Chapter 1238: Forced Transaction
But no matter where he ran, Xu Huo followed him like a shadow, and he never showed himself, only occasionally making a sound or tapping him, kicking him—it could be considered gentle.
Yet it was precisely this kind of tactic that made the tracking player feel uneasy. If they had come out for an open fight, at least there would be a win or loss. But the other party didn't show himself and followed him with ease, indicating a huge gap in strength between them. He didn't kill him either, just toyed with him—clearly an eye for an eye!
The tracking player spent the entire journey battling the air, using quite a few items and traits without even finding where Xu Huo was. After nearly half an hour of this torment, he finally couldn't hold back and cursed, "If you've got the guts, come out and fight me! Hiding and skulking around, what kind of man are you!"
The response was silent air, and a drop of water dripping onto his forehead to remind him of its presence.
The tracking player couldn't take it anymore. He stopped fighting, first cursing loudly, then catching his breath and starting to show weakness. Seeing that this didn't elicit any response, he tentatively tried to sneak away, but was precisely found out. He had no choice but to say, "Brother, you win. Whether you want to kill me or cut me up, can you just give it to me straight? Stop torturing me! I was just peeping, it's not like I did anything heinous!"
"Really?" Someone responded to him, but it was a woman's voice.
"Really, really!" The tracking player raised his fingers to swear, "If I'm lying, let me be this ugly in my next life too!"
"Do you believe him?" Another female voice asked.
"Probably believable... after all, no one would make such a poisonous oath. He really is quite ugly, a bit like a rat."
The tracking player removed his invisibility item, his face full of grief and indignation. "What's wrong with being ugly? I have a kind heart! You women are so shallow, judging people only by their looks!"
"Besides, I just took a couple of looks at you. If you're unhappy, you can look back! I'll strip naked and let you look all you want!"
"Slap him," said the woman who spoke first.
The tracking player could only hear them talking but couldn't see any of them. Hearing this, he immediately covered his face, "Hit the face, hurt the pride! We have no past grievances or recent grudges, there's no need to be this ruthless!"
No one slapped him, but Xu Huo withdrew his spiritual power.
The three of them stood before him. Only then did the tracking player realize that the passage he had been in was gone. He froze for a moment before forcing an ugly smile and giving Xu Huo a thumbs-up. "Little brother here didn't recognize a true master. Big brother, please don't hold it against me. Just think of me as a fart and let me go. As a token of my filial piety, I'm willing to offer this invisibility item with both hands. I also have a flower card that I can exchange with a swap card. I only ask that you spare my life!"
With that, he prostrated himself on the ground, performing a grand kowtow to Xu Huo, his face pressed firmly to the floor, not lifting it.
Mu Yan and Li Cheng's expressions were extremely complicated.
Most players in this situation would either refuse to admit defeat, accept their fate, or beg for mercy while struggling. But usually, it was lip service without genuine submission. This man was different—he seemed to be begging for mercy from the bottom of his heart, lowering himself like a pig or a dog. Such excessive humility would make any normal person feel uncomfortable.
Xu Huo walked up to him, crouched down to examine him for two seconds, then patted his shoulder. "Look up."
The man had sweat on his face. When he looked up, he tried his best to show a fawning and despicable smile.
Xu Huo didn't comment on his attitude but said, "That item of yours is very good. I have something to do after leaving the maze, and I want to borrow it for a few days."
"No need, no need! If big brother needs it, take it!" He offered a very small black heart-shaped crystal piece with one hand.
Xu Huo only glanced at it, didn't reach for it, and instead asked, "Are you short on money?"
"If you need it, just use it. You don't have to return it to me. Trading one item for my life—I think it's worth it!" The man still wore that expression as if overjoyed.
Xu Huo took the black crystal and gestured for him to get up.
The man didn't rush to leave but waited for Xu Huo to check the item's effect.
[Dead Heart: No matter how you die, your heart will no longer beat. And a heart that can no longer beat can only remain in a state of death. As everyone knows, living people are especially at ease with the dead. Sometimes, a corpse's presence is less noticeable than a swaying blade of grass by the roadside—unless that corpse starts to stink.]
[Since no one cares about the dead, naturally no one will care about a dead person. The moment you wear this, you become a dead person. Living people will have no reaction to you. Of course, items, traits, and biological detectors won't work on a dead person either. However, please pay attention to the usage scale, because even a dead person is still an existing person.]
This was a special item.
Xu Huo had already tested the item's effect during their earlier exchange. The "usage scale" mentioned in the description didn't seem to refer entirely to the item's grade. He had used B-grade items several times before, and generally, items that didn't require direct contact had limited effectiveness—as if facing a real corpse. Many auxiliary items required a clear attack target, especially those triggered by sound or vision. The same applied to traits.
Non-discriminatory attack items were another matter, but even so, if the player couldn't pinpoint the opponent's location, the chance of an accurate hit was low unless it was a large-scale attack item.
It was indeed very suitable for use with an invisibility item. After all, no matter how powerful the item user, they were still human. While this item couldn't guarantee a successful kill, it was certainly good for escape.
Moreover, its single use could last up to half a minute.
"Such a good item, don't you regret giving it away for free?" Xu Huo looked at the man standing beside him with his head bowed.
The man quickly said, "I have no complaints. If you find it handy, it's this item's honor. After all, in the hands of someone like me, it never reached its full potential."
Mu Yan couldn't stand it anymore. "Can you speak properly? You're making us look like some heinous villains. Brother Xu wants to buy your item. Just name your price. From the looks of you, you don't have much money anyway."
Li Cheng couldn't help but look at her. Wasn't a forced transaction still a crime?
Mu Yan sneered coldly, stepped forward, and closed in on the man. "I'm asking you, what exactly did you want by following us?"
"N-nothing... I just thought you were pretty..."
"You wanted to make a move?" Mu Yan's voice turned icy.
"No! Absolutely not!" The man first swore solemnly, then said sheepishly, "I was just getting my kicks..."
"He's not a good person either." Mu Yan turned back to Xu Huo. "Taking one of his items, no need to feel guilty."
Xu Huo smiled and grabbed the pitiful man. "Come with us."