Chapter 2498: Catch Them and Interrogate
Nothing happened for the rest of that day. The long-haired player and his group who had left did not return, and no alarm sirens from the Enforcement Team were heard near the city, indicating they had successfully made their escape.
As for Wen Xin's side, because Xu Huo and the Painting Woman had "suddenly disappeared," the players who had been following them first lingered and moved around the area for a while before heading out of the city.
Watching the characteristic chain grow farther and farther away, Xu Huo paid it no mind. When they couldn't find anyone, they would naturally think of "Deng Xiahei" and turn back.
Ling Ling and the others had set out in the morning. Wen Xin sent a message saying they had been attacked several times in a row on the road, each time more severely than the last. Two players in their group were seriously injured, so they only made it two stops and stopped at Rice Town.
While Wen Xin and the others lay low, they discovered another group of players tracking them. He hired a small player team from the Message Collection Terminal at a high price to test the other group's skills. Their methods were completely different from those who had attacked them before.
Based on their items, characteristic descriptions, and fighting style, they were also not the same group that had previously intercepted Xu Huo and the others.
Xu Huo wasn't sure if the players tracking Old Lady knew that he had met with Wen Xin and the others, but since the previous group had rushed out of the city to chase him, it seemed these few were not from the gambling game.
That was fine, at least it meant the trackers had indeed entered the city, not just waited outside.
By nightfall, Bubble Bean, who had been eating and drinking heavily during the day, felt unusually fatigued. Although he tried to relax his body, the sense of exhaustion lingered.
"This feels a bit like when an Evolution Agent has finished digesting," Bubble Bean muttered to himself. "Maybe it's time to inject a new one."
He grumbled to himself, then took out several Evolution Agents and injected them one by one.
Xu Huo knew that Evolution Agent digestion took a certain amount of time. The higher the absorption rate, the better the evolution. However, as advanced players increased their evolution rate, it became harder to digest agents, and the effects diminished significantly. Generally speaking, after an Evolution Agent was fully digested, the body should feel lighter, not doubly fatigued.
But after injecting the agents, Bubble Bean did look much better. He suggested resting first and taking the late-night watch.
Xu Huo had no objection. Watching him lie down and fall asleep in less than three minutes, he couldn't help but frown.
He called the Painting Woman over, whispered a few words to her, and then began to close his eyes and rest.
At three in the morning, the entire city seemed to have fallen asleep. The only clear sound was the occasional spray of medicinal mist from the streetlights outside.
After another burst of medicinal mist, the white fog lingered for a long time, shrouding the area near the hotel.
Several figures emerged from two directions, met at the hotel entrance, and then went upstairs.
Xu Huo's room door was silently opened, and the group filed in. One masked player first injected a dose of agent into each of the three—Xu Huo, the Painting Woman, and Bubble Bean—before nodding to the young woman behind him.
"These three are done," the young woman said. She was actually the female player who had invited Xu Huo and the Painting Woman to Pharmaceutical City on the train. She spoke to the two players at the door.
"Thank you for this, Miss Yi," said one of the two at the door as they stepped into the room. Looking at Xu Huo lying motionless on the sofa, the one wearing a hat added, "This guy isn't weak. If he hadn't entered Pharmaceutical City, it might have been hard to catch him."
"I'm happy to help Uncle Warren," Miss Yi said with a smile. "It's just that Uncle Warren hasn't had time lately, or I would definitely visit him."
"You're too kind, Miss Yi," the hat-wearing player replied casually. "In a few days, Mr. Warren will have some breathing room."
"We're taking these four away," one of them said, moving to put the nearest Painting Woman into a Container Item. But at that moment, a Spiritual Gate suddenly appeared beneath his feet. Caught off guard, he fell through and quickly disappeared into the gate.
The others in the room immediately turned alertly toward Xu Huo, but in the next second, the seemingly sleeping person also fell into a Spiritual Gate and vanished. Not just him, but the nearby Painting Woman, Bubble Bean, and the Old Lady—all four disappeared one after another.
"Don't let them escape!" The hat-wearing player jumped into the Spiritual Gate before it closed.
Miss Yi didn't intend to meddle in this trouble. As she prepared to leave with her people, she stepped into empty air and tumbled down as well!
Xu Huo's Spiritual Realm coverage wasn't very large—leaving the city was impossible—but it was close to Wen Xin's hotel, so he simply pulled everyone over there.
The group fell like dumplings into Wen Xin's room. Miss Yi and her people thought Xu Huo's group were his companions, while Wen Xin and the others assumed Miss Yi's group were players from the gambling game. Both sides immediately used items against each other upon meeting.
Xu Huo kicked the deeply sleeping Bubble Bean into a corner of the room. Amid the chaos, he also pulled over the other players who had been watching Wen Xin.
That group was indeed on the hat-wearing player's side. Upon arrival, they quickly coordinated with Miss Yi's group to surround Xu Huo and his people. They immediately used items to seal off the room, the floor, and the entire hotel, completely isolating it from the streets outside.
These people were all formidable. With roughly equal numbers, Xu Huo's side fell into a tough battle.
Wen Xin quickly sensed something was wrong. Just as he was about to ask Xu Huo what was happening, he saw him release three armed flying machines. Bullets poured out, firing rapidly at Miss Yi and her group!
"Military armed flying machines!" Miss Yi looked at Xu Huo with a mix of shock and suspicion, her movements slowing by half a beat. In that instant, Wen Xin kicked her out the door.
After taking the hit, Miss Yi wanted to flee without a word, but the Painting Woman, who had been waiting outside, wasn't about to let her off. She threw one detonator after another.
With the explosion, it was impossible to keep the matter confined to one hotel. The Enforcement Team would arrive soon. Seeing that capturing them was hopeless, the hat-wearing player signaled his companions to retreat. But at that moment, the Blockade Barrier inside and outside the hotel suddenly vanished. Then a force swept through the entire street, pulling in smoke, fallen leaves, fluttering curtains, and Miss Yi's group alike, all caught in this frozen Time Power.
Of course, those wearing time-space items could easily break free from the Time Freeze of a Time Item. So while using the "Time Ring," Xu Huo had also tampered with it a bit.
Time Power from another space poured down. Neither Miss Yi nor the hat-wearing player could escape.
Xu Huo looked at these people and said to the Painting Woman beside him, "Catch them and interrogate them properly."
The Painting Woman made as if to pull something from her bag and moved toward Miss Yi. But before she could get close, the restriction of the Time Power suddenly disappeared. The freed individuals immediately used their tickets to escape!