Chapter 91

While the analysis by Peach Blossom Eyes planted a seed in the Scavenger's heart, it also opened a door. Although the seed had yet to sprout, and the door was only half-open, the Scavenger's worldview and values undoubtedly changed because of Peach Blossom Eyes' analysis.

"Boss, we've run into trouble. All the brothers have been killed." Just as the Scavenger was stunned by the numbers in Peach Blossom Eyes' analysis, never imagining that such a vast wealth was hidden in the safety base he entered and exited daily, the roadblocks set up by the bandits, who were killed by Leigong and Kantu, began reporting to their leader.

Players who could gather a group of twenty to set up roadblocks and charge fees were clearly not just a bunch of idle players. After all, this kind of income was not something idle players could easily touch. If these idle players dared to touch this income, they would be crushed by the police in the safety base, player families, or guilds.

"What happened? Didn't I tell you to keep your eyes open and not to provoke members of other families or guilds?" Hearing the report from his subordinates, a large man who was killing monsters frowned and shouted loudly.

Currently, neither families nor guilds had been officially recognized by the system. However, these forces had already emerged when players first gathered in the Hope Safety Base, even though they were not legal. The official authorities in the safety base turned a blind eye to their existence because they could gather players to clear monsters and complete tasks that idle players could not accomplish.

Like in other games, these player families and guilds had their own emblems, and each player was proud to join a powerful family or guild. This was a game culture, a kind of honor that could not be given in real life.

Therefore, it was likely that several forces in the Hope Safety Base were setting up roadblocks to charge fees, and they had tacitly agreed to some unwritten rules, not provoking each other. Idle players, whether they were going out to kill monsters or returning, would feel annoyed when encountering roadblocks, but most would not PK over a few cents.

After all, if they died, losing even one piece of equipment would cost more than a few cents. Occasionally, they might encounter a hot-tempered player, but without support, they could not stand up to a group of twenty to thirty people at a roadblock. Thus, while the roadblocks caused resentment among many players, the likelihood of serious incidents was low.

Unless it was a conflict between players from other families or guilds, and one side was wiped out by the other. However, the probability of such an event was low, as the families and guilds in the Hope Safety Base were familiar with each other and operated in different areas. When they occasionally met, those who set up roadblocks would be allowed to pass after showing their identity, following the unwritten rules, or else this annoying business would not last long.

"We did not provoke anyone with family or guild emblems. He did not reveal his identity. When Baldy opened the car window to count the number of people, he was shot in the head by the driver inside the car. When we pursued, two people got out of the car and took down all of us, then returned to the city."

"Without a word, they attacked directly. How many people were there? Do you have any video?" The large man was stunned, his brows furrowed. Attacking without a word was something he had never encountered. Even when dealing with large guilds or families, unless it was over a BOSS, conflicts usually started with verbal arguments, and direct, clean attacks were rare.

"Baldy didn't see clearly how many people were in the car. He only saw the driver who shot him, and then two people came out to block us. So, only three people attacked. The two who blocked us were experts and took down all of our dozen or so people."

"It seems we really encountered experts." Opening the video sent by his subordinate, the large man's brows knitted into a frown, especially when he saw the pickup truck, which only transformed into two mechanical legs, jump over the roadblock without fully transforming. This was not something an average player could do.

"Boss, what should we do next? The brothers are all fired up."

Twenty people were taken down by three, no, two people, as the driver only killed one person with a gunshot. The rest were taken down by the two who blocked them. This would make anyone angry.

Not to mention, these roadblocks had been showing off all day, feeling very proud as they watched the players who dared not speak up. But just as they were feeling proud, they were doused with a bucket of cold water. How could they not be furious?

However, the person reporting this was clearly smart enough to know that some experts did not reveal their identities and often hid among the masses. If they were just ordinary experts, the large man could gather the entire family to suppress them, whitewash them, and set an example for other dissatisfied players. They had done this many times.

But if the other side was a super expert, and the players they knew were also experts, then they needed to be cautious. After all, to offend such a person over a PK, especially one where they initiated the conflict by setting up a roadblock, would not be worth it.

"Do you know their names?"

"Scavenger, Leigong, and Kantu." The player's friend panel had an enemies list, so this information was readily available.

"Alright, I know. You should withdraw for now. How much did you gain this time?"

"Nothing... nothing at all."

"How could you gain nothing? You've been standing there all day!" The large man roared.

"It's not like that, boss. Although the system does not interfere with our behavior, the points gained from such transactions are easily lost. We were so focused on avenging Baldy that we chased them, and the money we had was all taken by the other side."

In the "Fate" game, death results in the loss of experience and money, and random items from the player's inventory and equipment are dropped. As for the military backpack, everything inside is dropped. Therefore, except for the items in the backpack, the drop rate of other items depends on luck. Transaction points, being money, could be dropped entirely, but the probability was low. Clearly, the safety base, which was undergoing major construction and had no time to manage these thugs, had applied some small restraining measures to the system. If players knew about this hidden setting, they might start robbing each other, as people die for wealth and birds for food, especially in a game where death is reversible. The designer of this method was quite malicious, as it allowed the elimination of these thugs without any effort.

"Alright, I understand." The large man closed the call, though the fact that the money they collected was all lost after death was suspicious. However, he was not afraid that his subordinates were lying, as this could be easily verified. His subordinate would not come up with such a stupid excuse for a little money.

However, Scavenger, Leigong, and Kantu needed to be thoroughly investigated. Although setting up roadblocks was illegal, having over a dozen subordinates killed required an explanation. Why did players join families and guilds? Besides some small benefits, it was also because they could gather a group to whitewash their opponents during PK. The thrill of a group PK and the satisfaction of trampling the opponent made all players addicted.

Therefore, any PK incident, especially one where the other side was few and his side was completely wiped out, required an explanation. In the game, the constraints on players were minimal. A small mistake could lead to disappointment and the departure of many family members. A game family could rise quickly but could also decline in an instant. Therefore, sensitive matters needed to be handled carefully, and the intricacies of this required years of gaming experience to understand.

"How are you? Are you okay?" After about ten minutes, the Scavenger drove the car directly into his small courtyard. Kantu went over to close the iron gate, then lifted the deer from the back of the truck. Peach Blossom Eyes and Sang Sang got out, and the Scavenger transformed the pickup truck back into a wolf mech and got out.

"Hehe, no problem. Those players were just a bunch of rabble, driving their cars over landmines. Wasn't that asking for death?" Kantu said excitedly, and Leigong also had a smile on his face as he hung the deer with hooks and began to clean them skillfully.

"Is this Sang Sang?" At this moment, Trigger came out of the house and looked at Sang Sang. He then glanced at the wolf mech, which had not transformed back into a human and was standing beside Sang Sang like a large dog.

"Yes, she might stay here for a few days until we have a lead on the main quest. Take good care of her here. We still have a task to complete and need to go out again," the Scavenger said to Trigger, then went into the house to replenish the items he had used.

"Can Trigger cook? Roast the deer, and we'll have a drink when we get back." The two deer were quickly processed by Leigong, and the fresh deer meat made the wolf mech lick its lips.

"I'm not good at that, but I can go buy some seasonings. Eating the water and food exchanged from the system every day has made my mouth tasteless." Trigger also felt hungry. Although in the game, eating anything to satisfy hunger was fine, the "Fate" game was 100% simulated, so the taste of different foods varied greatly. Who would want to eat dry compressed food and drink plain water every day? With the opportunity to improve their diet, Trigger was very eager.

"Alright, I'll handle it when I get back. You buy the ingredients. My grilling skills are top-notch." Leigong washed his hands and went into the house to replenish his supplies. With Trigger, the mechanic, around, most of their consumables were made by Trigger, and he could also make specific requests for some equipment, saving a lot of money, a win-win situation.

"Let's go, continue the task. After finishing this task today, we'll take a break and come back to enjoy the grilled meat and relax. It's not good to always be working and keeping our nerves too tight." The Scavenger refilled the energy in the mech and transformed the wolf mech back into a pickup truck, smiling.