Qiu Ming turned to face Xu Huo. "You want to let him go? Aren't you afraid he'll tell the other Players about us?"
"In an ordinary Sub-district, even if the locals hold a grudge against outsiders, it wouldn't go this far. Haven't you noticed? Whether it's the Players we ran into earlier or this child, they must have a reason they have to kill Outer District Players."
Xu Huo didn't spell it out. Hatred was exhausting, after all. Even if the people of Zone 023 blamed every Outer District Player for what had happened to their home, they couldn't possibly be this determined to target every outsider who arrived in Zone 023.
For one thing, the numbers didn't add up. How many Outer District Players were there? Could they really kill them all?
For another, this seemingly misplaced hatred wasn't enough to unite all the Survivors. Even if the people of Zone 023 held different beliefs from those of Outer District Players and didn't hesitate in the face of death, something greater than life itself had to be sustaining them.
Even this little boy.
From that perspective, there were only a few possible answers.
"A reason they have to kill Outer District Players?" Qiu Ming couldn't understand. "We haven't killed anyone..."
"That's why we need to find out," Cao Qinglin chimed in. "If it's a misunderstanding, we can clear it up. And you'd feel all right about harming a child?"
Qiu Ming had no choice but to give up. He tossed the boy to the ground, then noticed the jerky he'd given him was still tucked away on his person. Annoyed, he reached for it, but a shout rang out in the distance. "Stop!"
Before the three of them could turn around, a streak of blue light shot toward them