Little Sister Wu rushed to the scene and immediately cast a soul-returning spell.
Three spirits were summoned, drifting outward in confusion.
The scouts sent by Laoji Fuli caught up with them. Afraid something might happen, Little Sister Wu followed as well.
Perhaps because Chu Fu had shouted through the loudspeaker, they soon spotted three NPC corpses outside a small alley—but no people.
The spirits merged back into their bodies, reviving the three NPCs, though all of them were on the verge of death.
“I’m not dead yet!”
“Boss, don’t be afraid. We’re here to save you,” Graceful Berlin said.
The proprietress let out a shriek. “Ah! You—you’re the murderer!”
“Stop screaming, or your wounds will split open again. You were already down to one HP, and all your blood had nearly drained away.”
Little Sister Wu hurriedly stopped her and then cast a healing spell, raising the three NPCs’ health. Their wounds gradually began to close.
“It wasn’t me! Someone must have disguised themselves as me—even my ID was faked. This is outrageous! Was this aimed at me?”
Graceful Berlin was furious all over again.
Little Sister Wu comforted him. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll catch the murderer soon.”
After all, this was a town-defense battle. Reporters were monitoring everything from above, while the power of the nation was also mobilizing. Countless eyes were watching. How could anyone possibly escape?
Appearances could be changed.
But equipment, class, and skills could not be disguised by a Mask of Disguise.
“Search! Find the murderer!”
Laoji Fuli’s face was grim. The general’s imposing presence made everyone around him straighten up, realizing that the old commander was truly enraged.
Everyone was fighting to defend the town.
How could anyone sabotage them at a time like this?
This was more than just a game. It concerned the survival of all humanity.
No wonder such people were called traitors to humanity.
The player was found soon enough.
Under the current circumstances, there was no way to log out, and countless eyes were watching. The murderer had nowhere to run.
“How could it be you? What were you thinking? You’re already level 20. You worked so hard to level up alongside everyone else, and once you were exposed, no one would revive you. Your character would be ruined! Why do something so destructive and pointless?”
Reaching level 20 meant spending a great deal of time in the game, and the player had made quite a few friends.
Graceful Berlin even knew him, which was why he had chosen to kill Graceful Berlin’s proprietress and her daughter.
It was easier to strike against people he knew.
He had been jealous of the money Graceful Berlin was making and had committed murder in a fit of greed.
There were other reasons involved as well.
Surrounded by players who questioned and cursed him, he roared angrily, “So what if I killed them? You revived the NPCs anyway! If you hadn’t found out, I could have gotten a hundred million. Just wait and see—there’s more than one person who’s been bought off.
“As long as you fail to achieve a perfect town defense, we’ll get the money. A hundred million! You people couldn’t earn that much in your entire lives!”
Graceful Berlin shouted furiously, “Are you insane, or am I? Prices have collapsed worldwide. One copper coin is worth fifteen Huaxia currency. A hundred million is only six or seven gold coins. If you can clear an Inferno-level dungeon, you could earn that much in seven or eight days. And for that little profit, you’re willing to throw away the efforts of more than twenty thousand people in the entire town?”
“What else could I do? I used to work for Wandering Dragon Studio. If I didn’t follow this plan, Guan Youlong would put a bounty on me and my family through the dark web!”
“Besides, I was already a player in the evil faction. The werewolves gave us a quest. Killing NPCs earns us extra contribution points.”
“And what’s the big deal about killing a few NPCs? By reviving them, you even earn more contribution points!”
“How about we work together? It’s just a game. There’s no need to take it so seriously.”
“Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if we gained the greatest possible benefits?”
The man was still trying to say something when a gigantic watermelon fell from the sky.
Boom!
The watermelon and his body exploded into pieces.
Chu Fu used the loudspeaker again.
[Server 0098888—Huaiwater Town] [Who Wants to Be a Vegetable?]: “I never listen to criminals making excuses. Any player who dares to kill NPCs is an enemy—a traitor to humanity.
“I know there are many Wandering Dragon Studio players on this server. You claim that Guan Youlong threatened you? Then seek official protection instead of helping the villain.
“Put bluntly, weren’t you simply tempted by the profits? Anyone who obtained a Mask of Disguise had killed more than a hundred players and joined the evil faction.
“You can claim that the NPCs deceived you, but didn’t those acts of slaughter bring you benefits at the time? Being targeted today is simply retribution.
“If you don’t want to become traitors to humanity, you can just reveal Werewolf Tuge’s location. One person may not be able to kill an NPC, but could a hundred people? A thousand? Ten thousand? Would killing one NPC really be that difficult?”
Outside the town, more than fifty players stood there, each harboring their own thoughts.
“Everyone, we’re just too weak to fight them. They have tens of thousands of people, while we only have fifty or so. What can we possibly do?” one player said hesitantly, clearly considering surrendering.
But some were furious.
“I only got screwed because I entered the game early! Being deceived wasn’t my fault! Back when Master Guan was around, who didn’t kill people? The more you killed, the more you were rewarded. That Plantman is just acting wise after the fact and blaming us now.”
“Which idiot acted early and exposed us?”
“Ahem… how about we…” Someone gave Werewolf Tuge a meaningful glance.
The clever ones had already sent messages.
Who wanted to remain a villain for the rest of their life?
They might not have understood the consequences back then, but now all they wanted was to cling to Plantman’s protection.
Chu Fu’s friend requests were not enabled, but that was no obstacle for these players.
They usually played together with friends, and many people even knew that they possessed Masks of Disguise. Before long, a group of players began trying to persuade them to surrender.
Werewolf Tuge’s coordinates were exposed soon afterward. No one even knew who had leaked them.
The seventh wave of monsters had been defeated, leaving ten minutes of rest.
Shen Chi piloted the mecha and picked up all ten team members.
The mecha started up and thundered toward the wilderness.
This was Laoji Fuli’s first time riding in a mecha, and he was utterly amazed.
Or rather, the strength of every member of Chu Fu’s team had left him stunned.
According to their official data, the defense battle at Zone 009 should not have been this easy. After all, their town had never produced any particularly outstanding players. How could they possibly compare with the slaughterstars of Zone 001?
Yet after Chu Fu and the others came to help, the results had been terrifyingly effective.
Now they were even going to counterattack Werewolf Tuge.
The Werewolf Tuge on the level-20 map had stats more terrifying than those of the level-25 Goblin Abyssal Overlord.
Would ten people be enough?
While Laoji Fuli was thinking about this, Shen Chi had already guided the mecha down.
With a thunderous crash, the enormous mecha landed before the more-than-three-meter-tall Werewolf Tuge.
The towering machine looked down from above, making Werewolf Tuge seem like nothing more than a stray mutt.
