Chapter 2887: Public Bounty
Borrowing a starship from the Platinum Eye to transport the instruments wasn't something Bai Kou could arrange on her own; it required matching spatial teleportation equipment as well. So Xu Huo proposed seeing if they could pay more to cut in line.
Bai Kou was gradually taking over the Platinum Eye, so cutting in line shouldn't be too difficult.
Bai Kou didn't refuse either, but she told him that the Platinum Eye's starships were currently stretched thin, and even paying to cut in line would take a considerable amount of time.
Xu Huo was about to advance to A-rank, and there were certainly many in Zone 014 who were also nearing A-rank. The complete integration of the district with the game was imminent, so the sooner, the better.
"Negotiate the price with them yourself; don't ask for a discount on my account."
"How much is your face worth?" Bai Kou said bluntly.
"Then the Primordial Stone should be worth something." Xu Huo smiled. "I can continue lending it to you. Do you still need it recently?"
Bai Kou had previously given up on temporal evolution without success, so it was normal for her to be discouraged for a while. She might regain her confidence after some time.
"It's free to borrow, so why not." Bai Kou said. "The price for cutting in line won't be low either. Let your friend prepare for that."
"Thank you," Xu Huo said sincerely.
Afterward, he contacted Nie Xuan to ask if he was free recently.
"I just finished an instance," Nie Xuan said, his voice laced with fatigue. "I need to go back and rest for a while."
"Perfect timing." Xu Huo briefly explained the situation.
Nie Xuan fell silent for a moment after hearing it.
Once Zone 014 entered the game, the larger, more stable national governments gained ports of contact with the game. Most of the non-player tickets and opportunities to shed player status within the district were allocated to national governments by the game, which then distributed them outward.
Of course, there was also the White Note exchange business—purchasing items, instruments, and potions—as well as the potential future Game Government Base, all of which were primarily handled by national governments.
Within certain limits, national governments could place bulk orders for potions and instruments from the game government. But as the saying goes, good items and instruments were scarce; even with money, you might not be able to buy them. This was especially true for Non-Game Area Simulators and super-large instruments. Even when the game government sold them, they were consumables, and quantities were restricted.
Countries in Zone 014 had long been secretly buying these things from other zones. They had managed to scrape together quite a bit, but instruments like the Non-Game Area Simulator were not easily sold by other zones even if they had them.
Yet Xu Huo had not only obtained one but also covered a considerable scale. Even if it was borrowed, it was no small feat.
A scale of ten billion might not mean much compared to an entire country or an entire zone, but its value was extremely high.
"The items will be shipped back through the Platinum Eye. Don't be stingy with the shipping fees and line-cutting fees," Xu Huo reminded him.
Nie Xuan understood perfectly. The sooner the defensive arrangements were completed, the better.
"Recently, there have been noticeable energy fluctuations in some areas within the district," he said. "Based on experiences from other zones, places with stronger energy fluctuations are highly likely to spawn instances."
"Unfortunately, we don't have enough preparation time, and it's impossible to be fully prepared. We can only set up temporary battlefields near places where high-level instances might appear."
"But with the Non-Game Area Simulator, we can set up a few traps in advance."
"Set one aside," Xu Huo said. "Place it near the safe zone."
"The country has already decided to transfer key personnel to other zones to avoid the storm for now."
"Have suitable locations been chosen?" Xu Huo asked.
"Three semi-abandoned zones, vast and sparsely populated." Nie Xuan's voice was low. "They can't accommodate many people, but some players' families will be fine."
This was a national decision, with all factors analyzed beforehand. It was relatively safe. During zone integration, resources would erupt, and it was hard to guarantee that players from other zones would leave obediently after completing instances. Anything could happen.
"Leave one in the safe zone," Xu Huo insisted. "I have other plans."
Nie Xuan didn't ask why, only said, "Do you need people left there?"
Meaning if Xu Huo wanted to turn it into a trap, the Special Defense Department could place some bait inside in advance.
Xu Huo thought for a moment and said, "Keep the safe zone running normally."
"Is something big happening?" Nie Xuan sensed something was wrong.
"Dou Shengnan and Li Li are dead. I'm probably being targeted by Jin Feixue now. He hasn't shown up yet, which likely means he's investigating my identity," Xu Huo said.
Back when Yu Guo died in Zone 011, even with a Temporal Super Evolver stationed there, the Eerie Sound Knights still caused a huge uproar. Though it didn't last long, it showed they were definitely not the type to believe in "justice will be served."
Xu Huo alone wouldn't be enough for them; they would go after his family and his zone.
Xu Huo had originally planned to deal with the Eerie Sound Knights before the zone integration, but he hadn't expected Jin Feixue to be so patient.
"Then be careful," Nie Xuan said. "If things change, you don't have to come back. The Special Defense Department will ensure your family's safety. In the zone integration, having you or not won't make much difference."
Xu Huo understood his meaning. After all, one or two people could hardly change the situation of zone integration.
"I'll see how things go then."
After discussing a few more arrangements, he contacted Zone 011.
At this point, he could only entrust the matter to Huahan Werner. If Jin Feixue really traced it back to Zone 011, and if he actually dared to go there, Xu Huo hoped Zone 011 could permanently keep him there.
Huahan Werner took a long time to reply: "Understood."
Even so, Xu Huo couldn't relax. It required considerable luck. Jin Feixue investigating his identity didn't mean he had to go there himself...
This bad feeling soon became reality.
Before Zone 033 could finish investigating the murder case, a public bounty appeared on Under Dimension. It not only included photos of Xu Huo's current appearance but also footage of the two times he killed Dou Shengnan, along with a video from Zone 011. What Zone 011 posted was actually the Butterfly Lady, whom Bai Kou had once disguised herself as.
It was obvious that Jin Feixue had recognized the item effect of "Life Source" and immediately connected it to Yu Guo's death.
At that time, Xu Huo was still too weak. Even if they were both on that ship, Bai Kou was a more fitting target, especially since she was also a dual Mental and Spatial Evolver.
But Xu Huo knew this wouldn't buy him much time. Bai Kou's disguise was flawless, but even investigating Bai Kou's identity would eventually lead back to him.
Sure enough, the bounty was updated not long after, including a photo of him from Zone 011—his real face.
People in Zone 011 didn't know which zone he originally came from, but too many people in Zone 014 recognized him. The bounty amount had also increased from the initial three hundred million White Notes to one billion.