Chapter 2234: Abandoned Pawn
Rejecting the Painting Woman's suggestion, Xu Huo continued to lurk near the Tian Clan's residence for half a day.
The widespread use of teleportation channels made travel in Zone 008 extremely convenient, especially for a large family like the Tian Clan. Teleportation devices were hardly rare items.
It was a rare opportunity to catch the Tian Clan members gathered together, but unfortunately, they had fled too quickly.
Judging by the personnel changes around the residential area, the number of Tian Clan members inside was decreasing.
Tracking their whereabouts wouldn't be so easy.
It seemed the Tian Clan was trying to buy time. Since they couldn't track him down, they would hide and keep their heads down. After all, Xu Huo would have to leave Zone 008 sooner or later. Whether he could even come back next time was another question.
Because of the bounty, more players had gathered near the Tian Clan residence today to stake it out. Although most were just there for the spectacle, it also helped to some extent cover Xu Huo's tracks, making him less conspicuous.
The Message Collection Terminal was also buzzing. People who loved to watch the world burn frequently posted the Tian Clan members' whereabouts, even publicly revealing the combat abilities of some Tian Clan players and the items they needed to be especially wary of. Of course, most of the discussion was about whether Xu Huo dared to enter the Tian Clan estate.
The Tian Clan's ancestral home was a high-level location item. Location items were easy to enter but hard to leave. Although it was unclear if this location item truly had the function of trapping players, generally no one took that risk.
Soon, others speculated that although the player the Tian Clan had offended seemed to be of a low level, he carried a super item. That was why the Tian Clan dared not hide inside their location item and instead hid in other zones or secret locations.
A person of seemingly low level but possibly carrying a super item suddenly attracted everyone's attention. More than watching the Tian Clan's troubles, people wanted to know what this super item actually was.
More people were pretending to want to trade on the bounty, hoping to meet Xu Huo.
Using a bit of common sense, he knew he couldn't agree to meet them. However, to reciprocate their enthusiasm, Xu Huo also released a few false leads. One, that he didn't have a super item at all, and the Tian Clan was spreading fake news to divert attention. Two, that his super item had already been stolen by the Tian Clan, which was why he was attacking and harassing them everywhere.
Those who didn't believe he had a super item naturally weren't interested in the claim that the Tian Clan had stolen it. Those who believed the Tian Clan's story might also believe they had indeed stolen the super item.
Seeing more and more players gathering near the Tian Clan residence, Xu Huo finally recalled his robots and left the city, crossing half the zone to reach another station city, Lake Bay City.
This was a tourist city famous for its scenery. The city was built on an entire island and was very large. There was a direct station on the island. Tourists often chose to get off here. Visitors could enter and leave the island via teleportation channels or aircraft. There were no ground-level transportation links between the island and the surrounding mainland cities.
Unlike the chaos on the Message Collection Terminal, the tourists here were completely unconcerned with the Tian Clan's affairs. The Tian Clan had no businesses here either.
When Xu Huo arrived on the island via aircraft, it was exactly nine o'clock in the evening.
Half an island away, in a private mountain villa, a sturdy middle-aged man was polishing his items. On the table before him were at least twenty items of various sizes, half of which were already gleaming.
"Third Master, things at home have been quite stirred up lately. The Old Master wants you to stay here for a while before going out." A man who looked like a secretary had his image projected into the room. He glanced at the middle-aged man's right leg and said helplessly, "The Old Master said the family won't abandon you."
The middle-aged man had lost his right leg. With Zone 008's technology, reattaching a severed limb or installing a mechanical leg was no problem, but he hadn't done so, letting the empty pant leg flutter.
"The family abandoned me twenty years ago." The middle-aged man didn't turn around. "Now that an outsider has targeted us, they want to push me out to take the heat again?"
"Third Master, how can you think that?" the secretary said. "The outside world is very dissatisfied with the Tian Clan's human experiments. The Old Master's intention is for you to lie low for a while. Those experiments can be put on hold for now. Rest assured, all the experimental data is preserved. It can be used again anytime."
"Unfortunately, I can't wait any longer." The middle-aged man suddenly turned around. Due to agitation, the skin on his face and neck flushed slightly, and at the same time, a bluish-gray pattern appeared on it, spreading like tiny blood vessels. This immediately brought him immense pain.
After enduring it for a few seconds, he grabbed a handful of medicine and swallowed it. The bluish-gray pattern on his skin gradually receded.
The secretary seemed reluctant to see this. "You are suffering. I know you were poisoned because of the family..."
The middle-aged man raised his hand to stop him. "Staying here is fine, but the experiments cannot stop. I don't have many days left. Without an antidote, I will definitely die. Never mind the closed labs. Since the data has been transferred, tell the Old Master to start the experiments in another zone."
"This isn't just to save my life." He stared at the secretary. "Human experiments didn't start with me. And in the twenty years I've been conducting them, the Tian Clan has profited greatly. I don't believe the Old Master will give up this source of income."
The secretary was speechless. The Tian Clan had indeed been conducting human experiments for a long time, but they were always more covert. Relatively safe methods involved recruiting test subjects from poorer zones. If that wasn't possible, buying test subjects on the black market wasn't out of the question.
In the last twenty years, due to Third Master's involvement, combined with the collaboration of some marginal figures in the Tian Clan's power structure, the proportion of human experiments in the Tian Clan's pharmaceutical research industry had increased, including the abduction of people from other zones.
The middle-aged man disdained to argue with the secretary. He only said, "Without the Old Master's nod, nothing gets done in the family. He and the others in the family should stop putting on this act of innocence. If he disagrees, then kill me."
"You're being too dramatic." Seeing this, the secretary stopped trying to persuade him. "I will definitely convey your meaning. To ensure your safety, the Old Master has arranged for five A-level players to protect you. You will be very safe."
The middle-aged man sneered at the five A-level players who filed in, then turned back to polishing his items.
The five bodyguards were also well aware of their duties. Without a word, they dispersed to the corners of the room.
"Get out. Even without your protection, I am still a player," Third Master ordered.
"You have long since withdrawn from the game, and when you withdrew, you were only a B-level player. If that person really finds you, you will be in great danger alone," said one of the A-level players, who had a buzz cut.
"They are all watching the old home. They even blew up the ancestral graves. No one will find this place..." Third Master's tone carried a hint of laughter, but before he could finish his sentence, the defensive barriers around the mountain villa suddenly all disappeared, and then an incredibly powerful force descended!