Chapter 64: Happy Cooperation
Zhou Ning, whose face was being squeezed, showed a humiliated expression as she glared hatefully at her.
"Let Sister Ning go!" The thin man beside her rushed over.
"Take one more step and I'll crush her throat." Xu Huo lifted her off the ground with one hand.
The thin man looked at him warily. "Whatever you want to know, I'll talk!"
"That Holy Sword Society you mentioned—we've never heard of it. We came looking for Sister Ning's younger brother. You have Ah Xiao's scent on you, so I followed you."
"Scent?" Xu Huo thought of the wallet. "How do I know if what you're saying is true or false?"
"I'm not lying!" The thin man pulled out his phone, scrolled through it, and tossed it at Xu Huo's feet. "I have a backup of the chat logs. Ah Xiao arranged to trade a ticket with someone, and then he disappeared!"
Xu Huo glanced down. The address on it was near that hotel in the old city district.
"I picked up a wallet there a couple of days ago and turned it in to the police station today."
"What... what!" Zhou Ning's face flushed red as she struggled to speak. Xu Huo released her, and after she landed, she quickly pulled up a picture. "Is this it?"
"Same style, brown." Xu Huo looked at the two of them, looking so foolish, and raised an eyebrow. "You dared to ambush me without even getting the facts straight?"
"Come inside with me."
Yuan Yao and the Painting Woman were watching the excitement at the door. As soon as they saw the fight stop, they immediately ran out and crowded around Xu Huo.
"Brother Xu, you're amazing! How did you know that snake was fake? It scared the hell out of me when it first appeared!"
"The image had no physical form, and there were no marks on the ground." Xu Huo said flatly. "The scent and wind direction were all wrong. I also saw people inside, so how could it be a real snake?"
Zhou Ning, who was still clutching her phone and doubting the truth of Xu Huo's words, stared at his back in shock. Her trait was far more realistic than a 3D movie, yet he had seen through so many flaws at first glance!
A player with this kind of skill—would he kill someone for a bottle of P0 Evolution Agent?
"Sister Ning?" The thin man called to her.
"Let's go!" Zhou Ning gritted her teeth and followed.
The lights were back on in the hall, bright and clear. Zhou Ning and the thin man, who had reattached his arm, sat on the sofa. The Painting Woman brought them tea and snacks, acting as warmly as if she were entertaining guests.
Xu Huo noticed the thin man's gaze uncontrollably sweep across the Painting Woman's torn top. He pointed his chin at her. "Change into something else. They're prisoners—no need for special treatment."
The Painting Woman immediately dropped her smile, took back the tea and snacks, and gave them to Yuan Yao instead.
Yuan Yao took a bite of the snack and shot a glare at the thin man. "If you're going to fight, fight properly. Why are you tearing clothes? And tearing a woman's clothes at that—are you here for a home invasion or a sexual assault?"
The thin man's face flushed pale. He had no idea when he had torn the Painting Woman's clothes.
The Painting Woman instantly got into character, wiping her tears as she went to change.
The thin man sat there, restless. "I-I didn't mean to!"
"Enough." Xu Huo cut them off. "If your brother is also a player, he might have entered an instance. There are random instances that don't require a ticket. Don't you know that?"
Zhou Ning was silent for a moment. "The news spreads fast online, so of course we know. But I still think he was tricked. About five or six days ago, he went to the old city district and never came back. His phone is unreachable. It doesn't make sense that he would just enter a random instance right after arranging to trade a ticket with someone."
"What's his account name on X Forum?" Xu Huo asked.
Zhou Ning reported the account name in surprise, then added, "How did you know he had an account on the forum? Have you seen him?"
Seeing the two of them looking at Xu Huo with suspicion, Yuan Yao said disdainfully, "You guys didn't see my Brother Xu unleashing his power in the instance. With his skills, does he look like someone who's short on potions?"
He turned the laptop around. "See this? It was this player who just joined the Holy Sword Society that lured your brother out. His last post before joining the society had a reply from your brother. He probably used your brother as a ticket of allegiance."
Zhou Ning immediately lunged at the computer, carefully reading through the chat logs. Her fists slowly clenched, especially when she saw the final reply from the Holy Sword Society agreeing to accept the potion and the new member. Her eyes reddened with rage, and she ground her teeth. "Holy Sword Society!"
"What the hell is this society?" the thin man barked. "They dare to lay a hand on Ah Xiao? I'll kill those inhuman bastards!"
"With your skills?" Yuan Yao rolled his eyes.
Zhou Ning took a deep breath, calmed herself, and looked at Xu Huo steadily. "Mr. Xu, thank you for this lead. What happened today was our fault. We can compensate you for any losses."
"You're looking for the Holy Sword Society too, aren't you? We can cooperate."
Xu Huo raised his hand to stop her. "I just happened to discover that the Holy Sword Society is hunting players. I thought I was being targeted by them. Since we have no conflict of interest, there's no need for me to provoke them."
"But if this Holy Sword Society is active in Ting City, it will eventually threaten you too," the thin man said, puzzled. "If they gather enough potions and items to cultivate advanced players, won't we ordinary players be in even more danger?"
"That's something the government should worry about." Xu Huo smiled.
"You..." The thin man wanted to say more, but Zhou Ning interrupted him. "Hu Zi!"
Hu Zi glanced at her and stepped back, frustrated.
"Mr. Xu, since you're willing to share the information about the Holy Sword Society with us, there must be a reason," Zhou Ning said confidently.
"If it were just a simple transaction, the Holy Sword Society members might not show themselves. But if I reveal an intention to rescue someone, the Holy Sword Society will definitely try to capture me and Hu Zi. That's when many of their players will appear."
"I can act as bait. As long as we rescue my brother, all the items and potions we get will be yours. How about that?"
Xu Huo gave her an appreciative look. "You're a smart person."
Zhou Ning breathed a small sigh of relief.
"How many people do you have on your side?" Xu Huo asked.
Zhou Ning hesitated. "Including me and Hu Zi, four people total."
Xu Huo nodded. "Your trait is quite interesting."
Zhou Ning gave a bitter smile. "As you saw, my trait isn't very useful in actual combat. It might scare someone the first time they encounter it, but it can't cause any real damage."
The giant python was just an illusion, and while the small snakes could move, they couldn't hurt anyone.
"Medusa should have the ability to turn people to stone," Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.
"Unfortunately, my trait is called Elderly Medusa. If there's any connection to Medusa, it's that my hair can turn into snakes." Zhou Ning touched her long braid.
Xu Huo thought for a moment, then took out the Hair Growth Potion and tossed it to her. "Go find a spacious place and try it out."
"You two head back for now. Don't contact the person behind the bait post yet. I'll find a few people to help. I'll notify you of the details tomorrow."
Zhou Ning was surprised, but after seeing the potion's description, her eyes widened. "You're really giving this to me? Aren't you afraid I'll just take it and run?"
"If I dare to give it to you, I'm not afraid of you running." Xu Huo also told her the location of the police station. "Go there and you'll see that I'm telling the truth. Happy cooperation."
Zhou Ning shook his hand, then left the villa in a daze.