Ch.426Central District is always chaotic. (2)

Meanwhile, at the exact moment our Icarus was contemplating “whether to take the stronghold or not” while just watching Leviathan tourists…

…rewinding time a bit from then, back to when he was lost in various thoughts and spacing out.

In the “Central Zone” where Icarus and over 100,000 users had settled, an untimely bloodbath was unfolding.

The cause of this bloodbath was none other than the fact that the gateway to “Petrograd,” which the Leviathan Fleet had blocked during their escape, had become unusable.

—

<Humanity Official Chat Room>

-[When will Petrograd be repaired?]

-[It’ll take at least 2 more days]

-[Damn, the base might be in danger]

-[Can’t it be done faster?]

-[How are we supposed to fix the system? We’re not technicians]

-[That’s true]

—

As a result, users who had participated as foreign mercenaries in Humanity’s coup and were returning relatively late found themselves suddenly stranded in Petrograd.

Unable to use the gateway that would allow quick and easy travel to their bases, the 10,000 users who couldn’t return had to choose between two options…

“Do we fly directly to the base and use emergency warp to return? Or wait a bit and take the gateway comfortably back to base.”

“That is the question… though the options seem a bit unbalanced, don’t they?”

“Agreed.”

“Since we did the mercenary work, let’s wait here until Humanity pays us our compensation.”

“I’m leaving first because other bastards might betray us.”

“Bye-bye.”

About 20% of users decided to make their own way back.

The remaining 80% chose to wait until Petrograd’s repairs were complete and then move as a group.

Of course, their thinking wasn’t particularly wrong from “their perspective.”

There was a possibility that fleets returning separately to their bases might be attacked by other “normal” users.

The desire to move in a large group with other similar users to prevent potential attacks(?) was completely understandable for Central Zone users.

But what their collective intelligence failed to anticipate was that the “enemies” targeting their bases were “far more numerous” than expected…

—

<Public Anonymous Chat Room>

<Everyone please use polite and appropriate language to maintain etiquette.>

-[Wait wtf why are bases exploding?]

-[LOLOLOLOL]

-[Waaaaaah]

-[Wait, all the Central Zone bases are getting destroyed]

-[Stop it you bastards]

-[LOLOLOL]

-[LOLOL]

-[Your fleet’s gone, right? Everything’s already being destroyed, right?]

-[Another super fun event is happening]

—

While the mercenary users who had participated in Humanity’s Earth Federation coup—or revolution—hadn’t yet returned, other users who had accumulated grudges against them, knowingly or unknowingly, launched simultaneous attacks on their bases.

In the process, regular users who weren’t docked at “strongholds” mostly ended up with their bases destroyed…

Surprised by the sudden situation, users with remaining “emergency warp” uses hurriedly returned to their bases.

The rest were either frozen in shock or frantically trying to return to their bases via “regular navigation.”

Of course, even if they attempted to return by regular navigation now, there was no time to prevent their bases from being destroyed before they could get back…

—

And after all that happened, currently…

—

Title: Breaking News) Large-scale battles erupting in the Central Zone

Author: News Boy

Content: [Image of at least 5 different users’ ships in mixed fleets bombarding a base.jpg]

A civil war involving at least 20,000 users is currently happening throughout the Central Zone

The reason is that while mercenary users were stranded due to the Petrograd gateway blockade

Other hostile users either looted their empty bases or completely destroyed them, and now the mercenary users are launching large-scale offensives for revenge

And since users whose bases were destroyed became refugees, they’re now angrily destroying other users’ bases too, not just those who attacked them

Will add more detailed information as further coverage becomes available

Comments:

-[Wow, how long has it been since the war ended and now another one breaks out?]

-[A world full of dopamine every day]

-[LOLOL]

-[Refugees who lost their homes become rioters… hmm]

-˪[Oh no]

—

“What a mess.”

“It’s a complete disaster.”

While I was enjoying some pleasant daydreaming, I suddenly saw “Central Zone Civil War” pop up as a hot topic in the gallery.

I shook my head at the sight of yet another “war of all against all” breaking out in the ever-reliable Central Zone.

The problem was that while such actions might have initially been justified as legitimate revenge, and most users including myself were content to just watch…

As time passed, these people seemed less like they were seeking “revenge” and more like… how should I put it?

They resembled the “raiders” from the days when there were only ‘village settlements,’ but on a much larger scale.

—

Title: Real-time Central Zone status.txt

Author: Anonymous

Content: [Image of burning ships and a base causing a massive explosion.jpg], [Image of users apologizing in chat rooms.jpg]

About half of the users who were on revenge sprees for their destroyed bases seem to have settled things by receiving compensation and rebuilding

The problem is the other half who’ve decided to just become Yellow Turban rebels and loot everything, forgetting about compensation

And since these Yellow Turbans were doing mercenary work, they’re better leveled than regular users

Their ships and superhumans are strong enough for mercenary work

So other users who were minding their own business are either being randomly looted or having their bases destroyed

Or they’re joining these Yellow Turbans themselves

And since there are quite a lot of users who’ve become Yellow Turbans, even level 2 strongholds are getting raided despite defense fleets

It’s a complete mess

Comments:

-[It really is a disaster]

-[Holy crap]

-[Level 2 strongholds are getting raided?]

-˪[Don’t they have 5 security fleets and 10 combat fleets?]

-˪[Users raiding strongholds are attacking in groups of at least 30-40 people](Author)

-˪[At that point aren’t they basically a clan? lol]

-˪[They scatter after looting so they don’t seem to care]

—

Title: Yellow Turban bastards took a level 3 lololol

Author: Anonymous

Content: [Image of level 3 stronghold ‘Stenberg’ being captured by some user.jpg], [Image of masses of users gathered near ‘Stenberg’.jpg]

It was a place being shared by a small 10-person clan with other users

About 100 people swarmed in, took out the users’ bases and stronghold defense fleet, and claimed it for themselves lol

They’re literally Yellow Turbans

Comments:

-[The clan that was barely surviving on that stronghold must be devastated]

-[Wait, they’re taking level 3 strongholds?]

-[This isn’t good]

-[Doesn’t this mean higher level strongholds are in danger too?]

-˪[Not really](Author)

-˪[I see]

—

Of course, no matter how much they talk about looting and raiding.

Level 4 strongholds and above require users in the “minimum” three-digit numbers, and level 5 and above need thousands.

—

<Tanaba Triangle Official Chat Room>

<Notice: Beware of Yellow Turbans running wild>

-[I hear raiders are running wild these days]

-[Well, they can’t really target level 4 or higher]

-[If they try to invade here, old man Icarus would mobilize his million-strong army again, how would they handle that? lol]

-[lol true]

-[Plus there are tons of mercenary users here too, wouldn’t they be screwed if they mess with us?]

-[For real]

—

This Triangle where I am, as well as users who control level 4 strongholds and above, were simply watching these Yellow Turbans(?) like hawks watching chickens, unless they directly threatened them.