Chapter 3038: Underground Entry
Xu Huo rested for a while before heading downstairs to find something to eat.
He asked the hotel staff and planned to try some local specialties. Shortly after leaving the hotel, he saw two armed robots chasing a player.
The fleeing person was probably a local player, very familiar with the armed robots' pursuit methods, but in the end, he was caught by an automatic spider lock and carried away. The street vendors were already used to it, only a few elderly people lamented that young people didn't learn properly, wasting public resources for no reason, and being locked up for education was just taking up government space.
Xu Huo listened and learned that such incidents were not uncommon, mostly involving novice players. As long as they didn't commit serious crimes, the government wouldn't punish them harshly. After all, players were important assets of the local government. Although these players all wanted to run to the first-level areas, according to the district policy, local governments had to regularly submit lists of players who reached a certain assessment level. Many players' growth was monitored by the district government, so local governments didn't dare to do much to them.
"This is pretty good, gives us something to watch. Look at people now, all lifeless, not like when we were young, full of energy..."
Xu Huo found a place to eat. The boss was very enthusiastic, giving him a menu full of tourist features and cheerfully recommending many signature dishes.
"Today my son officially got his settlement certificate for the second-level area. All dishes are 30% off. Sir, what flavor do you prefer? I'll recommend something for you."
Xu Huo congratulated him and casually asked what his son did for a living.
The boss was in high spirits and readily said his son was a mechanical designer. A boss had taken a liking to his son's talent and made an exception to hire him, which gave him the opportunity to settle down.
"Will the family move together?" Xu Huo asked.
The wrinkles on the boss's face deepened. "He has to live there for five years before he can bring his parents over. Once I'm there, I'll open another hotel and earn enough money to go to the first-level area. Then I won't have to work hard for the rest of my life."
"May your wishes come true," Xu Huo said.
The boss chuckled and left, even giving him two small side dishes when serving the meal.
Many people came to congratulate the boss today, and his son also showed his face. The young man wasn't as sociable as his father and didn't want to talk long with those who came to chat, leaving after a short while.
The guests didn't mind; after all, they got 30% off on their meals.
But unexpectedly, Xu Huo saw the woman who had bumped into him earlier again.
She entered the hotel through the back door, quietly went upstairs to find the boss's son, and the two opened an instrument in the room and whispered for a long time until the boss came up, then the woman hurriedly left.
Xu Huo didn't stay long. After eating, he took a walk back to the hotel.
He waited like this for three days until the words "Closed" scrolled across the sign of the Big White Tooth Clinic.
It was already late at night. Xu Huo entered through the clinic's back door and waited for the others under the old master's direction.
Seven more people arrived one after another, including the woman who had been chased and the restaurant boss's son. The boss personally came to see his son off. He had sharp eyes and immediately recognized Xu Huo as the customer from before. He looked a bit embarrassed but quickly adjusted, even smiling at him as a greeting.
The boss quietly slipped the old master some extra benefits, earnestly begging him to take good care of his son.
The old master accepted it as usual and casually agreed.
No matter how reluctant, the boss had to see his son off. He prepared some dry food and urged his son to contact him immediately upon arriving in Yangtao City, not to be afraid of spending money, and to ask him if he needed anything.
The young man looked a bit impatient, but seeing his old father's red eyes, he still listened patiently. The woman beside him watched them expressionlessly.
Only when the last two people arrived did the old master announce their departure.
The group entered the clinic's underground passage, which had simple transportation, similar to a subway but slower.
Soon they left the small city and reached the outskirts of Yangtao City. Even here, they didn't go out. The person who met them counted and verified the people, then told them to walk.
"This is going to take a long time. Can't we take a car?" someone asked.
"If you want to take a car, you can go back and take it," the contact person said expressionlessly.
But the old master turned back and said to them, "Yangtao City's instruments can detect movements deep underground. Taking a car is too fast and will be discovered. Walking is slow and will be judged as underground mutant activity."
"When you walk later, don't make too much noise. If you're discovered, I won't care about your life or death."
"Aren't you sending us over?" Xu Huo asked.
The old master said, "I can't enter Yangtao City. He can take you in. Don't worry."
"Stop the nonsense and hurry up," the contact man urged impatiently.
The old master turned back, and Xu Huo and the other nine followed the man forward.
The underground passage wasn't very deep. Although it had many branches and intersections, many places still used abandoned sewers, indicating that secretly bringing people in was tacitly allowed by Yangtao City.
Outer zone players usually arrived at stations in second- or third-level areas. Entering a first-level area wasn't actually difficult. If they submitted an application, the district government could give them a temporary identity, ensuring they could move freely within the district.
This was also the preferred channel for outer zone players.
But the review time was hard to predict. He had inquired and found that it could be as fast as two or three days or as long as ten days. As for forcing their way in—without a legal identity, whether they succeeded or failed, they would be wanted throughout the entire district.
A district-wide wanted list in an A-level wormhole point district was no small matter. Instruments for capturing and dealing with players were endless. Unless the player left the district, they would face endless pursuit.
They were harsh on their own people and equally harsh on outsiders.
The contact person ahead suddenly stopped, signaling them to be quiet before activating the instrument on his wrist, projecting a light screen that blocked the exit ahead.
Soon, a mechanical rat crawled over. Its red eyes scanned around but didn't detect the people behind the light screen, so it quickly crawled away.
Xu Huo's brow twitched slightly. The people of Yangtao City were truly arrogant and had a twisted sense of humor.
The contact person seemed relieved and waved for them to continue forward.
They walked for nearly another half hour in the underground passage before reaching the real destination. The contact person relaxed significantly, climbed to the exit, opened the cover, and only stepped out after seeing a familiar face.
"A bit late," the person outside complained. "The enforcement players passed by twice just now. It almost caused trouble."
"No choice. This group walks slowly, and we ran into the rats several times," the contact person said.
The companion nodded and unceremoniously called for Xu Huo and the others to come out. Noticing that Xu Huo was a player, he was a bit surprised but that was all. He led them into a nearby house and then into another underground passage. "Sewer rats. Before you get your permit, don't expect to walk the streets openly."