Chapter 1939: Virtual Reality Game
Xu Huo kicked him again. "Shut your mouth."
The man was angry but didn't dare to speak.
Xu Huo took the knife from the little boy's hand and called the mute girl to take him upstairs.
Once the child was gone, Xu Huo entered the room, picked up a chair leg, measured it against the man, found the right angle, then broke his right leg. Amidst the screams, he also broke his right arm.
Looking at the man, who was a mess of tears and snot, Xu Huo said expressionlessly, "Since you know fear, you should understand that children will eventually grow up."
The cowardly man stammered a promise to treat the child well from now on.
Xu Huo completely ignored him, turned a blind eye to the crowd of onlookers, and went back upstairs.
The aroma of food was already wafting out. The boy, who had looked ready to kill moments ago, now instinctively showed a craving for food. The mute girl picked out a piece of meat first to let him taste it.
The boy didn't care if it was hot or not; he shoved it into his mouth and reached his hand into the pot to grab more, startling the mute girl into frantically stopping him. However, her first reaction wasn't fear that the child would get hurt, but a terrified glance at Xu Huo.
Xu Huo stood at the door, looked at the two of them, and said, "I don't care about anything else, but when you eat with me, you must observe basic table manners. Go wash your hands."
The boy obediently went to wash his hands.
The meal was soon served. The mute girl's cooking was barely enough for two people. With the boy's arrival, it was clearly insufficient. Moreover, he ate as if he hadn't had a proper meal in ages, stuffing as much food into his stomach as possible. In the end, most of the food was consumed by him.
After finishing his meal, he helped wash the dishes and wiped down the tables and chairs. Then he said to Xu Huo, "I'm leaving."
Xu Huo didn't respond.
A moment later, the man downstairs began to whimper softly, probably gagged, so the sound wasn't loud.
Xu Huo took the mute girl out to eat, and on the way, they found a game arcade to go online.
The boss gave him an identification code. "First time playing, huh? Want to rent an old account? New accounts don't have access to many places."
"No need." Xu Huo had already looked into how virtual reality games worked. Like other games, this one required unlocking locations. The higher the account level, the more places were unlocked. The game's sense of smell and touch were extremely realistic. People who didn't have enough money to build up a new account would save up to rent old accounts in order to experience more diverse lives.
Xu Huo registered a new account. New accounts always started as ordinary people. The game would suggest suitable careers based on the player's chosen skills and specialties. Once they had a job and money, their player identity would change. Of course, working in this game was relatively easy, and new accounts could earn money quickly.
Most people played this game to experience different lives, so players could choose different worlds to start in. Both the East District and West District of Jade Spring City had been made into game zones, along with other zones featuring different customs and cultures.
People from the West District naturally wouldn't choose the West District mode, so Xu Huo chose the East District mode.
This time, he no longer had to gaze at the East District from afar through a wall. The player's starting point was right in front of the East District's employment agency. A game character enthusiastically came over to introduce various jobs, promising a high salary.
Xu Huo chose a teacher's profession. The introducer took him to a school, where the principal was very satisfied with him and proactively offered to prepay three months' salary, provide accommodation, and give monthly meal and transportation subsidies—amounting to half the regular salary. Additionally, if he received good reviews from students, he could earn extra bonuses.
He taught a class earnestly and received positive reviews from over half the students. The bonuses were immediately credited to his account.
After taking a stroll around the school, he finally walked out the gate.
On the way to the school, he had already observed the street conditions. Everything he saw and touched was extremely realistic, like a real world. However, since it was a game, if he didn't want to strictly follow the life simulation, every street had teleportation portals. He could freely choose where to go. Completing extra tasks issued by the game would earn more rewards, either money or expanded maps.
Xu Huo first visited the East District Museum. The latest maps displayed in the museum roughly corresponded to the streets. Some items symbolizing the city matched their real-world counterparts. The city was highly mechanized, from buildings to everyday items. Pedestrians with metal prosthetics were everywhere. Not all of them were physically disabled; many had voluntarily replaced their limbs under the promotion of mechanical companies to gain greater strength.
The Agor Corporation logo could be seen everywhere in the game, including the Agor Headquarters. However, the headquarters building didn't allow ordinary players to enter, and it was far less exquisitely crafted than other entertainment venues, let alone the Godfire Supervision Department—that organization didn't exist in the game.
He came across a bar advertising half-price drinks from twelve to one o'clock. Xu Huo went in, ordered a drink, and listened to some gossip.
The game was indeed a great place for exchanging information. People here could be from either the East or West District, and no one could tell for sure. They could spread their messages to the right ears without having to weave through the streets.
After walking several streets, he cracked a code that used daily flower language to transmit information and found the gathering point for the flower language group.
However, this wasn't a very secretive operation. It was a meetup organized by cipher enthusiasts, and they invited those who had cracked the code to attend the next gathering. The time and place would be announced in a special way, and only those who cracked it were eligible to participate.
Xu Huo proactively got to know one of the women. Upon learning that this was just a hobbyist group, she couldn't help but show disappointment. During the process, she kept looking around, clearly wanting to leave.
After they started talking, Xu Huo easily extracted a piece of information from her: the East District might be planning a major operation at a certain location in the West District.
This was something the woman deliberately revealed in a casual manner.
The location was under the jurisdiction of another branch, far from where Xu Huo was.
After leaving the gathering, he wandered around the game for another two hours before logging off.
"Welcome back anytime." The boss smiled as he saw him off.
After coming out, Xu Huo took the ruby fragment he had obtained from Knife Boss earlier and placed it in the nightclub boss's safe, then took all the money and precious metals inside.
The nightclub boss had been absent for a long time. His subordinates had tested the waters with Knife Boss, but Knife Boss, intimidated by the East District players, was quick-witted and immediately planned to take over the nightclub boss's territory. Upon learning this, Knife Boss's subordinates, vying for the top position, began competing to win over the lower ranks. When it came time to distribute wealth, they naturally thought of the nightclub boss's safe. When they opened it, they found all the gold and silver gone, leaving only a shattered gem.
The nightclub boss's close associates knew about the gift he had sent. Whether out of a desire to seize power and establish authority, weaken their opponents, or expand their territory, the two factions turned their spearheads towards Knife Boss. They began spreading rumors that Knife Boss had framed and killed the nightclub boss, clamoring for revenge for their boss.
In the heat of the shouting, no one knew who threw the first punch, and the two underworld organizations crammed into one street erupted into a chaotic brawl.
Xu Huo placed a note with an address on the table of a Resistance member who was preparing to move to avoid the conflict.
(End of Chapter)