Chapter 1004: I Really Appreciate You
Mr. Chang's side had used smoke bombs, clearly intending to withdraw from this fight. The three people with distinct 002 District features were all locals, which was why Brother Lei had made his threatening remarks.
If they wanted to hide in the game, no one could stop them now, and with bombs still on the speeding train, support players couldn't arrive in time either. The goal was to make the other side think twice.
If the tunnel were blown up, more than just these few people would die.
Of course, with casualties on his side, Brother Lei couldn't easily swallow this either. The best option was to take them out right on the train!
Mr. Chang and his two companions hadn't given up on their goal, but they were short on manpower. They had arranged things in advance to separate Brother Lei and the others, but things hadn't gone as planned afterward. Their traits and items had been exposed, making it hard to achieve the same surprise effect as before. If they kept fighting, the outcome was uncertain, especially with a Super Evolver of unknown level sitting in the back!
"Should we retreat?" the driver player said. "Although Dong Jingxuan is a direct descendant of the Dong Clan, he's not among the most valued ones. Even if we threaten him with his life, the Dong Clan might not hand over the genetic code. Let's leave first and think of another way."
That was the best outcome.
They hadn't suffered any major losses so far.
Mr. Chang said in a deep voice, "We don't have enough people. It'll be hard to find another opportunity like this."
His two companions were silent for a moment, then the invisible player said, "Maybe we should try one more—"
Before he could finish, that elusive voice interrupted them again. "Outside support has arrived."
The three of them abruptly turned to look beside them, but saw no one. Then they looked ahead, through the thinning smoke and past Brother Lei and the others. Xu Huo, still sitting there, was watching them, his intentions unclear.
"Go!" Mr. Chang spoke first. He took out a small revolving door-like item, and the three of them vanished from the train together.
They were gone, the danger was over. Brother Lei first arranged for his men to tend to the wounded, then walked over to Xu Huo to ask about Dong Jingxuan's condition.
Dong Jingxuan's face was a bit pale, but he was holding it together. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his eyes swept over Brother Lei's injured arm, and he closed his mouth again.
Brother Lei didn't say much to him. Instead, he said to Xu Huo, "Mr. Xu, I'm impressed."
Before knowing the other side's traits and items, their ten-man squad had suffered losses. But Xu Huo had not only been able to fight three opponents, he had also figured out their trait patterns in such a short time. He was definitely not the kind of person who would be a bodyguard for a spoiled second-generation rich kid like Dong Jingxuan. What was two million White Notes? With his abilities, the Dong Clan could offer him a starting salary of at least twenty million White Notes a month.
Money meant nothing to a powerful player.
Brother Lei knew he couldn't probe Xu Huo's true intentions, so he joked, "Mr. Xu, you don't have a grudge against the Dong Clan, do you?"
He had mentioned the Dong Clan before. It wasn't unheard of for an inexperienced young member of a family to cause trouble outside and bring someone back to settle the score.
Xu Huo smiled and shook his head. "I really appreciate Young Master Xuan. I'd like to be friends with him."
Dong Jingxuan wasn't stupid. He said, "Mr. Xu, you're too kind. Snow City is at its liveliest right now. When we get off the train, I'll show you a great time!"
"Sounds good." Xu Huo nodded.
The atmosphere between them finally relaxed. Even the little boy, whose name was still unknown, was treated well by Brother Lei's people. A long-haired female player personally cut his hair and nails and even took out two sets of boy's clothes for him to try on.
"These were for my relative's kid. See if they fit you."
The little boy was very resistant to the dress he had been wearing, but he still looked back at Xu Huo for his opinion.
"Up to you." Xu Huo fully respected his wishes.
The little boy went to change his clothes. When he came out, he even gave his name, which he said his former foster father had given him: "Xiao Dou."
A very casual name and an unspoken tragic past made the female player show a sympathetic expression, and her voice became even gentler.
Xu Huo glanced at him. The little boy, who had been secretly watching Xu Huo, unconsciously tensed up, then raised his head to meet his gaze.
Xu Huo looked away and continued talking with Dong Jingxuan, focusing on the fun places in Snow City.
During their conversation, he mentioned wanting to visit the Snow Palace. Dong Jingxuan's expression turned a bit awkward—this wasn't something he could decide.
"I'll have to ask my dad."
"If he says yes, it's a done deal. One of this year's Snow Palace beauties was bought by my family. You can still see her before she enters the Snow Palace."
The few-hour train ride passed quickly. When they arrived at Snow City Station, the lighting, which resembled real sunlight, filled their field of vision. It wasn't as harsh as in Xiaoyang City, and the buildings in Snow City didn't use large areas of reflective materials, making the whole city look much softer.
Advanced aircraft automatically stopped in front of them. With just a voice command, the aircraft could handle all the functions of a vehicle and even acted as a tour guide.
The aircraft's altitude in the air was fixed. The one Xu Huo and Dong Jingxuan were in was at a higher level, always maintaining a height of fifty meters above the ground as it flew around the staggered clusters of buildings.
Overall, Snow City's layout was a bit like a castle with varying heights, though most of the land had little difference in elevation. Some buildings were supported by special foundations, with their main bodies suspended dozens of meters in the air, looking like spinning tops or even resembling the flying saucers from 014's concepts.
Of course, the central parts were the main residential and work areas, while the extended parts were for leisure—Snow City had excellent "greenery."
Most buildings were equipped with a considerable amount of plants. The vigorously growing flower vines often covered entire structures. The white or translucent roots, leaves, and petals were monotonous, but their sheer scale added a unique and rare dreamlike quality.
People naturally yearn for sights they've never seen, beautifying them in their minds and adding extra charm.
Besides plants, some buildings used aquariums as their outer walls, and the fish swimming inside were mostly colorless and beautiful.
During the festival period, the air was filled with jellyfish-like plant seeds. The mother plants on the ground periodically blew these seeds into the air to enhance the festive atmosphere.
In addition, holographic projections on the squares and building exteriors continuously broadcast the progress of the selection process. Besides the human beauty pageant, the animal and plant beauty contest had also concluded today, and tourists and residents could buy tickets to watch.
Xu Huo noticed that the projection of the preservation hall showed a large spatial passage, so he suggested going to take a look.
This aligned perfectly with Dong Jingxuan, who didn't want to go home anyway. Ignoring Brother Lei's opinion, they changed course and headed straight for the Plant Preservation Hall.
Dong Jingxuan used his connections to get them in. As soon as they walked in, their field of vision was dominated by a giant flower.
(Chapter End)