Chapter 1793: Do You Know How Much This Cost Me?
After a fairly decent lunch, Xu Huo left Lady Lily's residence and headed to the exchange, where he picked up the item he had ordered.
"This item, named 'Masterpiece,' can easily bind any object, including other items. Once tied, it's not easy to shake off. Before being put on sale, it underwent tens of thousands of tests. Unless it's up against a particularly tricky trait or item, generally, A-grade items and below won't be able to break free."
"However, even though it's an A-grade item, its functionality is limited to this."
After the manager finished his introduction, he once again confirmed whether Xu Huo really intended to purchase this item. Even an A-grade item with seemingly limited use was still an A-grade item, and its price was far from cheap.
Xu Huo tested the feel and length, then tied it to the "Perfect Assist" and had the staff test it on the spot before paying.
His requirements for this item were not high; as long as it met the two criteria of "not easily falling off" and "quick binding," that was enough. He would tie one end to the ring, and simply place the other end on the knife handle; the rope would secure itself, making it convenient to retrieve and use.
On his way back, Xu Huo also bought some ingredients and daily necessities, while gathering information about the pollution situation in District 011 from various channels.
Based on the numerous reports, this matter seemed to be true. However, after such a long time, District 011 had mostly dealt with it. The only issue was that the water source area had not yet recovered, causing significant losses. Most of the pollutants had been completely destroyed, with a small portion given to powerful nobles. Many people wanted to use this pollution incident to gain a voice for their families, and developing an effective antidote was a good method.
After confirming the information was not false, Xu Huo purchased a considerable amount of "inside information" from the black market. The Helta family's information was mixed in among it.
However, he wasn't particularly interested in the pollutants themselves; rather, he wanted to figure out their origin. If he could clarify this from the existing data in District 011, there would be no need to make a trip to the secret laboratory.
Since the information had already leaked out, there were plenty of people willing to take risks to obtain these pollutants. The information circulating in the market lacked specific direction. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Xu Huo stopped his investigation at this point.
While the laboratory in the castle was not yet set up, he found a moderately sized city and ordered enough bottled water, storable food, and other daily necessities.
The energy-saving appliances provided by the game could be placed inside the "Snowflake Grand Hotel." Combined with energy storage panels, if used by a single person, this amount would be more than sufficient.
But since he had such a convenient storage item, it was naturally better to stock up on as many daily necessities as possible. Besides the hotel's existing warehouse for storing daily items like bed sheets, towels, utensils, and toiletries, the two top-floor suites of the hotel would also be used as storage.
First was the water issue. Bottled water could be stored for a long time without problems. However, Xu Huo checked the hotel's water storage equipment, which came with a built-in drinking water treatment system. As long as there was a sufficient water source, even moderately polluted water could be treated to a drinkable level through this system, which was quite convenient. The only problem was finding the water source.
Next was food. Some foods sealed using various technologies could be stored for a long time, but truly fresh vegetables and fruits were hard to preserve for extended periods. The hotel did have a cold storage facility, but using it would be somewhat wasteful.
Buying a small freezer to store a limited amount would be fine.
As for other daily necessities, there wasn't much to say. Storing enough for decades of use was no problem.
However, the hotel's built-in energy-consuming equipment, such as electrical appliances and kitchenware, required the purchase of additional energy storage panels. Xu Huo placed the set provided by the game on the third floor of the suite.
The "Snowflake Grand Hotel" already contained all the basic items a hotel should be equipped with. The bed sheets were brand new and included. A few housekeeping robots would be enough to handle the operational needs.
After completing the preparations and inspections, Xu Huo was very satisfied. He even stayed in the hotel for one night before returning to Base City.
By this time, Lady Lily had already sent him the schedule and route map for the Helta family's pollutant transport.
He went ahead and scouted the Helta family's secret laboratory. The lab's external packaging was quite secure, but they didn't seem to place much importance on the pollutants being transported this time. There wasn't even an increase in personnel inside or outside the lab.
For a laboratory with such a low level of security, getting in was not a difficult task.
But stealing things was unnecessary. Xu Huo followed a lab technician, briefly studied the operation manual, and hypnotized the technician to enter the lab on his behalf and set up a small accident. When the pollutants were delivered to the lab, that "small accident" caused a minor explosion of experimental items, which happened to damage a tightly sealed pollutant storage container.
The pollutants leaked inside the lab. All staff, including players, were urgently evacuated. The lab was also sealed to prevent the pollutants from escaping. Then, specialized handling personnel were brought in with professional equipment to deal with the situation.
Nothing was lost, and nothing went wrong on the way. However, Lady Lily's desired effect was achieved. None of the other families had any issues with their pollutant management. Only the Helta family not only lost a laboratory but also had to hire the district government's professional team for cleanup.
As for the subsequent investigation into the cause, unfortunately, the Helta family had already sealed off parts of the lab in advance to prevent their upcoming experimental research from leaking. There were no surveillance recordings. The inspection of the explosion site concluded that making room for the pollutants had led to improper storage of other experimental items—in short, it seemed like a cause could be identified, but no one could be specifically held accountable.
In this situation, they could only chalk it up to bad luck.
"If they can't even manage things properly, they still want to research antidotes?" Lady Lily's public mockery of the Helta family at the banquet became widely circulated.
As for the pollutants, Xu Huo didn't take much. Just in time, the laboratory at Rose Castle had been set up, so he handed over the pollutants he had brought out to Dr. Deng.
"They look a bit like the ones you gave me before," Dr. Deng said with sharp eyes.
Xu Huo nodded. The pollutants that had parasitized Yu Guo had undergone a screening process. They had to be able to survive inside his body while also keeping him alive. The range of pollutants collected by other members of the Eerie Sound Knights should be much broader, possibly revealing their origin.
"Leave them to me for now. I'll do my best," Dr. Deng said, properly storing the pollutants before inviting Xu Huo to tour his new laboratory.
The original underground part of the lab had been expanded, with improved equipment and security levels. A two-story building of the same area had also been built above ground, meeting the excellent specifications of a District 011 laboratory standard, only slightly inferior to the district government's facilities.
The ground floor mostly housed Dr. Deng's own areas of interest in pharmaceutical research. Xu Huo's toxins and the Perfect Potion were stored underground.
"Did you really not find the Perfect Potion?" Dr. Deng brought up the old topic again.
"What do you think?" Xu Huo countered, patting him on the shoulder. "Why don't you take another look at your past research results? Maybe you can make some progress on the sequelae of degeneration."
Dr. Deng's expression turned unnatural. "If I could do that, do you think I would still be staying here?"
Xu Huo stared at him steadily for a few seconds before saying slowly, "Do you know how much this laboratory cost me?"
"Talking about money hurts feelings..." Dr. Deng's attempt to brush it off was cut short as Xu Huo added, "Otherwise, I might as well use some potions on you too. That way, if you run off, I won't lose my investment."