the wailing people in the city. ”Didn’t they end up like this because of you? If you had just handed over the Fielder’s Battle Angel, so many partitions wouldn’t have been dragged down by you!”

”You’re right.” The Paper Artisan was actually moved by this. Stroking his chin, he said, ”To eliminate future trouble, I’ll next pay a visit to the Holy Sword Society’s strongholds in every major district.”

Under the horrified gaze of the injured man, he continued, ”I am partly responsible for the casualties in these Game Partitions. But I think if you hadn’t come to snatch the Fielder’s Battle Angel, the current situation wouldn’t have arisen either. The best way to end this chain of cause and effect is for one side to disappear.”

As he spoke, the Paper Artisan slicked back his damp hair, revealing gray eyes that fixed on the player atop the opposite high-rise.

Horrified, the injured player immediately thought to flee. Unfortunately, in the brief moment it took him to open his personal panel and use a train ticket, the Paper Artisan, a hundred meters away, had already appeared before him. In the instant before the man teleported away, a sheet of paper slit his throat.

A few drops of blood splattered down. The injured player’s corpse was already teleporting towards the station. The Paper Artisan caught the blood-stained paper and wiped it with a Handkerchief. A gust of wind from the rooftop blew, and the hair he had just combed back fell down again, covering his eyes.

It was impossible to tell exactly where his gaze was focused, but the moment the Paper Artisan turned his head towards Sunset Clown City, he vanished from the spot.

Elsewhere, Xu Huo finally arrived at Sunset Clown City.

Dawn was approaching. The thin light painted the sky and the city the same color, but one could still faintly see the glow filtering through from beyond the high wall—a riot had also broken out in Sunset Clown City.

Catching the clamor from within the city, he first took the elevator up the Protective Wall, then directly disintegrated the metal structure from inside the wall itself.

Whether it was due to overconfidence or a lack of basic military discipline, the players who should have been on duty inside and outside the Protective Wall had all left, leaving behind only some ordinary Warriors. The best things they had were guns. However, the weapon storage room turned to dust along with the dissolving metal inside the wall. The remaining people were, of course, no match.

Xu Huo effortlessly passed through the Protective Wall and entered Sunset Clown City.

The uprising inside the city probably started not much later than in Sunrise Clown City, and its scale was larger than the other side. Looking out, many places were billowing thick smoke. Airships flew over the city, scattering leaflets about the truth of the reality show. Projections of discussions about ”Warriors” and the ”game” kept appearing in the sky above the city before vanishing... Those were likely secretly recorded from drinking parties. Someone was taking advantage of the chaos to spread them widely. Although players kept trying to stop it, so many eyes had already seen it. Even if people didn’t understand the situation or know if it was true, conflicts were still erupting within the city.

However, this chaos didn’t last very long. The players and soldiers quickly managed to suppress it. The residents of Clown City died under their fellow citizens’ gunfire before they even had a chance to understand the truth.

What Xu Huo saw now was close to the final stage of the mess.

Communication between the two Clown Cities was difficult. It seemed the truth had been exposed on a large scale in Sunset Clown City, but the effect achieved was not as significant as in Sunrise Clown City.

Gently discovering the truth and gently seeking accountability for wrongs were not what Clown City urgently needed.

For Xin Lang, Xin Hui, and all those who sacrificed themselves, the past could be completely abandoned. And for the future, the truth wasn’t all that important either.