Chapter 1553: Finding Him Is the Top Priority
The Space Ray swept down a few strands of hair. Chang Bei nonchalantly brushed them off, picked up her coat, and put it back on. "I'll go. If you're worried about Xu Huo causing trouble, then hurry up."
Xue Lang pressed his lips together and said nothing more. Chang Bei gave him a look of utmost mockery before leaving.
"Bang!" Xue Lang hurled the communicator in his hand, then his bloodshot eyes rolled outward, his gaze landing on the players who had come sniffing around.
*
There was little to do while waiting. After Dou Shengnan was pinned down by the players, Xu Huo left the Painting Woman behind, instructing her not to turn back into paper form, and departed the combat base.
He randomly picked up some people in the Capital Safe Zone, encountering some trapped players from Zone 014 along the way and helping them out of their troubles.
"Mr. Xu!" a player from the Special Defense Department called out to him again.
This time, Xu Huo finally stopped. After dealing with a prying player not far away, he looked at these people expressionlessly and said, "Could you try a little harder to be smarter? If you really can't, just silently recite the words 'know your place and read the room.'"
The player looked apologetic. "I know that revealing your identity rashly might cause you trouble, but we had no choice. The Minister said we must contact you no matter what. This has become the top priority for all Special Defense Department players currently in Zone 017."
Xu Huo had ignored the "Beggar Trio" earlier when they saw through his identity. First, there were no special matters requiring interaction with the Special Defense Department. Second, the fewer people who knew his information, the better. He hadn't expected the Special Defense Department to disclose his presence in Zone 017 to all their task personnel.
Sensing his displeasure, the player quickly added, "We actually didn't see through your disguise. It's just that you're the only one who would help us here, and since you're a Super Evolver..."
Xu Huo raised his hand to stop him. "Get to the point."
The player straightened up. "Here's the situation."
He explained the whole matter concisely.
The cause was a new type of virus that had appeared in the country. Initially, it only spread among pregnant women, but after mutating, it affected women of all ages. In just half a month, over a thousand people had died from this virus, and that was only because the outbreak was concentrated and the lockdown was swift.
But before the Special Defense Department could find an effective antidote, the same virus broke out in three other places, suspected to be deliberate poisonings, with great distances between them.
This meant that simply controlling the infected wouldn't seal off the source of transmission. A targeted antidote was necessary.
However, the virus's level was extremely high. Zone 014 had yet to find a specific cure. The latest news revealed that this virus was actually a mutated, ultra-microscopic fungus. Ordinary antidotes were completely ineffective, unable even to prolong the patients' lives.
The only thing that had some effect was the King Fungus fluid Xu Huo had given them earlier. But the Special Defense Department didn't have much high-concentration King Fungus fluid. The King Fungus Xu Huo had placed in the reservoir during the Black Rain incident had all been diluted, and it was mostly used up after the event, leaving none left even for experiments.
"The mutated fungus infection was kept secret from us until today. We only learned the specifics now," the player said. "The Minister ordered us to find you no matter what. All the players from Zone 014 have been scattered across different cities. We didn't expect to run into you here."
The player calmed his emotions and continued, "The Special Defense Department promises to trade anything for the detoxifying fungus fluid."
A mutated fungus that only infected women, deliberately released—one could imagine what this implied. No country could afford to gamble with time in such a situation. So the Special Defense Department wasn't setting any conditions. Anything they had that Xu Huo wanted, they would exchange!
The six rescued Special Defense Department players all looked at Xu Huo nervously, afraid he would refuse, even more afraid he would say he had no solution either.
"What's your name?" Xu Huo asked the player who had been speaking.
The man in his thirties was startled, then quickly replied, "My name is Qian Qiyun, C-level player, occupation: Repairman!"
Xu Huo nodded and took out two cases of King Fungus fluid stored in his luggage compartment.
This fluid was made by combining King Fungus mycelium with an antidote. The antidote's main function was to provide a growth environment for the mycelium. The mycelium, once removed from his body, could still survive for a period, which was also when its detoxifying effect was strongest.
Since only the King Fungus fluid had any effect on the mutated fungus infection, it meant the mutated fungus was also alive. Either kill all the fungus in one go, or inject living King Fungus.
King Fungus could survive in the human body or in nutrient solutions for a certain time. Taking Xu Huo himself as an example, without the influence of the Nuwa Stone, the King Fungus in his body would all die within thirty days. The extracted mycelium had an even shorter lifespan.
"Use it all within seven days. Use Box 2 and Box 3 separately," Xu Huo said. "Notify me if there's any news."
"Oh, the Minister also specifically mentioned that the King Fungus fluid can only extend the infected's life by a few days," Qian Qiyun added as he took the cases.
It had been a long time since the King Fungus fluid was given. The mycelium couldn't have survived until now. But the concentration was incomparable to the diluted fluid. If it still worked, it meant the King Fungus was effective.
"I don't have that much fluid for now. Box 3 was made in a hurry, so the detoxifying fungus is still alive. The earlier you use it, the better the effect," Xu Huo said. "Send me a copy of the treatment process later. I might not be able to return to Zone 014 in time."
The six players divided the sixty bottles of antidote among themselves using their own medical kits, agreed on a contact method, and then left Zone 017.
After they were all gone, Xu Huo turned to look at the building across the street.
All the floor-to-ceiling windows of the entire office building were shattered. The higher the floor, the stronger the wind blowing through the windows on both sides. On the twentieth floor, Chang Bei stood by the window frame, hands in her pockets, also looking at Xu Huo.
After a moment, she spoke. "Long time no see. You haven't changed a bit."
Xu Huo had already guessed her identity. He smiled. "Have you been back home to look around?"
Chang Bei's expression remained unchanged. "I haven't had a home for a long time. But I did go by your place a few days ago."
Xu Huo's face also remained calm. "Did Xue Lang go?"
"No, but that guy's emotions are unstable. He might go if it suddenly crosses his mind," Chang Bei said. "Besides Dr. Zhang, no one can control him."
"Do you still meet with Dr. Zhang often?" Xu Huo asked.
"Not often," Chang Bei replied. "We communicate through items. He's been busy with other things lately. We haven't seen each other face to face for a long time."
"Did Dr. Zhang send Xue Lang to Zone 017?"
"Dr. Zhang isn't interested in Super Items."
"He's interested in children."
"There are no suitable children in Zone 017."
Xu Huo paused slightly, then said, "After you leave Zone 017, where are you planning to go next?"