# Chapter 2474: Listen to the Sound
Xu Huo and Bubble Bean's gazes turned to Ling Ling. Taking someone else's belongings right under their noses was no longer a matter of a minor friction.
However, Ling Ling frowned and said, "I didn't take anything from that residence. Besides, I already explained to you before — a player ambushed me, and that's why I accidentally trespassed into your territory. I left just fine yesterday, and today you come saying something's missing. Why don't you check among your own people first?"
Her words were harsh, but neither the several players nor the middle-aged man showed anger. The middle-aged man said, "If we hadn't already ruled out our own people, we wouldn't have come to you."
Ling Ling grew angry. "What? Just because you lost something, it has to be me who stole it? Why don't you call the Enforcement Team over?"
"The Enforcement Team can't cover everything either. Besides, we have evidence that you did enter that room. The surveillance instruments from before and after all prove it. Of everyone who entered that room during the same time period, we've verified all except you. It's not them." The middle-aged man said.
"Come up with a better framing method," Ling Ling said. "A small craft item — hiding it would be simple enough. What do you really want? Just say it directly!"
The middle-aged man didn't waste words with her. He took out a metal round box and placed it on the table. "Inside this is a special type of bee. It can distinguish over a thousand scents and identify them accurately. If you've touched that Cat Whisker Fruit, there will definitely be a scent left on you."
"The bee isn't aggressive. You can rest assured."
Ling Ling slammed her hand down on the tabletop. An invisible force covered the box from a distance and pressed the metal lid inward. She gave a cold laugh. "Why should I cooperate?"
The middle-aged man didn't even look at the box on the table. He leaned back in his body and pointed at the six players beside him. "With them — is that enough?"
"So reason won't work?" Ling Ling seemed somewhat agitated. Her thumb kept picking at her index fingernail on the table.
"Amazing. When I first arrived, I thought District 001 was all about law and morality," Bubble Bean clapped. "Didn't expect it still comes down to whose fists are bigger."
This attitude clearly meant he was taking Ling Ling's side.
The middle-aged man swept his gaze over the three of them, casually shifted his body to the side, and then his eyes settled on Xu Huo's face. "And what does this gentleman say?"
Xu Huo knew he had an instrument hidden in his sleeve. He smiled slightly. "Yesterday, my companion was accidentally lured into your territory. How do we know you weren't fishing? I've heard that players from outer zones often go missing in District 001, which is why the Enforcement Team has special support regulations... Could this be that kind of situation?"
The middle-aged man's expression didn't change. "Don't conflate the two matters. District 001 enacted corresponding laws precisely to protect players from outer zones passing through, with the aim of attracting more people to settle here. As for the player this lady mentioned, we've already sent people to investigate. As long as he frequents Cat Whisker Fruit Town, traces will surely surface."
"As for the 'fishing' behavior you mentioned... I can invite the Enforcement Team to witness. We genuinely lost an item — we're not causing trouble for no reason. You can also obtain a case report from the Enforcement Team."
With that, he instructed a player to handle the matter.
When it came to this point, refusing to cooperate would be rather tactless.
Xu Huo gave Ling Ling a look. She stopped her nail-picking motion and made a "please" gesture.
"Pardon the intrusion." The middle-aged man opened the metal box. The bee inside wasn't dead yet. The finger-sized little thing circled in the air twice, visiting each person's vicinity but landing on no one, before returning to the box on its own.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man's expression darkened. He said another "apologies" and left with his people.
"Looks like they didn't find the right person." Bubble Bean said coolly.
"Where did you go yesterday?" Xu Huo asked Ling Ling. Ling Ling briefly explained the process. While passing through the Cat Whisker Fruit Town public officials' residential area, she encountered an ambusher. During their fight, she entered the home of an official surnamed Mi. Both she and the ambusher were surrounded, but the other person, relying on not being an instance player, directly used a ticket to escape, while she fell into a tough battle with teleportation instruments restricted.
It was a completely unnecessary conflict, so she immediately chose to explain the situation.
That family was reasonable enough. After verifying her story, they let her go, only arranging for a few people to keep an eye on her.
"Then how did it come to stealing?" Bubble Bean asked. "Didn't they see you enter that room or lose anything when they checked the surveillance yesterday?"
Ling Ling shrugged. "I entered so many rooms while fighting. And there were Cat Whisker Fruits everywhere there. How would I know which one they lost?"
"Anyway, I didn't take anything from there."
"Isn't this a coincidence?" Bubble Bean said. "They just happen to have lost a Cat Whisker Fruit, which fits the instance's clearance requirement. Should we find that Cat Whisker Fruit?"
"The Journey of the Cat Whisker Fruit" — if viewed as a process from loss to return, it could indeed be called a "journey." Besides, this matter didn't seem that simple. That ambushing player clearly had a purpose in choosing their target, entered the residential area, and escaped so quickly — it seemed like deliberately luring outer zone players inside.
"This looks more like fishing," Ling Ling said. "Probably the aim was to draw us in."
"The one who ambushed you was likely targeting that official surnamed Mi specifically," Xu Huo said. "What was lost might not necessarily be the Cat Whisker Fruit."
"That checks out." Bubble Bean snorted. "Such a tiny place and there's still scheming and infighting. The town's so small, yet it has so many officials."
"Haven't you read the materials?" Xu Huo said. "Cat Whisker Fruit Town was once a place of outstanding talent long ago. Before evolution began, several figures who could influence the national structure (geju) came from here. Deep foundations."
"That was nearly two hundred years ago." Bubble Bean was dismissive. "Are we supposed to dig up two-hundred-year-old history to clear the instance now?"
"What I mean is," Xu Huo continued, "the people living in Cat Whisker Fruit Town might not have directly participated in politics, but their descendants, relatives, friends, and disciples might have. These people could give back to the town. Even if not many hold important positions, it's unavoidable that they become part of the political struggle."
Bubble Bean was silent for a second. "This has little to do with our instance."
He really couldn't imagine how political struggle would manifest through a Cat Whisker Fruit.
"Indeed, it's been too long," Xu Huo said leisurely, taking a sip of tea. "Besides, Cat Whisker Fruit Town has developed so poorly. It seems the ancestors' blessings didn't cover a wide enough area. We can skip it."
Bubble Bean gave him a cold look, stood up, and left the restaurant.
Only after Ling Ling had walked out did she ask Xu Huo, "Do you have a grudge?"
"No." Xu Huo set down his teacup.
"Then you're messing with him?" Ling Ling was surprised. "I thought you two teaming up meant you had some friendship."
"Not really. I've just been a bit bored lately. When I see a half-full bottle sloshing around, I feel like tapping it." Xu Huo broke into a smile. "Listen to the sound."