Chapter 1774: A Convenient Method of Verification
"I speculate there are two reasons."
"First, Master Solan was trying to protect Old Lady Mei, who hadn't passed away at the time."
"Second, to maintain stability in Zone 019."
"Zone 019 successfully weathered its economic crisis thanks to the human bone gems, and had gotten back on track in terms of player cultivation and technological progress. Revealing the truth of the mining disaster at that time could have dealt a heavy blow to Zone 019, and the consequences would certainly have been negative."
"Just like how she concealed the kidnapping case after witnessing Xiaxi·Dolaiti's death, she also concealed the truth after uncovering the mining disaster. Perhaps, to Master Solan, the dead are less important than the living. The deceased matter less than the living. So the truth isn't absolutely paramount."
"Then why did she still choose to speak out?" Someone in front of the square couldn't help but interject.
"Concealing the truth doesn't mean the truth can be completely buried. Shouldn't Zone 019 atone for those innocent people who died in the mines?"
"Those people have already been sacrificed. They can't just disappear from this world forever, can they?"
"At the very least, Master Solan believed that Zone 019 should remember them and repent for them."
"A hundred years have passed. Many of the relevant personnel involved back then have already died, and Zone 019 has developed well enough to handle any crisis. So now is the best time to let the dusty truth see the light of day."
"The dead are not as important as the living, but they are not unimportant either."
Xu Huo paused slightly at this point, then looked at Matri·Dolaiti again. "So many people died in the mining disaster—those lured by high salaries to be sacrifices, those who died in the painful pursuit of the truth after their families perished. Their descendants may also be affected for life, even having their fates altered."
"But Master Solan chose only these two women to be painted. Mr. Dolaiti, can you guess the reason?"
Matri certainly wouldn't answer this question. The essence of this question was the same as the one Xu Huo had privately asked him before. Solan's purpose was as clear as day, but the district government couldn't respond to it.
"Most of what you've said is still your speculation. Adding personal imagination can indeed make your story more vivid, but facts and stories are different." He emphasized, "Old Lady Mei's children and grandchildren have all died. Her daily life has always been taken care of by the government. Every year, we send enough money and other necessities, provide free medical care, regular psychological check-ups, and have dedicated government personnel visit to offer condolences. Whether it's the assessment data or the feedback from the specialists, none of Old Lady Mei's indicators match the psychological state of a criminal. Besides, she's just an ordinary person. How could she possibly leave Dingding Flower Town overnight, go to Funiu Village to commit a crime, and then leave again?"
"You have no evidence linking her to the kidnapping case that occurred in Funiu Village."
Not only that, but this so-called sorting out, to put it bluntly, every step was filled with imagination.
Xu Huo didn't refute him. Instead, he followed his lead and said, "I already stated at the beginning that I don't have solid evidence. However, I did find the 'Ember Maiden' based on this clue. Doesn't that count as a form of corroboration?"
Before Matri could speak, Zheng Shijiu beside him said, "It counts. Did you really find the painting?"
Xu Huo tapped his watch terminal, projecting a hologram into the air that began playing the excavation footage recorded by the household robot and the mechanical pangolin.
The Amber Square had already been unearthed, with a complete excavation record. It was clear whether the underground soil and rock layers had been dug up beforehand or how long they had been dug. Beneath them, some passages were indeed left behind, dug out by Xu Huo when he was searching for the painting. The fresh excavation marks were still there, basically matching up, ruling out the possibility that he had staged the whole thing.
The video continued until Xu Huo pulled out the large box. His silence upon opening the box mirrored the heavy silence of those watching this "excavation activity" through various channels.
The video had been processed. Xu Huo only blurred Xiaxi·Dolaiti's face. Unlike the previously incomplete puppet, this was a real, intact corpse.
This corpse, preserved for a hundred years, reminded everyone, just like the painting before, that hatred does not end with the passage of time.
Xu Huo paused the video at the moment he picked up the amber and discovered the painting beneath it. He said, "Actually, there's another way to verify."
"To know whether my speculation is accurate or not, I just need to wait until I clear the instance and check the final clearance rating."
"I found the painting. I'm the only one who can clear the instance. If the final clearance score is an A, it means all the trouble I went to for Master Solan was superfluous. If the score is an S or above, it means I guessed correctly. The game can determine right from wrong."
The better the performance during the clearance process, the more complete the details, and the more the actions align with the instance's own logic, the higher the final rating. Finding the "Ember Maiden" was the basic requirement for clearing. Solan's public display of the "Ember Maiden" clearly had another purpose. If Xu Huo guessed correctly, the game would naturally give a higher clearance rating.
Zheng Shijiu and Matri both fell silent. The method was indeed good, but they knew full well that it would be detrimental to the district government. The game represented a higher dimension. The natural birth of an instance meant the game was involved in it. Its judgment might not be absolutely correct, but at least the general direction couldn't be wrong.
Just as the atmosphere was getting a bit tense, a player walked out from the edge of the square. "I'm a player from Zone 019. I happen to be doing the 'Ember Maiden' instance too. I can form a team to verify the truth. I promise to give up the game rewards, and I swear on the lives of my wife and daughter."
With the first person, a second soon followed. What did it matter if they weren't in the instance? Buying a ticket now might still be in time.
As the voices of agreement grew louder, Xu Huo turned his gaze back to Matri. Matri was also looking at Xu Huo.
Forming a team with other players was a risky move. Xu Huo had done so much to elevate the instance and get better rewards. If he added players from Zone 019, he would have to give up the team reward to finally clear and leave. Matri didn't think he would take that risk.
Xu Huo also didn't think the district government would agree to this plan. First, the team members couldn't possibly be entirely controlled by the government. Second, one or two people definitely wouldn't be enough. To ensure authenticity, a certain number of participants would have to be guaranteed. The more people there were, the harder it would be to keep the story straight.
No conclusion could be reached here for now. But someone still wanted to know the answer to the earlier question:
"Why did Master Solan choose Xiaxi·Dolaiti and Fenfang to be in the painting?"
The questioner was an old man with slightly graying hair. It was hard to judge his age from his appearance alone, but when he walked over, the people around him instinctively made way.
"Master Solan's eldest son!" Many people recognized him.
Master Solan's eldest son, Xinhe, stepped forward with two players and stopped about ten meters away from Xu Huo. He repeated the question just asked: "Why did she make Xiaxi·Dolaiti and Fenfang the protagonists of the painting?" (Chapter End)