Chapter 1134: A Player Under Special Defense Department Surveillance
By now, the intruders in the safe zone had been cleaned up. Of the dozen or so people, aside from the three who had been scared unconscious in front of the detention room, only one had managed to escape alive into the game—this was the result of Qin Jingyuan and his team's intervention.
The losses on the safe zone's side were not significant, and the power supply equipment was quickly restored to normal.
However, Qin Jingyuan and his team were not in a good mood. These people had come for them, and they had managed to organize themselves just as they arrived in Ting City, indicating that the source of the leak might be in Jing City, or among their own group. What was even more unsettling was why news that might have leaked from Jing City had spread so rapidly to Ting City—either the information had been widely disseminated, or the person behind the leak had extensive connections.
"How is Xu Huo doing?" Professor Lan asked, more concerned about Xu Huo's condition. "He is one of the few Mental Evolvers we have in the country right now, a very valuable player."
Qin Jingyuan looked at Team Leader Wu.
Team Leader Wu had already received a call from Sima Xiao'er. Hearing that someone had helped deal with the intruders, he breathed a silent sigh of relief. However, he didn't mention this to Qin Jingyuan and the others, instead telling them that Xu Huo was safe.
Professor Lan was worried about Xu Huo and requested to go to the detention room again. Tang Guangbo had no objections, so the group returned to the area outside the detention room.
The door to the detention room was still closed, and those outside had no idea what was happening inside. However, Sima Xiao'er and a few colleagues were crouched side by side at the entrance, blocking the doorway tightly.
"Brother Xu just told me he's fine, but he needs to stay inside for another day or two," Sima Xiao'er said to Team Leader Wu.
"Professor Lan, Professor Tang, what do you think…" Team Leader Wu didn't want to force anyone to leave, but Xu Huo's situation was similar to his evolution in Flower City before—he clearly didn't want the Special Defense Department to interfere. Forcing their way in wasn't an option, and just waiting at the door wasn't a solution either.
"We'll wait here," Professor Lan said, waving his hand dismissively. He didn't intend to give up, as if he had to see Xu Huo walk out with his own eyes.
Team Leader Wu had no choice but to have chairs brought over.
The group returned to their previous state, and then Professor Lan even offered to personally deliver the antidote inside, but there was no response, and the detention room door didn't open.
Of course, the door could be remotely controlled from the outside, but since Xu Huo was not a member of the Special Defense Department, forcing it open might create conflict, so they dropped the idea.
After dealing with the emergency intrusion, everyone in the safe zone stayed up another night, their eyes dry and tired until dawn.
When dawn broke, the citizens of Ting City began to stir. As they had for the past month, people living nearby came to check on the safe zone's progress or for any urgent notices. But today, they found the ground-level office of the safe zone tightly shut, with more players patrolling the area, which made them instinctively nervous.
However, the Special Defense Department quickly issued a notice, telling the public that it was just a safe zone drill and nothing had happened.
But walls have ears. Whether it was due to a slip-up among the safe zone's internal staff or among those who had entered the safe zone the previous night, an anonymous message soon appeared on the Pioneer Forum, claiming that the safe zone had "trapped" a very powerful high-level player.
The word "trapped" was very cleverly chosen, positioning the safe zone and Xu Huo as adversaries. It not only stripped the injured Xu Huo of a protective barrier but also made the safe zone seem suspicious of keeping things to itself behind closed doors.
And today's so-called drill notice from the safe zone seemed to serve as evidence.
Of course, no player would rush to attack the safe zone based on such a vague message. But it was impossible to prevent curious onlookers from coming to observe the area, as well as inquiry calls from nearby Special Defense Department branches and safe zones, and special "condolences" from official player organizations… In short, many people wanted to send personnel to help, worried that the Ting City Special Defense Department couldn't handle any trouble.
Team Leader Wu was overwhelmed by the constant phone calls and had to reluctantly refuse them, which meant he had to call in even more players.
"I'm really worried these people will just come and take by force," he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"It shouldn't come to that," Professor Lan said. "After all, this is a safe zone, and the others are Special Defense Department branches. How can we fight among ourselves?"
Team Leader Wu had his own unspoken difficulties. Circumstances were stronger than people. Take the confiscated items and potions, for example—sometimes it wasn't about who contributed more to get them. In a situation of resource scarcity, higher-ups would first consider the party in greater need. And when two equal branches competed, it came down to who had the stronger strength.
Even if there was a reprimand afterward, it didn't matter. The items would be quickly consumed once taken, and trying to recover them would be impossible… To put it bluntly, whoever grabbed them got them.
The fact that "a player under Special Defense Department surveillance had returned to Ting City" wasn't worth mentioning in itself. But the key point was that when something not worth mentioning was described in vague and ambiguous terms, even if Team Leader Wu told the truth, who would believe him?
Even if he said the safe zone was locked down because of an attack the previous night, people with "divergent thinking" would speculate about what the attackers were after, further confirming that "the safe zone had trapped a high-level player" was true.
"This is ridiculous. It's only been a short time, and someone on the forum is saying we caught an Outer Zone B-level player!" Sima Xiao'er said in disbelief. "Are these people crazy?"
"It seems someone is fanning the flames," Tang Guangbo said, adjusting his glasses. He suggested to Team Leader Wu, "Why not just tell the truth?"
Team Leader Wu wanted to, but he said, "If I go out and say it now, no one will believe me unless they actually see the person."
Otherwise, why would the Special Defense Department make such a big fuss over an ordinary player?
With the news spreading from Ting City, it was easy to guess that Jing City would soon "respond" with sensational phrases like "Jing City elite team dispatched overnight" to stimulate people's senses—since even the mission details had been leaked, let alone the lengthy process from issuing the notice to forming the team to setting off, which involved so many steps.
"No, what I mean by telling the truth is revealing Xu Huo's identity," Tang Guangbo said. "His contributions during the Black Rain incident and his subsequent trip to Country Y are enough to keep the entire Special Defense Department busy. It's perfectly reasonable for Jing City to send a rescue team."
"The group that came last night could be explained as players from Country Y, specifically here for revenge," Qin Jingyuan added.
"I'm afraid this isn't something I can decide," Team Leader Wu said, his expression turning serious. After the Black Rain incident, keeping Xu Huo's identity confidential was a decision made jointly by the core members of the entire Special Defense Department. Even without revealing specific names or details, there had already been many speculations on the forum. Mentioning the words "Black Rain incident" and "contributing player" would likely lead someone to guess who it was.
Whether the Special Defense Department publicly acknowledged this was a very important signal. It could bring a lot of trouble later, and Xu Huo might not agree to it either.
(Chapter End)