Chapter 2128: Standing on the Side of Justice
A small self-service drink shop was crowded with five people. After listening to Fang Jing's account of how Fu Jie had been replaced, Luo Ge and the others fell silent for a moment. After a while, Fu Ge patted Xu Huo on the shoulder and said, "I thought it was just a blind cat catching a dead mouse, but there's so much more to it. If it were just an ordinary person being harmed, even if the other party had some status, this matter probably wouldn't stir up much trouble. A little fabricated scandal could easily cover it up. But if it's the secretary's son, even if they don't want to investigate, they'll have to."
Even if an outsider could see there was something hidden, turning a big issue into a small one or letting it slide was absolutely impossible. Even if the government internally didn't want to pursue it, public opinion would force them to give an explanation. That was the difference between the evolved world and the non-evolved world.
"What about your other companion?" Xu Huo asked.
"With such a big incident happening, she should be fine," Luo Ge said. "The Tian family's tricks are mainly aimed at locals; they wouldn't go so far as to cause disappearances or murders. After being injected with the agent, those taken away usually wake up the next day with blurred memories, so they can't trace it back to the Tian family."
"If it weren't for that, how could we have let Fang Jing and the others go?" Fu Ge said. "It's a pity the Tian family came too fast. Otherwise, we might have been able to extract some inside information from that official."
Over at the bar, since the Tian family's young master wasn't dead, the matter probably wouldn't blow up. But now Luo Ge and the others had thrown the body downstairs, leaving the Tian family no chance to handle it privately. Fang Jing's gaze shifted across his companions' faces and landed on Xu Huo. "Now, no matter who it is, no one should be able to suppress this, right?"
"It depends on what effect you want," Xu Huo said. "If you only want revenge against the Tian family, it will be hard to make progress, and in the end, Secretary Fu might be the one to suffer."
"Why?" Fu Ge immediately asked. "The city government will at least protect his dignity and blame the Tian family."
"On the surface, that should be the case," Luo Ge interjected. "But the secretary's office isn't peaceful internally. Protecting dignity is one thing, but having his son used as a gift by the Tian family to bribe and win over other officials—no one could swallow that. The two families probably won't cooperate anymore. Soon, someone new will likely replace Secretary Fu, and the Tian family will choose a new partner. Since no one in their family died, paying some compensation won't hurt them."
Fang Jing was deeply disappointed after hearing this. "With such a big commotion, it has no impact on the Tian family at all? Then we've done useless work!"
"Not entirely useless," Xu Huo said. "There are so many players in District 008; there will always be those who want a piece of the pie." It was just that the outcome wasn't within their control.
This left the few people present feeling somewhat disheartened. It meant they could no longer interfere in the follow-up. How the city government handled this would depend entirely on whether the Tian family was willing to give up some benefits or if other forces would stir up trouble. They were born and raised here, and they knew best what District 008 and their hometown were like. The government could suppress players, and any truly powerful player forces had already negotiated cooperation with the government. Anyone trying to disrupt this balance would be crushed as soon as they surfaced.
"I'm ready to die," Fang Jing suddenly took a deep breath and said. "I don't believe there are no players who want to stand up to the Tian family. Whether it's the Tian family or the city government, they'll soon trace it back to me. Take me to the Player Union Building."
Luo Ge's face darkened upon hearing this. "Do you think others will believe you're from a player organization just because you throw your life away?"
In an environment full of surveillance and with all information channels controlled, it was too easy to investigate Fang Jing's identity. Others weren't fools—he was an ordinary person. By then, he might not even be able to die if he wanted to!
"Better go pick up your companion first," Xu Huo said again. "If others can trace things back to you, they probably won't let the other person off easily."
As he spoke, he was already preparing to leave. Fu Ge quickly called out, "Friend, it's clear you also have a grudge against the Tian family. How about we cooperate? Like tonight's matter—you alone can't cover both ends. If we lend a hand, that little beast from the Tian family probably won't survive... I'm not questioning your ability, but one hero needs three helpers. It doesn't look like you're a player from District 008. Having local players like us to work with would definitely make things easier."
"We'll talk later." Xu Huo left a contact method and then left the city. He had originally planned to check the Tian family's residence again, but suddenly received a message from the Painting Woman. It was a selfie. The lighting where she was wasn't great, but the background in the photo was deeply unsettling.
It was several rows of opened cold storage cabinets, each containing a specially treated and preserved corpse.
These bodies were numbered and placed in transparent body bags, with many stitching marks on their torsos. Some had sunken abdomens, others were missing limbs. It was unclear what mindset the person preserving these bodies had, but judging by the handling details, they had been carefully stored—not just dumped.
"When are you coming out?" Xu Huo replied with a message.
The source of the photo wasn't the Painting Woman's own communicator. The new communication device was likely stolen from someone else. After a moment's thought, he turned back to find Luo Ge and the others.
They were probably planning to pick up their companion, so they hadn't gone far. Seeing Xu Huo return, they were both surprised and delighted. Xu Huo didn't waste words and directly said to Fang Jing, "You said you'd do anything to get revenge on the Tian family?"
Fang Jing stopped Luo Ge and the other two and said firmly, "As long as I can get revenge on the Tian family, I'll do anything, even if it means committing every evil like the Tian family!"
Luo Ge and the others' faces changed, and they looked at Xu Huo.
"Committing every evil..." Xu Huo shook his head slightly. "You'd need the strength to commit every evil first."
He handed over the developed photos. "District 008 follows the law. Using normal channels is far more effective than scheming in the shadows. As long as the law stands on the side of justice."
"Did you take these from the Tian family?" Luo Ge became excited and immediately said, "I'll go to the city government and file a report!"
Xu Huo didn't stop the three players from scrambling. In fact, an ordinary person reporting the matter would be more effective than a player. District 008 was ruled by players, but ordinary people made up the vast majority and were in a disadvantaged position. The entire district's education was normal and followed human nature. Ordinary people could more easily gain sympathy from other players than players could. Whether it was the city government or the district's general government, as long as they considered the subsequent impact, such a heinous incident would surely force them to give the public a proper explanation.
What kind of explanation they gave was none of his concern. His goal was simply to keep the Tian family too busy to focus on anything else.