"True enough," another man with a scarred arm chimed in. "We only took in a batch of Evolvers. We haven't broken any laws, and even the state has no right to punish us. What do those Players think they are?"
"Just like Old Zhao said: the poor finally got a chance to turn their lives around, and now they've got the nerve to speak up." The scarred man was referring to the long-faced man. "The Special Defense Department took a big hit this time. They'll definitely try to make up for it later."
Old Zhao, the long-faced man, smiled. "Those people can't make waves."
The group chatted and laughed, making light of the uproar outside as if it had nothing to do with them.
"They really can't make waves?" Liu Zhichao leaned forward, bracing his hands on his knees as he looked up at the people who thought so highly of themselves. "Then how did Old Yang die?"
"He was unlucky." Old Wan's smile cooled slightly. "Only he and a few others who couldn't hold their nerve fled early with their families. They were sitting ducks. The Players who made it into the Safe Zone naturally assumed they were important figures and hunted them down."
"But that only happened because Players tracked the Safe Zone down first," Liu Zhichao said. "Players are more capable than we imagined. Are you really not afraid?"
The long-faced man laughed. "One person dies, and you get this scared? Look around us. There are Players everywhere, and this safe house is equipped with high-tech devices. Anyone who comes near will trigger an alarm... At the very least, that'll give you time to run."
The last remark was clearly a joke, but before the scattered laughter had died down, Liu Zhichao spoke again. "What if I'd