Zhang Heng did not expect Arc of Light, one of the three major guilds, to suddenly issue an ultimatum to Shen Xixi's newly established union at midnight last night. They demanded that Shen Xixi apologize for the vicious conflict that happened in Tongzhou that night, hand over the four murderers, and compensate for the losses. Otherwise, they would declare war on the union.
Since there was no third party present at the time of the incident, the netizens on the forum could not figure out what happened that night. According to the information provided by Arc of Light, a team of players from their guild was tracking a monster when they encountered another team of players belonging to the union. The Arc of Light players issued a warning, and the other party wisely chose to give in.
No matter why players joined the union, at least on the surface, they were doing it to protect ordinary people. So, if the Arc of Light players killed the monster, the union players would be happy to see it happen. However, the Arc of Light players did not expect this team to play dirty. On the surface, they left, but who knew that they would turn around and come back.
At the critical moment when the Arc of Light team was fighting the monster, they were suddenly attacked. Five out of six of them died, and only one managed to escape. The management of Arc of Light was furious, and that was why Zero issued the ultimatum.
However, the netizens on the forum did not seem to buy it. First of all, only Arc of Light had issued a statement on this matter so far. Shen Xixi and her union had yet to respond. Secondly, although the three major guilds had been trying their best to restrain the players under them, pretending to be reasonable, they were, after all, the dominant party. It was impossible for them not to take advantage of their dominant position. Coupled with the large number of members, there were all kinds of people in them. It was inevitable that some of them would do something unethical. Hence, many small and medium-sized guilds and guildless players had mixed opinions about them.
As soon as the announcement was made, more people gloated in the forum. The most popular comment under the post was, "The stupid dogs of Arc of Light bully others every day. I didn't expect this day to come."
However, less than two minutes after he posted this comment, he received a big muting package. The reason was: personal attack.
The so-called player forums were a product of the Three Great Guilds. Although many of the moderators were chosen by the players themselves to ensure fairness, the three super moderators were all members of the Three Great Guilds. Muting them was a piece of cake.
However, the banned guy was obviously not someone to be trifled with. Because the registration threshold of the forum was very low, a new account could be created just by typing a few strings of characters. Therefore, the banned guy came back in less than ten seconds in high spirits. It was still the same ID, the same flavor, but there was an additional 01 behind it.
— — Come on, authority dog, block your daddy again. You can block my account, but can you block justice?
As soon as this reply was sent out, there was another round of applause.
The internet was so real. If you asked this group of people to go against Arc of Light, of course, they would not dare to do so. However, no one would back down from a scolding war. Arc of Light's super moderator was obviously aware of this. After banning a bunch of worthless scolding accounts, he walked away from the matter.
These cynical people didn't actually care about who was right or wrong in the conflict between Arc of Light and the union. Most of them just took this opportunity to vent their dissatisfaction with Arc of Light. As for the union, because it had just been established, there was no conflict of interest with most players for the time being. Unlike guilds, the union's members were more complicated. A considerable number of them were independent teams that weren't attached to a guild, and they were in a weaker position compared to Arc of Light. Naturally, it was easier for them to gain sympathy and support from the onlookers.
However, this sympathy and support did not have any substantial effect on solving the problem.
The first thing Zhang Heng realized when he saw the post was that Shen Xixi was in trouble this time. Whether it was right or wrong aside, the establishment of the union itself was not good news for the big guilds. The current structure of the union was relatively loose, and it didn't pose much of a threat for the time being. Shen Xixi herself had repeatedly stated that the purpose of the union was to protect ordinary people.
However, no one knew if the union would one day become a behemoth that could compete with the three major guilds. After all, cohesion could be slowly cultivated, and relationships could also be enhanced through cooperation between players. Right now, everyone was just working together to kill monsters and distribute the loot according to the rules. If they were to encounter each other in a dungeon, there would be a possibility that they could work together. Then, they might as well join forces.
So this incident might just be the fuse. Whether it was right or wrong was no longer important. It meant that the three major guilds, who were previously in a wait-and-see state, were ready to take action against the union that Shen Xixi had just established. The other two's unanimous silence seemed to indicate that the situation was slipping toward the worst possible scenario.
The tactics they used were ingenious. They forced Shen Xixi to hand over the person in charge, and they targeted the union's weakest link. If Shen Xixi handed over the person in charge, the union's cohesion, which was already low in the early stages of its establishment, would soon be gone. And if Shen Xixi chose to resist the pressure and refuse to hand over the person in charge, Arc of Light would likely go to war with the union. Putting aside the difference in strength between the two sides, with the union's current situation, how many people would choose to live and die with this rising force?
So no matter which path Shen Xixi chose now, as a newborn, the union seemed to be heading towards its doom.
In fact, Shen Xixi had not expressed her position until now because the union was in a complete mess.
After receiving the ultimatum, Shen Xixi immediately contacted the union's management, including the presidents of small and medium-sized guilds, and the representatives of independent players to discuss a solution.
Although she was mentally prepared, everyone's reaction still made Shen Xixi feel a little disappointed.
Nearly 90% of the people were in favor of handing over the player team that caused this incident to Arc of Light. These people didn't even care what the truth was. Just like what they said, the truth was no longer important. Whether Arc of Light lied or not, the top priority was to ensure the union's safety first. After that, they could slowly argue with Arc of Light.
Shen Xixi looked at the group of allies in front of her, and a deep sense of exhaustion grew in her heart. No matter how outsiders looked at her, the reason why she established the union was simple. She wanted to do the right thing.
Doing the right thing might seem simple, but only those who had really put it into practice knew how difficult it was to do it.
That was because the world was not always reasonable.
Shen Xixi had already met with the players who caused the conflict before she came to the venue. She was at least 80% sure that Arc of Light was the one who lied in this conflict. Even if the other party did not plan this for a long time, they were obviously prepared to use this conflict to swear an oath to the union. Everyone in the venue knew what fate awaited them if they handed over the person in charge. However, it seemed that everyone selectively ignored this matter. In the face of the group's interests, individual sacrifices were always described as understated.
Little Dumbo said:
Thanks to David and ABC3166 for their tips ~
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