"What the hell!!"
Hearing this, even the usually reliable and steady Liao Dahai couldn't help but curse out loud.
"This..." Some people looked at each other, at a loss for words.
It had to be said, this revelation was a major blow to everyone from Dongfu City. The Rune Crystal Pyramid Tower was considered the core structure of the entire city, and it had stood tall and imposing from the very moment Oran City was transported here.
To explain the difference between the two cities, the male anchor also specifically mentioned the theory that Dongfu City had been fractured when it was transported.
Their own Rune Crystal Pyramid Tower must have been completely destroyed at that moment.
The blow from this went far beyond the simple feeling of 'they have it and we don't.'
More importantly... many Dongfu City natives had close relatives living in other districts of the city. When the transport happened, it was during work and school hours, so family members weren't all together in one place. They had been comforting themselves with the idea that their loved ones were still on Earth.
They had relied on this faint fantasy to get through one long night after another.
But now, the truth was like an Ice Cone to the heart.
Their families had come here too, but whether they were alive or dead was completely unknown.
"This is so unfair," Yu Ziyuan said, also finding it hard to accept.
Su Chen didn't offer an opinion. He just sat on his folding chair and took a sip of black tea, his face expressionless. He wasn't looking at anyone, but he exuded a heavy silence that made people hesitant to approach him.
Yan Ruoruo glanced at him from the side, her expression flickering slightly, but she said nothing.
Pang Peng, a perceptive person himself, also remembered that Su Chen had been alone at the campsite from the very beginning. No one knew if he had come to meet someone or if he had truly arrived by himself.
At a sensitive time like this, it wasn't appropriate to ask.
At that moment, the male anchor's voice also sounded deep and dejected, but he did his best to maintain his tone as he reported on Oran City, offering a simple analysis of its chaotic urban ecosystem.
Summarized in one word: chaos.
The four overt ruling factions might only be temporary. After all, just the day before yesterday, only three factions had a seat at the table. In the early days after the transport, the military administration had been the sole power, but they hadn't even warmed their seats for three days before becoming a public enemy.
This reserve unit wasn't as combat-effective as imagined. Endless urban policing warfare had severely weakened their strength, and Rune Power allowed others to wield the might of artillery as well.
Coupled with internal strife over the unequal division of spoils, the military inevitably declined, which in turn allowed a super-organization and two corporate syndicates to take a seat at the table.
They then joined forces to carve up all the Rune Core buildings. Now, ordinary people had to pay an extra fee just to use specific places like Rune Stores and weapon workshops.
Of course, they had to maintain appearances, so they gave it a nice-sounding name... "necessary maintenance fees to ensure the operation of Rune buildings."
After all, don't recruiting guards, maintaining order, and feeding the Rune Crystal Pyramid Tower require money?
"That's a license to print money," Liao Dahai said, dumbfounded.
The total daily revenue of all the private trading spots in Dongfu City probably couldn't even match the cut one of those syndicates took in half a day.
The scary part was, this "battle royale" in Oran City was far from over.
The so-called super-organization that had just joined the table was a loose coalition formed by several regional gangs and over a dozen teams of powerful individuals. Ironically, their participation had actually helped to stabilize the city's order.
At least the lingering stench of corpses in the city had lessened somewhat.
But the organizational structure itself was a ticking time bomb. It was fundamentally impossible to balance the interests of all parties, and it felt like it would fall apart sooner or later.
"I'm worried they'll use this as an opportunity to divert their internal conflicts outward," Pang Peng said with concern.
According to the radio, a scouting team had found a Teleportation Gate in the southern hills that afternoon.
Unfortunately, the people of Dongfu City were unable to use a Teleportation Gate deployed by another city-state; they couldn't achieve any interaction with it in their minds.
This led to a new deduction.
"Does that mean we're also classified as external enemies by Oran City, completely unable to penetrate their city barrier?"
That was the infuriating part. Fortunately, it would only last for ten days.
Meanwhile, the female co-host, Wenwen, intentionally gave the city's residents a bit of a "psychological massage" by quoting the philosophical musings of a Priest.
'...Those who begin in Hell rebuild order amid blood and Fire; those who start in paradise rot and sink in sweetness.'
At the end of the program, she also gave a routine update on the city-wide wall construction project. She clearly stated that six of the twelve planned city gates had already been erected, and the main wall enclosure project was progressing day and night. It was estimated that the entire line would be fully enclosed in twelve days.
Depending on the progress of Rune upgrades, this completion date might even be moved up a little.
A trace of restrained anticipation could be heard in the female anchor's sweet voice.
At that moment.
There were no rousing slogans about "man conquering heaven," but when those numbers, filled with progress and hope, came from the radio, everyone could truly feel a silent sense of encouragement.
'They had successfully weathered the Parasite Swarm incident; what else was there to fear?'
"You guys go on and chat."
Su Chen had no intention of listening to the rest of the broadcast. He planned to head back to his RV to take stock of his loot and prepare for tomorrow's dungeon expedition.
Gong Jun chugged a mouthful of tea, then hopped off his chair as well. His weapon modifications were still in progress, and if he didn't hurry, he might not be ready for tomorrow morning's plan.

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