Chapter 1892: Aftermath
The naturally curly-haired man paused and immediately turned around, only to find several players standing in the transition car, all staring at them.
"My potion might not necessarily be real, but your wealth is something you admitted yourself." Xu Huo smiled faintly. He was about to say more when he realized his stop had arrived. His vision blurred, and he appeared in the station of Zone 011.
The timing was just right.
The Zone 011 station was as bustling as ever, with many players coming and going. He hadn't been away long, but the city was already blanketed with advertisements for the city image ambassador selection competition.
"Sir, please take a look at the image ambassador selection competition," a staff member said with a smile, handing him a small electronic flyer. With a gentle press, they added, "The registration and voting methods are all here. If you'd like to know more, you can contact our organizing committee's publicity team through the contact information provided."
Xu Huo boarded an aircraft and glanced over the competition rules.
This selection was outsourced by Zone 011 to a private company. The scope of candidates for the image ambassador was broad—both players and ordinary people were eligible. The only requirement for appearance was a decently proportioned face; an exceptionally striking look wasn't necessary. What mattered more was approachability and a positive, uplifting demeanor.
Participants could register individually or be nominated by companies or organizations, with no restrictions on background or identity. Once selected as the image ambassador, they would receive generous rewards from the district government and the organizers. In addition to money and status, outsiders could choose to settle here, and players could receive items. The selected individual only needed to undertake one task: cooperate with Zone 011's activities, film promotional shorts, or attend various events. There was even a detailed work schedule stamped by the district government, which was worth noting—this schedule had been approved by the government before the selection began, meaning there was no need to worry about exploitation by the organizers.
The organizer had frequently handled such events in the past and had an excellent reputation in Zone 011, making this another city-wide celebration.
It was clear that Zone 011 had put in significant effort to restore the district government's image in the public's mind after the previous major battle.
The vehicle soon arrived at Rose Castle. The Painting Woman, playing in the garden, ran over to him even before Mr. Dong, joyfully showing off the flower crown she had just woven.
"Beautiful," Xu Huo nodded, handing the electronic flyer to Mr. Dong. He asked, "Has the guest left?"
"They've already left," Mr. Dong replied. "They left a message from Miss Bai Kou, saying there won't be a next time."
Xu Huo smiled dismissively and walked inside, where he saw Dr. Deng, who was about to turn around.
"At this hour, having breakfast?" Xu Huo greeted him proactively.
Dr. Deng had dark circles under his eyes and said irritably, "You've only been gone a few days and you're already back. Seems like the instance in Zone 010 wasn't that difficult after all."
Time units differed between zones. Xu Huo had been in zones with faster time than the E27 wormhole point, so he felt he had spent a considerable amount of time in Zone 010, but not much time had passed in Zone 011.
"It wasn't that hard," Xu Huo said sincerely. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have cleared it so quickly."
Dr. Deng choked on his words, then changed the subject. "Did you bring back the ores I asked for?"
Xu Huo nodded. "Before I left, the people in Zone 010 gave me quite a few. Besides the ores, they also provided research data on numbered xenomorphs from the past twenty years. I even brought back one xenomorph."
Dr. Deng swallowed the water in his mouth and quickly stopped him. "You can't just dump everything on me at once. There has to be a priority. Let's get this straight first—should I research the genetic potion, the toxins and antidotes, or the xenomorph?"
Xu Huo didn't give him an answer. Instead, he said, "I'll sleep first. We'll talk after I wake up."
Dr. Deng's breath caught in his throat, and he glared at him resentfully. "I wasn't this overworked even when I worked for Stellar Pharmaceuticals."
"The capable do more work," Xu Huo said leisurely, then stepped up the stairs.
After a quick wash in his room, he first contacted Bai Kou and "Eats Three Bowls Every Meal" to thank them, then lay down to rest.
Having gone without proper rest for a long time, Xu Huo slept until the next afternoon. His exhaustion was so deep that he didn't notice the Painting Woman sneaking into the room. When he opened his eyes, he found she had already pulled a chair to the bedside, sitting there for who knows how long.
"When did you come in? Why didn't you knock?" He had a headache when he sat up and rubbed his temples vigorously.
"Are you sick?" The Painting Woman leaned in with her communicator, asking with concern, "Do you need to take medicine?"
"What medicine?" Xu Huo looked at her suspiciously.
The Painting Woman then lifted her small backpack and dumped a pile of medicine bottles onto the bed.
Xu Huo glanced down for a second. "Your interests change pretty quickly."
But the Painting Woman said it wasn't her interest. A few days ago, Xiao Yuan had fallen ill, and she saw Mr. Dong and Tan Qi preparing some medicine. Xiao Yuan, who could barely speak while lying in bed, improved significantly after taking the medicine, so she felt she should prepare some too.
Both children were at school when Xu Huo returned yesterday, so he didn't know about Xiao Yuan's illness.
Mr. Dong soon came upstairs and explained the whole story. Xiao Yuan had caught a chill during a practical class at school when she went to the garden at night to sketch the stars. Her temperature had risen slightly, but after resting for two days, she was fine—nothing serious.
The reason the Painting Woman had prepared so much medicine was that she heard the doctor say during the check-up that children were very fragile, especially those who hadn't undergone much evolution, and could die from a minor illness.
She had no concept of illness but knew that medicine could cure it. So, when the doctor left, she spent her allowance to buy all his prepared medications, which were now laid out before Xu Huo.
Seeing that there were even stimulants among them, Xu Huo handed all the medicine to Mr. Dong, telling him to dispose of them.
The Painting Woman wasn't easily fooled. She grabbed two bottles at random, poured out a large handful, and tried to feed them to Xu Huo.
Xu Huo quickly stopped her. "I'm not sick."
Hearing this, the Painting Woman looked a bit disappointed and stuffed the mixed pills back into the bottles.
Xu Huo turned to Mr. Dong and said, "From now on, check everything she gives the children before they consume it."
Under the Painting Woman's reluctant gaze, Mr. Dong confiscated all the medicine bottles.
After eating a light meal, Xu Huo logged into Under Dimension to check his messages. "Eats Three Bowls Every Meal" had simply replied with "You're welcome," while Bai Kou had sent no message at all.
His gaze lingered on the interface for a moment, but he eventually switched to searching for information about "precognition" of the future on Under Dimension.
(Chapter End)