Chapter 1179: One Exchange for Hypnotherapy
Of course, I don't mind.
The conflict between Minister Fan and Xu Huo wasn't personal. For the sake of the Special Defense Department's interests, once the outcome was settled, they had to consider the best possible solution.
After discussing with Team Leader Ji, who would succeed him, and his superiors, Minister Fan decided to offer generous terms to purchase a portion of the ore Xu Huo had obtained.
Buying it all was unrealistic, and Xu Huo wouldn't sell anyway. But a small portion was negotiable. As long as they could get their hands on the ore, the Special Defense Department's bottom line could be lowered repeatedly.
After a large number of players entered the game, the Special Defense Department had gained some understanding of special ores and had amassed a considerable collection of various types. However, this island ore originated in Zone 014, and it had caused such a huge commotion. Regardless of what kind of ore it was, the Special Defense Department had to obtain a portion for testing to determine the progress of Zone 014's gamification.
Xu Huo refused this offer. If it were any other ore, he might have been willing to share a little with the Special Defense Department. But this stone was highly likely the "Time Origin." Even if it wasn't, its special attribute of Time Rays gave it immense value. A Primordial Stone with unknown attributes had already driven Zone 011 to launch a large-scale attack on other zones—such ores were rare and hard to come by.
"I know you didn't board the Special Defense Department's ship just for protection," Minister Fan said good-naturedly. "Since we're negotiating, why not lay out your demands? Whatever the issue, we can discuss it."
"The ore I obtained from the island is exactly what I need, so I can't sell it to you," Xu Huo said. "However, I can provide S-rank clearance strategies for two Instance Dungeons."
Even Minister Fan couldn't help but blink rapidly. After a pause of two seconds, he forced a smile. "Even the top elite teams formed by the nation can't guarantee an S-rank rating every time. You've only cleared a few Instance Dungeons."
To level up quickly, the top players in the Special Defense Department had to complete at least two or three Instance Dungeons a month, and those responsible for obtaining clearance strategies were no exception.
The problem with leveling up through sheer volume was that it was impossible to guarantee high-quality clears. Human energy was very limited, especially under the high pressure of an Instance Dungeon. Few could maintain their performance consistently. In general, there were indeed many who achieved S-rank ratings, but their results fluctuated. Factors like mindset, mental state, or suitability for a particular Instance all played a role.
Xu Huo returned to Zone 014 relatively frequently. Compared to elite teams backed by the Special Defense Department's resources, he didn't enter more Instance Dungeons. It couldn't be that he was lucky enough to get an S-rank evaluation every time, could it?
"I can basically guarantee entering an Instance Dungeon twice a month," Xu Huo said, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed posture. "I just leveled up to C-rank last month. You can calculate my clearance ratings."
"I definitely have two S-rank clearance strategies."
"Of course, if your people use the strategies and still don't get an S-rank, don't blame me."
Behind Minister Fan sat his assistant team. A researcher in a uniform quickly calculated mentally and gave a conclusion:
"Even completing two Instance Dungeons a month wouldn't be enough to level up from E-rank to C-rank within half a year, unless every Instance Dungeon clearance was rated S-rank. But that probability is extremely low, unless they received a special game reward that allowed early clearance."
Hearing this, Xu Huo glanced at the bespectacled researcher and nodded. "That's right. For the last part of D-rank, I received an SS rating."
The assistant team members quickly exchanged glances. They were clearly aware of the existence of a hidden double S-rank rating above S-rank. After mutual confirmation, the researcher who had spoken earlier said to Minister Fan, "That is possible."
Minister Fan composed himself and asked, "What level were those Instance Dungeons?"
"One E-rank, one D-rank," Xu Huo said with a smile. "Two S-rank clearance strategies should at least give the Special Defense Department's core strength a significant boost."
"And what do you want in exchange?" Minister Fan asked again.
"Let Tang Guangbo perform a deep hypnosis on me," Xu Huo said seriously. "But it must be done under the joint witness of at least five top psychologists and no fewer than twenty elite players from the Special Defense Department."
"That's not difficult," Minister Fan said, even finding it quite a bargain. But mentioning Tang Guangbo, he couldn't help asking further, "Why do you distrust Tang Guangbo so much?"
As early as when Tang Guangbo returned to the country with Ms. Fang, Xu Huo had warned Team Leader Wu to investigate him. But nothing was found at the time. Later, Tang Guangbo held an important position in the Special Defense Department and frequently interacted with players. The department conducted three more investigations into him, and the final conclusion was always that everything was normal.
If Xu Huo only needed one hypnosis session, why not go directly to Tang Guangbo? Their relationship was deep enough that he wouldn't need to go through the Special Defense Department.
Yet he explicitly requested that it be done under the Special Defense Department's supervision, clearly showing he didn't trust Tang Guangbo. Since he didn't trust him, why insist on him performing the hypnosis? Wouldn't it be better to choose another psychotherapist or find a more suitable person in another zone?
Tang Guangbo was indeed untrustworthy, but Xu Huo currently had no better option. To continue using his Spiritual Power, he needed to gain control over his Shadow Personality. Using hypnosis to retrieve childhood memories was the only method he knew of, and in that regard, Tang Guangbo was the ideal candidate.
As for Minister Fan's question about why he insisted on someone he didn't trust, Xu Huo had only one answer: "I don't trust anyone, but he is relatively controllable."
This "controllable" didn't mean that the Special Defense Department and those elite players could truly restrain Tang Guangbo. To put it bluntly, even if Tang Guangbo did something right in front of them, they might not notice... So "controllable" referred to Tang Guangbo's subjective intent.
For some unknown reason, he intended to stay in Zone 014 long-term. At the very least, he would maintain his persona until he left.
Additionally, Xu Huo suspected that Dr. Zhang had done more than just erase part of his memory. During the hypnosis process, he needed someone to ensure safety—though, in that regard, Tang Guangbo wasn't a good choice.
His attitude was so resolute that it made Minister Fan start to have doubts. If Tang Guangbo really had a problem that the Special Defense Department couldn't detect, it could only mean that Tang Guangbo might have come from another zone. To enter a newly evolving zone so early, his abilities must be considerable. For someone like that to infiltrate the Special Defense Department, it couldn't just be to take care of the new zone's friends.
Seeing his expression change, Xu Huo said, "But I suggest the Special Defense Department not provoke Tang Guangbo. Routine surveillance is fine, but attempting to arrest or interrogate him is unnecessary."
Then he said something that sent chills down everyone's spine: "Think about how many players in the Special Defense Department have undergone his treatment. You shouldn't take that risk."
(End of Chapter)