Chapter 1180: Buying and Selling
The trading conditions Xu Huo proposed were beneficial to the Special Defense Department, so Minister Fan and the higher-ups had no reason to refuse. Moreover, they seemed to place even greater importance on this hypnotherapy session, not only preparing the most advanced monitoring instruments and treatment rooms but also increasing the number of observers, raising it from the original twenty-five to fifty-eight—fifty of whom were elite players from the Special Defense Department.
Xu Huo was currently the only player in Zone 014 with dual super evolution. Such an opportunity was rare, and the Special Defense Department hoped their own players could gain inspiration from it.
Nie Xuan was also on the list.
After returning to Jing City, Xu Huo once again declined Song Xiaohua's invitation to enter the entertainment industry and met privately with Ms. Fang.
Ms. Fang's attitude was cold. Knowing he was about to undergo hypnotherapy, she showed little concern and simply said, "He won't harm you."
Mother and son had nothing to talk about. One busied herself with tending flowers on the balcony, while the other sat in the living room drinking two cups of tea, and then the meeting ended.
The treatment was scheduled for three days later. While the Special Defense Department made preparations, Xu Huo also took care of his own affairs. Besides gathering necessary supplies, he met with Gu Yu once more and spent some money to have the Spring Rain Association conduct daily surveillance near the safe zone. If anyone from the Xu family came out, they would be charged per incident, with special attention paid to the people they contacted.
Gu Yu didn't think he was being overly cautious. Although he had the Special Defense Department's protection, multiple layers of security were certainly best for Xu Huo, who was currently in the spotlight—within less than a day, news of him intercepting the Special Defense Department's operation had spread across the network.
After all, there were still many witnesses at the time, though no one had any solid evidence.
"Just rumors. They'll be buried by other hot topics soon enough," Xu Huo said.
"There's someone named Song Xiaohua." Gu Yu also mentioned this name. "He probably knows we have some connection. He's been contacting me frequently these past two days, even trying to recruit me into his entertainment company at a high price. I suspect he's after you—he's asked about you several times."
Song Xiaohua's timing was suspicious. Xu Huo had initially thought he was one of the Magician's people, but he was still showing up even after the island incident.
"You don't need to worry about him." Xu Huo paused briefly. "I'll handle it."
So he spent some time finding the hotel where Song Xiaohua was staying and agreed to visit the entertainment company where he worked.
Perhaps the surprise was too sudden, Song Xiaohua could hardly believe it. After confirming several times, he called the company right in front of Xu Huo, saying they should prepare a warm welcome.
Xu Huo watched his every move with a smile, occasionally asking about treatment and benefits.
Song Xiaohua made all sorts of promises and said excitedly, "You're famous before you've even debuted! Ten out of tonight's hot topics are about you, and someone's even drawn you into a comic. Trust me, once you sign the contract, plenty of people will come looking to collaborate. You won't even have to do much—just a photo and the money will roll in!"
"Is it really that easy?" Xu Huo chuckled.
"That's how it works for powerful players!" Song Xiaohua's eyes were full of envy. "If it were me, I'd be so happy I couldn't sleep at night!"
"Hearing you say that, I'm a bit tempted too. After all, no one ever has too much money." Xu Huo tapped the earpiece on his right ear.
Song Xiaohua glanced at him. "Brother Xu, are you on a call? Should we talk later?"
"The Special Defense Department might need to contact me. I'm worried about missing the call." Xu Huo gave a brief explanation.
A fiery gleam appeared in Song Xiaohua's eyes. "The Special Defense Department must really want the ore you have. They must be offering a good price!"
"Yes," Xu Huo smiled. "But I'm waiting for them to offer even more."
"Of course! You have to hold out for the highest price when you've risked your life for something!" Song Xiaohua's gestures became more animated as he looked out the car window. "We'll be there in a few minutes. There aren't many people out now, so the roads aren't congested."
The car had already left Jing City's bustling area. Five minutes later, it stopped in front of a semi-old building.
Song Xiaohua eagerly came around to open the door for Xu Huo, pointing at the person already waiting at the entrance. "That's our company's boss. He came down specially to welcome you."
A stocky middle-aged man walked over, grasping Xu Huo's hand with both of his. "I've long admired Mr. Xu's reputation. Please, come in!"
The group ushered him toward the building, consciously leaving the center position for him as they walked on either side, as if he were the company's real boss.
Xu Huo stopped at the entrance. The people on either side stopped as well.
"Brother Xu?" Song Xiaohua looked at him in confusion.
"What is this place?" Xu Huo's smile had vanished.
"My company," Song Xiaohua said, puzzled. "This is my boss, and my colleagues..."
"Is that so?" Xu Huo suddenly grabbed the middle-aged man and shoved him forward. As the man stepped across the threshold onto the welcome mat at the entrance, he instantly vanished from everyone's sight!
The people around all stumbled back in terror. Song Xiaohua initially tried to keep up the act, but when he met Xu Huo's eyes, he couldn't force out another word. He immediately tried to run, but even though he had his ticket in hand, it was completely unusable!
"I didn't really want to bother with you, but I didn't expect you'd still be clueless after coming back from the island." Xu Huo pointed at his feet. "This should be an instance entrance, right?"
Song Xiaohua's expression was a mix of shock and fear. "How did you know?!"
"Using this method to kill and rob?" Xu Huo was surprised by his stupidity. "Did you really think I'd just let you butcher me once I went in?"
"It has nothing to do with me!" Song Xiaohua quickly said. "I'm just responsible for finding targets. The ones who do the dirty work are others!"
"If you don't believe me, go into the company and see. There are still plenty of people lying in ambush inside. Even if the instance doesn't suck you in, they'll force you back to the entrance!"
Xu Huo seemed uninterested in the ambushing players. He focused on Song Xiaohua. "How many people have you killed?"
Song Xiaohua trembled. "I haven't killed anyone! All those people died inside the instance! I just waited for them to pick up the items and took one or two for myself!"
"You're not telling me everything." Xu Huo gripped his throat from a distance. "To get good items, you have to target powerful players. But powerful players don't necessarily die here. If they get out alive, they'd cause you a lot more trouble... I'll ask one last time. Why did you target me?"
As his breathing grew more difficult, Song Xiaohua's face turned purple-red. He tilted his head back, mouth open, struggling to take two breaths before mumbling, "I'll talk... I'll talk... Someone paid... to buy your head!"
"Want my life?" Xu Huo laughed.
"Not your life..." Song Xiaohua wheezed. "Your head... your brain..."
Xu Huo was slightly stunned and loosened his grip a bit. "You're selling player organs?"
(Chapter End)