City of Sin and Mist (The Black Death) Chapter 124: Insurrection from Below

Guan Shanting possessed a temporary battlefield ability, which allowed him to forcibly drag two level-seven players inside. However, it would last for at most a dozen seconds, rendering it effectively meaningless.

Calming down to think, he realized that the situation was deeply wrong. While the two level-seven players often engaged in power struggles—behavior that Guan Shanting secretly despised—they were not foolish enough to act this recklessly. They had certainly been influenced by something. Was it a mental attack? Or perhaps some form of poison or parasite?

Thinking about it now was useless; he had to find a way to restrain the two of them as quickly as possible. Guan Shanting stopped his train of thought and looked around. Many players from the Tribunal had emerged. Everyone was watching the two superiors fighting overhead, but no one dared to intervene. Guan Shanting was the only one who had drawn his weapon.

"The two leaders appear to be under some form of mental control," Guan Shanting said, running up to a level-six player to propose his plan. "I suggest we collectively use our battlefield spaces to contain the destructive nature of this fight, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable!"

The level-six player turned pale, seemingly gripped by fear. However, he clearly understood the urgency of the situation and immediately began organizing others to use their battlefield spaces to restrict the two leaders who were locked in a death match.

Players who reach intermediate or high levels may not be exceptionally brilliant, but they are certainly capable of assessing a situation. Unless they are like Deng Ruqi, who relies entirely on equipment provided by his elders and is, in truth, a talentless waste. Wu Tong had not given Wu Hui many high-quality items precisely because she feared he would fail to gain sufficient experience. Furthermore, the better one's equipment, the higher the probability of encountering high-level games. Otherwise, most people encounter games commensurate with their own level. Participating in games above one's level is a double-edged sword: either one gains massive rewards to level up quickly, or one dies early—a fitting end for those who lack the capability to match their status.

Guan Shanting mobilized the crowd, and by collectively activating their battlefield spaces, they finally managed to drag the two leaders inside. This method was one they had rehearsed specifically; a group of low and intermediate-level players gathered together could even trap a level-ten entity, though that required a slightly larger number of people. It was far more cost-effective for a dozen or so high-level players to unite to trap a super-level player.

The destructive power of two level-seven players was immense. If left unchecked, the entire surrounding urban area would be devastated. Players at this stage possessed destructive capabilities that rivaled modern military units.

Watching the two leaders being pulled into the battlefield, Guan Shanting spoke up again: "We must suppress the two vice-directors. Everyone, join forces to force them to stop, or else everyone will be held accountable once people start dying!"

Guan Shanting was a man of great decisiveness. While everyone else was hesitating and lost, he had already begun to act. Under his leadership, the group managed to act with reasonable coordination. There were few damage-dealing skills used, but they unleashed a barrage of crowd-control abilities. Over a dozen level-fives, thirty-odd level-fours, and five level-sixes struck in unison; suppressing two level-sevens separately was well within their capabilities.

Everyone realized that the mental state of the two leaders was off. After all, they had received no response to any verbal communication and had merely been howling like mad dogs.

"Could it be some kind of mental-altering drug?"
"Or perhaps a curse?"

The members of the Tribunal were well-traveled and discussed many possibilities. They were all players; while few might have had an intelligence stat above ten, many had seven or eight. In the world of ordinary people, they would be considered quite bright. If their intelligence leaned toward memory, knowledge, and logic, passing into a prestigious university would be no problem. Of course, the true person in charge—a level-eight player with an intelligence of fourteen—was not present, having been transferred to Changqing City some time ago.

Suppressing the vice-directors was no simple task for the group. Although there were no casualties yet, many were exhausted, and the psychological impact was severe. It could be said that morale was at an all-time low.

"..." Guan Shanting’s intelligence was eight, which was above average for a level-five player—as previously noted, intelligence is very difficult to improve. While physical strength stats exceeding twelve were common, those with intelligence over ten were scarce. Though not overly brilliant, he had a simple will, keen observational skills, and was very decisive. In this situation, he was steadier than the level-six players.

"Why aren't Liao Yuan and Gao Cheng here?" Guan Shanting frowned, noticing the absence of two level-six players who should have been present.

This tone drew disgruntled frowns from a few players. For a level-five squad leader to address level-six players by their full names was somewhat disrespectful. But Guan Shanting simply hadn't thought that much about it. He was perhaps a bit socially inept, but it was normal for capable people to be a bit arrogant.

The two men he mentioned were currently hiding in an unfinished building in a corner of the city, taking a phone call. Liao Yuan, wearing a Beijing Opera mask of a young scholar, leaned against a pillar and bandaged himself. Gao Cheng, wearing a warrior mask, held the phone, communicating with the person in charge of the Insect Cocoon Company.

"Good, have them come over to Seventh Avenue... If they are worried, tell them to provide an address, and I will go to them."
"Vice-Director Chen and Vice-Director Long are both occupied."
"That is all."

He hung up the phone and crouched beside his companion. "Another player from outside the city has woken up."

Liao Yuan asked, "Good news. What level?"

"I heard it's level four," Gao Cheng replied, his expression behind the mask tinged with confusion. "If he really is level four, he must have great potential."

"Whether his potential is great or not is irrelevant to us; the key is how much he can help in this situation," Liao Yuan sighed. "If he had a sharp mind, it would have been better if he came a few days earlier. We’ve already figured out everything we need to investigate. What else can they do?"

Gao Cheng shook his head. "You can't say that, though they did arrive a bit late. I’ll go meet them. You focus on healing your wounds."

"Even the two vice-team leaders have fallen; our situation is dire," Liao Yuan said. "Be careful on the way."

In the dead of night, Wu Hui waited on the street. Ren Yin and the others were keeping watch nearby, their sniper rifles already set up. Her sneak attacks combined with Wu Hui’s summoned legion meant that level-fives were not too difficult to deal with, and there was even a slim chance against a level-six. The situation in the city was unclear, and the other party had made an inexplicably strange request to meet here. It was impossible not to be on guard.

In the distance, yet another person was lurking. From the Butterfly Organization, the Spider Branch, a level-five player codenamed Orb Weaver. He hid in the darkness, his entire being seemingly melted into the shadows.

Including Liao Yuan and Gao Cheng, these were all the players in the city who had realized the existence of the problem. They had gathered together by coincidence, running a high risk of being wiped out in one fell swoop. They just didn't know yet how many players were participating in this game or how strong they were.

Gao Cheng, wearing his warrior mask, walked over with a long staff strapped to his back. "Are you the player who discovered the anomalies in the city?"

Wu Hui nodded, confirming it was so.