Chapter 2761: Two-Way Rush
Players with higher evolution rates are often more perceptive. Even without secondary evolution, they can still sense temporal-spatial power, though they cannot make accurate judgments.
This is an ability brought by evolution.
Similarly, secondary evolution also enhances a player's perceptiveness, especially for Mental Evolution. Although this woman named Redstone wore a prop, Xu Huo could still feel the strength of her mental power, which was inconsistent with her small, somewhat dispirited appearance.
This was a powerhouse.
"Hello." Redstone briefly greeted the players present before distributing a plan. Xu Huo and the others' task was to invade Punishment City from different directions. Their main goal was to destroy the instruments installed there, especially those that restricted Space props, and then to hold off Punishment City's personnel, giving Redstone's people enough time to handle their affairs.
"How many people did you bring?" Lei Xiaohe, the player who had previously persuaded Xu Huo to join the operation, asked.
"You don't need to know that," Redstone said. "Your main tasks are only these two. We'll handle the rest."
"Then who are you trying to rescue?" another player asked.
"You don't need to know that either," Redstone repeated.
"Won't say anything—who knows if this is a trap," someone else said. "You 022 District people like to toy with Outer Zone players."
Redstone placed a box on the table. When she opened the lid, over twenty props were stacked inside. "You can each take one as a down payment. They're not the best props, but more than enough to make your trip worthwhile."
"Taking the props in advance—whether you leave for Punishment City immediately or just show up briefly—the value of one prop is enough."
"But if you cooperate well with my operation, you can settle for several more props afterward."
"The settlement props have already been placed in a fixed location. Once you get the key, you can pick them up yourselves without any interference."
As she spoke, she displayed a key. The triangular key represented a public storage locker. Such lockers were special facilities guaranteed by the District Government for storing valuable items. They had their own operational trajectory and wouldn't be fixed in one place. No matter where a person was in the city, as long as the key was successfully activated, the items in the locker would be delivered by flying robots.
This kind of locker was very difficult to tamper with.
A cautious player verified the key's authenticity and nodded to the others.
"Those who don't want to participate can leave now," Redstone added.
After a few seconds of silence, a player stepped forward, reached into the box, and took a prop. As soon as the item was in hand, their expression relaxed slightly.
Xu Huo also took one.
It was a B-grade prop. Although not very practical, its quality was there. Such props would be sought after by some Low-Level Players or ordinary people, and the price wouldn't be cheap.
"Really throwing money around—aren't you afraid we'll just take the props and run?" someone muttered.
Of course, that possibility couldn't be ruled out, but wasn't there still the final payment? The final payment would surely motivate action.
The planned operation was set for two nights later. After Redstone roughly outlined Xu Huo's area, she left. Xu Huo, Lei Xiaohe, and the other fifteen players stayed in the hotel to rest.
Some were excited, while others were worried. Xu Huo sat in a corner with his eyes closed, resting. Only after Lei Xiaohe had paced around in front of him several times did he speak: "Something on your mind?"
"Isn't it just that I think they're being a bit too generous?" Lei Xiaohe plopped down next to him. "Even if it's just to cause trouble, what if 022 District figures out our identities? Getting turned into a Wanted Criminal probably won't make it easy to clear the game."
"More than that," Xu Huo said with a smile. "If we can't clear the game, we'll be stranded here. Getting caught means being locked up in Punishment City."
"Spit, spit, spit!" Lei Xiaohe quickly said. "Don't say such unlucky things."
"Didn't you know this before you agreed?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I knew. I'm just a bit anxious," Lei Xiaohe said, scratching his hair. "I've always had poor mental fortitude, so I never gamble. But this time, the money they're offering is just too generous..."
"Did you also take a cut?" Xu Huo suddenly asked.
The other players in the room turned their heads.
"Absolutely not!" Lei Xiaohe immediately swore. "I'm not from 022 District. Where would I get a cut? Even if I wanted to, no one would agree."
At that moment, someone sneered, "Better not. If this turns into a landmine, you won't be able to run either."
Lei Xiaohe rolled his eyes. "If you don't want to go, just leave. Who's forcing you to earn money?"
"Hey, you guys don't need to worry too much," a curly-haired female player smoking in the corner said. "They've planned how to play, but we don't have to follow their script."
"If it really is a trap, we'll show them a thing or two."
The woman had a beautiful face and spoke with a unique charm. Under everyone's gaze, she smiled lightly. "We'll leave a few people outside. If nothing happens, fine. If something does, we'll just blow up Punishment City and let 022 District hear the bang!"
This drew a few cheers.
"The means to control players in Punishment City are nothing more than drugging them and restricting the use of props and instruments. Even if they can cut off the connection to the game, they won't dare use it lightly, since their own people still need to use props."
The female player continued, "If it comes to it, we can take some hostages inside. I don't believe they can afford the cost."
"Isn't that escalating the conflict?" another person said. "If we become Wanted Criminals, that won't be fun."
"Scared?" the female player exhaled smoke and squinted at him. "If you're scared, you can back out halfway. No one will say anything."
Everyone recognized the provocation, but it worked, especially in front of so many players. Whether to run or not was a matter for two days later; for now, they could save face.
"Handsome," the female player turned to Xu Huo, "I noticed you were watching that woman named Redstone earlier. Is something wrong with her?"
"She's a Mental Evolver," Xu Huo admitted.
"022 District is a big district. It's normal to have many Secondary Evolvers," the female player said. "That shouldn't be a big deal, right?"
Xu Huo smiled slightly. "I just smell a con artist."
"Are you sure?" another tall, burly man spoke up. "Could this really be 022 District's after-dinner entertainment?"
"I don't know the real situation, but if you want to find out, just show up on time in two days," Xu Huo said.
"Heh!" the female player chuckled lightly. "That's something worth considering carefully."
Time quickly passed to two days later. More players showed up than Xu Huo had expected—only two had left. Before reaching the assembly point Redstone had designated, each team had set up their own fallback plans outside, ensuring they had a way to escape.
Outside, they synchronized the time, then silently split up and headed to their destinations according to the agreed-upon numbers.