Chapter 2491: Storm Brewing
Although Bubble Bean wanted to return directly to Mao Guo Town, hearing Xu Huo say this, he suppressed his emotions. Based on past experience, Xu Huo generally didn't speak without purpose; if he could say it so definitively, he must have already thought of a backup plan.
"You're still going?" The old lady raised her head, her gaze fixed intently on Xu Huo.
"Yeah." Xu Huo gave her a half-smile. "After all, the Cat Whisker Fruit has already been snatched away. Maybe if we go, we'll run into them. Do you want to come with us?"
At this point, the long-haired player absolutely did not approve of the old lady continuing forward, since there was nothing left for her to do from here on out.
But the old lady was very agitated. She insisted on following Xu Huo and the others, even if it meant being used. She didn't care; she wanted to know who had killed her grandson. She wanted revenge. Even if the gap in strength was vast, she wanted to spit in her enemy's face!
Xu Huo then said to the long-haired player, "She's not a member of the Wan Clan. You can't restrict her freedom."
"Since you've said this matter involves political struggle, the interest groups behind it must be formidable. The Wan Clan still has to survive in Zone 001, after all."
After a pause, he added, "I've looked into this district's information. Although there are no random instances within the district, I've never heard of any Super Player's whereabouts. What's going on?"
Although surprised by the sudden shift in topic, the long-haired player still gave an answer. "The Super Player in our district passed away a year ago."
If a district has a Super Instance, no random instances will be born. Since this district is still running, it means the Super Instance has likely been handed over to the district government or a major power.
These were inside details that couldn't be found on the Message Collection Terminal or in the library. However, the library's records documented the general changes in Zone 001 from the beginning of evolution to the present. A year ago, the district government's ruling council passed a vote to designate large player organizations with over a thousand members as a third-party oversight body.
This so-called third-party oversight meant that such player organizations gained the power to oversee the government's non-classified resolutions. This wasn't just about standing on the sidelines and offering opinions; it meant player organizations could obtain the government's internal documents through official channels.
Taking Zone 014 as an example, although player organizations there had developed well and cooperated with the government, they could never directly participate in government decisions. Only what the government made public was what they were supposed to know.
But after Zone 001 passed this decision, player organizations could, on the grounds of overseeing government work, directly request certain internal documents from the government. Unless the level of confidentiality was high, the government could not refuse. Once they refused, the high-level representatives of the player organizations would stir up internal conflict.
"Because the Super Player died, the government side couldn't suppress those player organizations anymore? That's why there have been frequent personnel changes at all levels of government in Zone 001 recently?" Xu Huo paused. "The whereabouts and life-or-death status of a Super Player should be top secret. Zone 001 hasn't made this public either."
He suspected the long-haired player's intention in revealing this information.
"It hasn't been made public yet. They've stalled for a year, but quite a few players already know." The long-haired player said, "This is also part of the political struggle. The district government wants to keep it secret, but some people, in order to redistribute power, are willing to risk the entire district."
"Soon, Zone 001 will face a storm."
Xu Huo narrowed his eyes. "At a time like this, the Wan Clan can still spare people to escort others. Are you involved in this?"
"We have nothing to do with this matter." The long-haired player implied that the old lady's grandson's death was unrelated to them. "Mao Guo Town is remote after all, and no one from the Wan Clan is in the higher-level government. Our information is outdated."
In other words, they had only caught a whiff of the news. After all, the Super Player had been dead for a year, and various factions vying to redistribute the spoils would inevitably let some information leak out. But it was only that much—a vague rumor. As for the specific details, down to the struggles among minor figures, they were very slow to catch on.
"I heard that one of the council candidates has some connection with your Wan Clan?" Xu Huo pressed on.
"Hardly a connection," the long-haired player said. "It's just that when he was young, he came to Mao Guo Town once and had an in-depth conversation with a member of the Wan Clan. At the time, he probably wanted to use the Wan Clan to add a bit of luster to his resume. In the many years since, there's been no contact. Now that he's become a hot candidate, the major media have seized the main news channels. Those fringe media, just to get a scrap, have dug up news from twenty or thirty years ago to hype up."
Xu Huo had previously seen some news about that council candidate, but only a general overview. He remembered his appearance, age, and the achievements he had made in his previous positions—this was a special feature put together by the media, which didn't even mention the Wan Clan. It was clear that the relationship between the two sides was nothing more than the media's wishful thinking.
"There are quite a few players coming from around the Wan Clan's area." He confirmed. "If it were just baseless rumors, the Wan Clan shouldn't be receiving this level of attention."
Among the Wan Clan members, the one closest to the core of power was that secretary, but even he was only in the higher-level city government, still a world away from the district government.
Far from the center of power and living in a small town, even if the district government were blown up, it wouldn't implicate them. This hot council candidate was still just a candidate; tracing back to the source wasn't yet necessary.
The long-haired player frowned but didn't continue this topic. Instead, he said, "Among the Wan Clan living in Mao Guo Town, there are only a few who truly carry the Wan Clan bloodline."
Although the adopted children all bore the surname Wan, unlike other races with blood ties, they had a clear sense of self and didn't have the mindset of dedicating everything to the family's power. So they wouldn't actively participate in power struggles, nor could they play any significant role in them.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence." The long-haired player's voice was slightly lower, as if talking to himself.
Xu Huo glanced at him. Alright, it seemed the Wan Clan themselves were only half-informed. They said they weren't involved, and they really weren't.
"Don't you have relatives in Cat Eye City?" Bubble Bean suddenly asked. "Since they're friends and family, could it be that they did something that got you all targeted as well?"
"A hundred years of blood dilution means the people in Cat Eye City are only distant relatives." Xu Huo answered on his behalf. They weren't even distant relatives, because the branch of the Wan Clan that moved out of Cat Eye City only had a few cousins at the time. Most of those cousins had already died, and their descendants had either passed away or, if their children continued the line, the relationship was even more distant. They never saw each other normally, only sending a polite notification for major holidays.
"Distant relatives are still relatives," Bubble Bean said. "As long as the trouble is big enough, forget distant relatives—even the neighbor's dog can be a witness."