Chapter 3039: Two Packages and Two Proposals
The words were spoken very bluntly, but none of those who followed dared to show any dissatisfaction, because the district government had strict laws. Without permission from the relevant departments, privately entering a secondary or primary zone would result in being branded a lifelong criminal upon capture. Not only would one face imprisonment and fines, but if unlucky, there might also be physical punishment, and in the future, there would be no way to apply for residency rights in the primary or secondary zones through any means.
Passing through the narrow underground passage, they quickly emerged from a street of dazzling lights and entered the back door of an entertainment club.
As soon as they entered, the newcomers were choked by the smell in the room and coughed a few times.
The guide, however, chuckled. "This is the latest happy potion, expensive as hell. If you hadn't entered Yangtao City, you probably wouldn't even get a whiff of it. Isn't it especially fragrant?"
Neither the middle-aged woman nor the young man thought the smell was pleasant, but in front of others, they dared not show any disgust. They simply lowered their heads and remained silent.
The group was led into a small room, probably converted from an underground warehouse. It was relatively remote and cramped. Whether intentionally or not, the walls and floor of the room were stained with what looked like bloodstains.
"Raise your hands." Two players approached with bracelets and put them on each person one by one. The others received ordinary bracelets, but the one handed to Xu Huo was a miniature device with a spider lock function.
"For players, we won't make things difficult." The woman sitting behind the table was older. She smiled and glanced at Xu Huo. "Look, will you voluntarily put on the little spider lock so we can continue talking, or will you leave directly?"
Xu Huo smiled and extended his hand.
The woman raised an eyebrow and signaled her subordinate to put the device on him. After confirming the spider lock was activated, she said to the other nine, "Here, our rules for ordinary people and players are different. Your bracelets contain pre-made identity documents, and all corresponding personal accounts have been set up. They can be activated through biometric verification."
Seeing the joy on their faces, she changed her tone. "Pay an additional two hundred thousand white notes, and you can take the bracelet and obtain a legal identity in Yangtao City."
"But didn't we pay enough before?" someone asked quietly.
"That was the fee to enter the city. Once you're here, you still need a fee to go out." The woman's smile didn't waver. "You can also choose to put down the bracelets and leave. Since you're already in Yangtao City, you can fend for yourselves."
Though filled with resentment, none dared to simply leave. Going out would mean certain death.
Soon, someone activated their bracelet and opened the account to see a debt of two hundred thousand.
"Don't say we're not giving you a way out. You can owe the two hundred thousand for now. Any income will be deducted immediately, but you'd better hurry up and make money. Compound interest piling up is no small amount."
The others had no choice but to activate their bracelets one by one and were then driven out.
"Now for you," the woman invited Xu Huo to sit down. "Handsome, you're a player. There are more convenient ways to enter Yangtao City. Why take the underground passage?"
"To save time," Xu Huo said. "Are you going to charge me an exit fee too?"
The woman smiled. "Ordinary people have ordinary rules, and players have player rules. I have two packages here."
"First, you work in the underground factory for seven days. Of course, it'll be dirty work."
"Second, pay fifty thousand in cash. We accept items, instruments, and various ores as payment."
Xu Huo also smiled. "I have two proposals too."
He removed the spider lock from his wrist and placed it back on the table. Glancing at the players who had stepped back under the woman's signal, he continued, "First, you cover this fee for me, and we'll consider it making friends."
"Second, I kill all the guests in this club, and you clean up the aftermath."
The woman looked at him with a strange expression. "This is an A-level wormhole point. Is this your first time here? Do you think you can cause trouble here like at other wormhole points?"
She didn't doubt that there were hidden talents among players, but such players wouldn't "sneak" into the city like he did.
"I don't doubt the strength of players at an A-level wormhole point. Whether I'm caught or killed afterward is my business, but the safety of the guests is your business," Xu Huo said. "As you said, this is my first time at an A-level wormhole point, and one before A30 at that. I'd really like to test the true strength of an A-level wormhole point. There's no time like the present."
The air in the room grew still. After a few seconds, the woman said, "I'll give you a discount. Twenty thousand. You can go."
The woman signaled to someone beside her, and a player immediately produced a new bracelet.
"Put it on debt," Xu Huo said flatly.
The woman let out a scornful laugh but didn't press further. She had someone pre-deduct the amount from his account.
In the end, Xu Huo obtained a residency certificate with a debt of two hundred thousand. His occupation was listed as psychotherapist. This was a legal identity. With this professional certification, he could live in Yangtao City, be assigned a welfare cabin, and receive welfare benefits sufficient to avoid starvation. But to repay the debt or live better, he would have to find a job.
"See you around." He stood up and left.
Another fool.
The woman's gaze was cold and undisguised, her thoughts almost written on her face.
Xu Huo figured she would definitely tamper with the account, but that didn't matter much.
He first went to the cabin area based on the address provided in the account information.
The so-called cabins were actually small rooms of about ten square meters with private bathrooms. This building, nearly two hundred stories tall with about two hundred units per floor, was entirely filled with such welfare cabins. And there were ten such buildings in total, front and back.
However, they weren't fully occupied. Many rooms were empty, showing no signs of habitation. Xu Huo also searched for the others who had come with him, finding that only three had come to the cabins, but they were scattered far apart, each in a different building.
The young man was in Building Ten, the middle-aged woman in Building Six, another middle-aged man in Building Four, and Xu Huo in Building Two.
The young man was contacting a hotel owner, telling him he had been cheated out of a sum of money and asking him to help repay it. He also had his father contact friends, saying he didn't want to live in such a cramped cabin.
The other two were resting. Only as dawn approached did they leave their cabins separately.
Before leaving, the woman said something to the young man. He told her to rest assured—if things didn't work out for her, he had connections to find new lodging.
After comprehending the mental defense line, Xu Huo had become more skilled and effortless in mental control and interference. So he quickly learned from nearby residents the true situation of those who had smuggled themselves in.
Of course, not everyone living here had sneaked into Yangtao City. Some who had lost their ability to earn a living due to illness or accidents but couldn't obtain high welfare benefits eventually ended up here. However, no one stayed long before their whereabouts became mysterious.
As for those who infiltrated through underground channels, they were mostly crushed by the heavy debt.