Chapter 1837: Xu Huo Is Also Very Happy
“Such good stuff, why bother being so particular?” Gao Dawei couldn’t help stuffing a piece of vacuum-packed cooked meat into his mouth, chewing as he spoke. “It’s not like those people from the Polar Safe Zone, talking about sharing hardships with their compatriots—hypocrites!”
Gao Dawei was also quick on the uptake. He first sorted out the fruits, alcohol, and cooked food, setting them out for Xu Huo before tidying up the rest.
“It’s not like there’s no food or drink on the RV,” Xu Huo said, holding a wine glass.
“Yes, yes,” Gao Dawei replied with a beaming smile, pulling out an expensive deep-sea mutant shrimp that occasionally appeared on the train menu. “Brother Xu, how do you want this cooked?”
“Keep it simple, steamed to preserve the original flavor.” Xu Huo also explained the method for preparing the dipping sauce.
Brother Wu’s cooking skills were decent too, so he went over to assist Gao Dawei. After all, there were twelve people’s meals to prepare.
“Are you just going to sit there and do nothing?” Juan Er glared at the black-coated group. “Waiting for others to serve you?”
That arrogant young player pressed down on the table and stood up, but his companion beside him stopped him. The man in the black coat smiled and said, “It’s not great to just eat for free. If you trust me, my cooking isn’t bad either.”
Juan Er pointed at her own eyes. “I’ll be watching you.”
Two people from the black-coated group went to help with the cooking, while the rest sat around idly.
Seeing Gao Dawei fawningly asking about Xu Huo’s preferences and even coming over to refill his drink midway, the young player let out a disdainful snort.
Xu Huo glanced in their direction. Gao Dawei, standing nearby, immediately said, “Got a case of sour grapes?”
“What did you say? Who’s jealous!” The young player was easily provoked.
“Whoever answers is the one,” Gao Dawei sneered, mimicking his expression. “If you weren’t jealous, why are you making such a fuss here, all twisted up? You didn’t contribute any money or effort, but you’re great at nitpicking and finding fault!”
“Oh, not bad with words!” Juan Er praised.
“Just a piece of equipment and some food—why don’t you just kneel down and lick his boots?” the young player shot back without backing down.
“It’s just a piece of equipment and some food—do you have any?” Gao Dawei didn’t feel the least bit ashamed. Just like when Xu Huo caught him and he didn’t hesitate for a second before selling out all his former companions, it was all about making a living—nothing to be embarrassed about.
The young player looked as if he’d heard something unbelievable. “You’d throw away your dignity for this?”
“Just answer me—do you have any or not!” Gao Dawei looked smug, as if he was certain the other was just jealous.
The young player was furious, but Xu Huo interrupted the spat, sending Gao Dawei back to cook. He then glanced at the group over the rim of his glass, a faint smile on his lips.
Good stuff—everyone wanted it.
The dinner atmosphere was quite harmonious. After the meal, Xu Huo went upstairs to rest in the suite. Apart from the suite, everyone else could choose their own rooms.
The hotel was big enough for all of them. Juan Er took a large single room for herself, telling her companions to enjoy a nice bath and not to bother her with small matters.
Gao Dawei didn’t dare stay alone, so he stuck close to Deng Xiahei. The two of them, along with Brother Wu, dutifully waited until the black-coated group had chosen their rooms before moving into the adjacent ones, ready to handle any emergencies.
The young player was clearly dissatisfied with their blatant surveillance but didn’t start another argument like before dinner.
After a while, the six of them gathered in one room, set up silencing and defensive items, and began to talk.
The young player’s face had long lost its earlier indignation, now calm as he said, “That Xu guy is probably trying to intimidate us.”
“Indeed, how does a C-level player have so many good items?” the man in the black coat nodded. “He probably comes from a well-off family, or he wouldn’t be bringing B-level players into an instance.”
“Those three with Brother Wu are clearly not on the same side as Deng Xiahei. They’re likely hired for money,” the young player said. “Hired hands are easy to deal with—just pay them enough.”
“Turning them against him won’t be easy,” another player with thinning hair said. “Besides, we don’t have that much spare cash to win people over.”
Spending their own money hurt, and given Xu Huo’s obvious wealth, Brother Wu and the others weren’t stupid—they wouldn’t easily switch sides.
“No matter. We can find new companions, but it’s rare to come across such a fat sheep twice,” the man in the black coat said calmly. “A rich kid walking through the game world with bodyguards—he probably thinks everyone fears his family background… We’ve met plenty of fools like that before. In the end, it’s all about having a thick wallet and a lot of high-level items, thinking no one can hurt him.”
The others chuckled softly, their plan for the next steps decided. They weren’t worried at all about failing to gain an advantage when they clashed with Xu Huo during the day.
They were happy, and Xu Huo was also very happy.
At first, he was worried they wouldn’t take the bait, but before he even found the mutant group, these people had easily changed their minds.
“Ding-dong! Ding-dong!” Just then, someone rang the doorbell outside.
No one in the hotel was asleep yet, so they all came out at the sound. Xu Huo didn’t go downstairs from his upper floor, watching the man with the striking pink hair and thinking what a coincidence.
He told Gao Dawei to open the door, accepted some White Notes, and let him in.
The pink-haired man was as familiar as he’d been on the train. He walked in, grabbed Gao Dawei’s hand, and started rambling about his experiences in Zone 010—how he’d been chased by players, then wandered through different safe zones without any clue how to clear the instance, just walking aimlessly until he suddenly spotted a luxury hotel standing in the sand sea. For a moment, he thought he was dying and seeing hallucinations, but when he got closer and realized it was real, he immediately rang the doorbell.
“I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in days. I’m really lucky to find a hotel in the desert,” he said, refusing to let go of Gao Dawei’s hand. “Can you arrange a room for me and prepare some food?”
Gao Dawei struggled free. “The hotel isn’t mine. Let me ask for you.”
Deng Xiahei stopped him. “Since Mr. Xu let him in, he’s definitely agreed. Please get him something to eat.”
Gao Dawei had no objections.
The pink-haired man thanked him repeatedly, then greeted the black-coated group warmly, even inviting them to join him for a late-night snack.
The black-coated group said nothing and went back to their rooms.
Deng Xiahei stayed behind to keep an eye on Gao Dawei.
The pink-haired man talked a lot, and the meal took quite a while. By the time he went to rest, Gao Dawei breathed a sigh of relief. “Good thing we let him in, or he’d have been making noise outside all night!”
Deng Xiahei deeply agreed.
The pink-haired man had a strong heart. Unlike the sleepless black-coated group and Brother Wu’s crew, he slept straight through until morning. The next day, he came downstairs early to thank the hotel owner. Looking up, he saw the person talking to Deng Xiahei turn his face. Showing no sign of surprise, the pink-haired man smiled and approached. “Is this hotel yours? Thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, I’d be eating sand all night again!” (Chapter End)