Chapter 2486: We Are Negotiating
The conversation with the Wan Clan was very brief, with no time wasted explaining the ins and outs of the matter. They only gave the address and asked the Wan Clan to arrange for more people and items to come over, as they had a need for them.
However, even at this point, the two of them did not reveal any information related to the old lady.
As they said, they were merely following the family's arrangements. They did not know the details of how the old lady and the head of the family had discussed things.
After confirming the Wan Clan's stance, Xu Huo went to find the old lady, wanting to hear some truth.
The old lady looked at him blankly for two seconds before saying, "Are you saying the boss's child has been kidnapped?"
"Then we need to report this to the Enforcement Team immediately!"
Xu Huo watched her bustle about for a moment before saying, "Do you think the missing boss is alive or dead?"
The old lady's hand, which was pressing the communicator, stopped, and then her face slowly turned pale.
"I won't hide this from you: we are already under surveillance. Someone has mobilized the city's monitoring systems, from the moment we entered the boss's residence to now, at this hotel—they haven't left." Xu Huo said seriously, "I won't press you on exactly what incident you've been dragged into, but at least give me some preparation."
The old lady turned back to look at him, then suddenly shouted the names of the two Wan Clan members. When they came over, she pointed at Xu Huo and said, "He's in league with the people who kidnapped the boss! Kick him out!"
The two Wan Clan members' expressions changed drastically. They immediately shielded the old lady behind them and used a barrier to separate Xu Huo.
Xu Huo sat still in place, looking at the old lady, and said, "I need to clear the instance. I'm definitely going to see this trip through to the end with you. I know you got off at every stop to cover up the search for the boss. Now that the boss's disappearance is out in the open, and we're all under surveillance, how are you going to deliver the Cat Whisker Fruit?"
"Is there another target person?"
"It seems there is... If you can't find the person, do you already have a final plan?"
"It seems there isn't... Then, is the Cat Whisker Fruit the token for this trip? Are there other items that need to be handed over to the bookstore owner?"
"So the real purpose is just to deliver the Cat Whisker Fruit. Then the Cat Whisker Fruit itself must have some special significance. What significance? Does it contain recorded information? Or is something hidden inside it?"
"With so many Cat Whisker Fruits, it's impossible for all of them to be useful. How many are useful?"
"Three? Two? One?"
"One... Is the information recorded in the carving on the pit?"
By the time the questions reached this point, some basic information had become clear.
Although the old lady tried her best to control herself, under emotional fluctuation, it was hard for her to hide it well. So as Xu Huo asked his questions, her reactions changed accordingly.
"You don't have the Cat Whistle Fruit on you. Carrying it on you would be too obvious. It seems it's mixed in with the basket." Xu Huo brought the basket over. "When I gave the robot the Cat Whistle Fruit earlier, I deliberately fished around in the basket. I could see you were very nervous, so it's placed in here."
Seeing this, the old lady could no longer hold back and tried to rush over to grab her things, but the two Wan Clan members stopped her. They wanted to act on her behalf, but the defensive barrier released from Xu Huo pushed them back. Then the Painting Woman took their place. The paper notebooks prepared for the guests in the room instantly scattered, with hundreds of sheets flying around the room, cornering them.
"Calm down," Xu Huo said. "We're on the same side."
The Spiritual Power materialization flowed from beneath his feet, splitting into thin threads that lifted each Cat Whistle Fruit. The machine-carved ones were eliminated first, leaving only about twenty hand-carved ones.
His gaze fixed on the old lady, he continued, "Although your craftsmanship is exquisite, and every pit carving is perfect, that one unique pit carving mixed in is very inconspicuous. But because it wasn't made by you, there's a slight difference."
The old lady unconsciously tensed up, indicating that Xu Huo had guessed correctly.
In fact, he had observed these Cat Whistle Fruits along the way, but unfortunately, he couldn't tell any obvious difference from the carving content, technique, or the fruit's shell.
"I don't want to waste time guessing either." He stood up and walked to the edge of the defensive barrier, warning the two Wan Clan members, "Don't make a move. If you do, I can't guarantee these Cat Whistle Fruits will remain intact."
"Don't!" The old lady's cry came faster than the two Wan Clan members'. She pushed them aside and came to the front of the defensive barrier, trying her best to stay calm. "Give me back the Cat Whistle Fruit!"
Xu Huo sighed. "I'm not an unreasonable person. Just tell me which Cat Whistle Fruit is useful."
Tears welled up in the old lady's eyes, but she refused to relent.
To end things quickly, Xu Huo crushed two of them.
Seeing the Cat Whistle Fruits burst open, the old lady let out a scream, her expression turning fierce. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! You outsiders are worse than pigs and dogs!"
Xu Huo's expression remained unchanged. He held up three Cat Whistle Fruits in front of her. "Take a good look. Three, two, one... Good."
With a few cracking sounds, these three Cat Whistle Fruits were also crushed.
Then another batch of Cat Whistle Fruits was raised.
The old lady didn't even have time to curse him. Her eyes quickly searched among the Cat Whistle Fruits. Once again, all the Cat Whistle Fruits were shattered. When the third batch was underway, the arriving Wan Clan members interrupted everything.
A long-haired male player stood behind the old lady, scrutinizing Xu Huo. "Treating an elderly person like this isn't very kind."
As he spoke, five more players appeared in different positions in the room.
It was then that the old lady and the two Wan Clan escorts came to their senses, realizing they were still in the same positions as when they first entered the room. Their expressions changed drastically.
Seeing the more than twenty Cat Whistle Fruits that had been singled out neatly placed on the coffee table, the old lady lunged forward, gathered all the Cat Whistle Fruits into her arms, and glared hatefully at Xu Huo.
"It was that easy for me to find out what you're protecting. Give me a little more time, and everything stored in your head can be completely extracted," Xu Huo said calmly. "And this is still a relatively gentle method."
"You showed your face at the bookstore owner's house. Soon, someone will know that this trip was initiated by you. Do you think the people who kidnapped the boss would let you keep your secret?"
"You don't trust me, but can you trust the Wan Clan?"
Ignoring the gazes of the several Wan Clan members, he continued, "I'm not saying the Wan Clan members have been bought off, but are all these people who came really all from the Wan Clan?"
"Friend, sowing discord right in front of us is very rude!" The long-haired player's expression turned cold.
Xu Huo tapped the "Time Ring" on his finger. "We are negotiating now. Use words, not force."
The long-haired player's gaze lingered on the ring for a moment before he said, "You changed your appearance three times along the way. You could also be someone impersonating him, and it's possible you were never a real clearance player from the start."