Chapter 2808: Everyone Is the Same
Indeed, not only was Xu Huo himself someone who had evolved using the Perfect Potion, even Zhou Juanjuan and Levi, who could no longer use the Perfect Potion, couldn't help but listen intently. Perfect Evolution—that was the ultimate fantasy in every player's heart. Being able to shake off the aftereffects of evolution, one couldn't even imagine how wonderful and carefree life would be upon becoming an A-rank player or even higher.
Rachel Lian glanced at their expressions and said with a smile, "No one doesn't want the Perfect Potion."
"District 022 has it?" Xu Huo asked. "Even if it does, with that level of secrecy, can you know more details?"
"Just say whether you want it or not," Rachel said smugly. "They think they can fool me, but the truth is, I know more secrets than anyone else."
This statement was mostly exaggerated, but given her special status, it wasn't surprising that she could overhear some classified information.
"The address." Xu Huo cut straight to the point.
"You have to take me with you," Rachel said. "Even if I tell you the place, do you know where the potion is stored or what it looks like?"
"Let me make this clear first—you can't torture me for information," she added. "The intel might be outdated. What if they've moved the storage location or changed the person guarding it? Only by bringing me along can we adapt to the situation."
"That makes sense," Levi said. "The ins and outs of District 022 are best understood by someone from District 022."
"She's obviously scheming," Zhou Juanjuan pointed out bluntly. "It might be a trap."
"Even if it's a trap, aren't you tempted?" Rachel secretly egged them on. "If it were me, I'd definitely take the gamble."
Xu Huo didn't mind and still took her along, but he confirmed the address and some details in advance. He didn't put her in a container item but used an item to disguise her, letting Zhou Juanjuan carry her while moving.
In that short time, the situation in the Capital Mansion had worsened. Traces of collapsed buildings were everywhere, and the Enforcement Team couldn't spare any time, with most rescue efforts handled by robots.
For defensive reasons, the Capital Mansion didn't have many high-rise buildings, which was a silver lining in this misfortune.
"How did it get this bad?" Rachel asked, looking very surprised.
"Didn't you say District 022 is often attacked? Haven't you seen this before?" Xu Huo said casually.
"Even if it's attacked, it shouldn't end up like this! The Capital Mansion is the face of the District Government. If this happens every now and then, what face is left?" Rachel said matter-of-factly.
"It seems the District Government is weaker than you imagined," Zhou Juanjuan said.
Rachel couldn't accept that and pressed on, "Where's the District Government? Where's my dad? Did they all run away?"
Without waiting for an answer, she started shouting on her own, "I knew they had no conscience! They ran without taking me!"
"Shut up," Zhou Juanjuan cut her off. "If you had a conscience, you'd be helping with the rescue instead of yelling about wanting to run."
"How can their lives compare to mine..." Before Rachel could finish, Xu Huo interrupted, "Maybe they think your life can't compare to theirs either."
Rachel fell silent, but then grew even more furious and resentful. "They ruined my life, so they should take responsibility for it! Whatever I want to do, they should pay for it!"
"They wanted to create better people and players, so they made me like this. I paid for their mistakes, so why shouldn't they pay for what I do?"
From the sound of it, the genetic screening back then wasn't purely a personal crime, and the two former District Grand Archons weren't entirely innocent victims either.
But dwelling on this now was pointless. Xu Huo simply said, "If you keep arguing, I'll seal your mouth."
Rachel glared at him but wisely shut up.
The small and medium-sized cities near the Capital Mansion were relatively stable. The Enforcement Team had proactively deployed defensive barriers, and the cities hadn't been truly attacked. Without interference from spatial items, Xu Huo and the others quickly arrived near the city Rachel had mentioned.
Unfortunately, this was a city known for technological innovation and had drawn significant attention. The entire city looked as if it had been swept by a tornado, with collapsed buildings everywhere and injured people crying out in pain. More common were bodies buried under rubble or simply left lying around.
With a disaster of this scale, even the Enforcement Team players couldn't take care of themselves, let alone provide timely rescue.
The group moved in silence, occasionally lending a hand when they encountered trapped people. But given the city's population, their good deeds were merely a drop in the bucket.
"They're really useless," Rachel, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly spoke up. "I thought they went through all that trouble and paid such a huge price to create a peaceful world... but it turns out everyone is the same."
"A player's abilities are also limited," Xu Huo said. "Otherwise, why would District 022 go to such lengths to conduct genetic screening?"
"Precisely because of that, there should be a bottom line," Zhou Juanjuan said. "If District 022 hadn't done so many heinous things, there wouldn't be so many players gathering today to retaliate without limits. Haven't you noticed? Aside from those looking to exploit the chaos, some players from other districts have already joined the attackers' camp."
"Not all players are unable to distinguish good from evil. Many are willing to do good when they have the strength."
Of course, there were also plenty of players rescuing ordinary people.
Rachel laughed instead. "It seems the consequences of doing bad things have a far greater impact than doing good."
"That's where you're wrong," Levi retorted. "You only see the mess in front of you, but the deeds and spirit of those who save and are saved will be passed down. Maybe decades from now, they'll be used as teaching material. That's why there are more people remembered for good deeds than for infamy!"
He nodded to himself after speaking. "That's a good line. I'll use it to teach my descendants."
"Do you still want to find the potion or not?" Rachel impatiently changed the subject.
Of course, they wanted the potion. But when they arrived, they found that the research institute she mentioned had vanished into thin air. Not only was the building gone, but even the underground had been dug out, leaving only a massive pit. It looked as if the place had been bombed and plowed over several times.
"Is the Perfect Potion really here?" Xu Huo frowned at Rachel. "There should be something else, right?"
Rachel hadn't expected this at all. She immediately recited a contact number. "Call this right now and see if you can reach this person."
Levi tried, but no one answered.
Then Rachel gave several more contact numbers, but without exception, none responded.
"They're all people from the institute," Rachel said. "If they were rescued in advance, their communicators would be turned off. If the communicators are still connectable, they've probably been captured."
She looked at Xu Huo. "These people are experts in researching the Perfect Potion. They've handled at least three samples. Although they never replicated the real Perfect Potion, they developed some excellent evolution agents. Those people must have come for them."