Chapter 2729: One Hundred and Twenty-Three People
Xu Huo did not make an immediate decision. He had Mr. Dong accept the gifts and politely saw them off.
The messengers, having completed their task, visibly relaxed. Finally, they handed over an invitation, stating that the Vilna Family was willing to mediate and, on behalf of the Herta Family, invited him to a banquet—a gesture to let bygones be bygones.
Xu Huo glanced at the invitation. The venue was not a noble's family estate but a hotel.
"Alright," he said with a faint smile. "Tell the Vilna and Herta families that I will definitely be there."
The group hurried away as quickly as they had come.
"Sir, do you need a formal suit for the banquet?" Mr. Dong asked.
"A Hongmen Banquet—what need is there for formal wear?" Xu Huo tossed the invitation aside casually.
"Shouldn't one dress more imposingly for a Hongmen Banquet?" Mr. Dong countered.
Xu Huo chuckled. "What do you think counts as imposing?"
Mr. Dong mentioned that He Pu had a custom-made formal suit that would not look out of place in any setting and also had defensive capabilities.
He quickly retrieved the suit. Xu Huo looked at the excessively layered, overly formal outfit. "It's not that cold yet. Wouldn't wearing this make me look intellectually deficient?"
Mr. Dong's brow furrowed slightly. He simplified the outfit, leaving only the jacket. "Sir is a man of few formalities. What you wear underneath doesn't matter."
"Using He Pu's clothes for a banquet would be overestimating those people. Do you have something simpler?" Xu Huo asked.
Mr. Dong stared at him for a moment, then regretfully pushed the clothing rack away. He returned shortly after, this time with a casual set—also custom-made with defensive properties, but only B-grade.
"He Pu has quite a lot of clothes," Xu Huo remarked, glancing at the brand-new outfit. "Do you usually keep them in your room?"
Mr. Dong did not want to answer that question. He set the clothes down and said, "I'll go get the afternoon tea."
Xu Huo paid it no mind. Instead, he contacted Lady Lily and Roy Clemens, asking them to look into Karg Herta's movements.
Lady Lily, who already disliked the Herta Family and had a good relationship with Rose Castle, naturally did not refuse such a small favor. As for Roy Clemens, after the previous day's experience, he did not agree outright but probed Xu Huo's intentions instead.
"Think it over," Xu Huo said, not revealing his plans. "I don't have many friends in District 011, so I have to trouble you."
Roy let out a dry laugh, leaving his answer ambiguous.
Xu Huo was not particularly concerned. He could find Karg Herta anytime.
That evening, he tried contacting Huahan Werner again. After getting no response, he turned in early.
The next day, he gave brief instructions to Mr. Dong, Dr. Deng, and Meng Cun before heading to the bustling area of Base City for the banquet.
Songtao Hotel was a well-known local establishment in Base City, but it was not owned by the Vilna Family. Instead, it belonged to a mid-tier noble family allied with the Herta Family. When Xu Huo arrived, a waiter was already waiting at the entrance and immediately led him to the top floor.
The hotel was resplendent, radiating an atmosphere of decadent luxury. Floors forty-four through forty-six were fully occupied, with male and female players seated in the restaurant—all unfamiliar faces.
The entire forty-seventh floor housed only one room. A massive round table dominated most of the space, with over a dozen people already seated around it—young and old, not entirely unfamiliar. A few had been seen at the charity gala.
As Xu Huo entered, everyone turned to look at him, their gazes appraising. Not a single person stood up. After he paused and remained silent, a young player seated near the door finally rose and said, "Mr. Xu, you're a bit late. The dishes have already been ordered. I hope they suit your taste."
Xu Huo ignored him. He chose an empty seat and sat down. After scanning the people around the table, he asked, "Karg Herta isn't here?"
The same young man spoke again. "Young Master Karg is busy and couldn't make it to such a banquet."
Xu Huo did not get angry. He nodded slightly and said, "I was waiting for an apology from the Herta Family. Who here represents them today?"
An elderly man across from him smiled warmly. "Young people have hot tempers. A few sharp words exchanged in anger mean nothing. Mr. Xu is someone the Vilna Family values, and a fellow citizen of District 011. Why not let bygones be bygones?"
The man raised his teacup.
Xu Huo stared at him until the hand holding the teacup tightened and the man's expression began to change. Then Xu Huo let out a light laugh. "If I drink this tea today, won't I be bowing and scraping for the rest of my time in District 011?"
"Have Karg Herta come here, brew tea, and apologize to me. Otherwise," he leaned back slightly in his chair, speaking with casual indifference, "every single one of the one hundred and twenty-three players on this floor and the floors below will die."
The people who had seemed glued to their chairs shot up in unison. The elderly Herta Family member crushed his teacup and roared, "You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"
"What are you standing for? Sit back down!" Xu Huo barked. The dozen or so people around the table immediately sat back down, their faces shifting dramatically. Ignoring their changing expressions, he tapped the table. Spatial power instantly coalesced into a super spatial body belt, blocking attacks from all directions. Then the barrier formed by the super spatial body belt pushed outward and collapsed, unleashing a massive amount of energy that exploded across the forty-seventh floor, blowing off the entire floor and the roof above it. Of the dozen people seated there, only two survived by using props.
Wind howled across the top floor, sweeping away the debris from the explosion. The two survivors were also flung into the air. As the elderly man flew out of the building, he still managed to shout, "Block his props! Close-quarters assault! His time power can't be too close to him!"
Before he finished speaking, dozens of players from the floor below soared into the air. A small-scale Non-Game Area Simulator activated, rendering props unusable. The dozens of players coordinated attacks using instruments, instantly surrounding Xu Huo.
Xu Huo had maintained a super spatial body belt barrier around himself. He stood up from the crumbling floor, sliced apart the nearest players from a distance, then turned to the side of the building, pulling the two who had been flung out back. Watching the Herta Family members being caught by other players in panic, he said, "I said I would kill all one hundred and twenty-three of you. Not one less."
With that, the massacre began. The sealed game did not restrict Xu Huo but severely limited the combat power of the District 011 players. By the time they realized this, they had no time to turn off the instrument.
Those old bastards had indeed thoroughly figured out Xu Huo's time evolution. Even though he could draw on time power, without precise control, he had to keep his distance from it to avoid being affected himself...
But the venue was too large. Time power could cover part of it, space power could cover another part, and for the area around him, once he unleashed his spiritual realm, killing them was far too easy.
In a matter of seconds, over one hundred and twenty people on the upper and lower floors were killed with almost no resistance.
"One got away?" Xu Huo looked toward the lower right corner. A player had jumped off the building, escaping the sealed area and fleeing into the station.