Chapter 1057: Proposing a Deal
No one in the storage room spoke, aside from the irregular breathing of the three severely injured people in the back. Uncle Guan kept a smile on his face as he watched Xu Huo.
"Joining isn't the only option, is it?" Xu Huo said after a moment, a smile on his own face.
"You jest," Uncle Guan replied, not showing any disappointment. "Even if our paths differ, there's no need to kill each other off."
Though he said that, he immediately added, "You're close with the Dong family?"
"Not really. I just happened to meet them by chance after arriving in District 002," Xu Huo said.
Uncle Guan nodded. "None of the major families in District 002 are clean. If you're only staying here briefly, then there's no problem. If not, chances are we'll end up on opposing sides."
Xu Huo didn't make any promises. He simply nodded to show he understood.
Uncle Guan didn't press him further to join the Holy Sword Society. Instead, he let them continue hiding there and added, "You can leave once the people the Government Hall sent out have been recalled."
A person with strong convictions wouldn't be swayed by a few words from others. A wise person knows when to stop.
He seemed sincere, so Xu Huo stayed to rest without any qualms.
Chi Minghong stayed nearby without saying much, but the woman from District 002 couldn't help asking Ruan Qiyan, the man in the raincoat, about joining the Holy Sword Society.
This group seemed to have some order in their actions, but that didn't mean they would hand out kindness freely. It wasn't just a matter of whether an ordinary person could be easily taken away; there were too many people like her. If they took in everyone they came across, where would the Holy Sword Society find the space to accommodate them all?
Ruan Qiyan, who had been silent all along, said, "Find a safe place and live your life well."
It was clear the woman felt upset after hearing that. She gave him a sorrowful look, then silently returned to Chi Minghong's side and offered her a fawning smile.
This was the tragedy of ordinary people under the game.
Chi Minghong didn't find it strange. After all, following the Holy Sword Society might mean escaping the order of District 002, or even leaving the district entirely. She had only promised to take the woman to another city.
Deep in the storage room, the poisoned player was dying. He convulsed twice, drank two bottles of potion, struggled to sit up, and took out all his items. He said to his companions, "I'm finally saying goodbye to this damn game, brothers. I'll leave the hard work to you from now on..."
The others, including Uncle Guan, gathered around him, watching him with grief and silence.
A few seconds later, the player's pupils dilated, and he breathed his last.
Uncle Guan covered his face with a white cloth and bowed his head in a silent tribute.
"Cough, cough!" Just as they had sent off one companion, another severely injured person suddenly turned his head and vomited a mouthful of black blood. His face, which had looked fine moments ago, was now covered in black-purple veins.
Ruan Qiyan quickly tried to pour an antidote into his mouth, but You Xuewen grabbed his shoulder. "Forget it. If it worked, Xiao Zhao wouldn't have died."
Ruan Qiyan watched his companion vomit both blood and the antidote together, then angrily smashed the antidote bottle in his hand. "Useless thing! We spent so much effort and money to get it!"
No one else spoke. This was actually a very common occurrence. The antidotes sold by the game couldn't work against every kind of poison, especially higher-level toxins. Often, for poisons above B-rank, players needed to equip dozens of different antidotes of the same rank, just in case this situation arose.
But unfortunately, neither the antidotes they had on hand nor the ones they had previously purchased from specialized potion experts could cure this poison. They didn't even know what kind of poison it was. They could only judge from its severity that it was likely B-rank or above. A-rank antidotes were very rare on the bounty platform because, unlike items, high-level antidotes couldn't be replaced. Players never had too many.
Chi Minghong glanced over, seeming a bit reluctant to see the man die. She asked Xu Huo, "Would that potion you gave me work?"
"I'm not sure," Xu Huo said cautiously.
"Let's just try it!" Chi Minghong slapped her thigh, took out the potion, and quickly stepped forward. "Move aside, move aside. Maybe we can still save him!"
Ruan Qiyan instinctively blocked her, but Uncle Guan stopped him and gestured for him to let her through.
"Let me be clear upfront. Don't blame me if he doesn't make it," Chi Minghong said. Only after Uncle Guan nodded did she help the injured man drink the potion. He spat some out at first, but after swallowing a portion, his condition improved noticeably. Not only did he stop vomiting blood, but his complexion also eased.
"It actually worked!" The others were probably surprised that Chi Minghong had a better potion than theirs. Chi Minghong was also surprised herself. She shrugged and said, "The potion was given to me by Old Xu. I only have one bottle."
Uncle Guan and the others turned their gaze to Xu Huo. You Xuewen spoke first. "We can buy your potion at a high price."
This potion was made by Xu Huo using the juice of the cultivated King Fungus. The process was simple, but its shelf life was short. Since the amount of King Fungus he could cultivate was limited, he didn't have many ready-made potions.
"I don't have any more," he said. After a pause, he added, "This friend was able to be saved because his condition wasn't too severe."
"We don't mean any harm," Uncle Guan said. "Just tell us the name of this potion, and we'll find it ourselves."
Xu Huo shook his head slightly. "That might be very difficult. It was a gift from a potion expert. I'm not sure about the formula or whether it's sold in the game."
With such a clear refusal, Uncle Guan and the others couldn't force the issue. Their attention soon shifted back to their injured companion.
After receiving her thanks, Chi Minghong walked back and smacked her lips. "If I'd known this potion was so good, I would have saved it for myself."
Xu Huo smiled. "That kind of potion has a short shelf life. It won't be effective if kept for too long."
Chi Minghong grinned. "Well, that makes me feel a little better."
Only after confirming that their companion was fully detoxified did Uncle Guan turn back and ask to speak with Xu Huo alone.
The two stepped outside, and Uncle Guan used a silencing item before speaking. "You can name your terms."
Xu Huo didn't rush into a deal. Instead, he asked, "There are so many antidotes in the game. It might just be luck that my potion worked for this poison. Buying more from me might not help."
Uncle Guan didn't think so. "The Holy Sword Society still has to survive in District 002. It's only a matter of time before we encounter this situation again."
The poison came from the Government Hall, likely a finished product from some laboratory. After being modified, the antidotes sold in the game had become useless.
"What I said earlier was also true. I don't have many potions on hand, and their effective period is short," Xu Huo said. "Think it over carefully before deciding whether to proceed with this deal."
"Do you want information on Dr. Wu, or the S-grade potion?" Uncle Guan asked directly.
(End of Chapter)