Chapter 2831: Clues Delivered to the Door
An unfamiliar voice, an unfamiliar tone, but in that instant, it gave Xu Huo a bone-chilling sensation. A primal shudder from the depths of his soul involuntarily tensed his body...
"Friend..." A player seemed to want to strike up a conversation, but upon meeting his gaze, their expression changed drastically, and they turned and left without hesitation.
Xu Huo looked back toward the factory ahead. The murderous intent in his eyes was almost impossible to conceal. But at that moment, the players in Flowing Gold City seemed to have triggered something inside the factory. The Stellar Pharmaceuticals facility actually exploded from underground, a powerful shockwave sending a group of nearby players flying. Numerous instruments and building debris scattered wildly, colliding with the outermost blockade barrier before falling back to the ground.
"Boom!" A battered metal box crashed at Xu Huo's feet. As the lid fell off, some paper documents stored inside flew out. He didn't even need to bother looking—the formulas for the Perfect Potion and scattered records written on those papers were already visible to his eyes.
Obviously, other players nearby had also seen these things. The Perfect Potion was something players dreamed of; even a fake was enough to stir desire, let alone materials preserved by Stellar Pharmaceuticals. Especially since they were paper records—there was a good chance they were genuine.
A defensive barrier opened, instantly isolating the surrounding players. Xu Huo raised his hand, and the flying papers fell back into his grasp.
Staring at these documents of unknown authenticity, his expression darkened.
He suspected the doctor who had contacted Dou Shengnan was Dr. Zhang. From Dou Shengnan's spiritual realm and Miss Zeng's experience, there weren't many lunatics in the game world who would go to such trouble for no benefit. But before he could verify whether the other party was really hiding in Stellar Pharmaceuticals, the factory had been blown up, and clues about the Perfect Potion had landed at his feet.
Calling it a coincidence was too far-fetched. Combined with that earlier sigh, he had a gut feeling he had just brushed past Dr. Zhang.
Putting a few pages into his luggage compartment, Xu Huo looked at the several players who had broken through the defensive barrier and rushed in. His tone was hostile: "Get lost!"
Even from a distance, the approaching players could feel that oppressive mental pressure, like needles pricking their backs.
Two couldn't take it and immediately turned to flee. Four remained, probably wanting to test their skills. Xu Huo didn't waste words. The "Time-Space Hand" clenched in the air, instantly killing two on the spot. The remaining two, having narrowly escaped with their lives, fled into the station.
The bodies lay on the ground, but the nearby Flowing Gold City enforcement players pretended not to see them, busying themselves with collecting items that had flown out of the factory.
Xu Huo didn't linger near the factory. Instead, he returned to the lake district where Dou Shengnan had lived. The murky lake water had already settled and cleared. Everyone in the surrounding villa area had moved out. Although the area was sealed off, it was obvious that many people had passed through here.
He had deliberately concealed his strength to lure out Jin Feixue and the remaining members of the Eerie Sound Knights. Making a move in Flowing Gold City was also advantageous for him. But he hadn't expected that after killing two members, Jin Feixue's side would show no reaction at all. Was she going to wait as long as she had after Yu Guo's death before coming to Flowing Gold City to vent?
He couldn't wait that long anymore.
Of course, the information Dou Shengnan had exchanged for with her life was definitely useful. At least until he found a way to counter time-based items, Jin Feixue probably wouldn't come to hunt him down.
But the Eerie Sound Knights had been rampaging through the game for so many years—it was hard to say they had no backing... He just hoped this confrontation wouldn't drag on too long.
Without wasting time, Xu Huo bought a ticket and prepared to head to the A49-033 sector.
That's right—the documents that flew out of Stellar Pharmaceuticals contained a hint: suggesting that Dr. Wu might have appeared in this sector.
According to what Lan Fangzhi had said earlier, this sector should be under the control of the Holy Sword Society. Although it was an A-level wormhole point sector, the game's control over it was probably weaker. It wouldn't be surprising if Dr. Wu took the risk to enter.
Whether this information was deliberately left by Dr. Zhang or a trap, he had to make the trip. Becoming an A-level player wasn't difficult, but finding the next Perfect Potion would be.
Maybe Dr. Zhang had even prepared the potion for him.
At this thought, Xu Huo couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" A female player sitting across from him was being affectionate with her companion. Hearing the cold laugh, she immediately turned to stare at him.
Xu Huo didn't look at her. He raised his hand to catch the sunlight streaming in through the train window, as if mesmerized by the splendid scenery outside.
"I'm talking to you. Didn't you hear me?" The female player slammed her hand on the table.
Only then did Xu Huo turn his head. The intense sunlight fell across his brow, casting a shadow. He looked at the woman from within that shadow. "No one was laughing at you."
"Pfft!" The tense atmosphere was broken by a nearby player's laughter. A female player who looked to be in her forties or fifties waved her hand and said, "I didn't mean to. I'm not laughing at you either. You can be as affectionate as you want. Even if you spread a blanket and put on a live show, we wouldn't say anything."
She even made a "please, go ahead" gesture.
Such blatant provocation was unbearable for the woman. She immediately threw out a ring-shaped item. The ring expanded as it flew, then split into three on its own, heading straight for the middle-aged woman. But the next second, it was deflected by a defensive barrier that sprang up from the middle-aged woman's body.
The ring circled around the carriage before charging straight at Xu Huo.
Xu Huo sat still. Only when the ring approached did he insert a Space Blade to restrict its movement, then lightly touched the ring with his hand. Part of the item's material turned to powder, while the remaining fragments fell onto the carriage carpet.
The other players in the carriage, who hadn't been paying much attention to the quarrel, all straightened up, turning their gazes toward the man leaning by the window.
This was a train heading to an A-level wormhole point. Almost everyone in the carriage was an A-level player. Xu Huo had used a protective suit to conceal his evolution status to avoid becoming a target. He just hadn't expected A-level players to be so emotional.
"Still want to fight?" He sat up straight and looked at the two across from him.
The man who had been silent all along finally spoke up to mediate. "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. She didn't really mean to attack. Please, for my sake, don't hold it against her."
Xu Huo said nothing, but the middle-aged woman laughed again. "For your sake? Who do you think you are?"
The man replied, "The next stops on this train are all in A49-033. Haven't you heard of the Holy Sword Society?"
"Are you a member of the Holy Sword Society?" The middle-aged woman's expression darkened.