Chapter 1221: District 001 News
Mu Yan seemed uninterested in this topic, speaking indifferently, "The place I live is quite remote, so I'm not very familiar with these situations."
The bespectacled man gave a slight smile and didn't continue the subject, instead bringing up recent news in District 001, such as the personnel changes at the Game Government Base.
"Speaking of that, we have to mention the Field Clan. I heard that Carol, who just married his eighth wife, brought back another beauty from somewhere else. His household is in chaos, with several wives fighting among themselves—every day there's gossip about their catfights." The potbellied man said, "I wonder what kind of stunning woman could make Carol Field, who's seen all kinds of beauties, bow down. Wasn't there news two months ago that the District 001 local government organized a beauty pageant just to please him, bringing in every beauty they could find in District 001? And yet, they still couldn't produce a ninth wife."
"You don't understand. For them, it's called a political marriage. Without some background and connections, it won't work. Just look at the women Carol Field married—only families with a name in the eyes of the Game Government are qualified. Most of the families in District 001 don't amount to much in the Game Government's view. The Field Clan is so famous, and the heir is just here in District 001 to pad his resume. Why would he marry a woman from District 001?" The bespectacled man said, "But I am curious about what that woman he brought back really looks like."
"What kind of beauty can't District 001 produce? It's probably just a novelty." The bearded man said, "Some people from other districts look strange... anyway, I think they look weird, but some people like that."
"That's true. I heard District 001 even managed to create a real mermaid—not a sharp-toothed monster, but a creature truly like the ones in legends." The potbellied man said, "The auction started at five hundred million White Notes, and it eventually sold for one billion. Later, even the mermaid's hair that leaked from the auction house sold for a sky-high price."
"Getting the hair is equivalent to getting the mermaid's genes," the bespectacled man said with a smirk. "Some people are probably thinking about mass production."
"Has anything major happened in District 001 recently?" Xu Huo interjected. "The personnel changes at the Game Government Base shouldn't all be about petty jealousy and infighting."
The bespectacled man turned his head to look at him. "You've heard the rumors too? There's talk that a batch of experimental data from a collaboration between the Game Government Base and Stellar Corporation was stolen. It's unclear what the experiment was, but for someone to steal data from a heavily guarded base facility, the base would naturally suspect an insider first. Those without connections get kicked out, while those with connections take the opportunity to insert their own people."
"It would make more sense if Carol Field's wives were fighting over power and influence. Fighting over a woman their husband brought back is really beneath their dignity."
"So it's the same everywhere, no matter the place." The potbellied man said, "Don't think the Game Government is so lofty. As long as there are people, there will be infighting. If you really want to find a loophole, there's always a chance."
The group exchanged glances and laughed in unison.
The bespectacled man ladled a bowl of soup for Mu Yan and continued, "Speaking of wealth, District 001 is truly affluent. Some people even made a fortune by trading garbage from Stellar Corporation's underground dumping bins."
"Is that so?" The bearded man laughed heartily. "I'll have to try that someday."
"Then you'd better not pick the wrong place." The potbellied man said, "Stellar Corporation has various industries in District 001. The profitable ones are usually machinery, pharmaceuticals, and technology development. But stay away from the laboratories—the waste they dump is often toxic. If you accidentally get poisoned, you'll have to spend money on antidotes."
"The Game Government and Stellar Corporation are in cahoots, doing shady things behind the scenes. Maybe the stolen data was exactly that kind of dirty information." The bearded man said, "Who knows how many living people they've used for experiments? If you ask me, two words: they deserve it!"
The potbellied man glanced at the silent Mu Yan and said cheerfully to the others, "The young lady doesn't like hearing this. Let's talk about something else."
Mu Yan forced a faint smile. "Actually, I'm not originally from District 001. I couldn't stay in my old district anymore, so I settled here. I have no sense of belonging to District 001, and most of the time, I don't stay in Fresh Flower City."
"Whether it's the Game Government Base or Stellar Corporation, they're too far away from me."
"Regarding them, there's only one news story I want to hear: Stellar Corporation going bankrupt and the Game Government Base collapsing."
The people present paused for a moment, then the bearded man gave a thumbs-up. "Sister has ambition! Once I finish this instance, I'm going to pull off a big heist in District 001 before I leave! Brothers, want to join?"
"Rob the base or hold up Stellar Corporation?" The potbellied man laughed. "With us C-rank players, we probably wouldn't stand a chance."
"Life is about living it to the fullest. Anyway, I dislike both Stellar Corporation and the base. As long as we cause them trouble, the method doesn't matter."
He paused and added, "I recently got my hands on a super-powerful item. It could level one of their bases easily."
"Instead of bombing a base, it's better to poison the water reservoir," the bespectacled man suggested a vicious plan. "The E27 General Government is in District 001. The base is full of experienced players. Even if you blow up a few, it won't have much impact on the Game Government."
"The water reservoir is different. If done properly, at least a batch of people will die. In a worst-case scenario, it could turn into a major plague, affecting the District 001 government, the base, and Stellar Corporation alike."
"But if you poison the water reservoir, ordinary people would be the first to suffer," Mu Yan said.
The bespectacled man glanced at her from the corner of his eye but didn't respond. The potbellied man and the bearded man also conveniently pretended not to hear her.
Mu Yan frowned, her lips gradually tightening.
"Poisoning sounds feasible, but in reality, the range it can affect is quite limited," Xu Huo said. "In slightly more advanced districts, the water reservoirs have monitoring equipment. Whether the water is contaminated or not can be detected in less than a second."
"Monitoring instruments are set up at different points, with strict divisions between them. Even the pipes have numbered ownership. If an incident occurs at one location, the nearby pipes can be shut down immediately, making it impossible to contaminate a large water source."
"Instead of using that method, it's better to spend some money and rent a hot air balloon to go up into the sky." He smiled. "The airspace over District 001 is full of giant aircraft—corporate charters, government arrangements, all kinds. One or two more wouldn't raise any suspicion. Then spend a little more money to buy some flowers and colored powder, and drop them over any city. You'd get unexpected results."
"If you want to save costs, you could hijack an aircraft and add some poison."
"If you can't even hijack an aircraft or can't get airborne, then everything else is just empty talk."
Having said that, Xu Huo paused, took a sip of soup, and then asked slowly, "Which city are you planning to attack?"