Chapter 2809: Looking for You to Take the Blame
"Find these people, and you might find the Perfect Potion." Lei Jie seemed even more frustrated than Xu Huo and the others, almost to the point of directly calling the Enforcement Team useless.
However, Xu Huo and the others felt similarly—either the players in Zone 022 were too incompetent, or those people weren't important at all. Otherwise, how could they have been wiped out in one fell swoop?
"Forget it, I don't think finding these people matters either way," Zhou Juanjuan said. "Do you really think they could develop a Perfect Potion? There are plenty of other evolution potions in the game that can serve as substitutes."
Lei Jie seemed to want to convince them further, but after hesitating, she swallowed her words.
Xu Huo hadn't held out much hope anyway. Perfect Potions were rare and hard to find, and even if they found a genuine one in Zone 022, it most likely wouldn't be what he truly needed.
Just as he was about to return to the Capital Mansion, the District Government contacted him. They agreed to both of his previously proposed conditions and could even throw in some classified information. However, in return, he would have to help the District Government contain a player.
The terms sounded absurd. He didn't think there was anyone the Zone 022 players couldn't handle themselves, requiring an outsider to intervene. Moreover, if this person truly left Zone 022 helpless, then the information they offered wouldn't be worth much.
"It's not an extremely dangerous task," the diplomat said. "It's just that due to the person's identity, Zone 022 can't act openly. We don't need you to kill him—just contain him for a while and prevent him from engaging in direct conflict with Zone 022 players."
Xu Huo didn't agree immediately. He simply asked for the address, said he would head over soon, and promised to give them an answer after seeing the person.
After cutting off the communication, he questioned Lei Jie.
Lei Jie was straightforward. She told him directly, "If that's the case, the other party is most likely someone from an A-level wormhole point, and their status isn't low. Zone 022 has definitely dealt with them before. To avoid district conflicts, they want to avoid direct action and shift the blame to an outer-zone player—that's the best move."
"If it's someone they know," Levi said, "why not just use connections, or simply ignore it? How much trouble can one or two people cause?"
"You're underestimating the player families from A-level wormhole points," Lei Jie said. "They might not be good at fighting, but their items and instruments are top-notch. Someone who can casually meddle in other districts' affairs is likely favored at home. Their gear won't be shoddy, and they can cause plenty of trouble." She pondered for a moment. "But those old farts in the District Government are usually lackeys of the higher-level districts. How did someone from an A-level wormhole point get involved... Could it be an internal feud over uneven spoils?"
Then she muttered to herself, "That's impossible. They're more afraid of death than anyone. They spend all day hiding and researching how to live longer. Give them a little benefit, and they'd sell out not just the district, but their own asses..."
She got carried away with her own wild speculation and quickly urged Xu Huo, "Let's go, let's go! Let's join the fun. Maybe we can snag some benefits!"
Zhou Juanjuan remained cautious. During the journey, she analyzed the District Government's motives. If they just needed to contain a troublesome attacker, why not have their own people disguise themselves as outer-zone players? Once it was done, they could run, and no one would catch them. Why go through all this trouble, offering benefits and inviting Xu Huo?
The only explanation was that Zone 022 couldn't act openly. What did Zone 022 lack that Xu Huo possessed?
Xu Huo had used time power multiple times. Although he always relied on items, he had fought Lei Jie's sister at close range. She was an A-level player, and even with her last breath, she could have exposed a lot of his information.
So Zone 022 hoped he would actively use his time power to contain the player they mentioned.
If items and instruments couldn't gain an advantage, it wasn't strange for Zone 022 to take a different approach. After all, it would be odd for a player from an A-level wormhole point with status and background to inexplicably get involved with a ragtag group of temporary players.
"You're from Zone 022. You should know the District Government's style well," Xu Huo said, looking at Lei Jie. "Do you think they just want me to help with this?"
Lei Jie was about to blurt out a lie, but meeting his gaze, she swallowed it back and changed her tune. "Do you think that's possible? Zone 022 never makes a losing deal. Even if they lose, they make sure it's not their own loss."
"You have so much resentment toward Zone 022. Even if your birth was a sin of the previous generation, this district raised you and gave you a comfortable life. They even cover up your killings. Do you really have to hate them that much?" Zhou Juanjuan asked.
"You're not me, so of course you can talk without feeling the pain," Lei Jie said. "Ever since I can remember, no one has looked at me normally. Other kids act up and cause trouble, and adults just laugh it off. But with me, they only show disgust and whisper behind my back that I'm a real monster... The reason I turned out this way is because of their greed. My father, the Grand Archon, knew there was a chance I'd be disabled, but he still let me be born, just to gamble on the chance of raising a genius player."
"If they want genius players so badly, why don't they inject themselves with the drugs?"
"That's not what the Message Collection Terminal says," Levi interjected. "They say the Grand Archon was also a victim."
"He knows whether he was or not!" Lei Jie sneered, then looked at Xu Huo again. "I'll tell you straight: the District Government never does a losing deal. Luring you over is almost certainly to make you take the blame. They probably want to snatch some good stuff but are worried about being held accountable later."
"With so many districts lacking Hyperdimensional Instruments, how did Zone 022 get one?"
This time, even Zhou Juanjuan and Levi were surprised. Letting something like that slip showed just how deep her hatred ran.
"What does Zone 022's Hyperdimensional Instrument look like?" Xu Huo pressed.
"Do you think I'd know?" Lei Jie rolled her eyes. "They're afraid I might steal it!"
"Be smart. Disguise yourself and go over. When they make their move, sneak in a little something," she hinted to Xu Huo. "Use what I gave you. Take as much as you can. Don't let them have it cheap. But you'll have to share some with me. I don't want to go to jail. Convert it into cash, and I'll move to another district."
"Can you survive in another district?" Xu Huo asked about something seemingly irrelevant.
"Some districts are very friendly to immigrants," Lei Jie said. "Just pay enough and get a lifelong citizenship."
"If only I knew where they kept the Hyperdimensional Instrument. I'd love to see the looks on their faces when they find out it's gone..."
Xu Huo suddenly stopped. He looked up at a shield-shaped mass of Hyperdimensional Space Power, only about a meter square, hanging high in the air. His brow furrowed slightly. "This time, you might have underestimated the District Government's calculations."
Hyperdimensional Space Power, like regular Space Power, had both visible and invisible forms. But this shield-shaped mass had a faint outline, making its boundaries clear even without a Spatial Evolver's perception.
Under the influence of this instrument, all space items and instruments in the city had shut down. Even though the instrument's actual defensive area was only one square meter—high-level items and instruments could interfere with lower-level ones, which was the limitation of temporal and spatial instruments and items, unlike freely usable secondary evolution powers.
And Zone 022 had already deployed this Hyperdimensional Instrument, meaning the items and instruments carried by the person from the A-level wormhole point would also be severely limited. Judging by the fact that the instrument barrier hung high in the air with no one approaching, no one dared to touch it, not even the attackers.
The two sides in the conflict had even actively avoided the city buildings directly under the Hyperdimensional Instrument barrier. At the same time, Xu Huo spotted the person Zone 022 wanted him to contain. There was no way to miss him—over a dozen items floated around him. Within a radius of several kilometers centered on him, no player could remain. While the buildings were preserved, people and lighter objects were pushed and piled up beyond that radius, forming a massive ring. As the man moved, the pile on one side of the ring grew higher and higher.
This wasn't spatial defense. It was a shockwave zone created by air and airflow. The pressure was everywhere, making it hard for Zone 022 players to break through. Even if they succeeded, a single misstep would push them back out.
Additionally, two players followed behind him, occasionally saying something to him. After listening, the man would respond. Judging by the reactions of the surrounding Enforcement Team players, this man was the core of the attack!
The man was also observing the Hyperdimensional Space Barrier above, keeping his distance and not getting too close.
"Indeed, looking at this scene, there's no way that person got involved by chance," Levi responded to Xu Huo's words.
Watching the player deployment in the city, Xu Huo understood why the Enforcement Teams in other cities had been stalling for time. Zone 022's focus was here. The attacker might have chosen what they thought were important targets, but Zone 022 was equally prepared. Their goal was likely this very person!