Chapter 2490: The Cause of the Incident
"Just give her the injection," the Painting Woman suddenly suggested. "One shot and she'll say everything."
Bubble Bean sneered and pushed aside the Long-Haired Female Player's hand. "What are you pretending to be a good person for? Are your companions' lives worth nothing? An injection won't kill her! If you're too concerned about your image, I'll do it myself!"
The fact that their companion had died caught up in political struggle would bring unknown trouble to the Wan Clan. Though they sympathized with the old woman, the lives of their companions came first. The Long-Haired Female Player no longer hesitated and pulled out an injection as they boarded a passing special line train.
"No need." The Old Lady slumped in defeat. "I'll tell you everything."
The train car was isolated by the effect of a prop. Xu Huo and the others gathered around the Old Lady as she recounted the entire sequence of events.
It started half a month ago. One night, the Old Lady's grandson, who worked in another city, suddenly rushed home in a hurry. Since Mao Guo Town had no nightlife, no one saw him return. He only stayed for a few minutes, handing her a Cat Whisker Fruit and instructing her to deliver it to the bookstore owner. If she couldn't find the bookstore owner, she should give it to the manager of another restaurant.
The Cat Whisker Fruit itself wasn't important—what mattered was the symbol carved into its core. The Old Lady had some knowledge of it and roughly recognized it as an ancient and obscure script. However, lacking reference materials and unable to investigate openly, she scrambled the order and created many identical Cat Whisker Fruits, using a machine to mass-produce them as camouflage to fulfill her grandson's request.
After receiving news of his death, she went to see his body and then returned home.
In District 001, there were two types of funeral arrangements: family-managed or government-managed. If the family didn't want to handle it, they could sign a consent form and let the local government take care of it, with expenses reimbursed by the deceased's company or the government.
The Old Lady's grandson worked at a robot repair factory. The boss expressed regret and offered to cover all expenses, provide her with compensation, and even arrange better housing for her if needed, promising to take good care of her.
The Old Lady didn't shed a single tear in front of her grandson's body. She took the money, returned to Mao Guo Town, and worked day and night to produce Cat Whisker Fruits. To avoid arousing suspicion, she still maintained her habit of going up the mountain every two days to pick Cat Whisker Fruits.
Two days before she set out, her robot's records showed that a player, disguised, had entered "Small Object Carving" multiple times. The robot had been modified by her grandson with anti-theft programs and recognized the player's shoes.
The Old Lady didn't know if that person was after the Cat Whisker Fruit, so before leaving, she went to the Wan Clan and asked for two people to help.
But since she didn't trust the Wan Clan either, she didn't entrust them with the task directly and insisted on delivering the item herself.
"I only trust myself. Even if it's slower or later, I have to deliver it myself." The Old Lady wiped her tears. "It seems I can't do it anymore..."
Her account didn't mention anything about her grandson's work. When Bubble Bean pressed for details, she said that before this, she only knew her grandson had a stable job with decent pay and a smooth life. They were from a small town, working in carving and robot repair—who would think someone like that would get involved with politicians?
"Did he ever mention anything to you?" Xu Huo asked. "I noticed you have quite a strong opinion of Outer Zone Players."
When he used his spiritual power, he sensed that the Old Lady had no goodwill toward Outer Zone Players. This attitude might stem from her age and experiences, forming a stereotype, but it could also influence her family.
"I hate Outer Zone Players." The Old Lady didn't look at him, her eyes fixed on the patterns on the train car. "All my children died because they were caught up in attacks by Outer Zone Players."
The group fell silent for a moment. Xu Huo continued, "Your attitude would have affected your grandson. Didn't he ever say anything to you about it?"
In District 001's political arena, Outer Zone Players were indispensable. Even if they didn't hold key positions, they were certainly a force to be reckoned with.
"What do you mean?" The Old Lady's voice turned sharp. "Are you saying I caused his death?!"
"Think carefully. You two depended on each other—he must have shown some attitude." Xu Huo avoided her question.
The Old Lady deflated and focused on recalling. After a moment, she shook her head. "He was different from me. He didn't hate you. When I said angry words before, he often advised me, saying not every Outer Zone Player is a bad person."
Xu Huo turned to the Long-Haired Female Player. "Can your Wan Clan move a little faster?"
The Long-Haired Female Player frowned. "It's been so long. Even if there were clues, they've probably been wiped clean."
Besides, the Old Lady's grandson was already dead. After getting involved in political struggles, the people around him would have been investigated and cleaned up. How could they easily get anything useful?
"Truth serum is a good thing," Xu Huo said.
The Long-Haired Female Player didn't respond, but another Wan Clan member beside her spoke up: "Acting without principles—that's not the Wan Clan way."
"Stubborn!" Bubble Bean retorted. "If someone locked up all your Wan Clan members and killed them one by one, I wonder if you'd still have any damn principles!"
He then glared fiercely at the Old Lady. "You haven't finished telling us everything! Which restaurant's manager? What's their name? Where's the thing you were supposed to deliver?"
"Someone was waiting for me in Fengxing City. The person waiting for the Cat Whisker Fruit has probably been caught." The Old Lady's voice was low. She tossed a Cat Whisker Fruit onto the table. "Take it. It's useless now."
An unpainted Cat Whisker Fruit rolled across the table toward Xu Huo. Before he could reach for it, Bubble Bean eagerly grabbed it. Just as he was rejoicing, the Cat Whisker Fruit vanished from his hand!
He shot up and disappeared from the train.
Xu Huo and the Long-Haired Female Player followed, but they couldn't tell who had taken it.
Players had been following the special line all along. It could have been any one of them who snatched the Cat Whisker Fruit. As for where it went—since that was their goal, they must have left immediately after getting it.
"Damn it!" Bubble Bean cursed as he returned. Back on the train, he said, "Great, three days wasted. Let's turn back!"
"Not so fast." Xu Huo tapped his fingers on the table. "Since we're already involved, it'll be hard to extricate ourselves. Instead of waiting for the next move, let's take the initiative. At the very least, we should go check out that restaurant."