Chapter 1749: Unchangeable Direction
So far, the blind old woman had become a clear lead. As long as it was confirmed that she had left Dingding Flower Town during the time of Xixi Duolaiti's disappearance, it would be difficult to argue that the two were completely unrelated, regardless of whether she was the mastermind or a participant.
The location of Xixi Duolaiti's disappearance was somewhat coincidental. If the "Ember Maiden" referred to her, then Master Solan must have learned the truth about Xixi's disappearance through some channel, whether she heard it from others or was a participant herself.
After leaving the hospital, Xu Huo contacted the short-haired woman and the bald strong man again, pressing them for their progress.
The two had moved quite quickly, digging up some records of relatively important individuals. Because so much time had passed, very few records remained. They found the blind old woman's medical records from discarded hospital equipment. Coincidentally, during that period, the old woman had suddenly collapsed from a fever one day and was hospitalized for several days. She was hospitalized precisely when Xixi Duolaiti disappeared. Although electronic surveillance wasn't fully widespread at the time, according to the medical staff's records, she received regular hospital treatment every day and did not suddenly go missing.
"What time was the treatment usually given?" Xu Huo asked.
"During the day, with only one session at night," the bald strong man replied before adding, "You still suspect her?"
"What about Master Solan's friends?" Xu Huo asked again.
"Master Solan's past has been thoroughly examined," the bald strong man said. "The old lady you visited earlier clearly remembers that during the blind old woman's hospitalization, Solan was in Dingding Flower Town. She went to the hospital every day to take care of the blind old woman, and the hospital also has visitor records. As for her companions like Lai Guang and the others, not many people paid attention to them. When we asked some relevant individuals, they only remembered that someone was following Solan in and out, but couldn't say exactly who. However, this is enough to prove that neither of them left Dingding Flower Town at that time. Even if they went out at night, they couldn't have gone very far."
Previously, Xu Huo hadn't told them about the information Old Mr. Yue had revealed regarding Xixi Duolaiti, so the two were still in the dark. "How are you so sure the blind old woman is the key?" they asked.
"During that time, the old woman should have been going to sweep her child's grave. Didn't she go to sweep the grave that year?" Xu Huo asked.
"No," the bald strong man said firmly. "She was in the hospital those days. Someone bought the sacrificial items on her behalf. It's said that government personnel used to come to pick her up."
After listening, Xu Huo pondered for a moment, mentally mapping out the locations of several key points.
First, there was the Tiantianle Mine related to Solan, and the place where the blind old woman's son died was not far from the mine where Solan's father had died accidentally.
Second, there were Funiu Village and Ember Town. These two places were close to each other, but they were still some distance from the two mines.
As for these four locations, if using transportation from a hundred years ago, any one of them would require five to six hours of travel time to reach Dingding Flower Town, let alone traveling back and forth between these places.
The blind old woman was in the hospital during the days when Xixi Duolaiti disappeared. At least during the day, it was impossible for her to leave. And if she wanted to leave at night and complete the journey between at least two locations, it was almost impossible—unless, unless... she was a player.
At that time, the old woman already had several grandchildren, so she wasn't young. The game generally selects players from young and middle-aged people, rarely choosing children or the elderly. But becoming a player wasn't impossible. For an old person watching themselves age year by year, any method was worth trying.
Xu Huo asked the bald strong man to transmit all of the old woman's medical records.
From the medical records, the old woman's physical condition was different from that of ordinary evolvers. Apart from the fever, she showed no other symptoms like abnormal heart rate, insatiable appetite, or increased aggression—this didn't align with the laws of evolution.
Perhaps she had found other players willing to help?
That wasn't the main point. The main point was that the time when Master Solan altered the oil painting also overlapped with this period. However, there was solid evidence that she hadn't left Dingding Flower Town during or after that time, making it difficult to find concrete evidence linking the two.
Of course, at this stage of the investigation, whether there was direct evidence or not, it wouldn't make him abandon this direction. So his next step was to go to Jiusang City.
"Are we going to keep investigating?" the bald strong man asked somewhat dejectedly. They knew too little information, and so far, they had made no progress. Meanwhile, Xu Huo, who had gained some insights, was unwilling to share important details.
"I'll try my luck," Xu Huo said, because his next move was also a gamble.
"Hey, you should at least share something useful," the short-haired woman interjected. "Aren't we cooperating? You can't just leave us out."
"Don't worry," Xu Huo said. "Even if we can't clear the instance, I'll need your help with a big favor in the end. If the game can't give you a reward, I can."
The two were stunned. After a moment, the short-haired woman said, "This is the first time I've seen someone offering to pay out of their own pocket..."
"I killed a few people along the way and have some items I don't need," Xu Huo said modestly.
"You're impressive, killing people in a place like Zone 019," the short-haired woman said admiringly. "But you'd better keep your word."
Xu Huo smiled and agreed, then cut off the connection and headed to Jiusang City.
Back in Dingding Flower Town, the short-haired woman was full of energy, planning to recheck everything they had found to avoid missing anything.
"You actually believe a verbal promise?" the bald strong man wasn't as optimistic as her and thought the bait was too sweet.
"There's no loss for us in this," the short-haired woman said. "Think about it. Given the current situation, our chances of clearing the instance are very low. Whether he takes us through or not, the worst outcome is still failure. Of course, clearing it would be best, but failing isn't a big deal either—it's pretty much set in stone. But he voluntarily offered to give us items! I've been doing instances for so long, and I've never seen such a generous player. Even if he doesn't follow through in the end, it doesn't stop me from being happy right now."
The bald strong man thought it over and found it reasonable, but he added, "I think he's planning to tear the sky open in Zone 019. The risk is probably very high."
The short-haired woman had guessed as much. "I can't stand those people who sacrifice others under the banner of righteousness. What's infuriating is that these bastards have lived comfortably for a hundred years. Exposing them now is letting them off easy! If I had the ability, I'd twist their heads off one by one."
"Back then, they spoke so righteously. I want to see if they'll willingly confess and accept punishment when the truth comes out."
The bald strong man glanced at the peaceful little town in the distance, shook his head regretfully, and sighed. (End of chapter)