Chapter 335: Highly Player-ified City

There were, of course, people walking on the ground, but from time to time, a gust of air from below would send someone flying into the air. Robots were also everywhere.

Some maintained road cleanliness, others greeted customers inside and outside shops, and still others stood at traffic intersections to provide route guidance for passersby... An electronic screen on an elliptical ship flying overhead played a recruitment notice:

"Rongxin Group is currently offering high salaries to recruit artistic-class professional players—models, singers, performers, all categories accepted. Upon successful application, the company will provide the recruit with a safety ticket."

Taking two more steps forward, a holographic projection in a public space displayed a beautiful woman. Dressed in a nurse's uniform, she smiled sweetly: "Family Portrait Pharmaceutical Company is urgently seeking new players to volunteer for new drug experiments. Signing up will give you a chance to obtain the latest evolution agent developed by Stellar Pharmaceuticals Research Group."

Not far ahead, there was also a blatantly signposted item trading area, though the electronic screens showed only household-type items, with many housewives browsing inside.

"Eyes getting dizzy, huh?" At that moment, someone sneaked up behind him.

Xu Huo glanced back at him. "Did you buy those items of yours from here?"

The skinny man grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "I knew I couldn't fool you, little brother. You're sharper than the other players on the train. Ahem, I respect the strong, so I wanted to make friends with you."

Xu Huo continued walking. "No time."

"Anyway, it's still early. You walk, and I'll talk. If you like what you hear, listen; if not, just let it go in one ear and out the other." The skinny man followed him, grinning. "Don't let this place fool you. All this prosperity is just surface-level. A newcomer from out of town can easily get taken advantage of."

"I wasn't born in this station, but it's no different from my second hometown. If you want to buy potions or trade items, you need someone who knows the market."

"The city does have public trading posts, but you won't find any practical items or potions there, and there's the danger of being watched by the government. I know some places where you can get your hands on some seriously powerful stuff—depends on whether you need it, little brother."

As he spoke, he watched Xu Huo's expression. Seeing no reaction, he changed tack. "Of course, with you being this strong, little brother, you probably don't lack items or potions. But I can tell at a glance that your evolution rate isn't actually that high—it doesn't quite match your D-level player status. You must have traded all your potions for items."

"Let me be honest with you—you're digging a hole for yourself. When it really counts, you need a solid physical foundation. Items are secondary. Some stations have advanced tech where items don't make much of a difference."

No sooner had he finished speaking than numerous virtual screens suddenly projected across the city. A 3D hologram of a person appeared, with a "Extreme Danger" tag above their head. Beside it was a route map marking danger levels from green to yellow to red, accompanied by an announcement:

"Attention, city residents: A wanted player is fleeing from Tai Tai Le Road toward Crown Road. The duty squad is conducting an arrest!"

The alarm grew closer, and Xu Huo looked up to see a car swerving out from the corner at the end of the road, dodging the shells fired from behind with speed and agility. But the pursuers were far more than the three vehicles behind—four more flying devices flanked from left and right, firing several shells in succession. One hit the flying car, and the electrical current disrupted the instruments, sending the car crashing uncontrollably toward the ground.

Nearby duty robots rushed in from different directions, using their bodies to block the crashing car. After successfully stopping it, one robot pulled open the door and reached for the person inside, whose head was drooping as if unconscious. But before it could touch him, it froze in place, malfunctioning as it repeatedly reached out.

The player inside seized the chance to escape. With a flicker, he was already a hundred meters away, clearly using an item's power.

The encirclement forces all converged on the accident site. The wanted player seemed to have successfully escaped, but Xu Huo sensed an unusual energy fluctuation directly ahead of him. Sure enough, the moment he bumped into it, an invisible net immediately wrapped around him. The small flying device holding the net revealed itself, spinning around to inject a potion. The player, who had been struggling in the net just a second ago, instantly fell unconscious and was quickly carried away by the flying device.

"Alert lifted! Residents may resume normal travel!"

The skinny man watched with great interest, even joining the city's residents in applause, and sighed, "This is the power of technology. Even lower-level players have to keep their tails between their legs."

Xu Huo didn't find this rapid arrest particularly surprising. Even in his own country in Zone 014, well-trained special forces could pull off such coordination. It would be stranger if this technologically advanced city couldn't.

Robots had already begun cleaning up the accident scene. The skinny man turned back to him and said, "If you hadn't stepped in yesterday, that train-killing monster might have targeted me. I, Deng Xuan, will never forget this favor!"

At this point, Xu Huo's expression finally shifted. He said, "Didn't you say you didn't know about the train-killing monster?"

"I really didn't," Deng Xuan said with a sly smile. "But once I saw the Su... Orbital Supply Department people, it was obvious. The guy carrying the suitcase was probably from the Holy Sword Society's suicide squad. I thought there was something good in that box."

"Holy Sword Society?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.

"You've heard of the Holy Sword Society, little brother?" Deng Xuan was surprised. "Didn't expect you to be so well-informed. The Holy Sword Society and the Game Government have never gotten along—they're always fighting. People often go to the trains to cause trouble, but I never thought they'd lure a xenomorph to kill everyone on board."

"I bet that little xenomorph was their doing too. They dragged all the players on the train into it—absolutely heartless!"

Whether the man carrying the suitcase yesterday was from the Holy Sword Society was unclear, but he was definitely full of hatred for the Orbital Supply Department, likely a player opposing the Game Government.

The game world had a complete social system. Xu Huo had known since entering the game that the game controlled the players' most important resources, and even things like evolution agents, which were vital to players, had probably been tampered with. It wasn't surprising that player organizations would resist.

Seeing Xu Huo about to board a vehicle, Deng Xuan quickly said, "Why rush? You should prepare thoroughly before entering an instance."

"How about I treat you to a good meal? We can chat while we eat."

Xu Huo's gaze lingered on his face. "Your friend was killed. Don't you need to handle his affairs?"

Deng Xuan's smile stiffened for a moment, then he rubbed his chest. "You noticed, little brother? He wasn't really a friend—just a partner in business."

"How about this," Xu Huo said. "If you have any flammable items that can be taken into an instance, I'll buy them at a high price."

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