### Chapter 7: Tremors in the Small Thousand World (6)
The sudden arrival of the bl**d Moon Team was, without a doubt, a one-sided massacre for the mob.
In an instant, aside from a few luckless mobsters who managed to escape, most lay scattered on the ground, reduced to a gory mess, a river of bl**d flowing freely.
The surviving villagers, seeing the incoming wrath aimed at the mob, fell to their knees, crying for divine help, thanking the heavens for avenging their grievances.
Using violence to quell violence was actually the last resort Lin Nan wanted to employ.
After all, the targets of the hunt were fellow players from the real world.
However, given the heartless acts these mobs had committed, acting like mindless beasts, Lin Nan felt they were no longer worthy of being called human. Killing them all? No guilt at all!
At that moment, the bl**d Moon Team was cleaning up the battlefield while Lin Nan stood idly by, hands behind her back.
The fire-whip girl, Fan, and her companions had rounded up the last remaining live ones from the mob and presented them before Lin Nan, including the previously boastful leader.
“Master, should we k*ll them all?” Fan asked, twirling her fire whip.
The leader, suddenly bowing his head in desperation, was a mess of tears. “Your grace, please show mercy! We’re all players here! If we may be spared, we promise we’ll never do this again! We were just starving! The NPCs have been so hostile to us! We hadn’t eaten anything from the last villages we tried to rob!”
Lin Nan sighed. “I’m sorry, but there are many ways to solve a problem, and you chose the simplest yet most costly route.
Even if the villagers may have wronged you, is it worth killing them all and taking everything?
You’ve made your bed, now lie in it. Blame yourselves for crossing the line of humanity.”
She turned her back on them.
With a signal from Xi, the heads of the mobsters rolled to the ground like watermelons.
From that moment on, aside from the trembling villagers, there were no more living souls around.
Lin Nan hopped on the Dark Feather Crane and was whisked away by a gust of wind, disappearing in an instant.
Only then did Xi put his top hat back on and gently address the others, “As per our Master’s orders, let’s get moving.”
“Yes, Master Xi!” the other three responded in unison, bowing low.
With Lin Nan perched on the Dark Feather Crane, an expression of ice and snow on her face, she never imagined that in just a few days, the situation on the Human Race Continent would escalate far beyond her expectations.
Stone Treasure Town was just a sample of what was happening.
Similar events were likely unfolding in other parts of the continent as well.
She wasn’t a god; she couldn’t save everyone.
Perhaps this was exactly what the Divine Clan wanted to see—watching the three races destroy each other, led by players from another dimension, like locusts, constantly plundering limited resources for their own survival.
With only two years left, did she really have the power to unite everyone to face the coming Judgment Day?
Lin Nan couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Ahead lay rolling mountains, their peaks shrouded by the cruel cold of winter; only a few evergreen trees remained, while the rest were just bare branches.
A sense of bleak chill settled in her heart.
Although the cold didn’t faze her now, the biting wind lifting her dress made her skin prick painfully, reminding her of winter’s mercilessness.
At that moment, a woman’s piercing scream suddenly echoed from the distant woods.
Furrowing her brows, Lin Nan felt the Dark Feather Crane responding to her thoughts, immediately spinning around to fly towards the sound.
Were these players attacking innocent villagers again?
Those darned guys! So frustrating!
This time, she wouldn’t hold back.
But as the Dark Feather Crane approached the scene, it seemed the carnage had already concluded.
The woman who had screamed lay dead, a sword protruding from her back, and standing behind her was a youth clad in white.
Noticing the approaching beast, the young man sheathed his sword but quickly drew it out again.
“Who approaches?” he asked, his voice shaking, realizing the black-clad woman on the giant bird wasn’t an opponent he could handle.
Lin Nan gracefully landed and slowly walked over to the newly deceased woman, not glancing at the white-clad youth.
She crouched down, carefully turning the woman over.
The poor thing had met a gruesome end.
A large bl**d hole gaped in her chest, and even at that moment, the warm bl**d continued to seep out. The disbelief in her wide-open eyes indicated she couldn’t comprehend how abruptly her life was snuffed out.
Lin Nan sighed, smoothing the woman’s eyes, which longed for the sky.
Here lay a fresh female player who had just emerged from a newbie village, still wearing the basic white cloth outfit gifted by the system—no stats, no bonuses.
“Why did you k*ll her?” Lin Nan asked, looking at the young man in white.
Though she didn’t exude a powerful aura, the underlying dominance in her demeanor made the youth feel as if he were facing a formidable opponent.
He raised his sword defensively, declaring, “I am Liang Shan, a disciple of Deficient Moon Valley. This person conspired with others to steal food supplies. By the orders of the summit, I must eliminate these thieves to discourage future attempts.”
“Fine, I’ll pretend what you say is true. Does stealing warrant the d*ath penalty?” Lin Nan queried.
Liang Shan explained, “You don’t understand. Deficient Moon Valley is deep in the mountains, and each year we stockpile food for winter. This year was no different.
Originally, our supplies were plentiful. But suddenly, hordes of starving refugees appeared, having eaten through all the nearby villages!
Our Valley Master ordered the city gates closed; we couldn’t let those people in. Out of pity, we cooked porridge for them for the past few days to sustain them.
But then, they took advantage of our kindness, scaling the city walls at night and letting in a bunch of those refugees, causing chaos!
In despair, our Valley Master ordered us to clear out any intruders to prevent more from trying to enter. After all, we have nearly ten thousand residents who can’t afford any more trouble!”
Standing coldly, Lin Nan felt like the black-clad figure was his superior as Liang Shan found himself spilling out every detail without realizing it.
Lin Nan fell silent.
At that moment, the continent was in the grip of a harsh winter; the productivity level was already low, and the mere hundreds of thousands of natives were just barely surviving.
Now, suddenly facing nearly a hundred million players, their demands for food and shelter couldn’t possibly be met.
No wonder those players had turned into violent mobs. It was understandable they would want to storm Deficient Moon Valley for a scrap to eat—even if it meant facing swords and spears.
Those who had never experienced hunger could never understand that feeling.
For the first time, Lin Nan found herself in a dilemma.
She had initially thought of slaying Liang Shan to avenge the poor female player.
But things were not as simple as she had imagined.
Oh Divine Clan, is this your true aim?
Watching the races on the continent tear each other apart for survival, I can only imagine the mockery and scorn on your faces.
