Chapter 269: Chaos at Red Moon Plaza |
The case in Huishui County had become enormous.
Two villages had been slaughtered, and more than two hundred corpses lay outside Blackstone Village.
Even within Sanhe Commandery, this would be considered a major case.
The Six Gates responded quickly. Constable Captain Yu personally led a team over. When he saw the Caobang forces present, he gave Su Wangchuan a brief glance before walking over to question him about the case.
Su Wangchuan naturally reported everything he knew in full detail.
As for why he had sent people to station themselves in Blackstone Village twice, he explained that he had learned about villages being massacred in Huishui County and had worried about the safety of his master and the village. Unable to calm his mind, he had brought a group of men overnight to investigate—and had just happened to run into the incident.
“Constable Captain Yu.”
“You are the benefactor of Huishui County. Many of the county’s people have died or been injured. I hope you can solve the case quickly, bring justice to the dead, and bring the criminals to justice.”
Given Su Wangchuan’s current status and position, he no longer had to stand far away looking up at Constable Captain Yu. His tone carried confidence and authority.
“The Six Gates has never had the precedent of inviting Jianghu gangs to assist in official investigations,” Constable Captain Yu replied.
“And Helm Leader Wangchuan, rest assured. The government has far more manpower and methods at its disposal than your Caobang.”
His words carried rejection, warning, and a hint of admonishment.
When the conversation could no longer continue, Su Wangchuan simply cupped his fists and took his leave.
“In that case, Wangchuan will depart and await the Six Gates’ good news.”
He then withdrew with all the Caobang disciples.
Before leaving Blackstone Village, he took a moment to speak with his master, Blacksmith Sun.
Blacksmith Sun still refused to leave the village.
Su Wangchuan had no choice. In the end, he departed with his men.
…
When he returned to the Huishui County hall, he met Lin Xun.
Lin Xun looked extremely excited.
He revealed that chaos had already erupted at Red Moon Plaza.
Red Moon Studio had lost too many people this time. Even the two hundred security robots stationed there could not suppress their own employees.
Under the leadership of several First-Rank Martial Artists, they forcibly dismantled most of the security robots. More than a hundred people rushed out of Red Moon Plaza, shouting for help.
On the streets, the plaza, and throughout the surrounding commercial district, countless people raised their phones to record the sight of Martial Artists running across rooftops and clashing with security robots. The situation briefly spiraled out of control.
And…
There were even groups attempting to rush toward the Warring States Building.
Along the way, several vehicle collisions occurred, and some people were injured.
The police had already intervened quickly.
Su Wangchuan felt a chill run through him.
More than a hundred people losing control…
This was going to become a massive spectacle.
The impact and scope of the disturbance would be extremely wide.
And for a while, it might not even be possible to restrain all those rogue Martial Artists.
The authorities would likely struggle to completely suppress the incident.
Su Wangchuan faintly realized something.
The Red Moon Studio incident might very well cause 《spirit realm》 to be exposed to the public ahead of schedule.
If the authorities failed to suppress public opinion, 《spirit realm》 might face full-scale promotion far earlier than planned.
At that time, the number of players would surge, and the prices of gold and silver would skyrocket.
He needed to prepare in advance.
“Let’s go!”
Su Wangchuan led his team back onto the ship and returned to the Sanjiang Branch Helm.
Upon arriving, he immediately logged off in his room to investigate the development of the Red Moon Studio incident.
His phone showed several missed calls.
While turning on the television to watch the latest news, he returned Su Wan’s call.
Sure enough, footage of the Red Moon Plaza incident appeared on the television.
In the plaza, many people held up their phones, recording several men and women running across rooftops.
The security robots were fairly powerful, but they lacked real weapons. Martial Artists smashed them to the ground and dismantled them easily.
“The authorities!”
“Let the authorities come out and explain!”
“We don’t want to die!”
“How long will you keep hiding the secret of 《spirit realm》?!”
“Our martial arts all came from 《spirit realm》!”
“Come on, film this!”
“…”
On the phone screen, the footage clearly showed a man grabbing a trash can and smashing it violently onto a security robot, knocking it to the ground. Then he swiftly locked the robot’s neck joint and twisted.
CRACK!
Sparks flew as the robot collapsed limply.
The surrounding crowd gasped and retreated.
“Wow!”
“What kind of godlike strength is that?”
“Is he even human?”
“That’s incredible. Is that some newly released humanoid robot? They’re already this advanced? How much does one cost?”
“What is 《spirit realm》?”
People in the crowd focused on completely different things.
But soon Su Wangchuan noticed that armed police robots had arrived.
Using electric stun guns and tranquilizer rifles, they knocked down the rogue players from a distance, causing another wave of astonished reactions from the crowd.
“The police are here.”
“They’re not robots.”
“So cool!”
As the police intervened, more and more people were subdued and taken away.
However, many Red Moon Studio players realized the situation was turning bad and fled in panic.
Unfortunately for them, inside the city—under the watch of the omnipresent surveillance network—escape was impossible.
Especially when faced with armed robots racing through the streets to surround them.
Moreover…
It was not only the police who intervened.
One Martial Artist sprinted across rooftops and leapt into a nearby park.
But a seemingly harmless old man suddenly struck out with a palm at the back of his neck.
His technique was seasoned and lightning-fast.
The motion looked as casual as swatting a mosquito.
The Martial Artist collapsed instantly.
The old man calmly caught the unconscious body and handed it to the armed robots that arrived moments later.
Across the city—in streets and alleyways alike—similar figures appeared.
Whether they were full-fledged Martial Artists or First-Rank Martial Artists, they were subdued effortlessly.
The armed police robots saluted and withdrew.
Inside the police bureau.
An internal task force meeting was underway.
On the large electronic display screen were live feeds from various locations showing captured Martial Artists being escorted back.
At the front stood a middle-aged man in a white police uniform. His expression was solemn as he spoke firmly.
“It seems that studio licenses truly cannot be issued to people who are too radical and obsessive.”
“The leadership of Red Moon Studio… is far too aggressive. Their actions are sharp and reckless. They lack stability entirely.”
“Recently, more players have died in 《spirit realm》 than in the entire previous year!”
“I propose that Red Moon Studio be banned! Zhou Maoming should be imprisoned and detained!”
However, someone immediately refuted the suggestion.
“The ways to earn money inside 《spirit realm》 are limited to begin with. As the game opens further in the future, conflicts will inevitably erupt. This is nothing more than a normal clash of interests in Jianghu.”
“Although the number of deaths is somewhat high, we can learn from the lesson.”
“We cannot erase the talent we have painstakingly cultivated just because of a single unexpected incident.”
“Exactly.”
“Zhou Maoming may be somewhat radical, but Red Moon Studio’s speed in cultivating Quasi-Martial Artists and Martial Artists is indeed faster and more efficient than those conservative factions.”
“That advantage must also be acknowledged.”
At the meeting, several people spoke in defense of Red Moon Studio.