Chapter 1146: A Warning Will Do
After searching both the bounty platform and the Under Dimension, the items for sale were overpriced, and even the occasional high-level item didn't meet Xu Huo's requirements.
Turning back, he used the upgrade function on his personal panel. The newly acquired "Isolation Set" had three identical upgrade items, all A-rank. One of them, called "Flexible Mechanical Suit," was crafted from special metal and possessed both temporal and spatial properties. Because of its high rank, ordinary temporal-spatial items were incompatible with it. Once worn, it was difficult to be affected by other temporal-spatial forces. However, it had an obvious drawback: due to the material's uniqueness, it couldn't be made soft and form-fitting like other protective suits. Even though it was thin, it remained stiff when worn, and the joints were not connected.
Overall, it looked somewhat like a patchwork robot armor, and the hands and feet were not covered either.
Still, this was good enough. Even if the exposed body parts were hit, it wouldn't be life-threatening. It was far better than those bulky, full-coverage armors he had seen earlier, since one had to consider whether the defensive item was flexible enough to operate.
Adding a B-rank item, he still needed to make up a difference of twenty-five million White Notes.
Xu Huo chose to upgrade the item.
He now had a temporary defensive item to compensate for his weaknesses, but he couldn't find a good close-combat item for the time being.
After reviewing all the items that could be upgraded or replaced, he took a bottle of potion from his personal panel and opened the door.
Tongtong, who had been leaning against the door, fell into the room with a thud. But he wasn't scared; instead, he stared at the thing in Xu Huo's hand. "Brother, what's this?"
"Something good." Xu Huo crouched down and shook it in front of him. "Want a drink?"
Tongtong's eyes sparkled. "Is it tasty?"
"I haven't tried it. Do you want to?" Xu Huo handed him the bottle.
The young child, not yet wise to the cunning of adults, immediately took it and took a sip. "Sour and sweet."
Xu Huo patted his head. "Anything else?"
"It tastes a bit like strawberry..." Before Tongtong could finish, a bubble flew out of his mouth. He immediately covered his mouth, then tentatively let go. Opening his mouth again, another bubble flew out. He wanted to speak, but every time he opened his mouth, more bubbles came out than words. Finally, he clamped his mouth shut and looked at Xu Huo pitifully.
Xu Huo smiled. "This teaches you a lesson: don't just accept things from people in the future."
Tongtong let out a "waa" and ran downstairs, shouting and blowing bubbles as he went.
Xu Huo popped a colorful bubble that floated in front of him, grabbed a thick coat, and prepared to go out.
Children adapt quickly. In the short time it took him to go downstairs to tattle and then show off his bubble-blowing "skill," Tongtong had already found joy in the potion's effects, running around the house with his mouth wide open.
Miss Yu chased after him, trying to confiscate the potion, but Tongtong rushed to the door, insisting on sharing it with his friends in the neighborhood.
"The potion only lasts fifteen minutes and has no side effects," Xu Huo explained. "It's fine for kids to play with."
Miss Yu was speechless and simply let him go, telling him to hurry up and finish sharing the potion with his friends.
"I'm going out to meet a friend. I won't be back for lunch," Xu Huo added.
"You'll be back for dinner, right? Today is New Year's Eve." Father Xu looked up from the sofa. "Your mother is coming over tonight."
Xu Huo nodded and left.
Residents of the safe zone had to apply to the Special Defense Department management to go out. He filled out a form, took a Special Defense Department vehicle, and left the neighborhood.
Regardless, the New Year still had to be celebrated. The Special Defense Department had done a good job; the outside was quite lively, with many people rushing to buy New Year's supplies on the last day of the old year.
Xu Huo had arranged to meet Gu Yu at a private kitchen restaurant. It was reportedly membership-based, and Gu Yu, relying on her star power, had managed to snag a private room during the busiest time, where they could eat and have fun.
Gu Yu and the others had arrived early. When Xu Huo got there, Gu Yu and Wen Xuelin were waiting for him at the door, waving from a distance.
"I didn't think I'd actually be able to call you out," Gu Yu greeted him. "I thought after all the commotion you caused in Ting City, you'd be busy when you got back and might not be able to come out."
Xu Huo nodded slightly to Wen Xuelin, who was visibly excited, before saying, "I still have time for a meal."
"Alright, let's head in quickly." Gu Yu led the way. "You have no idea how hard it is to get a spot here. I booked it way in advance. I was planning to use it to entertain people from the association, but since you're back, you get priority."
"Besides a few familiar faces, there are also two capable members here today," she said. "I'll introduce you. Next time you come back, if Zheng Liang and I aren't around, you can ask them to handle things for you."
"Things have been going well lately?" Xu Huo smiled.
"You could say I've been riding on the Special Defense Department's coattails." Gu Yu said modestly. "You know the Special Defense Department has instance guides. Associations like the Spring Rain Society that cooperated early on can get some of them, so clearing instances is safer than before."
"But even with the guides, you can't always get a high rating. It's usually a mid-level clear. There's no way to level up quickly."
"The Special Defense Department's internal channels are faster," Xu Huo mentioned. "Joining the Special Defense Department isn't a bad choice."
Gu Yu shook her head. "Joining the Special Defense Department is also troublesome. I've figured it out—I'm not the type to burn myself out for work. If I had to spend twenty days a month in instances, I'd probably go crazy. Let the capable people handle the task of saving humanity's future."
This wasn't self-abandonment, but a calm acceptance of reality. No matter what, a person's power could never truly match their imagination.
"Our 014 District isn't bad," Wen Xuelin said. "Many districts have been severely crippled since evolution began."
"Xiao Wen is right." Gu Yu winked playfully. "Who would've thought I could still be a star after becoming a player? It's just that superpower dramas are popular now, and since I'm a player, all the scripts I get are that type."
"Keeping up with the times," Xu Huo said with a smile.
The three of them walked through a quiet corridor. Just as a door to a room ahead opened, a player took a step out, looked up at the three of them, and immediately retreated back into the room, slamming the door shut with a "bang."
"Bastard!" Gu Yu's temper flared. "Running into them on New Year's Eve is really bad luck!"
Xu Huo glanced at the door and raised an eyebrow. "You know them?"
"They're Dai Wenqian's people." Gu Yu said. "Dai Wenqian is so insidious. He's been causing me trouble, openly and secretly."
"Is that so?" There was no Dai Wenqian in the room, and the members were all unfamiliar faces. But the player who opened the door had been so quick, he must have recognized Xu Huo. So Xu Huo said, "I'll give him a warning then."
(Chapter End)