Chapter 1849: Dr. Joyce's Achievements
Although in Chang Shoujie's view, Xu Huo's method was not safe enough for the newborns, it was indeed a relatively good approach, because they couldn't really turn District 010 upside down, and once the news that they had found newborns in CK12 spread, perhaps the original CK12 players would come to them on their own.
The likelihood of obtaining clues this way was still very small, but for players who wanted to clear the instance, it was worth a try, since there wasn't much to lose.
Chang Shoujie understood there was no room for turning back and said, "Which district do you want to go to for shelter?"
They couldn't possibly face all the unknown players on their own. Even if it was for the newborns, the players of District 010 would rush to serve as Xu Huo's shield.
And knowing the truth, he even had to help Xu Huo gain the trust of the District 010 players—this was also the reason Xu Huo had laid out the whole truth.
On one side were fellow comrades fighting the same battle, on the other was the hope that might allow District 010 to continue. Chang Shoujie quickly made his choice.
"Polar Safe Zone, it's closer," Xu Huo said casually.
Chang Shoujie's chest heaved violently, and then he asked again, "Do you really know Dr. Joyce's friend?"
"Of course," Xu Huo said. "That doctor was a colleague of Dr. Joyce. After leaving Stellar Pharmaceuticals, they stayed in touch until two or three years ago. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found you so quickly. Your information was given to him by Dr. Joyce."
"That doctor is now living with me. Whether it's doing good deeds or fulfilling the last wishes of an old friend, he will definitely be willing to help."
Chang Shoujie nodded slowly. "As for that string of numbers, I still have no leads. Give me some time."
"No problem," Xu Huo said. "Before that, we can return to your place and bring in the players from Xiaohe City as well."
Chang Shoujie closed his eyes, his voice heavy. "Is the instance really certain that a newborn has appeared in District 010?"
"That's right, and this child is most likely still in District 010, otherwise this instance would never be solvable," Xu Huo said.
Chang Shoujie opened his eyes again. "I hope the sacrifice of the District 010 players this time is worth it."
Xu Huo said nothing and watched him leave the room.
Little Pink Hat, who had been sitting nearby, spoke up only after the door was closed. "Was he convinced by you? But what you said doesn't benefit him at all."
From Chang Shoujie's perspective, he had only obtained two pieces of information from Xu Huo: first, that there really was a newborn, and second, that Dr. Joyce had left behind a vague clue.
But in fact, both clues were somewhat ambiguous. If a newborn had indeed been born, then how could Dr. Joyce, who had accomplished this, have died?
Conversely, since Dr. Joyce had succeeded, why would he tamper with the positioning chip like that? Why not just entrust it directly to the players of the CK12 Safe Zone?
So the reasoning Xu Huo used to persuade Chang Shoujie to act as an intermediary was quite shaky. Even Little Pink Hat felt that this matter held no benefit for him.
"Because he also wants to take a gamble," Xu Huo said flatly.
All of Chang Shoujie's hopes were pinned on Dr. Joyce. Even unto death, he had entrusted the search for Dr. Joyce to Gao Dawei. Now that he had found clues left by Dr. Joyce and evidence of the newborn's existence, how could he be willing to let it go?
As for the players who might be sacrificed because of the newborn, he probably considered them expendable. After all, for the future of District 010, hadn't enough people died over the past few decades?
The people of District 010 had paid such a heavy price, all to permanently pull their compatriots out of the quagmire of Black Thorn Disease.
Little Pink Hat didn't care whether they could actually find the child. She shook her head and said, "You adults are sometimes really strange. To save some people, you let others die. What's the point of that?"
"The focus of this matter isn't a one-for-one exchange, but the continuation of spirit, because humans are animals with emotional choices." Xu Huo patted her head. "There are snacks in the fridge. Go get them yourself."
Little Pink Hat cheered and dashed over.
Xu Huo sat inside the room, turning to look out the window.
The curtains were already drawn. To guard against being spied on by props, he had made some preparations in advance. The curtains had a shielding effect from the outside, but they didn't hinder his observation of the outside.
The tracking player had only approached the hotel briefly before retreating. However, when Xu Huo slightly parted the curtains and appeared by the window, the numbers mixed with malice on the other person's head were quite familiar.
Of course, such malice was not uncommon in the game, but this person was coming for him specifically—there was a traceable pattern.
The instance "Wandering Melissa" had two factions. So far, Xu Huo had only encountered one player from the same instance. His faction's clearance mission was "Send Melissa Home." What was the black faction's mission?
The clearance missions of the two factions were highly likely to be opposite. This suggested that the newborn Melissa represented more than just the hope of District 010. As for Dr. Joyce's death, why didn't he entrust the important chip to the players of the CK12 Safe Zone, but instead leave it for Chang Shoujie, who might never come looking for it?
So the inside story of this matter was probably more complicated than he had imagined. "Going home" was definitely not just a literal meaning.
He hoped the upcoming players from the same instance could give him some hints.
While it was still dark, he went down to the safe zone again, released the still-sleeping alien species for a test, and the game platform showed no activity.
"Wandering Melissa..." Xu Huo looked at the alien species, and a bizarre thought suddenly flashed through his mind, but he didn't dwell on it and quickly dismissed it. He directly contacted Dr. Deng.
When the communication connected, Dr. Deng was lying in bed.
"Why are you sleeping?" Xu Huo asked.
Dr. Deng said irritably, "Even Stellar Group isn't as ruthless as you. Don't you know that a medical researcher's body is also an important asset? Losing two years of lifespan would cause how much loss?"
"Not sleeping for one night won't kill you," Xu Huo said. "Is there any problem with the samples I gave you? How do they compare to the potion left by Dr. Joyce?"
"Two of the three samples are roughly the same, only the first one is different. The genetic testing and potion comparison aren't finished yet. At least tomorrow for the results." He paused. "Did you find Joyce?"
"I'll bring him back to you then," Xu Huo nodded. "Also, I want to ask, based on the genetic sample results, are they human?"
After evolution, degenerated individuals would exhibit animal characteristics, but their essence was still human. Some genes differed from animals. With the current technological level of the game, it should be easy to detect.
"They are human, no doubt," Dr. Deng said calmly. "Judging by age, they are all still children. District 010 hasn't had any children born for many years. Are these degenerated children Joyce's achievement?" (End of Chapter)