Chapter 2271: Mutual Threats
Xu Huo didn't know exactly what the city center looked like, but based on descriptions from other players, any player who dared to step in had basically never been seen again. If the carrier of the One-Third Game was indeed in the city center, then those people had most likely died already.
In a place like that, who would dare to enter recklessly? Not to mention the elusive Water Cube. Even if entering the city center didn't kill you immediately, the best outcome would be getting sucked into the game. The One-Third Game had a second round—who knew if entering through the city center would lead to a guaranteed death scenario?
"Since you know something about the One-Third Game and have someone helping you in the city center, why don't you go in yourselves?" Xu Huo asked.
"The spacetime energy in the city center is unstable," the tattooed woman explained simply.
The meaning was clear. Neither the science fanatic who created the One-Third Game nor the players from the former city government were Temporal Super Evolvers. So even if they knew what the city center was like, they couldn't avoid the invisible spacetime forces. They needed someone to lead the way.
"The truth about the One-Third Game alone isn't enough leverage," Xu Huo said bluntly. "That truth doesn't involve clearing the game. Knowing it or not doesn't matter."
The tattooed woman had come prepared. She smiled and said, "Clearing the game shouldn't be easy for you, should it?"
"The number of wanted criminals a player needs to clear the game is proportional to their strength. To be honest, I've been here for a while and haven't encountered many truly impressive Super Evolvers. If you can actually gain something from the One-Third Game, clearing the game probably won't be easy either."
"Once you've entered a game, there's always a chance you'll enter again. The longer it takes you to clear the game, the greater the likelihood of re-entering. Games are dangerous—why take the risk?"
"Are you saying you can help me accumulate wanted criminals?" Xu Huo tapped his finger on the bar counter. "How do I guarantee the fairness of this deal?"
"The city government can hold back all the wanted criminals submitted by temporary enforcement officers," the tattooed woman said. "As long as they aren't approved, those wanted criminals won't count toward your clearance accumulation. And all of them can be transferred to you through the city government."
"Transferred?" Xu Huo seemed not to understand her meaning.
"We can help you move up a rank," the tattooed woman said lightly. "As long as the position is right, the execution orders for those wanted criminals will have to be signed and stamped by you."
In other words, if he reviewed and approved the executions, no matter who actually killed those wanted criminals, it would be considered a disposal by the city government and naturally credited to him as the sole Archon.
"The number of wanted criminals I need is large, but not so large that I can't manage it," Xu Huo said. "It just takes some time."
But the tattooed woman was no longer so accommodating. "No matter how many people you have, they all have to go through the city government's review."
"A threat?" Xu Huo smiled faintly. "If you really understand the One-Third Game, you should know that hunting wanted criminals in Buliucheng isn't the only way to clear the game."
"But it's the safer method," the tattooed woman also smiled. "Who can guarantee that the next time they enter a game, they'll come out safely?"
Leaving aside whether the convenience offered by the city center was a trap, the fact that the tattooed woman had come specifically to offer this deal meant that if Xu Huo flatly refused or flipped the table, the city government's review channel would no longer be available to him. Completing the instance through that channel would be nearly impossible.
"It looks like I have no choice but to cooperate," Xu Huo said, his smile gradually fading. Then he added, "It seems you've been holed up in Buliucheng for a long time. The One-Third Game has been around for a while, and you're still here. Don't you want to leave?"
"You probably can't leave, right? That's why you want someone to destroy the game carrier."
"Since you can't leave, you should leave yourself a way out."
"It doesn't matter if clearing the game takes some time. I can even overstay my welcome. This city isn't too big or too small—can you hide forever?"
Xu Huo's threat didn't seem to carry much weight. Buliucheng was simply too large. Even if both sides had unlocked areas covering the entire city, finding a few specific players in such a vast space was incredibly difficult. No matter how strong he was, he was only one person.
So the tattooed woman laughed as if she'd heard a joke. "The city government can choke a player's throat much more easily."
"Is that so?" Xu Huo stared at her. "I can choke your throat pretty easily too."
The tattooed woman's smile froze, then her expression shifted. She instinctively tried to put down her glass, only to realize with horror that her hand had passed through the glass and even the bar counter. Then her whole body fell off the stool. She couldn't tell whether the space around her had turned to nothingness or she herself had become nothing!
The man sitting nearby leaned half against the bar, ignoring the woman's panic. He picked up his water glass while slightly lowering his eyelids, coldly glancing down at the person still sitting on the floor. His indifferent attitude was like a completely different person from the one who had been negotiating earlier.
"You didn't come to trade! You came to kill!" the tattooed woman blurted out. As soon as she said it, she showed regret. She stood up and backed away, but the sensation of not being able to touch anything made her afraid to leave the ground. She retreated step by step, then tried to flee toward the exit.
The Painting Woman had already blocked the door. She raised her communicator and said, "Confession leads to leniency!"
The tattooed woman sneered and immediately threw out a prop. But one failure after another made her doubt herself. Her eyes darted between the prop, the Painting Woman, and Xu Huo before she finally roared, "What did you do?!"
Xu Huo set down his water glass without looking back at her. Instead, he addressed the bartender, "If you dare to take out any prop, she won't live through today."
The bartender, who had been pretending not to notice everything, froze. He slowly turned around and said in a conciliatory tone, "Leave some leeway for future meetings. Friend, this is our first time meeting. No need to be so ruthless, right?"
"It's just a matter of courtesy. Nothing more," Xu Huo said, pointing behind him at the closed private room. "You had to arrange so many people just for a casual chat. It shows your strength isn't much."
"Not only is your strength lacking, but the person in the city center probably doesn't fully obey you either. Otherwise, Buliucheng wouldn't be in its current state."
"How pathetic."
The disdainful tone made both the tattooed woman and the bartender's faces darken.
"Struck a nerve?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "There's more to come. You'll have to provide the information about the One-Third Game for free."
"On what grounds?!" the tattooed woman shouted immediately, then called toward the private room, "You guys go! Don't worry about me! As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood!"
There was no response from the private room. Xu Huo gestured for Zhu Xiaojin to open the door.