Chapter 1851: I Have Only One Condition
This time, all the B‑level players from the Polar Safe Zone had gathered outside the city. The Mr. Yuan who secretly managed the safe zone’s affairs was also among them, though he stood behind the players, playing the role of an ordinary person.
The Little Pink Hat had shown a bit of herself this time, but she quickly hid again when Xu Huo covered her. To win the trust of the Polar Safe Zone people, Xu Huo signaled the Little Pink Hat to “show her face” on her own.
So, under everyone’s watchful eyes, the Little Pink Hat lifted a corner of her wrapping cloth herself, blinked her round eyes with a look full of “wisdom” at Fei Xian and his group, then shrank back again.
But that one glance was enough to excite everyone. A child with a slight developmental defect wasn’t a big problem—as long as she was human overall and possessed human thinking ability!
The rough, boisterous crowd didn’t even dare speak loudly for a while. After a long moment, Fei Xian walked over. “The wind and sand outside are strong. Don’t let the child catch a cold. Let’s go inside first.”
“Don’t worry,” Xu Huo said with a smile. “This child has been wandering with the mutant groups all along. She’s better at adapting to the environment than most people.”
That explained where the child had come from, why she hadn’t been discovered over the past few years, and how she had grown up.
As they walked into the city, Xu Huo added, “Although the child hasn’t developed full intelligence, she is undoubtedly human. However, her body is different from ours, so she might not be accepted by ordinary people.”
Fei Xian only thought that Zone 010 finally had a newborn child. He didn’t even consider what those words meant. Carefree and cheerful, he said, “What does that matter? As long as the child can grow up healthy and happy!”
Seeing this, Xu Huo didn’t say anything more and followed them to the arranged lodging.
Fei Xian and the others knew that Xu Huo and his group wouldn’t do a good deed for no reason and deliver the child. So after arranging the lodging and food, they left a few people to watch over them and temporarily departed.
At this point, Deng Xiahei and the others finally understood Xu Huo’s strategy. He deliberately didn’t hide the news of finding the newborn and intentionally spread it among different safe zones, absolutely to attract more people. They just didn’t understand what his ultimate goal was.
“Will this help with clearing the instance?” Deng Xiahei couldn’t help asking.
Xu Huo also released Chang Shoujie and said casually, “It’s not easy to find a needle in a haystack. But it’s different if the needle comes to you on its own.”
Brother Wu and the others didn’t speak but exchanged glances discreetly. It was Pink Hair who pressed further, “Your clearance task is related to the newborn, isn’t it? Even if you find the child, you still can’t clear it?”
Everyone stared at Xu Huo.
Xu Huo adjusted the Little Pink Hat still in his arms and slipped a piece of candy under the wrapping cloth.
The sound of “crunch crunch” as the candy was crushed echoed in the room, and the question was left unanswered.
Not long after, Fei Xian and the others returned, followed by Mr. Yuan. But before they could introduce Mr. Yuan’s identity, Chang Shoujie spoke up and exposed him:
“Mr. Yuan, long time no see.”
Mr. Yuan looked at the man in the wheelchair. In just two seconds, he confirmed his identity. With a not-so-relaxed smile, he said, “So it’s a rare guest.”
Since his identity had been revealed, Mr. Yuan didn’t need to pretend to follow behind Fei Xian and the others. He signaled them to step back and then sat back down in his wheelchair.
“You’ve aged too,” Chang Shoujie said with some emotion, seeing the other man almost fall into the wheelchair.
Mr. Yuan shook his head slightly. “I’m just an ordinary person. Being able to survive in Zone 010 until today is all thanks to these children’s careful care. I don’t have many days left. I’ll probably die before you.”
When he said this, Fei Xian and the others couldn’t hide their sadness.
“Let’s not waste time,” Mr. Yuan said. “What conditions will make you hand the child over to us?”
Chang Shoujie looked at Xu Huo. The excuses he had used to fool Fu Yi wouldn’t work on this old man.
“I have only one condition,” Xu Huo said, already prepared. “Find the players who left CK12 Safe Zone alive. I want to find Dr. Joyce.”
The people in the room showed varying degrees of shock.
Whether it was Chang Shoujie, who understood the truth about the “newborn,” or Deng Xiahei and the others, who knew Dr. Joyce was already dead, they all realized after a moment that this was Xu Huo’s excuse. But the two sides had different understandings of his “purpose.”
The Polar Safe Zone side reacted much more obviously. Fei Xian said, “You found the child—didn’t you find Dr. Joyce?”
Clearly, they all knew the content of Dr. Joyce’s experiment. The fact that it had succeeded was the most unexpected thing.
“The child was wandering with the mutant groups. Dr. Joyce’s whereabouts are unknown. Only the players who left CK12 alive would know the inside story.”
Without giving Mr. Yuan a chance to bargain, Xu Huo said directly, “I made it very clear when I came to the Polar Safe Zone last time. I want to find Dr. Joyce. Since Dr. Joyce’s last appearance was in CK12, I’ll trouble you to find those players.”
“I have only this one condition.”
Mr. Yuan glanced at Chang Shoujie, then paused before saying to Xu Huo, “As you can see, the various safe zones in Zone 010 don’t have much contact with each other now, let alone sharing all personnel information. Which players escaped when CK12 Safe Zone was buried, and where they are now—all of that will take time to investigate…”
“There isn’t much time left,” Chang Shoujie interrupted him. “Before we came, we already spread the news that the newborn is in the Polar Safe Zone.”
Fei Xian and the others were stunned and stood up in unison. Mr. Yuan’s face darkened. “What exactly are you trying to do!”
He was asking Chang Shoujie, his blunt attitude making it clear that he believed Chang Shoujie was playing the main role in this matter—and this wasn’t without precedent.
“Of course, I’m looking for the CK12 players,” Xu Huo said, not letting Chang Shoujie speak. “Given that you’ve already tricked me once before, I don’t trust you very much.”
“When the players from other safe zones arrive, I’ll make a public announcement. Whoever brings a CK12 Safe Zone player alive before me will have a chance to take the newborn. If they can directly find Dr. Joyce or provide information on his whereabouts, I’ll hand over the newborn with both hands.”
These words undoubtedly enraged Fei Xian and the others. But before they could act, Xu Huo, sitting in the middle, raised a hand and spread it out. “If you want to play rough, I’m game.”
On his right were Chang Shoujie and Gao Dawei; on his left were Fu Yi and the other two; behind him sat Deng Xiahei and the others, who looked unconcerned. After Xu Huo spoke, none of them raised any objection. They simply looked up in unison and turned their gazes toward Mr. Yuan and his group.
In a one-on-one fight, both sides had plenty of B‑level players. The Polar Safe Zone didn’t have the advantage, especially since Xu Huo still had a hostage.
The tense atmosphere lasted for a few seconds before it was broken by Mr. Yuan’s voice. He looked at Xu Huo and said, “I hope you keep your word.”