Chapter 2770: Bones
There were many people coming to see the sculpture exhibition. It was said to be for a major event like the Grand Archon's birthday, gathering works from many master sculptors within the district. The exhibition had been running for some time, and even as it neared its end, there were still quite a few people. Because so many tickets had been sold, each batch of viewers had a limited time to look, rushing in and having to rush out again.
The exhibition hall contained sculptures made from various materials. The most eye-catching piece was a giant mutated whale carved from a massive gemstone, suspended in the center of the hall. Under the lights, almost the entire hall was bathed in this flowing, shifting color.
It was so dazzling that it drew most people's attention the moment they entered, leaving fewer people lingering in front of the other exhibits, which also had a higher turnover rate.
Xu Huo walked all the way to the themed corridor of Gu Huifeng. The woman with pus-filled sores on her face stood in the corridor, staring fixedly at a photograph among the exhibits. It was a photo of the already-sold sculpture "Bones."
Xu Huo also got a clear look at this work, which had sold for nearly a billion. It appeared to be a young girl carved from numerous small bones and then pieced together. The carving wasn't very lifelike; instead, the material itself gave the girl an eerie chill all over. Especially the girl's eyes—they were just hollow, pupil-like holes created with shadows. Looking closely, one could see that the bones around the eyes were densely pierced with tiny, needle-like holes. The powdery appearance looked as if they had been gnawed by some kind of insect.
The woman stood before the photo, tears welling up in her eyes. She covered her mouth to stifle any sound, endured it for a moment, then hurriedly rushed toward the restroom.
The people around her weren't surprised by her reaction. Many art fanatics acted this way.
When Xu Huo left, the woman was asking the exhibition staff who had bought Gu Huifeng's "Bones."
The staff perfunctorily sent her away. The woman stood outside the exhibition hall for a while before walking off down the street.
Xu Huo didn't deliberately pay attention to her situation, but she didn't leave his perception range for a long time. Soon after, she was chased out by law enforcement officers. The woman seemed desperate. She screamed hoarsely that she was the original author of "Bones," that she was Gu Huifeng's ghostwriter, and that she wanted to get back the money that belonged to her.
The Enforcement Department thought she had some mental issues and prepared to contact a psychiatric hospital to pick her up. The woman scrambled to her feet as soon as she heard this and quickly walked away. The law enforcement officers assumed she was just trying to extort money, and since she left, they let it go. After all, every year, all kinds of fanatics came up with excuses to see Gu Huifeng. If they just shouted a few things and demanded Gu Huifeng come forward to prove himself, others would run their legs off trying to keep up.
Although the woman left, she didn't give up. She went to different self-service stores to buy several new terminals, then hid in a small hotel to record a holographic video. Her opening line was: "The author of 'Bones' is me. Gu Huifeng stole my work..."
"You won't find him like this." An unfamiliar male voice appeared in the room. The woman was startled for a moment, then stood up, her hand hidden in her loose clothing gripping a small energy gun she carried with her.
Xu Huo glanced at where her hand was, then sat down on the sofa and said, "I'm a player. You're no match for me. I mean no harm. We can sit down and talk."
"You're not from District 022," the woman said with certainty.
Xu Huo nodded. "You have good eyesight. I'm indeed not. I just happened to run into you while visiting the exhibition. I've seen all of Gu Huifeng's works. If you're looking for him, it's probably not just to expose his use of a ghostwriter."
The woman's expression was resolute, but she wasn't trained. Her emotions showed signs of performance, which was why the law enforcement officers didn't believe her at all and kicked her out without even a detailed interrogation.
Seeing her reluctant to talk, Xu Huo added, "If you had a better plan, you wouldn't be trying to stir up public opinion with a holographic video."
The woman was silent for a moment before slowly walking over and sitting down across from him. "You're right. I'm not looking for him to ruin his reputation, but what I said isn't entirely false. I am his ghostwriter. I participated in many of his works. In the past, he would share some money with me. But this time, after 'Bones' was sold, he went missing. He cheated me. Nearly a billion White Notes. Even if he only gave me a tiny share, I could still use it to treat my illness. He wants me dead! If he wants me dead, then he won't have it easy either! I won't let him off!"
Xu Huo stared at her steadily. After a moment, he said, "You're lying."
He pointed to his own eyes. "A person's eyes reveal a lot of emotions. Some instinctive reactions, even if covered up immediately, will leave traces."
"These traces, a careful human eye can spot them, let alone today's instruments."
"What you want to do, no one will help you."
The woman's expression hardened. "Then why aren't you leaving?"
Xu Huo leaned slightly to the right, resting his chin on his black-gloved hand, and said with a smile, "Probably because I'm bored. I want to stir up some trouble in District 022."
A flicker of disgust quickly passed through the woman's eyes. She lowered her eyelids. "What I said is the truth. If you want to hear some fabricated stories that smear the government, I don't have any. Or you could use drugs to force me to talk."
"Nine point eight billion. That's an astronomical figure," Xu Huo said calmly. "Who would spend so much money on a sculpture?"
"However much Gu Huifeng actually got from that money, it's clear the person who paid didn't think his work was worth that much. So they had to take his life."
The woman couldn't hide her shock. She asked warily and guardedly, "Who the hell are you?"
"Just a passerby." Xu Huo paused, then added, "But I am quite interested in your work."
The woman's mind was in turmoil. She tried to force herself to stay calm while doubting his motives. She was both worried that this person might be connected to Gu Huifeng's disappearance and afraid that if she revealed everything, she would lose any chance she had...
"You have three minutes to think it over." Xu Huo glanced at the time.
The woman didn't relax because of his words. Instead, she grew more anxious as the time dwindled. Only when the three minutes were up did she ask, "Is there no way I'm leaving here alive today?"
"Why would you think that?" Xu Huo said. "If I were going to break my word, I wouldn't have bothered saying what I did."
"Yeah..." The woman gave a mocking smile. "You players are all very capable."
After a pause, she continued, "What I said wasn't entirely false. Gu Huifeng's works were created by the two of us together. We were lovers. But I was born with a genetic disease. Over the years, almost all the money we earned went toward my treatment."
"After 'Bones' was created, it became very popular. One day, he told me someone was willing to pay a huge sum for it. The value of art is influenced by many factors. I was worried, but he said it was worth the risk. Besides, he was very famous now. Even if someone wanted to use him for something, they wouldn't easily harm him."
"But after that, he disappeared. The content on his public accounts wasn't posted by him either. That had never happened before. I tried many ways to contact him but couldn't. On top of that, with no income and my health failing, I had to use this method to find him. To discredit 'Bones.' If the people imprisoning him didn't want the sculpture to depreciate, they would make Gu Huifeng come forward personally to deal with it."