Chapter 38: Digging a Trap
"Cooperate with the capture, and you can choose one item from her props, or if you only provide information, I'll give you a bottle of P0 Evolution Agent." Nie Xuan said immediately.
"I want the potion, but I need a P1 Evolution Agent." Xu Huo said.
Nie Xuan's expression showed some disappointment.
Xu Huo smiled and said, "This is not a loss for you at all. If you catch that cannibal player, you'll not only get an experimental sample but also learn information about other players and instance dungeons."
Nie Xuan raised an eyebrow, knowing he wouldn't get any details about the instance from him. Though disappointed, he could still accept it.
The situation was unstable now, and most players were wary of the outside world. Someone like Xu Huo, who appeared voluntarily and could calmly negotiate terms, was already considered relatively good.
Previously, he had contacted several players. Some were so mentally stimulated that they would indiscriminately attack others if a few words went wrong. Others were so self-inflated that they thought they could go head-to-head with the state apparatus. Still others tried every means to escape and refused to cooperate even when caught.
In fact, they underestimated a nation's capacity and courage in the face of disaster. The government would not only not deprive them of their abilities and resources but would instead vigorously cultivate them. After all, players were a minority, and the entire country needed them.
"The Special Affairs Bureau has just been established, and the government is recruiting personnel. The conditions offered in various aspects are quite good. If you're interested, you can contact me anytime."
"I'll think about it." Xu Huo found some paper and a pen and wrote down Liu Yuanyuan's physical features, accent, and some small details.
Seeing that he was also sketching a simple portrait beside it, Nie Xuan felt he could still be won over. "This is a good start. I hope we can cooperate more in the future, and I can also fight for the maximum benefits for you."
Xu Huo pushed the paper over and raised his wine bottle. "Happy cooperation."
"As for the game instances, how much do you know?"
Nie Xuan picked up his water glass and took a sip. "We have quite a bit of information now. You can trust us."
"Do you know the evolution principle of the evolvers?" Xu Huo put down the wine bottle.
"Of course. The expert team is already conducting experiments on this, and they will soon be able to suppress the eating desires of evolvers." Nie Xuan answered without thinking.
"If you don't take the Evolution Agent for a long time, will there be any side effects?"
"No. The Evolution Agent can perfectly solve various defects that appear in evolvers..." Before he finished speaking, Nie Xuan frowned. He closed his mouth tightly, first glanced at Xu Huo, then his gaze fell back on the glass of water.
"I didn't expect you to notice so quickly." Xu Huo smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I just wanted to test the effect of the potion, and you happened to come to me."
Nie Xuan sneered, waved his hand, and left.
After going downstairs, he got into a van parked on the street.
"Did the negotiation go smoothly?" The secretary who had previously questioned Xu Huo with him asked.
Nie Xuan opened his mouth but then closed it. When he raised his hand, there was a Hello Kitty hand puppet on it. The cat's mouth opened and closed, and an electronic child's voice flowed out:
"I got tricked by him. I can't talk conveniently right now."
The childish voice and the warm, fuzzy toy were a complete contrast to Nie Xuan's image. The secretary wanted to laugh but didn't dare. "Should we carry out an arrest?"
"No need." The hand puppet continued. "He's not a cannibal player. This person is very smart and a player with potential. The country needs manpower right now."
"Give this to the technical team and have them find this person. She's a cannibal player, very dangerous. Tell everyone to be careful when arresting her."
The secretary took the note and clipped it into his notebook, then asked, "Do we still need to continue surveillance?"
Nie Xuan thought for a moment. "Withdraw the snipers and Special Affairs personnel. Set up a surveillance point near the house he rented. No need for 24-hour close monitoring. Just confirm he's in Ting City."
"Recently, there have been cases of mass disappearances and mass dismemberment across the country. The missing and killed include the elderly, women, and children. Most don't have evolver characteristics. We have two cases in Ting City as well. I suspect they're related to instances, so we need to concentrate our manpower on finding the instances."
"I understand." The secretary nodded.
"Send this potion and his documents to him, and find a way to get a sample of the water from his table." Nie Xuan lifted the aluminum case at his feet and took out a tube of blue liquid.
The secretary followed orders and left, but returned a few minutes later with an awkward expression. "When I went, the cup was already washed. He also said he was going to move to a new place and would invite you to a housewarming meal when he found a new place."
Nie Xuan's eyelid twitched, but he suppressed his anger in a second. "Forget it. Draw my blood."
In the hotel room, after getting rid of Nie Xuan and his people, Xu Huo shook the tube of Evolution Agent. The item was correct—it was a P1 Evolution Agent—but he didn't plan to take it now.
The dependence and side effects of Evolution Agents on players were too strong. This kind of time bomb, unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to drink.
Putting away the potion, he picked up his phone. It had been vibrating ever since he came out of the game.
Besides dozens of friend requests, most of which were contributed by Yuan Yao, there were also some text messages and missed call reminders.
Most could be ignored, but one number was Liu Jia's.
From the initial train to the end of Xu Huo's first instance, it had only been three short days, but Liu Jia had sent nearly fifty messages.
Some of them were requests to meet him in person to thank him. Then came news that after Professor Han got off the train, his symptoms worsened. Green pustules appeared on his body, and after being admitted to the hospital, he was taken away by some professionals. She herself had also joined the local government agency.
She had basically explained the situation on the initial train, but she and Professor Han had concealed the identities of the other players in the same carriage and hadn't been troubled because of it.
"If something happens with Professor Han, you can contact me." He replied with a text message.
"Mr. Xu, you're back? Professor Han said you must have gone to an instance. I knew you would come back safely!" Liu Jia replied instantly, then a string of messages came in rapid succession.
Both she and Professor Han were from a neighboring city. Xu Huo didn't agree to meet her but instead asked about Professor Han's specific symptoms.
In fact, Professor Han's condition had improved when he got off the train, but the later symptoms were similar to those of that stranded player—pustules on the body surface, physical weakness, and signs of muscle atrophy.
"Toxin or pathogen?"
Did this mean that all evolvers had some unknown toxin or pathogen in their bodies? While making evolvers stronger, it also laid a huge hidden danger for evolution. The Evolution Agent had a suppressive effect, so if an evolver didn't use it for a long time, this toxin or pathogen would accumulate to a certain level and eventually erode the body.
Would ordinary players who didn't take the Evolution Agent for a long time eventually turn into those monsters on the train?
Unfortunately, the authorities didn't have a good solution now either... Xu Huo's frown grew deeper. Suddenly, his phone rang with an incoming call. He looked at the name on the screen, rubbed his temples, and answered:
"Xu Huo! I'll give you five minutes. If you don't show up in five minutes, you'll never see your beautiful and lovely cousin again!"