Chapter 2780: A Token of Friendship
The Non-Game Area Simulator, in the final analysis, was merely an instrument that unilaterally restricted a player's personal panel; it didn't truly break free from the game.
Hidden rewards like "Darkened Heart" could still take effect. To some extent, just like the "Pure Heart" that could still be used when a ticket was invalid, it was a backdoor opened by the game for its recipient.
"Save me!" Raelian reacted and immediately screamed.
"Please calm down," the Short-Haired Female Player said simply, then turned her gaze to Xu Huo. "I can represent the District Government now. You don't need to have any concerns."
"No rush." Xu Huo smiled, showing no awareness of being surrounded. Instead, he looked down at Raelian. "Can you tell me how you got that item?"
Raelian now had some confidence. "You were lying to me just now! It wasn't that no one would save me—you took me away from the estate! Give my things back!"
Xu Huo shook his head slightly and pointed to the players not far away. "Do you think they're far from me?"
"What do you mean?" Raelian didn't understand.
Xu Huo raised his hand and gently flicked it in the air. Almost simultaneously, all the blockade instruments covering the mountain forest were destroyed. The unmanned aerial vehicles circling in the air lost their aim, wobbled, and crashed into the woods, sparks flying one after another.
Without looking at the players whose expressions had changed drastically, he still stared at the little girl in front of him. "They're not ordinary people, not irrelevant people. They came to save you. Can you bear to let them die here?"
Raelian knew her reputation among the District Government players was terrible. Some had even voluntarily resigned because of the cleanup work. She didn't dare to think how many of these people genuinely wanted to save her. But now she couldn't shed any more tears; even fake crying was impossible.
"You're ruthless," she gritted her teeth. "But I'm telling you, if you think you can pull the same trick, dream on. I found it by the lake when I was recuperating. So many players came and went, but only I—I picked it up. The game harmed me, so it compensated me elsewhere!"
"Enough. No one cares about your life story." Xu Huo interrupted her and turned to the Short-Haired Female Player. "Are all the people who disappeared on Raelian's birthdays dead?"
"Some of them died," the Short-Haired Female Player said expressionlessly. "Almost all the people Miss Raelian killed or kidnapped are dead. Those killed by players were sent to other places or other districts to live."
Before Xu Huo could say anything, Raelian broke down first. She suddenly screamed, "Liars! You're all liars! Does doing this make you the good guys? You're disgusting! Disgusting!"
"Miss Raelian, stop being willful," the Short-Haired Female Player said. "Mr. Raelian has just given the order. You will be sent to the Punishment City to be imprisoned. You will spend the rest of your life there."
"On what grounds!" Raelian trembled uncontrollably. "Punishing me alone—can you wash your hands clean? What about those who helped me dispose of the bodies and clean up the mess? And your Grand Archon—are they innocent? If I go to Punishment City, none of you will escape!"
The Short-Haired Female Player looked somewhat helpless on the surface, but her eyes were cold. "Others will be punished too, of course. But that's not something Miss Raelian needs to worry about."
Raelian's body suddenly stiffened, then blood began to flow from her nose. Her face quickly turned pale and blue. She barely stood, looking at the Short-Haired Female Player and the others. "You're all sinners. You're the ones who deserve to die..."
No one was moved by her collapse. As long as she was still breathing, that was enough. The Short-Haired Female Player continued negotiating with Xu Huo. "The matter of District 022 has nothing to do with players from other zones. You're standing up for strangers. I admire your character, but that doesn't mean you can repeatedly challenge the District Government."
"Miss Raelian will receive her due punishment. If you kill her, the nature of the matter changes. You came here to clear the instance; there's no need to make enemies of the District Government."
"The living Gu Huifeng, his sculpture, and the 'Bone Remains'," Xu Huo stated his conditions.
"Agreed." The Short-Haired Female Player agreed without hesitation and nodded to the players behind her. Someone immediately set to work.
In less than ten minutes, Gu Huifeng was brought over. He looked a bit haggard, but his spirits were still good. Seeing the scene, he was somewhat confused but obediently followed the Enforcement Team's arrangements.
After the exchange of hostages, the Short-Haired Female Player immediately withdrew with Raelian and the other players. They moved quickly; the teleportation device was removed, and within seconds, they were gone without a trace.
Only Xu Huo and Gu Huifeng remained on the hilltop.
Gu Huifeng forced a smile. "Hello..."
Xu Huo took him back to Earth Star City. When he saw Xin Qin, Gu Huifeng wept tears of joy. He held his lover and poured out everything he had been through these past days.
Without disturbing them, Xu Huo went to the balcony.
Nong Zheng also came out. He asked, both scared and curious, "You really saved him? The one who caught him was really a District Government player..."
He swallowed the rest of his words under Xu Huo's gaze. But he didn't dwell on the issue and instead started worrying about his own situation. "I wonder if I can earn money elsewhere..."
"Go home and rest easy. The District Government won't make things difficult for you," Xu Huo said.
Whether or not what the Short-Haired Female Player said was true, now that the source, Raelian, was gone, no one would bother digging up old grudges.
His fingers danced in the air. Soon, the Travel Log gained photos of the estate's exterior and the "Bone Remains," along with the caption: "A Token of Friendship."
Nong Zheng, who had been sneaking a peek, nearly popped his eyes out. But he knew his place and didn't dare speak recklessly again.
After a while, Gu Huifeng calmed down and told Xu Huo the whole story.
Actually, his earlier rambling complaints had already outlined the gist of it. The gene agent that Gu Huifeng had commissioned from NS Bio Research could help Xin Qin recover her health. But Raelian found out about it. She had never given up looking for a way to make herself grow up. Whether or not this agent from NS Bio would work on her, she wanted it. So NS Bio vanished into thin air.
As for Gu Huifeng being captured, it was mostly bad luck. He had commissioned someone to find people from NS Bio, and while pulling strings, he happened to run into Raelian, who was out picking gifts. Driven by some emotion, she locked Gu Huifeng up and told him she wanted him to carve a statue similar to the "Bone Remains," but one that depicted her grown-up appearance.
These past days, Gu Huifeng had simply been locked in a room working. The only thing that terrified him was Raelian's threat: if his carving wasn't as good as the "Bone Remains," she would turn his corpse into a sculpture.
"Good thing I was lucky," Gu Huifeng said, holding Xin Qin's hand, filled with gratitude. "It's a good thing you sent someone to save me."