Chapter 121: Nie Xuan's Probe
The other box contained four bottles of P0 Evolution Agent and four bottles of P1 Evolution Agent.
After packing them separately, Xu Huo fastened the box and turned around to face the Painting Woman. "You can travel between stations without a ticket?"
The Painting Woman shook her head and typed, "I have to follow a player."
"Zone 014 isn't safe anymore. For a long time after this, high-level players from other zones might come. For your own safety, you'd better leave here," Xu Huo said.
"I'll follow you," the Painting Woman quickly typed.
"I won't be leaving Zone 014 anytime soon." Xu Huo looked at her honestly. "You're an ownerless Super Item. Although you can't be killed by anyone, being discovered will inevitably cause trouble. You don't want to end up as an icon in some player's item slot, do you?"
The Painting Woman's expression visibly fell. She lowered her head and clutched her phone without typing anymore.
Seeing that she had no intention of speaking further, Xu Huo walked to the door, pulled it open, and looked down at Yu Qingqing, who had been leaning in to eavesdrop and tumbled in.
"Haha! You caught me." Yu Qingqing half-fell to the ground, forcing a smile at the man who had no intention of helping her up. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. It's just that my ears wouldn't listen to me while I was walking."
Her eyes darted toward the Painting Woman again. Catching her on the verge of tears, she paused. "Cousin, I'm glad you've seen the light. She's so ugly—how could she be worthy of you?"
Wah!
The Painting Woman covered her face, pushed past them, and ran off.
"The door's over here." Yu Qingqing pointed outside, but the only response was the sound of the door closing.
Yu Qingqing pouted.
Xu Huo pulled a lighter from the drawer and lit a cigarette. "Want me to put you on a plane again?"
"I'm not going back!" Yu Qingqing declared. "My parents agreed to this trip."
"They don't mind you being an actress anymore?"
At this, Yu Qingqing beamed. "You don't know, do you? The company's General Manager Zheng came to my house in person to apologize. Not only did they voluntarily pay compensation, but they also offered me a high price to renew my contract."
"And the terms are very generous—nine-to-one split, plus three vacation villas for me."
After the slaughterhouse instance, General Manager Zheng of the entertainment company had contacted Xu Huo twice, but he hadn't responded. It turned out he had gone straight to Yu Qingqing instead.
"Since your parents agree too, I won't interfere anymore," he said.
Yu Qingqing stared at him, her smile instantly vanishing, a coldness lurking in her eyes.
Xu Huo took a drag of his cigarette, leaning against the doorframe, looking back at her with equal detachment.
The two faced off in the smoke until a phone ring interrupted them.
"Hello?" Xu Huo answered.
"Got time? Come out and meet." It was Nie Xuan calling.
Xu Huo had been meaning to find him anyway. They agreed on a meeting place. He stubbed out his cigarette, picked up the box, and left.
Yu Qingqing followed him step by step to the door. Just as he turned around, she suddenly broke into a smile. "Cousin, when will you be back?"
"Tonight." Xu Huo seemed to remember something and said to her, "That woman in the room is your responsibility."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely drive her away!" Yu Qingqing raised her fist in assurance.
Xu Huo twitched the corner of his mouth and walked away without looking back.
Yu Qingqing closed the door with a smile, humming a tune as she grabbed a kitchen knife and knocked on the Painting Woman's door. "Li Chun, come out and let's have a chat."
Meanwhile, Xu Huo took a taxi to a café. Nie Xuan was already waiting inside, and a waiter was refilling his cup.
"Sit." Nie Xuan pointed to the seat across from him and downed half a cup of bitter coffee in one gulp.
Xu Huo smiled at the sight and offered him a cigarette. "Looking for me?"
Nie Xuan waved it off. "Last time you tricked me, I still remember it clearly. No need for a cigarette."
"I bought them at the supermarket." Xu Huo lit one for himself.
"You have a heavy smoking habit. The smell clings to you, which isn't good for a player."
Players with keen senses of smell and memory could easily remember someone by their scent.
"When a player loses their name and only has a number and a nickname, they become like a blurry shadow. When that shadow has a distinct smell, its original vagueness is no longer important information."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "Traits can be directional, but they can also be misleading. What do you think?"
Nie Xuan was silent for two seconds before saying, "I'm leaving Ting City tonight. Before I go, I want to invite you again to join the Vanguard Squad."
"You should have received the game notification too. No matter how things develop, now is the best time to join."
Xu Huo paused, then said, "You're going as a bodyguard, aren't you?"
A flash of anger passed through Nie Xuan's eyes, but it wasn't directed at Xu Huo.
"Players' power is still weak. Considering various factors, we have no choice but to do this."
"Even without using potions, you're pretty good at lying." Xu Huo stared at him steadily.
The country was summoning players to important locations. These players were likely the elite players discovered so far. Gathering them served two purposes: protecting the seed candidates and, presumably, having them protect important figures.
After all, this world wasn't yet a player's world.
He handed over the aluminum box, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a P0T injection. "The box has some local specialties. The injection is a personal gift."
Nie Xuan pressed one hand on the box and covered the syringe with a napkin, then said with a complicated expression, "You're one of the more productive players. Why not just join the Vanguard Squad?"
"Do I need to say it?" Xu Huo smiled. "If I agreed, the two of us would be stuck here feeling frustrated right now."
Nie Xuan's expression relaxed instead. He downed the remaining coffee in one gulp and said meaningfully, "If you were obedient, you wouldn't be a player."
Setting down the cup, he pocketed the injection, picked up the aluminum box, and was about to leave when he suddenly asked, "The Super Item is in your hands."
Xu Huo's drinking motion didn't pause at all, as if he had expected the probe. His expression was flawless.
"No need for jokes. I think the Super Item isn't in the hands of any player in Zone 014."
"You're right." Nie Xuan laughed heartily and turned to leave.
Xu Huo was about to leave too, but the waiter walked over with a full smile. "Sir, the gentleman who just left said you'd be paying. That'll be one hundred and eight yuan."
Xu Huo looked toward the door, but Nie Xuan was already gone. He had to pull out some change from his pocket to pay.
Leaving the café, he took another taxi to Anxin Xiaoyuan.
The residential complex had lax security. Xu Huo went straight to Zhou Ning's floor and knocked.
The door was opened by Hu Wenhu. Seeing him, he couldn't help shouting inside, "Sister Ning, Brother Xu is here!"
Zhou Ning leaned out from the end of the hallway and said with a smile, "Mr. Xu, please come in."
Besides the two of them, Tian Yun and Yu Xiaoyu, who had previously worked together against the Holy Sword Society, weren't there. Zhou Ning's younger brother, Zhou Xiao, stood at the bedroom door, gaping. There was also the sound of someone else breathing in the room.
Meeting his gaze, Zhou Xiao nervously pulled the door shut.
Xu Huo looked away and asked casually, "Didn't see the other two?"
"Tian Yun was seriously injured and is recovering at home. Yu Xiaoyu also broke his leg falling down the stairs and can't walk," Zhou Ning said.
Hu Wenhu waved his bandaged arm. "They're slow to recover. Not like me—I was back on my feet in two or three days."
After the last incident, he was quite relaxed around Xu Huo.
"Be careful," Zhou Ning frowned. "If you reopen the wound, you'll need another dressing change."
Hu Wenhu looked sheepish and changed the subject by asking Xu Huo what was in the box.
"Potions." Xu Huo opened the box.
Zhou Ning and the others, whose pockets were cleaner than their faces, breathed heavily at the sight of eight neatly arranged bottles of potion.