Chapter 488: Chapter 307: Merchant, Shopping
March 10, 235 NE. The North Carolina civil war erupted. Iron Mountain City, Bamo City, and Sura City, located in North Carolina’s southern border region, were the first to declare independence.
In the early hours of March 12, Bear City, Bulan City, and three other cities fell in succession to the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army then formally declared war on the North Carolina Government, attracting widespread international attention.
At 5:00 sharp, the North Carolina Government issued an announcement, revoking its isolationist laws and responding to the Salvation Army’s declaration of war. It stated that the government would defend the nation’s sovereignty to the death and fight the terrorists to the very end.
At 5:20, the Star Association initiated the Rain of Life program, deploying it across the entire territory of North Carolina.
At 5:50, the Rain of Life ceased. 99.9% of the Crystal Disease patients were cured. The crystalline Ore formations from their mutations fell off, and their bodies gradually returned to normal.
At 6:00 sharp, as the first rays of sunlight rose over the rain-washed horizon, the isolationist laws were officially lifted.
Large contingents of International Mercenary Corps that had long been waiting surged into North Carolina. Their arrival was set to have a major impact on the war.
At the same time, countless Ascenders with ulterior motives smuggled themselves into the country. Some came for training, some to make a fortune, some to stir up trouble, some just to watch the show, and others to hunt wanted criminals... They gathered in North Carolina for their own disparate reasons, turning the small nation into a focal point of turmoil. The dark web even opened a discussion section for North Carolina, providing real-time intelligence updates with countless new posts refreshing every second.
And with the isolationist laws lifted, the Star Association’s satellite network now covered all of North Carolina, allowing Zhou Chen to finally browse the forums happily again.
[The isolationist laws have been lifted for half an hour. Over three hundred Ascenders are estimated to have entered the country, nearly half of them wanted criminals. To my brothers who want to get rich, now’s your chance! Miss this and you’ll wait another year!]
[Thanks for the invite. In North Carolina now, just got off the smuggler’s boat. Heading out to find some internationally wanted criminals. When I get rich, I’ll Venmo 50 to all my bros.]
[Honest question, is this wanted criminal called "Scorpion" worth much? Ran into him on the road. He didn’t look like a good guy, so I took him down.]
[Big news! Less than half an hour after North Carolina’s isolationist laws were lifted, the Omega Mercenary Corps clashed with the Red Pine Mercenary Corps! They were hired by the Salvation Army and the North Carolina Government, respectively. The skirmish resulted in deaths on both sides, but specific losses are still unclear.]
[Something big is coming! The United States’ Hercules Group and the Australian Mining Group have signed deals with the Salvation Army. The Hercules Group will provide military aid, while the Australian Mining Group will open a branch in southern North Carolina. They’re completely ignoring the North Carolina Government!]
[Everyone’s talking about ’big news.’ Let me show you what REAL big news is! I’m on the southeastern border of North Carolina, and two foreign Tier Four Uncrowned are fighting here! Holy shit!]
Zhou Chen clicked on the last post and discovered the original poster was actually live-streaming. He entered the stream and saw two figures battling high in the sky. All sorts of Skills were being unleashed one after another. The terrifying power was palpable even through the screen, as if it would smash into his face at any second.
Just then, a line of comments flew across the screen. Someone had doxxed the two Tier Four Uncrowned. One was from Yingzhou, the other was European. They had likely come to North Carolina to try their luck and find an opportunity for Advancement.
The mention of Tier Four made Zhou Chen think of the Black-robed Man, and he wondered about his current situation. He exited the stream and searched the dark web. As expected, he found a related post, one that had just been made a few minutes ago.
[Black Death God and the Iron-blooded Colonel are fighting in the western seas!]
"Black Death God" was the moniker the Black-robed Man earned after destroying City 26. The upper echelons of North Carolina saw him as a Demon who brought misfortune and calamity.
"They’re still at it..." Zhou Chen muttered as he clicked on the post. There were only a few pictures. He looked at the photos and thought to himself, ’The Salvation Army is at war with the government, so Jason will definitely have to pull back to command his troops. By tomorrow at the latest, the Black-robed Man should be able to shake his pursuers...’
His original plan was to have the Black-robed Man take the Gold Coins and make a deal with the Merchant. But now, after making contact with the Salvation Army, a more suitable candidate had emerged: Xing Wu.
Even if the deal went south, Xing Wu could use his own Ability to escape safely. In a way, Xing Wu was basically a budget version of "Hermes."
’It’s been so many days. The Merchant’s Traders should be all fattened up by now,’ Zhou Chen thought. ’I need to harvest them quickly. Every bit of damage I can do counts.’
After North Carolina lifted its isolationist laws, the Star Association intervened immediately. They dismissed the president, vice-president, and all other senior members of the local North Carolina Star Association Chapter, throwing them all in jail to await interrogation. Then, they parachuted in a new batch of executives to run the local branch. Naturally, this new leadership wouldn’t turn a blind eye like their predecessors. They would surely crack down hard on an evil organization like Fallen Paradise, whose nature was no different from the Abyss Church.
In other words, if the Merchant and his people didn’t achieve Advancement soon, they would lose their chance.
The Salvation Army had now conquered eight or nine cities, and a large number of Traders were present in them. If he could eliminate all of them, it might affect the Merchant’s Advancement. If the specially-prepared Gold Coins could also play a role, that would be even better.
Just as he was thinking about this, a thought suddenly struck Zhou Chen, and he heard a prayer coming from the void.
His consciousness ascended to the Round Table Hall. He touched the prayer’s mental link, and the surrounding scenery changed in a flash.
"Mr. Lamp God, the Star Association has sent down the Rain of Life, and the Crystal Disease in North Carolina has been resolved. But... I found a patient who has adapted to Soul Crystalization. He’s an ordinary six-year-old boy. His parents are from the lower class, with no special bloodline or constitution."
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