Chapter 2800: Are You Gutless?
The girl tilted her head to think. "Not yet, but once I catch you and throw you into the Punishment City, it will count. Your physique is good, and your secondary evolution is excellent. Maybe we can extract something useful from you and let Zone 022 produce more geniuses."
"Is that so?" Xu Huo said indifferently. "It seems you and Raelian Leigh really are sisters—both of you are outrageously bold."
"So what if we are?" the girl retorted matter-of-factly. "I gave you a chance earlier, but you didn't cherish it. So now you can only die. I will never let you leave Zone 022 with my things."
"You're celebrating too early." Xu Huo smiled. Just as he was about to activate his time power, the girl warily retreated. At the same time, long, strip-shaped space entities shot out from both side walls of the hall, sealing a new wall directly in front of her.
"Pretty fast runner." Using a space barrier to prop open the colorful net, Xu Huo removed the "Time-Space Hand" from his right hand, revealing the transparent, bone-visible index finger. He lightly tapped the net, and this super A-rank item dissolved into thin air.
He knew the twin sister hadn't gone far, only blocked by this location item. Unable to pinpoint her exact position, he regretfully touched the space entity that had emerged from the wall.
Under the interference of hyperdimensional space power, the space entity instantly disintegrated. The entire active location item returned to its original state in a flash. When he stood again in Building 17's hall, he smiled at the twin sister, whose eyes were filled with terror...
Time power instantly covered a large area of the building's space, inevitably enveloping the girl who hadn't managed to escape into the station in time. Her face visibly aged at a speed perceptible to the naked eye, and wrinkles soon appeared on her childlike features.
"I gave you a chance too." Xu Huo stepped forward. Wherever he walked, the time power continuously receded, only to re-cover the ground after he passed. He stopped a few meters away and said to the girl, "This time won't age you to death quickly. You still have three minutes. If the district government is willing to pay a price to save you, I'll let you go. How about that?"
The twin sister was completely unable to move, but she could still perceive and knew she was rapidly aging. Instant aging was an extremely terrifying thing for anyone, especially since just moments ago, she had been an A-rank player dominating the game district!
"Mr. Xu." The short-haired woman's voice came from outside Building 17. "Come out and talk, okay?"
Xu Huo had also sealed the entrance to the location item, so the people from Zone 022 couldn't get in and could only shout from outside.
"You again." Xu Huo chuckled. "Are you specifically here to clean up after the Grand Archon's child?"
The short-haired woman was highly professional. She showed no impatience or displeasure. "Zone 022 does have one or two hyperdimensional instruments. Your time power covers such a large area. Once the hyperdimensional instrument activates, you can't guarantee a clean escape either. Why not show some mercy first? Everything else can be discussed."
"Fine." Xu Huo manipulated space power, directly severing the twin sister's hands and feet. Only then did he release the time power and used the Spider Lock he had snatched from the enforcement team to immobilize her in place.
Outside Building 17, an elite team of over twenty A-rank players had arrived. The short-haired woman stood at the front, handling the negotiations.
She had already seen the girl's condition. The severed limbs were secondary; what mattered was that in just a few moments of conversation, the girl had become extremely old. Even when her limbs were cut off, she suffered multiple fractures. A person this crippled had little point in escaping—entering the station would mean death anyway.
But she was still alive, so they had to negotiate a trade.
"The matter of Raelian Leigh was already settled before. The district government said they wouldn't pursue it. But setting a trap at my final checkpoint before clearing is a bit excessive, isn't it? Or is the district government deliberately condoning this?"
"This incident was indeed our oversight. Miss Sandy accidentally learned of Miss Leigh's situation. She didn't inform anyone before acting, and we only just found out." The short-haired woman apologized sincerely. "She has already paid the price. The district government is also willing to compensate you. What do you think?"
"Any compensation?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, hyperdimensional instruments and super items are out of the question." The short-haired woman smiled. "Please understand."
Although Xu Huo already possessed the strength of a super A-rank player, he couldn't yet trigger a large-scale massacre like a true super A-rank player. Demanding hyperdimensional instruments and super items was wishful thinking. Even if a real super player came, the district would still put up a fight.
Compensating with some items to eliminate the conflict was the lowest-cost solution for Zone 022, especially since he was a "reasonable" person, which gave the district a way out.
The district government being so accommodating surprised Xu Huo a bit. Normally, even if he had demonstrated time evolution, a powerful district wouldn't be this low-key. Super players could exchange a few moves with these districts, let alone him.
"Zone 022... is there some major event coming up?" he asked after a moment's thought.
The short-haired woman's expression shifted briefly before she quickly concealed it. "The district's founding celebration is coming soon. The entire district will be very lively. Mr. Xu can stay to watch the ceremony. On behalf of the district government, I can reserve a seat for you at the grand ceremony in the capital mansion."
"No need." Xu Huo said indifferently. "I've suffered considerable losses this time. Compensate me with eight or ten A-rank items, and make sure they're good ones."
Faced with his exorbitant demand, the short-haired woman maintained her smile. "I will report this to my superiors. Why don't you check into Yongxing Hotel first and wait for good news? All expenses can be charged to the district government's account."
Xu Huo raised his hand, and the fallen stamp behind the counter flew out. He took it and stamped it on the travel route map, successfully clearing the instance.
With a successful clearance and an unexpected game item in hand, he had gained quite a bit from this trip. He didn't care much about what "compensation" Zone 022 would ultimately offer, but he still went to Yongxing Hotel to check in.
Adhering to the principle of finishing what he started, he posted his final travel log:
"District government offers free accommodation—trip ends perfectly!"
After the bombardment of "truth, goodness, and beauty" logs from the past few days, the comments were now uniformly "Awesome, awesome, awesome." A relative of a government worker even showed up to confirm that the capital mansion had indeed provided free accommodation at Yongxing Hotel for an outer zone player.
From being targeted by the enforcement team, tricked into storming the Punishment City, blowing it up, and then beating the enforcement team black and blue—yet the district government still treated him to good food and lodging. For a time, the Message Collection Terminal was flooded with the question: "District government, are you gutless?"