Chapter 2795: Thanks to the Local People for Their Warm Hospitality
More and more Enforcement Team players arrived to provide support. Xu Huo touched the edge of the "Time-Space Hand" glove and continued, "How about we stop here? You go investigate the Holy Sword Society members, and I'll continue with my instance."
"Without clearing the instance, you can't leave District 022," Ms. Ruo said.
Xu Huo smiled upon hearing this. "You wouldn't want me to stay in this district."
Ms. Ruo's gaze swept over his right hand. Reason and her instinct for danger made her realize that what she had witnessed during their confrontation was definitely not his full hand.
Space evolution, plus dark matter, and time items... She couldn't be sure if he had even better items hidden away. As a B-rank player, his loadout was far too excessive. Someone like Gong Ying was at the level of an ordinary player—even after clearing instances, the good items one could obtain were limited, mostly average in quality.
Having so many high-quality items came down to two possibilities: first, having family wealth and connections to acquire these hard-to-buy items; second, performing exceptionally well in instance clears, earning game rewards that were rarely seen on the trading market.
Of course, killing other players was also a method, but it didn't compare to the value of the first two.
Whether he had backing or ability, as long as District 022 couldn't guarantee capturing or killing him in one go, there would be endless trouble afterward.
If he could leave through other means, that would be fine. But if he were truly stranded in District 022, it would be hard to resolve peacefully.
Without sufficient preparation, now was not the time to kill him.
After a brief moment of thought, Ms. Ruo said, "How can you guarantee you won't cause trouble in District 022?"
"I can't guarantee that," Xu Huo said directly. "Clearing an instance inevitably means conflict with other players, like you and me. Besides, some people in District 022 seem very eager to get me into Punishment City, following me all the way."
"How about this—we each take a step back," he proposed. "If District 022 doesn't interfere with my instance clearance, I won't cause trouble for District 022."
Ms. Ruo looked at him coldly.
"I'll take that as agreement." Xu Huo pulled out his communicator. "I haven't checked in at Lake City's scenic spot yet. How about a photo?"
Ms. Ruo's temple vein twitched, but she still stood at a distance and cooperated with him for the picture.
Of course, the shot included not just her, but also those frozen mid-air, as well as the Enforcement Team members watching from afar without approaching.
Right in front of her, he posted the photo to his travel log, adding the caption: "Thanks to the local people for their warm hospitality."
Afterward, he asked Ms. Ruo, "Do you have a spare mechanical heart? Give me one."
Ms. Ruo was almost angered into laughter by him, but she still took one from her luggage compartment and tossed it to him.
Successfully obtaining a souvenir, Xu Huo waved his hand. "Goodbye."
After he disappeared, the other Enforcement Team players were also freed. Several quickly came to Ms. Ruo's side to check her condition. The earlier spatial lines had inflicted severe damage on her, and in such a short time, she couldn't recover. On top of that, her heart had been pierced—no matter how strong someone was, they couldn't withstand such a loss.
Ms. Ruo managed to stay conscious. She ordered the players tracking Xu Huo to withdraw, had an Enforcement Team captain report to the district government, and waited for orders from higher-ups.
"Don't make meaningless sacrifices. You're no match for him." After giving her instructions, Ms. Ruo was sent to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Xu Huo, having left Lake City, boarded a private aircraft.
Fixed routes all had Enforcement Team checkpoints. He had been using city transportation before, and he figured the Enforcement Team wouldn't let up. A slight change of plans could save him a lot of trouble.
He happened to run into two families traveling together. Their next stop was exactly the Snow Valley he needed to go to.
"There's a primeval forest park along the way with stunning scenery. Mr. Xu, why not come with us?" Under autopilot, the family members were all in the rear cabin. The host of one family enthusiastically invited him. "Every year, many people come for this park. After the district evolved, besides the fresh air and great environment, a lot of medicinal plants have grown here. We can visit them all."
The second host also pulled out his communicator and projected images of some rare plants. "These flowers and plants are incredibly beautiful—vivid colors, strange shapes, hard to see elsewhere. Some even mimic the movements of living things. There's a performance wall planted entirely with these kinds of plants. We're planning to take a family photo with the flowers."
The three children from the second family had already started competing to show off the poses they wanted to strike, saying they had practiced at home for a long time. Soon, the two children from the first family joined in, and the five kids discussed while dragging the adults to cooperate.
"Uncle, aren't you going to play?" A little girl ran up to Xu Huo, tilting her head to ask.
Xu Huo shook his head.
The girl said cheerfully, "Then can you lift me up? I want to be taller than everyone!"
Before Xu Huo could answer, the other kids also ran over, vying for him to lift them. The parents had to spend a lot of effort to calm them down.
The aircraft soon arrived at the park. Aircraft couldn't enter, but they could rent low-altitude flying skateboards provided by the scenic area. With anti-fall rings on, they could go anywhere in the park without walking.
The flying skateboards moved very slowly, not much faster than a stroll. Since there were many people, the skateboards lined up like fish on the park paths, moving forward at a leisurely pace.
Rare flowers and strange trees were everywhere in the park. Some varieties were scarce and truly hard to see elsewhere in District 022.
"The Fairy's Gauze is blooming!" someone ahead exclaimed in surprise. Following the crowd's gaze, they saw a giant flower plant ten meters tall deep in the forest slowly release its head crown. As the petals turned over, the stamens in the middle swayed and released a fine cloud of pollen. The pollen drifted down from high above, trailing to one side with the breeze, looking like a huge gauze dress lightly draped beside the plant.
Amidst the awe and admiration, many people made wishes at the flower, including but not limited to praying for love, passing exams, increasing citizen permission levels, and wanting an ideal child.
The children's wishes were much simpler. The kids around Xu Huo all wished uniformly for delicious food, only to be mercilessly rejected by the adults.
The less clever children followed their parents forward, but the smart ones knew to dawdle behind, sneakily negotiating with Xu Huo. "Uncle, I have pocket money. I want to buy snacks. If Mom and Dad catch me eating, can you say you bought them for me?"
Then she touched her terminal and lowered her voice to offer a deal: "I'll buy one for you too."