Chapter 1717: Cleaning Out Players
The curly-haired woman and the scarred player fell silent at the same time.
"Going elsewhere will probably be about the same as Dingding Flower Town," Xu Huo interrupted their "slacking off." "Keep searching."
Besides, going back to the town right now might not be a good thing.
With more people, the speed increased considerably, and soon they continued moving further away. Because the designated areas were in different directions with large spans, to save time, they split into two groups to act.
The short-haired female player probably thought Xu Huo wouldn't easily change his mind, so she voluntarily chose to be in his group, while the curly-haired woman and the scarred player went to the other side.
Xu Huo had no objections, and besides, the next place they were going was one of the areas the old lady in town had marked for him, and also a place where Suo Lan frequently visited. It had been searched many times before, so after the weather interference system malfunctioned this time, this small mountain had experienced a landslide.
After arriving, the two first circled the mountain and happened to spot a section of a mine tunnel entrance exposed after the covering had slid away.
Xu Huo sent the mechanical pangolin inside. Unexpectedly, the mine tunnel inside remained relatively intact, with almost no collapses or blockages except for water seeping everywhere.
The short-haired female player was a bit excited. "Should we go in and take a look? The mountain's almost been turned over, and for this section of the mine tunnel to be preserved so well is practically a miracle!"
"It could also have been repaired and reinforced later," Xu Huo said.
District 019 had specific post-mining policies for mines, mainly for environmental protection, but small places just weren't maintained as well.
"There's no need to go in; just let the pangolin handle it."
The short-haired female player also sent her controlled pangolin into the mine tunnel.
The two pangolins ran all the way to the end in one go, and the beeping detection sounds came quickly, but there were no results.
Xu Huo was about to retrieve the mechanical pangolin, but the short-haired female player was unwilling to leave so easily and insisted on going in to search.
"You're sure the 'Ember Maiden' is in the mountain?" Xu Huo looked at her. "You've already been to other places in District 019?"
To be so certain the item was in Dingding Flower Town, besides having clear clues, it could only mean she had ruled out all other possible places and returned here.
"That's right," the short-haired female player didn't deny it. "I've turned over every place I could, asked everyone I could ask. It's not outside, so it has to be here!"
"There's no need for that. Not finding it just means failing the instance." Xu Huo saw she was getting emotional and tried to calm her down.
But the short-haired female player stared at him. "Can you comfort yourself like that when you can't clear an instance?"
Xu Huo guessed her instance time was almost up, and after a moment's thought, he agreed. "Alright, I'll go in with you."
The short-haired female player's expression relaxed slightly, and she moved aside to let him go first.
Xu Huo didn't mind and put on protective gear before entering the mine tunnel.
Inside, there was the constant dripping sound of water everywhere. The short-haired female player knocked and tapped around the mine walls, even placing some micro-instruments to check the cracks.
"Have you met Master Suo Lan's family?" Xu Huo struck up a conversation with her.
"They're all a bunch of useless bastards who know nothing," the short-haired female player said. "I don't know if it's to make things difficult for players, but this family is scattered in all directions. Just finding them takes a week."
"You can't even see them without using some tricks!"
It was normal for Master Suo Lan's family to receive special protection.
"Don't they have public answers on the Message Collection Terminal?" Xu Huo said calmly. Every member of Master Suo Lan's family and everyone who had worked for her had released such holographic clips, certified by the government. Opening them showed items related to Master Suo Lan, which were also publicly displayed in her personal museum.
"Why would they reveal truly useful information?" The short-haired female player sneered.
"If you don't believe them, why come back to Dingding Flower Town?" Xu Huo said casually. "Everyone could be lying, or it could be half-truths."
Sifting through such a massive amount of information wasn't very meaningful.
The short-haired female player didn't continue the topic but looked at him. "Then what are you looking for here? Do you also think the painting isn't here?"
"Of course, I'm looking for clues," Xu Huo smiled. "I've already made it clear. For now, there's no other method, so I have to focus on Dingding Flower Town."
The short-haired female player grinned. "Seeing how confident you look, I thought you had a lead."
Clearly, neither believed the other's nonsense, but the cooperation could continue.
After searching the mine tunnel thoroughly, the two came out, and the short-haired female player's disappointment was obvious.
Xu Huo checked the Message Collection Terminal. "It's been a long time, and they haven't contacted us."
The short-haired female player frowned slightly. "Something happened?"
The two immediately rushed to the last sent location. Still some distance away, Xu Huo once again sensed an impact force in the air.
"There's light over there." The short-haired female player, wearing prop glasses, caught an unnatural flash of light.
They sped over, but the place emitting the light was empty. Only the hastily covered signs of a fight on the ground proved someone had been there.
The control screen showed two mechanical pangolins nearby that had stopped working.
The short-haired female player swept a pile of fallen leaves nearby, and the prop-generated wind blew them away, revealing a half-damaged mechanical pangolin underneath, with bloodstains on it.
"I knew the people in District 019 were no good, all pretending to be righteous!" She lifted the mechanical pangolin and turned to Xu Huo. "It must be them. Outside players wouldn't bother to cover their tracks."
"Let's go back to Dingding Flower Town and check." Xu Huo turned and left.
The short-haired female player followed, kindly warning him, "They're targeting players from other districts. Going back to the town could be dangerous."
Xu Huo ignored her and returned to the town at top speed. As soon as he stepped in, he knew at least half the players in town were gone. Walking along the street, his gaze swept over the bustling tour groups, lingered briefly in some inconspicuous corners, and then returned to the players passing by not far away.
There were new faces and people who had come yesterday, but all their faces were calm.
Xu Huo relaxed a little.
The short-haired female player caught up to him and quickly realized the situation in the town. "Are they really cleaning out players from other districts?"
"It depends on how they do it," Xu Huo said. "If they act openly, it means District 019 has tacitly approved this, making it even harder to clear the instance. But if they're hiding it from the locals, our situation will be much better."
The short-haired female player didn't immediately understand the difference, but she knew that in a technologically advanced district, outside players could do very little. So she immediately approached the owner of a nearby shop.
(Chapter End)