Chapter 2159: A Man Without Friends
Xu Huo, who had been swapped out, was moved by the later-arriving military district players using items to a farther and safer location. As for the woman in the red windbreaker, since she could swap someone out from under heavy encirclement, it meant Dou Shengnan's defensive items had already been breached, and the remaining attack items had also been neutralized through item counterforce.
The woman in the red windbreaker, wearing gloves, grabbed at the Materialized Object behind her with one hand while thrusting two fingers of her other hand toward Dou Shengnan's throat!
An invisible barrier blocked the woman's fingers, and at the same time, the Mental Power Materialized Object flowed away like black liquid. Dou Shengnan glanced toward Xu Huo's direction, then vanished once more.
The military district players were well-prepared. Besides those responsible for the pursuit carrying Materialization Cannons, instruments had long been dispersed high in the air, spraying energy substances capable of materializing Mental Power in large areas across different directions. This way, before those energy substances dissipated, Dou Shengnan's movement trajectory could be clearly seen—as long as she was still using Mental Power to evade.
The group came and went quickly, and soon both Dou Shengnan and the military district personnel had disappeared without a trace.
It was only then that Nie Xuan and the others approached.
At this point, Xu Huo had done all he could. He immediately said to Nie Xuan and the others, "Leave here at once and head to the Double-Bright Bird."
Three minutes later, the group of six arrived outside the Game Government Base in the Double-Bright Bird Administrative District. Xu Huo used the "Light Gentleman" medal to gain entry and browse the rules for Contract Staff assessment.
Nie Xuan went in with him. The staff member who received them stayed only a few minutes before leaving, telling them before they went that they could use the "Light Gentleman" medal to eat at the base's cafeteria, to get a feel for the working atmosphere in the Game Government Base.
Seeing that Xu Huo's expression was much more serious than before, Nie Xuan said, "We can abort the plan."
Xu Huo seemed somewhat distracted, leaning back in a chair in the base, his gaze fixed on the floor-to-ceiling transparent wall, as if watching the people walking outside. But upon closer inspection, one would notice his eyes weren't focused.
This state lasted only a few seconds. After his consciousness returned, he suddenly shed his previous oppressive solemnity, tilted his body slightly, and relaxed into the chair. Turning his head to look at Nie Xuan, he asked, "Dare to take the gamble?"
Nie Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at him for two seconds before saying, "What's there not to dare?"
Xu Huo smiled, then lowered his head to look at the suspended rules for Contract Staff assessment, flipping through them as he spoke. "Have your colleagues hand over all the instruments to you later, then immediately withdraw from District 008. Also, keep an eye on your people from District 017 who witnessed my fight with Dou Shengnan last time. If we fail to kill Dou Shengnan this time, the Eerie Sound Knights might trace us back to our home base through them."
Nie Xuan's eyelids twitched at that. "You deliberately held Dou Shengnan back just to make her come after you?"
"Let's see if she takes the bait," Xu Huo said casually. "But from what I've seen, the Eerie Sound Knights aren't a broad-minded bunch. As long as she isn't forced to leave District 008, there's an eighty percent chance she'll come looking for me."
"Acting like this makes it hard for me to report to my superiors." Nie Xuan paused briefly, simultaneously simulating several contingency plans in his mind.
"I have to try to kill Dou Shengnan," Xu Huo said, his voice deepening and his eyes turning cold. "Whether it will cause trouble is unknown, but seeing her get chased all over the place and still come back to kill me shows she has a deep impression of me from District 017."
Nie Xuan caught the implication. Perhaps Dou Shengnan had suffered some losses at Xu Huo's hands in District 017, which was why she held such a grudge. Whether she would trace this back to District 014 was uncertain. Xu Huo's point was that he would do this regardless of whether killing Dou Shengnan this time would draw further attention from the Eerie Sound Knights.
"We already did cleanup work after the District 017 incident. You don't need to worry about that. Besides, District 017 has been destroyed—no traces were left."
"We're bound to have a hard fight with the Eerie Sound Knights sooner or later. It's better to eliminate one of their main forces in advance."
Given Dou Shengnan's particularity, Bai Ying and the others could sit this out to avoid being influenced and leaking information they shouldn't.
"This time, we're really going all out." Seeing that he had no intention of backing out, Xu Huo added another sentence.
Nie Xuan remained relatively relaxed. "Same as you—I can't bear to let this opportunity slip. The risk is high, but with a chance right in front of us, wouldn't it be a lifelong regret to just let it go?"
"Besides, our home base is developing well now. If we can join forces to kill Dou Shengnan, the risk is worth it."
He looked down at his own legs, then back at Xu Huo. "I've never truly seen your strength. This time, I'll be testing the waters for the family."
Xu Huo understood that from Nie Xuan's standpoint, there was no need to take such a risk. He wasn't a Mental Super Evolver either, and he also faced the risk of exposure. This wasn't just risking his own life—it was betting District 014 as well.
"I owe you one," he said.
"If we both survive today, then this life-and-death bond makes us true friends." Nie Xuan leaned back in his chair, then suddenly laughed as he spoke. "Friends... I don't really have many."
"Who does?" Xu Huo added.
Though their methods differed, at the core, they were the same kind of person.
The two ended the topic.
Then, inside the base, Nie Xuan contacted Bai Ying and the others through the Under Dimension, retrieved the instruments, and forcibly ordered them to return to District 014. Shortly after, the Special Defense Department also sent a communication, ordering him to withdraw from District 008.
Probably having learned from Bai Ying and the others about the battle between Dou Shengnan and the District 008 players, the Special Defense Department deemed this an entirely unnecessary risk. Revenge could wait for another time.
Nie Xuan rested one hand on his leg, lazily sent a reply to the Special Defense Department, and then exited his Personal Panel.
Fearing Dou Shengnan might arrive too early, the two dawdled in the Game Government Base until dinner time, even forcing themselves to eat a meal in the cafeteria before finally having to leave.
But they didn't go far. Instead, like tourists visiting from afar, they lingered near the base's main entrance.
During this time, they also kept an eye on the Message Collection Terminal. There was no further news from Lichuan City. After the military district players chased Dou Shengnan away, there was complete silence. Of course, this silence was likely only for the public. The fact that no final result was announced meant the District 008 players hadn't taken down Dou Shengnan, and her whereabouts were a matter of speculation.
Most people in District 008 believed that even if they hadn't killed Dou Shengnan, they had at least driven her out of the district. With such a major incident, the Lichuan City Government and the 22nd Military District finally began to take the Tian Clan's issues seriously. At 6:09 PM, they announced an inspection of the Tian Clan's laboratory and deployed Armed Robots to prevent personnel inside from moving freely or taking or destroying any items.
"Good news," Nie Xuan said.
"There's even better news." Xu Huo displayed a message someone had just sent him. "Dou Shengnan has already arrived in the Double-Bright Bird Administrative District."