Chapter 1723: Mental Damage Compensation
Xu Huo grabbed the man's arm, and when the other turned back with feigned surprise, he gave a slight smile. "I think you'd better return it to me."
"What do you mean?" The baby-faced woman stepped forward to push him away, but her man blocked her.
The man composed his expression and said with a smile, "Sir, is there some misunderstanding?"
Xu Huo didn't say much more. Instead, he flicked a Space Ray, stripping the props worn by the two of them.
Over a dozen Space Rays shot off in different directions, naturally carrying their props to various places. The baby-faced woman frantically grabbed back three or four items, while the man, with Xu Huo holding him back, barely retrieved one. The remaining dozen or so props curved through the air and hovered behind Xu Huo.
For convenience, players often wore their favored props directly on their bodies—buttons, ties, jewelry, shoes could all be props. But since they were worn, there was naturally the risk of being stolen.
These two had relied on that "bump" to swipe a special prop from Xu Huo.
Before either side could exchange a second word, robots had already gathered nearby, asking if there was a dispute.
"No, no," the man quickly said. "We were just exchanging items."
"Please don't make any misleading gestures to avoid causing you losses." The robots backed off but didn't go far.
The baby-faced woman tried to circle around Xu Huo to snatch back the props, but as soon as she took a step, she froze, her face stiff. She instinctively raised her hand to touch the front of her neck. Against her skin was an invisible blade she couldn't see. The moment she touched it, her prop gloves were cut through.
The man knew when to bend. He quickly said, "Misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. If you like these props, feel free to take them."
Xu Huo smiled. "I don't care for any of these props of yours. Hand over mine."
The man didn't dare to push his luck. He respectfully took out the "Lifelike Wax Figure" and returned it, then readily gave up the props Xu Huo had already taken. "We were blind not to recognize a true master. Please, let bygones be bygones."
Robots were everywhere, so Xu Huo couldn't really kill them. He simply let go. "Consider this compensation for the mental damage I just suffered."
"Yes, yes, we were just joking. This is my girlfriend," the man explained.
Xu Huo waved his hand, signaling they could leave.
The two turned and walked away without a moment's hesitation.
"Smart enough," a female player who had been watching commented, swaying over gracefully and extending her hand to Xu Huo. "Hello, I'm He Jiaorong."
Xu Huo didn't take her hand. Instead, he stepped forward and walked on.
He Jiaorong chuckled and followed him two steps. "Don't worry, I'm not that sneaky type. What instance are you doing? Want to team up? The instances in this district are really tough. Even though the information is transparent, there's so much of it that it's hard to filter. I'm struggling with what to do."
Xu Huo showed no response to her deliberate friendliness. After she followed him for a stretch, he finally stopped by the street.
He Jiaorong thought she had convinced him and was about to put on a smile when he waved for her to step aside. She obediently moved, but the next second, Xu Huo got onto an aircraft.
"What a guy, no sense of chivalry..." He Jiaorong's complaint was clear, but she didn't linger. Her gaze locked onto another player not far away.
As the aircraft lifted off, Xu Huo happened to see her heading toward another player, while several players scattered in the crowd kept their eyes on her.
He glanced only once before looking away and gave the aircraft the addresses of Master Solan's uncle and aunt.
The two elderly people lived in a place with strict access control—entry required an invitation. And with so many people wanting to visit them, the queue was already backed up to two days later. The elderly couple, despite their age, were forced to "work," so they could only receive a limited number of guests each day.
Xu Huo registered at the door with the robot. Great, he was now scheduled for the third day.
Many others who had registered hadn't left either, some carrying gifts. A few seemed familiar with the Solan family and got in quickly.
This annoyed the players watching, and a few deliberately started shouting complaints.
Just then, a group of half-grown children returned from school. Seeing the crowd blocking the door, they were displeased. One girl with two braids said to them, "Aren't you annoying? Grandpa Field has said it clearly—he doesn't know anything about the painting, and he's not close to Ms. Solan. You can check on the Message Collection Terminal. Why do you keep bothering the elderly?"
No one would argue with a child, and even if they wanted to, there was no room for it. But squatting by the door was indeed awkward. A few players left with cold faces, while others approached the girl. "We're not players. We're from District 019, sent by Master Solan's family to look after Mr. Field and Ms. Feifei."
This kind of trick wasn't new to the children. Another boy called them "liars" and pulled the girl through the gate.
Those claiming to care for the elderly didn't mind and started chatting with the remaining players, probing for any new leads.
Back and forth they went, but neither side gained anything.
Great, another wasted effort.
Having heard enough of their conversation, Xu Huo left the residential area and headed to the city center.
Ship Bay City had a public library run by the local government. He swiped his wrist terminal to enter and specifically searched for the mining history of District 019.
The data files had no records of gems from underground fissures, but they did mention that District 019 had once had unusually active lava activity, causing significant casualties. Beyond that, there were no further details, likely because too much time had passed and the Game Government hadn't filled in the gaps.
However, the library preserved a large number of paper documents, including two papers speculating on the causes of frequent lava eruptions. One suggested that changes in lava state might be related to shifts in spatial pressure after District 019's evolution.
As for the gems brought by the lava, the author believed that District 019 was a natural gem-making site, requiring no human effort. Nature itself had gifted them endless wealth. According to assessments by professional institutions, the gems beneath District 019 could be mined for a thousand years, and they wouldn't need to go deep underground because the lava would bring the gems up on its own.
What did that mean?
Xu Huo paused. So, the already depleted mines might be mined again? Had the underground fissures remained unchanged all this time?
(Chapter End) Source: /txt/35960/32919264