Quadruple split.

Chapter 2680 What Can Be Tolerated
"Everyone, do you have a grudge against the Viper Merchant Guild?"

Mo Tan looked around and asked the question in a calm tone.

So everyone turned their heads to look at a man who wasn't very good-looking and had a somewhat gloomy demeanor.

"Is such that."

So, Ghost Sorrow, the star player and top manager of [Undying Studio], who had climbed back to the high ranks and even reached the top 170 on the leaderboard, nodded and said with great certainty, "We all have a grudge against [Viper Guild]."

"Fuck."

The typist was immediately shocked and exclaimed, "This ugly man is shameless!"

"Hehe, who told us to just look straight ahead?"

Luselle chuckled and said with delight, "What Guijianchou said is quite pleasing to the eye."

Xinglong clenched his fist excitedly and grinned, "I can understand."

"I always feel that your understanding is different from ours."

The peerless strategist chuckled, arms crossed, and shrugged, saying, "But it doesn't really matter."

Suddenly, everyone started to exclaim excitedly. Mo Tan also noticed that although no one denied Gui Jianchou's affirmation, no one directly stated that they did indeed have a grudge against the Viper Merchant Guild.

This isn't a difficult question to explain. After all, while the Viper Guild gave all professional players a taste of their own medicine, apart from Undying Studio being the one who got slaughtered, everyone else was essentially the monkey being frightened. Although they were inevitably taken aback and decided to band together afterward, even forming an organization like the Professional Security Alliance, which was practically a violation of the ancestral laws of professional organizations... But apart from Undying, no one had any overt hostility towards the Viper Guild; they were just particularly wary of them.

However, from another perspective, since they have united and formed the Professional Players Alliance (PPA) by taking advantage of the opportunity of the Viper Guild wiping out more than 4,000 members of the Undying Studio, and forming a group to support each other within the game's local worldview, then at least in terms of their stance, the professional players are indeed opposed to it in principle.

In addition, given Mo Tan's previous remarks, which clearly indicated that they harbored some hostility towards the Viper Merchant Guild, the shrewd individuals present naturally wouldn't readily admit that they didn't actually want to provoke this trouble.

As for Guijianchou's statement just now, it was merely a preemptive move to stir up trouble and gain some goodwill from Mo Tan and the others who held the power to issue world missions, given that he was bound to be on the opposing side of the Viper Merchant Guild.

It's clear that none of them are fools; they all have their own shrewd calculations in their hearts. Although they are all young people who are not very old, at their current positions, even someone like Xinglong, who is not good at scheming, roughly knows when to say what and what to do.

As for Jiuchong, Guoshi Wushuang, and Fangshi Mingbairen, they are undoubtedly high-level players.

This is why, despite Ghost Sorrow's statement on behalf of [Undying], everyone's overall attitude was rather vague and ambiguous. Ultimately, no matter how important it was to them to win over Mo Tan, Cordova, and Ji Xiaoge, it was not enough to justify their direct confrontation with the [Viper Merchant Guild].

"Let me be honest, Brother Mo, my little brother from Cordoba."

After a round of banter, Zang Yue, the Valley Master of Evil Valley, who possessed a dignified air and almost perfectly embodied everyone's fantasies about a 'handsome older man,' sighed softly and said calmly, "It's not that we're trying to boost the morale of others while diminishing our own, or that we're afraid of the Viper Merchant Guild, but rather..."

Cordoba blinked, then asked curiously, "And what?"

"But we are truly terrified of the Viper Merchant Guild."

The Valley Master of Burial Moon Valley took a sip of iced tea and said wistfully, "If it can wipe out four thousand Undying people, it can wipe out four thousand of my Evil Valley. If it can kill the Ghost-Seeing-Sorrow brothers, it can wipe out the Ten Great Evils of my Evil Valley. The two of you are not from our professional circle, so I won't beat around the bush with you. In short..."

Cordoba continued curiously, "What is it?"

"Under normal circumstances, as long as you greet each other, even if you have no grudges... you can still have grudges."

The Valley Master of Burial Moon chuckled, then changed the subject, shaking his head and saying, "But when facing a behemoth like the Viper Merchant Guild, which can wipe us out in a heartbeat, even if we have a grudge, sometimes we have to pretend we don't."

Mo Tan nodded slightly and said calmly, "It's very realistic and objective, and I can completely understand it."

"Thanks for understanding."

Sitting upright, Boss Sakaki turned to Mo Tan and said calmly, "After all, [The Realm of Innocence] is different from other games. In the past, whether it was NPCs or monsters, they were all part of the game experience for most players. But in this game, the situation of us 'otherworldly people' is actually quite awkward. And the most awkward ones are us professional players and organizations who are used to being the strong ones."

Guoshi Wushuang nodded in agreement, saying, "Boss Sakaki is right. To put it this way, as far as I know, the Viper Merchant Guild is full of powerful individuals. If they just find any normal person of epic level who isn't arrogant, doesn't underestimate their opponents, and remembers to finish them off, they can kill our strongest guy, Xinglong, in no time."

Xinglong, who was inexplicably called out, leaned back in his chair with a helpless smile and said, "You can say whatever you want, but can you please stop using me as an example?"

"No."

Without hesitation, Guoshi Wushuang gave a negative answer, saying in a serious tone, "Who told you to be so popular?"

"Tsk tsk, well, Ah Long, you'll just have to bear with it for a bit."

The old King of Holy Light next to him chuckled and said, "Our Wushuang is just jealous of you."

"you do not say."

The peerless scholar raised his head, tilted it forty-five degrees to the sky, and sighed softly, "I'm so jealous of how popular you are—"

Xinglong: "...Can I go back now?"

"No."

Jiuzhong shook his head, then glanced at Guoshi Wushuang and Shengguang Laowang: "You two, it's rare to have a chat with the Cordoba brothers and Mo Xiaoge, so don't be too rowdy."

"okay."

The peerless patriot suppressed his smile.

"Your word is final." Old Wang of Holy Light also lowered his head to give him face, making himself appear harmless, like a quiet, profound, and blatant cadaver teacher.

Mo Tan simply watched calmly as the high-intensity interaction of professional gamers, who were far away from most people but were unusually vivid (?) in front of him at this moment, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

It's clear that he had anticipated the current situation, and given this premise, the reason why Mo Tan deliberately mentioned the Viper Merchant Guild is quite intriguing.

In the eyes of a relatively simple person like Xinglong, Mo Xiaoge might just be a simple, good person who hates evil and speaks out because he can't stand the behavior of the Viper Merchant Guild.

This is the first level; it's neither right nor wrong.

Meanwhile, Boss Sakaki, Valley Master of Burial Moon, and others believed that Mo Tan was deliberately creating difficulties for the professional players. After all, they were now in need of their help. If this topic related to the Viper Merchant Guild came to nothing, the professional players would be at a disadvantage and would have to make more concessions in subsequent negotiations.

This is the second layer, and it's all wrong.

As for the most shrewd people like Jiuchong, Guoshi Wushuang, and Shengguang Laowang, although they initially thought it was the former possibility, at this moment they vaguely felt a slight sense of incongruity.

These few people who had vaguely glimpsed the third level subconsciously felt that this was not the result Mo Tan had envisioned, but after noticing the latter's considerate silence, they began to doubt themselves.

until--

"Um, just asking."

The man, who was sitting in a rather inconspicuous corner, with his chair further back than the others and whose presence had been barely noticeable until now, yawned, stretched, and asked casually, "Well, while I don't have everyone's excellent intelligence-gathering abilities, I've been playing this game for quite a while now, and I have heard some rumors about the [Viper Guild]."

"..."

The next instant, the once lively and increasingly harmonious conference room fell into complete silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Let me emphasize again, guys, I was just asking casually."

The young man, who looked to be in his early twenties, with delicate features that bordered on effeminate, wore a blue leather jacket adorned with numerous double-breasted buttons and had shoulder-length dark green hair. He leaned back in his chair and said lazily, "That Viper Guild must have done a lot of bad things, right? In other words, although they're just an NPC organization in this game, they must indeed be what you call... a criminal organization, right?"

Swish!
Instantly, everyone present, including the most composed, steady, and unflappable Jiuzhong, broke out in a cold sweat. Even the Holy Light Old King, who was expressionless and appeared as a skeleton, looked even more 'dead' than before.

"Tsk tsk, although I think the saying 'a wise man submits to circumstances' makes a lot of sense, really, really makes a lot of sense."

The representative of a third-rate studio called "Pine Branch," the founder of "Blue Scripture" in the Realm of Innocence, Hermes, the spirited young man in the game, and Officer Hao Manshan outside the game raised an eyebrow, revealing a thought-provoking smile that silenced everyone present. She said quietly, "But the problem is, isn't this kind of behavior of easily compromising with the forces of evil... somewhat inappropriate?"

click-

Because he gripped his ribs too tightly, Old King Shengguang broke a bone due to excessive tension.

"Of course, this is just my personal opinion. After all, we are all adults. If we act impulsively, business will definitely not be easy."

Hermes smiled and spread his hands, saying in a light tone, "And to be honest, I myself am active in the [City of Freedom] in this game, acting like a gang leader, or to put it more bluntly, a criminal organization. Tsk tsk, indeed, what I said just now was really inappropriate. As the saying goes, do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. Everyone... just pretend I didn't say anything, and let's talk about whatever we want to talk about."

"Okay, let's continue our previous topic."

This time, the professional players finally broke their silence. Lucerne of the [Windbreaker Bird Club] coughed lightly, then, ignoring Hermes who had slumped back into his chair, asked the group, "Where were we? How did we wipe out the [Viper Merchant Guild]?"

"Is such that."

The Valley Master of Burial Moon narrowed his gaze, a sharp and intense killing intent flashing in his eyes. His charming, ancient-style handsome face was filled with righteous indignation: "As I just said, although our club is called [Valley of Villains], we have absolutely no reason to show mercy to the [Viper Merchant Guild], a group of truly despicable and heinous individuals that everyone should kill."

"cough."

Hermes slowly raised his right hand and said leisurely, "Didn't I just say that you should just pretend I'm..."

"Hemis, young man."

Ninefold interrupted Hermes in a gentle tone, and said with a serious expression, "Personally speaking, what you and [Pine Branch Studio] say, think, or feel is not important right now. What is important is that [Crimson Constellation] cannot stand by and watch these people who disrupt order run rampant."

"A blood debt can only be repaid with blood."

Ghost Sorrow of [Undying Studio] sneered and said sternly, "I'm different from you. I don't care about those black and white principles. But everyone here knows very well that the [Viper Merchant Guild] once uprooted our studio's power. Although we have barely recovered some strength recently, and have received help from friends in [Job Security Alliance] such as Green Apple Merchant Guild and Gymboree Studio, we really can't swallow this insult."

"five million."

Diamond Watch, who had just sent dozens of friend messages to his boss [Gold] in less than a minute, took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "[Gold Baby Studio] has always had a good relationship with [Undying Studio]. This time, the brothers of Undying have been wronged, and we will naturally not sit idly by. Therefore, we plan to set up an [Viper Foundation] and initially invest five million gold coins as start-up capital to support all your resistance against the [Viper Merchant Guild].

Qingqing Apple Fragrance succinctly stated in a calm tone, "The Green Apple Chamber of Commerce will also contribute five million gold coins to the foundation as the first sponsorship."

“Last month, three members of our [Windbreaker Bird Club] died at the hands of the bandit gang [Cobra]. Judging from the name, those guys should be a subordinate organization of the [Viper Merchant Guild].

With his arms crossed, Lucel declared righteously, "The Netherworld has already begun its intelligence gathering. Once we confirm their connection, we will not let the Viper Guild off easily. Even if it's a futile effort, we will show them the backbone of the Windbreaker Bird!"

"Fuck."

The typist was deeply moved upon hearing this. He looked around at his friends, who were brimming with positive energy, and applauded with heartfelt admiration.

"If anyone ever says that we [Rebirth] are shameless again, I'll fight you to the death."

Chapter 2671: The End