Chapter 1500: Meeting an Old Acquaintance
The three of them used teleportation items to hurry along the road, arriving at Central City only in the afternoon.
Central City, with metal panels erected over its entire skyline, had a completely different aesthetic from other cities, giving one a refreshing sense of having stepped straight from the countryside into a metropolis.
"There's a defense barrier outside," Kang Miao said. "Forcing our way through would be equivalent to declaring war."
"No need," Xu Huo said, squinting toward the city gates. "Someone's coming to open the door."
As soon as he spoke, the massive metal-forged gates slowly rose. Two off-road vehicles drove out one after another, heading straight for them along the potholed road. Seeing them walking in the middle of the path, both vehicles passed them, then circled back, driving around them twice before stopping.
There were eight people in the cars. Aside from the driver, who was an E-rank player, the others consisted of three C-ranks and three D-ranks.
After circling them for a look, someone got out from the back seat of the front vehicle. He strode up to Xu Huo, extended his hand, and said, "Welcome."
"Welcome?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow at him.
The man immediately pulled off his gloves and said apologetically, "Sorry, I forgot for a moment. I'm used to it."
The index and middle fingers on the man's exposed hand had been replaced with metal. He clearly regarded this injury as a personal badge of honor, as the backs of the fingers were engraved not only with the specific date but also with the words "City Defense Battle."
Xu Huo still didn't shake his hand. After two seconds of mutual staring, the man withdrew his hand and laughed. "I was being presumptuous."
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Ji Minzhang, and everyone in the car is my teammate," Ji Minzhang said. "Normally, Central City doesn't open its main gates, but since you've come from afar, shutting the door isn't the way to treat guests. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I came out specifically to escort you in."
"Three of you, please get in the car."
Da Jiang and Kang Miao had been tense the moment Ji Minzhang extended his hand. Under normal circumstances, unfamiliar players avoid physical contact, and since this wasn't exactly a friendly meeting, they were genuinely worried Xu Huo might let his guard down and fall into a trap. At the same time, they feared that showing their stance too early would directly burn bridges and get them barred at the gate... Now being asked to get in the car, they eyed the vehicle suspiciously, afraid it was a trap.
Compared to their blatant hostility, Xu Huo's attitude showed little change aside from "refusing" the handshake. After Ji Minzhang issued the invitation, he got into the car.
The others in the car didn't speak, but their attention remained fixed on Xu Huo. This invisible pressure kept Da Jiang and Kang Miao mentally on edge, to the point where they had no energy left to pay attention to what Ji Minzhang was saying.
Of course, Ji Minzhang's attention wasn't on them either. He looked at Xu Huo. "I heard Mr. Xu is a Super Evolver. Coincidentally, we also have a Mental Super Evolver here. I wonder if Mr. Xu would be interested in offering some guidance?"
Xu Huo showed a hint of interest. "I wouldn't call it guidance, but we can have a sparring match."
Ji Minzhang's smile deepened. He had the person in the front seat contact City Hall to arrange a venue, and explained, "We've specially built a mental training facility. It's still early, so Mr. Xu can go take a look first."
This was them arranging things on his behalf, and they hadn't given him a chance to refuse. After entering the city, the car drove straight northeast.
The environment inside Central City was indeed much better. The residents walking the streets were noticeably healthier than those in Rain City or Bai City, and their clothing, demeanor, and overall spirits were decent.
These people showed great enthusiasm for players, waving proactively as the car passed by, and some children even ran alongside the vehicle.
The scene was fairly pleasant—if not for the fact that quite a few players had mixed in on both sides of the road.
"There are a lot of people," Da Jiang couldn't help but warn Xu Huo, also realizing that in just a short time since they'd last seen it, Central City's situation seemed to have changed again. Not all players were necessarily moving with the car, but the number here alone was already considerable. In comparison, the few people in Rain City were nothing.
Da Jiang and Kang Miao exchanged a glance, their faces turning grim: their hopes had been dashed.
The car stopped in front of a metallic-looking building. Ji Minzhang got out first, had his companions knock on the front door, and then invited Xu Huo to get out.
They were already surrounded by players. Unless they wanted to start a fight right now, there was no way to avoid going inside.
Before entering, Xu Huo told Da Jiang and Kang Miao, who wanted to go in with him, to stay outside.
"Mr. Xu!" Kang Miao's tone grew heavier. "The three of us can look out for each other better."
The main force from Rain City wasn't coming. The two of them had altered their appearances. If things went wrong, they could just escape into the game. Abandoning Xu Huo and leaving now would be rather dishonorable.
"Mental power sparring—you'd be useless even if you came in," Xu Huo said, checking the time. "But you can wait for me here for half an hour."
Ji Minzhang and the others waiting nearby showed subtle changes in expression at these words.
Although Da Jiang and Kang Miao didn't understand, seeing Xu Huo so confident, they assumed he had a plan and stopped insisting, so as not to hold him back.
After giving his instructions, Xu Huo walked straight through the door, leaving the guide Ji Minzhang behind. He stopped in front of an invisible door. "Is it here?"
"Mr. Xu is joking. The room is still ahead," Ji Minzhang said without changing his expression.
The room Xu Huo had pointed out contained eight hidden players.
In fact, the entire building was filled with players lying in ambush.
The group arrived at a spacious conference room. The room was divided into two parts, separated by a milky-white material. One could vaguely see someone on the other side, but not their features.
"We don't know much about mental evolution, so we'll wait outside. If Mr. Xu needs anything, just call me," Ji Minzhang said with a smile before closing the door.
The moment Xu Huo entered the room, he felt a probing of mental power. After the door closed, that probing turned into blatant attacks, but it didn't affect him much.
Pulling over the only chair in the room, he sat down and smiled at the opaque wall. "I didn't expect we'd meet again. How have you been?"
A moment later, the wall used to block mental power gradually turned transparent, revealing the person standing on the other side. A face with a peaceful temperament completely different from other players was full of smiles. "The first time I saw Mr. Xu's spiritual realm, I couldn't help but marvel that there's always someone better. Now, meeting again, I didn't expect that in just a few short months since Sea World, your strength has advanced by leaps and bounds, completely on a different level from mine."
It was both admiration and a statement of fact. Shaka shook his head with emotion and signaled to the surveillance outside to turn off the protective wall in the middle.
"What if he makes a move..." Ji Minzhang's voice came through the earpiece, but before he could finish, Shaka interrupted, "This interference wall can't stop him."
A few seconds later, the blocking wall specifically designed for mental evolvers sank into the ground. The two faced each other, and Shaka smiled first. "If I'd known it was you, I wouldn't have been so on edge."
Both sides kept their distance, neither stepping forward, but Xu Huo said, "That might not be the case."