Chapter 2517: Such Black Hearts
"Did the super player of Zone 001 pass away without properly handing things over?" Xu Huo now knew that one requirement to become a super player was to possess a super instance. Of course, having a super instance didn't necessarily make one a super player, but properly preserving the super instance could keep Zone 001 free from random instances, which was also crucial for Zone 001.
The fact that Zone 001 hadn't seen major unrest and no random instances had appeared meant the super instance had likely been handed over and was still active somewhere in the district.
So what was the deal with the relic area?
"A super player's relics are hard for ordinary people to imagine," Mr. Warren said. "In short, after the gentleman passed away, a relic area formed. Instances or items could be the cause. We sent elite players in to retrieve these things."
"Unexpectedly, someone took advantage of the loophole."
That was too lightly put. This wasn't just someone exploiting a loophole—it was someone deliberately choosing the moment after the super player's death to use the relics to lure Zone 001's top players and trap them.
Those capable of handling a super player's relics would undoubtedly be Zone 001's most elite and powerful A-rank players. The district government might even have hoped one of them would become the next super player.
"As far as I know, the super player of Zone 001 wasn't a Temporal Super Evolver," Xu Huo said.
According to what he said, if the relic area involved time power, it was most likely caused by items or instruments. Whether items or instruments, anything involving time power was rare in the game. For example, the items Xu Huo had obtained, though they could use time power, had severe limitations—even inferior to the Water Cube.
Of course, the Water Cube was an exception; its chaotic space-time power far exceeded Xu Huo's previous knowledge and understanding. But something like that, in a district like Zone 001, would certainly have been studied. If jamming devices of the same level were useless, what was the point of sending so many players in?
Warren wasn't telling the truth.
"We only discovered the problem with the relic area after people went missing one after another," Warren explained. "Unfortunately, it was too late."
He looked at Xu Huo. "If you refuse, that's fine. I'll arrange for someone to take you back to Mao Guo Town and guarantee not to interfere with your clearance."
"So no matter what, I won't be able to meet the Wan family?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.
Warren nodded. "This matter is already settled."
Whether Xu Huo was willing to help or not, even if he successfully brought out the players trapped in the relic area, Zone 001's political struggle was inevitable. In this room, this building, this district government, most people had already written their endings.
The struggle between districts couldn't be changed by one person or a few.
Then there was nothing left to discuss.
Xu Huo stood up to leave.
"Won't you reconsider?" Bubble Bean couldn't help saying. "Those are a super player's relics..."
"No matter how good the thing is, you need to live to claim it." Xu Huo's expression darkened.
Warren and his people had already decided to fight to the death with the outer zone forces. At this point, nothing could stop their conviction. If the Wan family's fate was death, then they couldn't survive. Agreeing to see him was only out of consideration for his time power, hoping to win over the players trapped in the relic area.
Before this, they had already prepared to sacrifice even those people. How could they allow a Temporal Evolver to approach the Wan family?
The only deal they could offer was to let Xu Huo enter the relic area and keep any relics he found... Even on this basis, Warren hadn't told the truth. What did he mean by "sending people in without thorough investigation"? Did the district government really know nothing about whether Zone 001's super player had special time-related instruments or items?
Moreover, the entrance was blocked by outer zone players. Could the district government people get in or not? Hadn't the outer zone players entered the relic area?
"No need to see us out." Xu Huo stopped the player who had led them in earlier.
"It's better to see you out," Warren said. "Once you leave the district government, you'll inevitably be targeted. If you leave alone, you might not even make it out of the United Capital."
Xu Huo, hearing this statement that sounded like both a reminder and a threat, glanced back at him but still refused the "kindness" of being escorted. He led Painting Woman and Bubble Bean out.
Bubble Bean hadn't fully processed the shocking news, but he understood Warren's meaning. "Why not let them escort us? The United Capital is so chaotic now. If the outer zone forces target us, we'll never have peace."
He had already prepared for the worst—being stranded in Zone 00. But clearly, no matter which side won, whoever eventually took over Zone 001 might settle scores later. Hadn't they already dug up Xu Huo's identity? How would they live in Zone 001 afterward?
"Might as well go back to Mao Guo Town and see if there's another way to clear the instance."
"Aren't you afraid he'll directly send you into the relic area?" Xu Huo asked.
Bubble Bean realized and said resentfully, "Really can't outplay politicians. Their hearts are even blacker."
Leaving the United Capital was temporarily impossible. Staying here was actually the safest for now. The major chaos wouldn't erupt until the Wan family's bodies appeared or the election ended. Only then could they leave.
"So where do we go now?" Bubble Bean asked.
"Follow the parade," Xu Huo said. "Find a place near the district government..."
Before he finished speaking, he felt the ground beneath his feet change. The next second, he was suspended in midair, falling straight down.
Falling with him were Painting Woman and Bubble Bean, because a massive spatial passage had inexplicably appeared beneath their feet. The passage glowed with white light, and its destination was unknown!
As the three fell in, just as they were submerged, several black threads shot out from the passage, rapidly connecting to the surrounding trees and decorations. But they held steady for only a moment before these Spiritual Power materializations were severed by several cold beams of light. The player who had led them appeared in the sky, looking down expressionlessly at the spatial passage.
The white light quickly faded, and the passage closed. The leading player returned to Warren's residence as if nothing had happened.
"Those bastards really have black hearts..." Bubble Bean cursed even as he fell at high speed. Fortunately, items became usable after descending. He barely managed to stabilize himself with a parachute item. Looking up, he saw a robot fly out from Xu Huo's side, carrying him and Painting Woman as they descended steadily toward the ground.
Looking down, the ground was a hazy gray. Huge cold winds surged up from below, tossing the parachute wildly and slowing the robot. After a long while, they finally landed safely in a forest of steel.