Chapter 189 Special Items, Simulated Communicator

The villa's main gate was smashed open; they had originally expected to see their relatives or loved ones.

But what appeared before everyone was a deathly silent void.

The luxurious sofas in the hall were still there, and the expensive crystal chandelier swayed slightly, but not a single soul was in sight.

“Dad? Mom?”

“Xiao Cui! Where are you?”

The dozens of players who had rushed in first were dumbfounded.

They scurried frantically through the hall, pushing open door after door, only to find nothing but neatly made beds and a large pile of supplies.

“What’s going on? Where are the people?”

“That’s impossible! I was just private messaging my wife this morning. She said she was resting on the Third Floor of this building, and Liao Long's people even brought her food!”

A man’s face turned deathly pale, his fingers trembling as he swiped across his virtual panel.

He sent another private message in front of everyone, but the sent information was like a stone sinking into the ocean, without the slightest echo.

“I can't get through either! I could send messages just now, but now there's no response at all!”

“Could we have found the wrong place?”

“Bullshit! Liao Long's lackeys said it themselves—all family members were concentrated in these locations!”

“This is bad, there's no one in the other buildings either!”

Zhuang Yi walked quickly into the hall to investigate.

Wang Meng frowned, his large axe slamming heavily onto the floor. “Search! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find them!”

Just then, from behind a leather sofa in the corner of the hall, came an extremely faint sound of wood rubbing.

Wang Meng had sharp ears; he strode over in two steps and, exerting force with one hand, directly flipped the several-hundred-pound sofa over.

An elite player wearing the Dragon Gang uniform was curled into a ball, hiding in the gap, clutching a glowing disc-shaped object tightly in his hand.

“Don't... don't kill me! I didn't kill anyone!” This person was so terrified that snot and tears flowed together, and his crotch instantly became a large wet patch.

Wang Meng picked him up like a little chick, carried him to the center of the hall, and slammed him onto the ground with a thud.

“Speak! Where are the people? Thousands of them, where are they hidden?” Wang Meng stepped on the man's chest, applying slight pressure, making his ribs creak.

“Sent... sent away...” The elite's face contorted in pain as he begged intermittently, “Boss Liao... no, that maniac Liao Long, started sending people away in batches on the very first day...”

Zhuang Yi stepped forward, staring at the object in the man's hand that resembled a button-phone from the last century with an antenna: “Sent where? Also, what is this thing in your hand for?”

The elite tremblingly handed over the 'phone,' his voice shaking.

“I really don't know where they were sent; only Liao Long and a few core members around him know. I... I was just left behind to 'act' the part.”

Wang Meng took it and inspected it; data immediately surfaced before his eyes.

【Simulated Communicator】

【Type: Special Item】

【Effect: The holder can borrow the identity information of specific players within the area to make disguised replies in the chat channel or private message interface.】

【Introduction: You thought the person chatting with you was your dear wife? It was actually me!】

“Fuck!”

After seeing the attributes clearly, Wang Meng couldn't help but curse and handed the item to Zhuang Yi.

The surrounding players crowded around to look, and the situation instantly exploded.

“Damn it! Liao Long, that beast!”

“So I've been chatting with these lackeys for the past few days? My son told me he was eating and sleeping well—all of it was fake?”

“You animal! Where did they take my family!”

The roars of anger almost lifted the roof of the villa, and several players who had lost control of their emotions rushed forward and gave the elite a fierce beating.

Once the players had finished venting their emotions, Wang Meng didn't bother to recruit one more person and simply killed the elite with a single axe swing.

Only then did Zhuang Yi speak.

“Alright, since the players' names haven't turned gray, it means the family members are still alive. They've just been treated as some kind of more important 'resource' and transferred elsewhere.”

“But clearly, they aren't in the residential area, and it's even more impossible for them to be outside. It's very likely they were sent to that guy behind the scenes...”

Wang Meng nodded and immediately sent a private message to Su Ze.

After explaining everything, he traded the special item, the Simulated Communicator, to Su Ze.

Then, he turned around and looked at the group of Taoyuan Residential Area players who were full of fury yet falling into despair.

“Listen up, everyone!” Wang Meng shouted at the top of his lungs,

“You've seen it for yourselves—Liao Long was lying to you from beginning to end! He never intended to protect your families; he just used them as dog leashes tied around your necks!”

“Now the leash is broken and the people are gone, but Boss Su Ze is still here!”

Wang Meng pointed in the direction of Jinghai University.

“Join us. As long as Boss Su Ze is here, we'll eventually find them by following the clues. If you scatter now, with your meager skills, where will you go to find them? To your deaths?”

The players looked at each other and finally lowered their heads one after another.

They knew in their hearts that they had no choice but to rely on Su Ze, who could even wipe out Liao Long’s gang.

“We... are willing to join.”

As the first person spoke up, the remaining thousands of players in the square also nodded one by one.

Over the next hour, under the command of Zhuang Yi and Wang Meng, these players began an orderly evacuation.

At the same time, leaders from the Jinghai University side led players over to haul away the numerous supplies left behind by Liao Long.

It could be said to be a bountiful harvest!

During the moving process, what made Wang Meng sigh was that the ordinary players living in the buildings here lived worse than dogs.

“These people are truly lucky to be alive.”

Wang Meng shook his head as he looked at those wooden Dormitory doors that were only Level 2.

Liao Long had concentrated all resources on the hundred or so elites and his own group of six.

The remaining fifty thousand or so ordinary players were completely left to fend for themselves.

No wonder fifty thousand people died in the Taoyuan Residential Area during this Novice Period.

...

On the other side, Villa No. 1.

Under An Lan's guidance, Su Ze walked down the stone steps into the basement.

The surrounding walls were covered with dark red patterns, and in the very center stood an ancient-looking stone altar.

The altar emitted a faint purple light, but there was a very obvious blade mark right in the middle.

Su Ze approached the altar, his gaze focusing.

【Long-Distance Teleportation Altar (Sub-Array · Damaged)】

【Level: 1】

【Type: Special Building】

【Status: Activated】

【Function: The Mother Array can remotely deploy Sub-Arrays. Once activated, it can perform two-way teleportation of living beings or supplies (Each use consumes 50 silver coins, maintained for 10 minutes).】

【Current Bound Coordinates: Martial Star Region (Cross-server coordinates)】

【Introduction: A building capable of two-way teleportation, though the cost is somewhat high. Of course, it is currently damaged and requires repair before use.】