Chapter 1035: A New Way to Play Billiards
Mr. Chang’s expression turned slightly serious when he saw the item in his hand, then he sneered, “No wonder so many people are willing to work for the Dong family. The things we sacrificed several companions to obtain can’t even be used yet, but Dong Jingxuan can casually give one to someone he’s only known for a few days.”
Xu Huo said, “This little thing is no longer a core secret for the Dong family. It can only allow a single person to shuttle within a certain range. It’s not hard to buy props with similar functions in the game, unless you need a very large quantity.”
He paused before continuing, “Did you hijack the Dong family’s shipment, or do you have a stable supply channel?”
Mr. Chang snorted with a laugh, “You know quite a bit. But those two behind you don’t look like good people. Did you offend someone in the Dong family?”
Xu Huo’s expression remained calm, “I can escape from those two, but you might not be so lucky.”
Under the changing expression across from him, he smiled, “Shaking off two B-rank players is really tough, but with you here, it’s different. Right now, the players in Snow City are gathered at the Tomorrow Venue for a meeting. You being here isn’t a coincidence either…”
Before he could finish, Mr. Chang sat up straight and said to him, “Step back!”
But not only Xu Huo, even the ordinary people passing by didn’t react!
Mr. Chang sensed something was wrong and was about to pull away, but Xu Huo pointed at his neck.
Mr. Chang’s expression darkened. He raised his hand and felt an invisible thin thread pressed against his throat. Following it upward, several more threads of the same kind had already tightly wrapped around his head. No matter which direction he moved, these threads could cut his neck!
“What do you want?” he asked.
“My request is simple. Have your friends get those two out of here,” Xu Huo said with a smile. “I heard that some big families in Snow City have purchased large-scale space passage props that can travel directly between different districts. Is that true?”
Mr. Chang didn’t show any surprise or shock, but said, “I hope you keep your word.”
A moment later, noise erupted outside the venue. Someone in the crowd shouted, “Someone from the Dong family has been caught!” The two players sent by Dong Qifeng to kill turned around and left without looking back.
Once they were gone, Xu Huo withdrew the prop as promised, smiled and nodded at Mr. Chang, then vanished before his eyes. When he reappeared, he had a different face and strolled leisurely into the indoor entertainment venue directly below the Tomorrow Venue.
The Tomorrow Venue occupied almost the central position of the high-rise building’s upper floors. Although the topmost floor wasn’t within the venue’s range, players were stationed there, making it inaccessible. So the area directly below was a good choice—clearly, many others had the same idea.
Besides the players responsible for security in the building, there were also many players mixed in among the ordinary people. A rough count showed at least several groups.
It was unclear where these people came from, but some were carefully hiding their identities, while others did the opposite, making sure everyone knew they were players.
Of course, many were eyeing this place.
The moment Xu Huo walked in, at least a dozen pairs of eyes swept over him. He acted naturally, walking to a corner of the venue and greeting a group playing billiards, asking to join a game.
Among the five people, three were players. Two were local zone players, and the other was likely a mixed-blood, with skin color similar to outer zone players, but hair and eye color close to white.
The other two were ordinary people, also from Zone 002.
The mixed-blood player sized Xu Huo up, laughed, and said, “We’re betting props. You in?”
“No problem,” Xu Huo said with a smile. “I just came into a little fortune.”
The group laughed meaningfully. Another long-haired player said, “Do you know how to play billiards in Zone 002?”
“First time trying,” Xu Huo gestured with a “please” motion. “But I think I’ll pick it up after watching you play a round.”
A bystander “enthusiastically” egged them on, “Play a round, play a round! We can’t let an outer zone player look down on us locals. A couple of C-rank props—it’s not like we can’t afford to lose!”
Xu Huo seemed to notice the props placed on the side table as bets for the first time. His expression shifted slightly before he said, “So it seems D-rank props can’t even get on the table.”
The players and onlookers all laughed. Of course, not all of it was aimed at his D-rank props. The mixed-blood player grinned and urged his companion, “Newbies usually have beginner’s luck. Maybe we’ll be the ones losing. How about this: the last few rounds were all draws, no fun. Let’s take turns playing against our new friend. Besides the bets from both sides, we’ll add extra wagers. If you win, you take all the props. But if you lose to our new friend… the props go to everyone else.”
“That bet’s not very interesting. Are you expecting Wei Yu to lose? Isn’t that just giving props away?” said the man in a suit holding a cue stick. He and the other non-player were dressed like wealthy heirs, their clothes especially expensive.
Wei Yu was the long-haired local zone player. He smiled and said, “How about two-on-one? I’ll add one more prop. If I win, I take one of your props. If I lose, I pay two. What do you think?”
“Brother Wei is generous!” The mixed-blood player gave a thumbs-up, then turned to Xu Huo. “You in?”
Xu Huo casually picked a D-rank prop and placed it down. “I’ll reserve a round first.”
The mixed-blood player smiled, then finished the current round with the other person.
During the process, Xu Huo learned what this “new way” of playing billiards was. Although players and non-players could play at the same table, the requirements were different for each. Non-players could follow normal rules, but players couldn’t. Players were not allowed to touch the ball, and the cue stick couldn’t touch the ball either.
If the cue stick couldn’t touch the ball, it meant players only had two ways to move it.
First: object control.
Second: using suitable props.
The first method went without saying—it required super evolution to achieve. Among the three players present, Wei Yu and the player with a mole on his brow could both do it.
The second method, using props, also had rules: props themselves couldn’t touch the ball. Using small props to bounce it or rope-type props to hook it was all considered a foul.
In other words, this “new way” was extremely harsh for players who weren’t super evolvers, because most props were designed to target people, not objects.
“Dare to play?” the mixed-blood player taunted.
Xu Huo perked up. “A few D-rank props—I can afford to lose!”
After reviewing the rules, he played the first round against the mixed-blood player.
This young man had a projectile-type prop that could compress air into bullets. It wasn’t very powerful—at least it couldn’t penetrate the specially made balls—but he could hit one ball and send three into the pockets—that was the Zone 002 style of play.
(Chapter End)