Chapter 1196: A Good Instance
"Is there even such an item... one? If we team up, how do you plan to split the rewards?" Xu Huo asked.
"That's the beauty of this instance. Players can team up, but the instance itself doesn't have a team concept. The final clearance will be based on individual performance, meaning everyone gets their own rewards." The hat player clearly knew a lot about this instance.
"Do you have a strategy guide for it?" Xu Huo didn't think any player would just give away a guide for free.
"There was one before... but the instance has been upgraded recently." The hat player said, "There's no complete guide now, only some partial rules that someone leaked. It's hard to tell if they're true or not."
"Show him out." Xu Huo stood up and signaled Mr. Dong.
Mr. Dong, who had been standing dutifully in the corner of the living room, stepped forward.
The hat player seemed a bit afraid of him and quickly added, "I have an acquaintance who's already been there. He can vouch for the authenticity of some of the rules."
"But they say the gameplay changes a little every time, so you won't know if the rules are accurate until you enter the instance."
"I absolutely don't mean to mess with you. I just want to borrow some of your good luck."
"I didn't really believe in fortune-telling before, but after what happened on the train, you have to believe it. What if my luck is bad? That could cost me my life."
"Besides, there's no downside for you. You're going into an instance anyway. What instance doesn't work? Targeting specific game rewards is how advanced players play."
Having delivered a somewhat subtle flattery, the hat player looked at Xu Huo nervously.
"Instance name?" Xu Huo pretended to think for a moment before asking.
"Playing Card Maze."
Playing Card Maze, Xu Huo also had that ticket in his ticket holder. It was a D-rank instance.
He checked his ticket holder and sure enough, the instance had been upgraded to C-rank.
"I'll think about it." Xu Huo made a thoughtful expression. "I'll be staying for a few more days."
"No problem!" The hat player immediately agreed. "I can find a place to stay nearby. My name is Liang Shuang."
"I'll notify you when it's time." Xu Huo had Mr. Dong see him out.
After the man left, Xu Huo was about to go upstairs when Tan Qi suddenly popped out from behind the staircase. "That guy is not a good person."
"I know." Xu Huo didn't stop.
Tan Qi followed him. "Are you still going to team up with him? He followed you to the castle. You should have killed him to eliminate the threat."
Xu Huo turned back to look at him, and the kid immediately turned and walked away.
Xu Huo put the instance matter aside for the time being and took the time to visit the Game Government Base.
Shi Youzhi was out on a mission, so there weren't many people in the base. He went to see Director Sanyang and expressed his desire to buy two items.
"Not possible in the next couple of days." Director Sanyang told him frankly. "The base is undergoing an inspection. All internal passages are closed."
Feeling his gaze, Xu Huo looked up. "Does that mean there's another problem with the internal staff? We contract staff aren't going to take the fall, are we?"
"The ones being inspected are the internal staff." Director Sanyang smiled. "Contract staff haven't reached that level yet."
"Are Captain Shi and his team part of the group that's already been cleared?" Xu Huo pressed further.
"They have a special status. They only need to be vetted three times. For someone like me, recruited from the player pool, I have to go through at least ten rounds of review. If even one detail is off, I'm kicked out directly."
After saying this, he seemed to sigh and muttered to himself, "Even if you work your ass off for the Game Government, ordinary players can never earn their trust."
"That's only normal." Xu Huo said succinctly. "After all, our positions are different."
"Positions." Director Sanyang savored the word, as if tasting something, then added, "I'll probably be leaving Zone 011 soon."
Xu Huo said nothing.
Then he continued, "I still have some things to take care of before I go... but I should be able to give you one internal purchase authorization for an item. Come back when I notify you another day."
Xu Huo expressed his thanks. As he stood up, the other man asked, "What type of item do you need?"
"An attack-type item, preferably for close combat. Price isn't an issue."
Xu Huo replied.
The office was very quiet, with only a few documents floating around under Director Sanyang's control. He sat in his chair, most of his face turned toward Xu Huo, his smile unchanged.
Xu Huo opened the door, turned back to nod at him before leaving—it seemed he and Director Sanyang wouldn't be seeing each other again.
On his way back to the castle, he stopped by to pick up Angel.
After her husband's death, Angel hadn't returned to her maiden home. Instead, she lived with her in-laws and her brother-in-law.
When Xu Huo arrived, her brother-in-law was there. He was a burly, seemingly very hearty middle-aged man. He tried to give Xu Huo a hug upon meeting him, but after being refused, he didn't mind and chatted with him cheerfully, talking about charity or social circles like any other noble.
Xu Huo didn't know many people, which gave the man plenty of room to show off.
In the middle of the conversation, Xu Huo mentioned Angel's husband. The man's expression turned sorrowful. "Even though we were only half-brothers, our bond was stronger than full-blooded siblings. I will definitely take good care of his widow."
Angel, who had just finished organizing some books and came out, glanced at him upon hearing this. Her eyes dropped, and when she looked up again, she wore the same haggard but forced-to-be-strong expression.
"We can go now," she said.
The two got into the car, and in the distance, they could still see the man watching them leave.
"You two don't get along," Xu Huo said casually.
"I only met him twice before I got married. How close could we be?" Angel said calmly.
Xu Huo didn't pursue the topic.
They soon arrived at Rose Castle. Once inside, he had Xiao Yuan take Angel away.
"Are you planning to bring a new mistress into the castle?" Mr. Dong appeared silently behind him.
"Not for now." Xu Huo turned around. "A person's degree of change is often related to the complexity of their experiences. She knows that her legal brother-in-law is connected to her husband's death, but she doesn't care at all. What do you think that means?"
"Maybe she fell in love with her husband's brother after marriage, or she deliberately married the younger brother for the inheritance." Mr. Dong answered quickly.
"That doesn't match the story Li Chun was reading." Xu Huo paused for a second before saying.
"You have to look at it in the context of her social network."
Mr. Dong gave him a slight expression. "When she was your dance partner, she had connections with some Outer Zone players."
"Those people weren't important originally, but last time, when the Black Epaulets were cleaning up the Holy Sword Society members, they caught one of them." Xu Huo said. "Maybe the Holy Sword Society's roots in Zone 011 run deeper than the Black Epaulets think."
And the Holy Sword Society here didn't seem to do anything decent either.
"Do you need me to make an anonymous tip-off call?" Mr. Dong asked, as cold as the winter wind.
[Recommend a friend's novel: *Mysterious Revival: Seizing the Sinister Painting*. It's a very good fan fiction, highly recommended!]
(Chapter End)