Chapter 2492: Renzhi Pharmaceutical City
The long-haired player looked up at him. "What you said makes sense. I'll have my family keep an eye on the Cat's Eye City situation."
"Aren't you leaving?" Bubble Bean looked at him strangely. "The Cat Whisker Fruit has been snatched away, and you still want to escort the old lady to find that restaurant manager?"
The long-haired player, however, said, "Not going back is the best choice for us."
Regardless of whether they were involved or not, staying put and making no moves was the safest option.
That way, their situation wouldn't change much.
"How are the two players who disguised us doing?" Xu Huo asked. "Is anyone following them?"
The long-haired player signaled to another person beside him. That Wan Clan member contacted their companion through the Under Dimension and replied after a moment, "The people who were following you earlier haven't left. But since they're on the train and deliberately delayed their departure by half a day, they haven't been attacked so far."
From this, it was clear that the people hindering players from clearing instances and the group that kidnapped the bookstore owner were vastly different in capability.
"The train is about to arrive," the long-haired player reminded them. "It might be difficult to change our appearances and go back now."
"We'll figure it out when we arrive," Xu Huo said, still in the mood to enjoy the scenery outside the window. "Anyway, there's no rush to clear the instance. Waiting two or three days before going back to check will be fine."
The old lady sitting across from him had a slight change in expression, but quickly returned to her previous wooden state.
Thirty minutes later, the train arrived at the station.
After getting off, Bubble Bean observed for a moment before saying, "Are those players some kind of fixed NPCs? Do they only appear in Wind Apricot City? They won't follow us outside of Wind Apricot City?"
"Isn't it simple?" Xu Huo said calmly. "Because we've stepped out of their control range."
Two consecutive local governments had remained silent, which already marked a fairly large sphere of influence. If this station didn't work, the next station should fall into another sphere of influence.
"Renzhi Pharmaceutical City," Bubble Bean said. "This city is quite big. Looks like that woman has quite a bit of family wealth."
On the way to this district, they had met a player who gave them a business card for Renzhi Pharmaceutical. They arrived at the same station and went their separate ways after getting off.
"A powerful dragon can't crush a local snake. Why don't we go find that young lady and ask about the situation?" Bubble Bean suggested. "Maybe she can even provide us with some convenience."
The scent of medicine and the warm lamps filled the entire city, making it feel cozy. The smell wasn't unpleasant, but it was still somewhat uncomfortable. Suddenly moving from a place with fresh air to this environment felt like being punched in the nose.
The locals, however, were quite accustomed to it.
The city's systems were well-developed. Flying surveillance and monitors installed inside and outside surrounding shops and residences covered public spaces almost without blind spots. Although Xu Huo and the others had changed their appearances and clothes again, they still moved cautiously after entering the city.
Since it was a city developed around the pharmaceutical industry, most of the city was naturally occupied by factories. Of course, aside from technical personnel, the pharmaceutical factories didn't need that many workers. However, promotional ads for "origin-place discounts" could be seen on the streets from time to time, clearly using drug discounts to attract residents.
Xu Huo stood outside a pharmacy, carefully reading the content on the electronic flyer.
"Renzhi Pharmaceutical has made significant achievements in genetic diseases. High-purity evolution agents and some treatments for terminal illnesses are also well-developed. Their drugs not only hold a considerable share in Zone 001 but also do good business with other districts."
At that moment, a staff member walked out of the shop. "Do you need anything, sirs? The store has just stocked high-purity evolution agents with a variety of flavors. They're safe, have no side effects, and have good absorption rates. Why not come in and take a look?"
Xu Huo followed her inside.
All the drugs in the store were covered by defense barriers. Small flying robots moved back and forth to fetch medications, and there were also single-dose trial drugs available.
"Drugs can be tested too?" Bubble Bean leaned against the sealed counter. "Give me two to try."
The staff member said attentively, "Unless they are health supplements, other drugs, including evolution agents, cannot be tested casually. If you need to try them, we would need to do a simple test to ensure the agent is absolutely safe for you."
"And if I don't test?"
"Then of course you don't need the test," the staff member said with a smile. "You can purchase directly."
Bubble Bean nodded. "I see. Once you walk out the door, it's none of your business anymore."
The staff member maintained her smile.
"After all, they're drugs. If something goes wrong during a trial, the store would have to take responsibility," Xu Huo said, pointing his chin at the trial samples. "Aren't you going to try?"
"I was just joking," Bubble Bean said. Why would he let a drugstore run tests on him? "If there's nothing to buy, let's hurry up."
Xu Huo bought some treatment drugs, especially those for diseases.
Seeing that he was genuinely shopping, Bubble Bean couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why are you buying these?"
The items players bought from the bounty platform were not only better in quality but also higher in level. Why go through all this trouble?
Xu Huo pointed outside.
Bubble Bean turned around suspiciously. "What?"
"Origin-place discount," Xu Huo said. "It's a good deal."
Bubble Bean was momentarily speechless, but the store staff was delighted and quickly began introducing other products to him.
Some of the more attractive items were therapeutic devices.
In technologically advanced districts, ultra-miniature medical machines had become widespread. Some surgeries could be completed using only ultra-miniature devices, and sometimes, for emergency trauma treatment, medical robots were even more efficient than experienced doctors.
"Nowadays, ultra-miniature devices are not only used for treating diseases," the staff member said, pointing to an observation instrument. "This cell robot can also be placed inside the body as a health maintenance product. It flows through the blood vessels to monitor blood health data with higher accuracy and won't put any burden on the body. Using it, you almost don't have to worry about various blood and vascular problems caused by aging. It's an essential household item."
What the staff member wanted them to look at wasn't the observation instrument itself, but a small box placed under it. Inside the box was the prototype of a cell robot, with an enlarged version next to it. It looked like a round ball with arms and legs attached, though the two pairs of limbs could be fully retracted into the ball.
"Would you like to try it, sir?" the staff member enthusiastically recommended.
"No, thank you," Xu Huo declined her offer and instead asked, "Do you have a positioning device of this size?"
"We don't sell specialized positioning devices here," the staff member said. "If you go a bit further ahead, there's a military equipment exchange. You can buy all kinds of new weapons there."
Xu Huo nodded and paid for the items he had just selected.
"You're actually planning to buy weapons?" Bubble Bean couldn't understand.