Chapter 2346: A Wallet Always Has Leaky Spots
After hearing the whole story from beginning to end, Xu Huo said, "Then you'd better be careful. If you get caught and thrown in jail, no one's coming to bail you out, and my investment can't just go down the drain."
Dr. Deng paused his motion of applying medicine, "You really have no sense of human kindness. I'm already injured like this."
"No broken bones, not a serious injury." Xu Huo said, "You really need to be careful. Don't walk into someone else's trap either."
Dr. Deng naturally knew that he had become quite famous in District 011 recently because of the Werner family. "Come on, you're just a B-rank player."
"I am a B-rank player, but the Werner family definitely has plenty of A-rank players who want me to disappear from this district." Xu Huo said, "That's why I'm reminding you to be careful. Going to jail is a minor issue, but losing your life isn't worth it."
Dr. Deng hesitated for a moment before saying, "Now I'm starting to suspect they specifically targeted me to beat me up..."
"Keep that caution." Xu Huo patted his shoulder, "Don't go out unless you have to."
Dr. Deng felt a pang of fear and immediately said he would definitely go out less from now on.
"By the way, don't even think about moving somewhere else to live." Xu Huo added as he stood up.
Dr. Deng smiled despite the injury on his face, "Even if you told me to leave, I wouldn't. The lab is already built; it would be a waste not to use it. Oh, I've been thinking about buying a new model of experimental equipment recently. Tell Mr. Dong about it, or you could just give me the money directly."
"I'll discuss it with Mr. Dong." Xu Huo didn't refuse outright.
Afterward, he went to ask Mr. Dong if Dr. Deng frequently asked him for money.
Mr. Dong nodded, "Ever since the lab was built, he's constantly asking for supplements. Sometimes it's equipment, sometimes it's reagents. The prices are exorbitant."
The lab was established with Xu Huo's permission, originally intended to make breakthroughs in reagents. Since the major expenses had already been paid, there was no need to be stingy with the follow-ups. However, they still needed to be somewhat frugal, as even the money from the Werner family was limited.
"Keep an eye on what he buys and just make proper records." Xu Huo said, "The upper limit is half of the castle's deposits."
Hearing this, Mr. Dong's expression subtly darkened, "Do you know how much money that is?"
The shares and dividends from Werner were substantial, accumulating year after year. The exact figure would only be known once the money arrived, but as for whether that number was inflated, at this stage it could only be more, not less.
"Give it to him." Xu Huo said, "This is my biggest investment so far."
Reagents and toxins didn't actually play a very important role in the game, because most instance environments were relatively safe. Even if they weren't, protective suits and antidotes were generally sufficient. As for A-rank and above pathogens and poisons, encountering them was just bad luck. Of course, ordinary pathogens and poisons could hardly breach protective suits.
The reason he spent so much money on Dr. Deng wasn't just for developing toxins and antidotes. Dr. Deng also cultivated various samples for experimental convenience, including various toxic plants and fungi. It was a pity that the King Fungus couldn't be cultivated on a large scale. Additionally, the King Fungus was always parasitic inside him and loved eating toxins and pathogens. He really wanted to figure out what kind of thing it was and whether there were any hidden dangers.
Unfortunately, Dr. Deng wasn't a specialist in fungi.
Of course, even if it weren't for the King Fungus, this investment was still worthwhile. The incident of spreading toxic fungi in District 014 last time was a good example. As more and more people entered District 014, it was hard to guarantee that someone wouldn't use similar methods.
An expert who came out of Stellar Pharmaceuticals had experience and credentials that were priceless.
Late at night, Shi Sanjiu replied. Based on the information Xu Huo provided, he had obtained an invitation to the Fish Feast through connections. Moreover, this invitation came from a player with considerable background and status. This person probably knew where the entrance would appear the next time the Fish Feast opened.
Shi Sanjiu sent both the invitation and the address over, and told him that generally, such private venues frequented by aristocratic players in the game were never good places. "Not a good place" meant that players' abilities might be restricted upon entering, giving the aristocrats overwhelming power.
It was similar to what Xu Huo had guessed. The Fish Feast was essentially a hunting ground. Although Shi Sanjiu hadn't asked for the specific details, based on his understanding of his own kind, he could guess what it was like inside.
"Don't underestimate these private venues that exist outside the districts and instances." Shi Sanjiu further informed him, "These places are like those random instances in the game that run around everywhere and keep many powerful players as hired thugs. They all have backdoor permissions. You only know what's going on once you get inside."
"Most of the people going in and out might be those relying on their families and guides, but the boss is definitely someone with real strength. And their interests aren't limited to just items and materials. Players are also one of the things they like."
Catching the implied meaning in these words, Xu Huo thanked him.
Although controlling players was very difficult, it wasn't completely impossible. The most common method was implanting remote-control chips into a player's brain or heart. Such chips were not easy to remove or destroy, and if contact was lost, they could become lethal weapons. He had seen this in some districts he'd visited before, and the ones at higher-level wormhole points would only be more advanced.
Of course, all of this was based on the premise that the chip could be quickly implanted into the player's body. As long as one wasn't caught, it was fine.
Backdoor permissions... He wondered if they would restrict the ticket. If so, it would indeed be a dangerous place.
Although many people on Under Dimension said the Fish Feast was a free hunting ground, it was hard to say whether player permissions were restricted. Forget backdoor permissions—hadn't District B37-008 used instruments to achieve the same effect on a small scale?
Xu Huo looked at the address and then began preparing the items he needed before departure. Other daily necessities were handled by Mr. Dong. His main task was purchasing and configuring some new protective suits, items, and instruments.
Mechanical suits were a good choice. They weren't as comfortable as normal clothes to wear, but they could avoid many problems.
For this reason, he specifically selected two A-rank mechanical suits on the bounty platform—super A-rank ones were too expensive to buy. Two A-rank suits with passive defense and auto-activation functions were about right.
Besides that, there were jamming devices. Although the last instance settlement had given him a "Terminal Theft" strong jammer, it was better to be prepared. Having more of such good things wouldn't be wrong; they would come in handy sooner or later.
These two categories were the most important. He roughly listed the other things he needed, and within the limits of his financial means, he bought them all one after another the next day.
Looking at Mr. Dong's increasingly displeased face, he couldn't help but say, "No investment, no return. The money will be earned back sooner or later."
Mr. Dong's expression was strained, "Sir's wallet, like this castle, always has leaky spots."