City of Sinister Fog (The Black Death) Chapter 137: The Sacrificed

Setting a trap before death may seem meaningless, but it is possible that Liu An simply wanted to take revenge on everyone.

Concealing the headcount was also pointless, but there is no need for logic when a person with antisocial personality disorder wants to play tricks. Such people can spout flawless lies at the drop of a hat, making them difficult to discern. In short, it was impossible to be certain about the matter.

Well, the "green tea" type is also a variation of antisocial personality disorder, technically known as histrionic personality disorder. They all lie without purpose.

Killing Liu An was not the end. In truth, among their group, aside from Ren Yin and Zhao Xingluan who were still thinking about saving the entire city, everyone else was only focused on self-preservation. There were also a few who had not yet awakened and functioned purely on orders.

Orb Weaver sent them back. They would be summoned if needed. Those summoned by Wu Hui were also sent away.

Meanwhile, in the city center:

Gao Cheng and Liao Yuan looked up at the two Level 7s currently locked in battle, remaining silent.

Guan Shanting, however, acted as he had before, charging forward with his blade without a second thought. Smart people always consider too many variables; his intelligence was not as high as the two Level 6s, nor was his strength. Yet, he always kept his duty firmly in mind.

"It is not without a chance," Gao Cheng said. "The two of them are fighting, so they are somewhat distracted from others. What we need to do is break the balance."

Liao Yuan added, "Perhaps there is a way to help them wake up."

"We can try," Gao Cheng nodded. "Let's go."

"Let's go." Liao Yuan removed his mask, transforming into a streak of fire as he flew into the sky. The light of the flames ignited above the city, resembling a rising sun.

He was burning himself.

Gao Cheng moved as well.

His long staff pointed toward the sky, and a sharp, metallic aura flared. Gao Cheng pressed a card depicting a strange pattern onto the tip of the staff. The entire staff began to flicker with golden light.

Although they were a step slower than Guan Shanting, they still joined the fray.

Among the members of the Tribunal, there might be opportunists and conspirators like Smiling Face, but the core remained these heroes who fulfilled their duties faithfully.

Watching all of this from outside, the Chief Justice felt a sense of gratification.

He began to hesitate over whether he should intervene. As a Level 13 player, he could dispel the black clouds, but it would come at a heavy cost.

The Tribunal had many enemies. Those people would strike the moment the Chief Justice was weakened. The losses would be even greater then.

Furthermore, he had come to Changqing City for a specific purpose. The piece buried by the Chief Player had not yet discovered him; if he exposed his position, the Chief Justice was certain his old rival would surely pull some dirty trick on him.

Thus, he hesitated. Perhaps the people in the city had a chance to resolve this themselves. He would continue to watch; one should never underestimate the power of humanity.

So, the Chief Justice remained still.

Only Iron Hand continued to attack the black clouds under his gaze.

Guan Shanting moved forward silently with his blade amidst the various undercurrents of the battle.

He was not fast, nor could he be. The power of Level 7s, even when not directed at him, was incredibly difficult to withstand. If this continued, he might die before even getting close.

The city was in desperate need of manpower; it was a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. There was certainly no way to get much support.

At best, there might be three or four Level 6s and seven or eight Level 5s. If he could just stall for a while, the chances of victory would increase. Perhaps the two vice-ministers would have a chance to wake up?

He took a deep breath and activated his skill, "Single Blade, Swift Horse," breaking into the battlefield.

A temporary battlefield was activated.

The two Level 7s were dragged into the fray. Guan Shanting intended to burn his own life to stall them for about half a minute.

That was his limit.

"Burning yourself is something you should leave to me." Liao Yuan, wreathed in pale red flames, swept past Guan Shanting and patted him on the shoulder. Then, moving several times faster, he took over Guan Shanting's task.

Although he wore a *Xiaosheng* mask, Liao Yuan’s appearance was no longer young. He looked to be in his forties.

Guan Shanting was only in his early twenties.

Young people still have long lives ahead of them; there was no need to rush to sacrifice.

Liao Yuan gripped his mask, locking the two Level 7 players within his own battlefield.

At the cost of burning his life, trapping the two of them for a few hours was not a problem.

"Cough, cough, cough." Liao Yuan clutched his abdomen; the wound he had suffered earlier did not seem to have fully healed.

The injury came from a Level 6 player he and Gao Cheng had encountered before meeting Wu Hui. The damage that guy caused was nasty, and several methods of restoration had failed to remove it.

Now, it seemed to be affecting Liao Yuan's movements.

It didn't matter. He could hold on.

The flames emitted a strange luster on his body. The pale red gradually deepened into a crimson.

It looked like blood, and it looked like the rising morning sun.

Gao Cheng wanted to act as well, but he hadn't expected Liao Yuan to start fighting for his life immediately. Looking around, there were still many fugitives and maddened stragglers. Although they were not as threatening individually as a Level 7, they were equally troublesome in aggregate.

He came to the side of Guan Shanting, who had been replaced by Liao Yuan: "There won't be many players left in the city. You go find that Wu Hui and Orb Weaver. It’s best if you find the enemy within a few hours. We will hold this side... remember to focus on checking who has been left behind in the Tribunal recently."

"Do not ask for reinforcements; it is meaningless. Everyone is short of hands everywhere."

"Here, two Level 6s, at least five hours."

"Enough."

As Gao Cheng spoke, he also expanded his own battlefield space, pulling the surrounding people inside.

Guan Shanting saluted. In his heart, there was no longer any disregard for his superiors, only respect for his fellow travelers.

Everyone had their own task to perform.

As long as someone was still standing at their post, order would not completely collapse.

Therefore, Smiling Face Luno felt very dissatisfied.

The chaos he wanted should have been much worse than this. As things stood, the Awakened ones still had to be eliminated.

Starting from here.

Like clever people such as Wu Hui and Orb Weaver, Smiling Face did not like to do things himself. He usually stood in the back, watching those he controlled or commanded throw their lives away.

This time was no different.

Smiling Face’s laughter echoed in a corner of the city.

In this city, not all Level 6s were members of the Tribunal; at least one belonged to the Cocoon Company, and another was a member of an independent squad not affiliated with any major organization.

They were currently gathered in the local player market.

With things in such a mess, it was difficult for everyone to remain calm. They were on the verge of awakening or madness, and they didn't know which would come first.

A faint sound of laughter rang out here.

The Level 6 from the Cocoon Company looked up, scanning his surroundings.

He was part of the Locust branch, rarely involved in combat, and had not participated in a game for a long time. The main work of this branch was to serve other departments, including money transfers and smoothing over relationships.

A Level 6 was unremarkable in other branches, but it was nearly the ceiling here in the Locust branch. One had to know that the head of this department was only a Level 8 player. Of course, this Level 6 was much weaker than an ordinary Level 6.

"Did you hear that?" the Locust member asked, his expression somewhat distorted.

"What?" asked the Level 6 player from the independent squad.

Amidst the laughter, their expressions grew increasingly strange.