# Chapter 215: Conversation with Dai Wenqian
Perhaps the outer zone players who invaded District 04 relied on so-called "temporary passes"?
But then again, some people could freely travel between stations without tickets.
He casually flipped through a magazine before putting it back, then stood up and headed to the second floor.
Dai Wenqian had been to the second floor before—it was Professor Hao's bedroom, with signs of a struggle and fresh bloodstains, along with another equally emaciated mutant animal corpse.
Picking up a fountain pen stuck in the flower vines in the corner, he turned and tossed it toward the doorway. "This is yours, right?"
Dai Wenqian, standing in the darkness, raised his hand to catch his own prop, and said in a low voice, "What are you looking for?"
"Something useful." Xu Huo stood about five meters away from Dai Wenqian—close enough to clearly see the subtle expressions on his face. He raised an eyebrow. "Thinking of making a move against me?"
Dai Wenqian laughed, then turned on his phone flashlight and shone it on the floor. "I thought about it before, but I'll pass."
"We're both players from District 04. Why tear each other apart and let outsiders benefit?"
"Besides, intelligent people are rare. Most are fools like Liu Tie who have just a bit of petty cleverness. Perhaps one day, as players, we'll reach another level."
"If that time really comes, and we don't even have worthy opponents, wouldn't that be a pity?"
Xu Huo let out a laugh. "You do know District 04 is just a tiny corner of the game world, right?"
"Of course I know that," Dai Wenqian said. "But isn't District 04 still not fully integrated into the game world? In other words, we're still in the newbie protection period. We just had bad luck—almost got cut in half by a super prop."
"But fortunately, the country reacted quickly. With fresh blood injected, the situation is bound to change significantly."
"You have high hopes for the official players," Xu Huo said.
"Without anyone becoming an advanced player yet, joining the national team is the wisest choice." Dai Wenqian seemed in a talkative mood. "Only with enough strength can you negotiate terms, but currently no player or player organization can do that."
"The country is recruiting players. Now is the perfect time to join, and the conditions aren't bad either." Xu Huo paused. "Why bother hanging around with Zheng Liang and his lot?"
Dai Wenqian chuckled. "You and Zheng Liang have quite a grudge. He grits his teeth every time he mentions you."
"Just some friction from our youth." Xu Huo's tone was calm. "It's not to the death. His biggest wish is probably just to beat me up badly."
"Poor guy. He might never fulfill that wish before you die." Dai Wenqian dropped that topic and returned to the original one. "As far as I know, your family has been taken into protective custody by the country. You're not planning to join the official player organization, are you?"
"Want to negotiate terms?"
Xu Huo fixed his gaze on Dai Wenqian's face for two seconds before saying, "Maybe."
Dai Wenqian's expression carried a hint of subtle mockery. "Every man for himself, and the devil takes the hindmost. Can't even say that out loud?"
"I thought you were an educated man." Xu Huo said lightly. "Some things lose all meaning once said outright."
"One sentence, one matter—what matters isn't the thing itself, but whether it benefits me. If calling a deer a horse benefits me, then a deer being a horse is fine." Dai Wenqian said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Xu Huo nodded understandingly, then patted his shoulder as he walked past him. "Don't worry, I won't say anything in front of the officials. You can negotiate terms with them as boldly as you like."
He left after saying that, while Dai Wenqian turned around, half his face hidden in shadow as he faced Xu Huo's back.
Xu Huo didn't look back. Dai Wenqian didn't want to kill him—not for the high-sounding reasons he gave, but because he wasn't confident.
He was probably holding back, trying to secure good terms before joining the official player organization, using Gu Yu and the others as stepping stones, maybe even taking a few players with him. Starting a fight with Xu Huo clearly wouldn't serve his interests.
"You're back." Gu Yu was waiting for them. Seeing them return safely one after the other, she couldn't help but sigh in relief. After Xu Huo left, Dai Wenqian had followed him, and she'd been worried they might fight.
Xu Huo looked around and suddenly said, "Ten people are missing."
"Zhang Biao and his group took seven or eight people," Gu Yu said. "They went voluntarily."
Xu Huo frowned slightly but didn't say much.
Night quickly passed, and dawn broke.
This was the last day in the game. Though exhausted, everyone's spirits were still decent.
After returning to the thirteenth floor, Xu Huo had Kang Hong connect the main power switch to the fifteenth floor, then had them move containers from various floors to fetch water and bring it to the thirteenth and fifteenth floors.
"Why are we doing this?" Even Kang Hong didn't understand this time.
"Just in case," Xu Huo said. "There are quite a few mutant animals in the greenhouse behind. I'm worried the man-eating flowers might create a path for them when they come out."
"We should guard against that." Kang Hong immediately agreed. "We should also call those people back. What if they rummage around and attract the mutant animals?"
"What are you talking about?" Zhang Biao and the bald player returned with the others, carrying some old bags. Zhang Biao said darkly, "We're not idiots. Why would we go near the greenhouse knowing there are mutant animals there?"
"Then what did you go do?" Jiang Yihua demanded. "You've been at it all night!"
"Looking for good stuff, of course." Zhang Biao opened his bag and turned it over, dumping out its contents—some snacks like cookies.
He glanced smugly at Gu Yu and the others. "We found these outside the building. Turns out the man-eating flowers spit things out in a fixed spot. Besides other people's backpacks, there were vending machines. Some of the food and drinks inside haven't expired yet. I took them all. Aren't you all hungry?"
Hearing about food, the other non-players crowded around. Someone picked up an item to inspect it. "Really hasn't expired. This drink has a ten-year shelf life."
"Ten years? Can you still drink it?"
"Maybe game world animals are different from ours." The person holding the drink couldn't resist opening it and taking a sip. He said in surprise, "Tastes great!"
A few more people grabbed food, and when they opened it, the rich aroma of food filled the air, completely unspoiled.
"If we could take this technology out, who knows how much money it would make!"
"Still thinking about making money? Eat up while you can. There isn't much."
The rest swarmed forward, dividing the food and drinks among themselves.
Zhang Biao and his group had clearly eaten their fill before returning. He was picking his teeth with the corner of a wrapper, smiling as he looked at Dai Wenqian and Xu Huo. "You two are powerful players. You definitely don't need to eat."
"No thanks." Xu Huo was still smiling.