Chapter 383: Madame Butterfly
A light laugh came from the room. "Simulated games are always fake. Even the blood that flows isn't red—what's the point of that?"
"Accepting companions, killing heretics—that has been the creed of the New Wheel Sect since its founding. Hunting two panicked lambs in a game while borrowing the New Wheel's name, Mr. Meni, you underestimate the New Wheel Sect."
The speaker was the purple-eyed woman Xu Huo had encountered in the corridor earlier. She spoke in an interrogative tone, but her voice lacked force, carrying instead a lazy quality. This stripped her words of their intended meaning, making them sound more like a casual complaint.
Vison Meni didn't take it seriously either, clarifying with an exaggerated tone, "Madame is joking. I was born into a wealthy family, received a good education from birth, and everything went smoothly from childhood to my career—I never suffered any hardship. But that doesn't mean I lack compassion. For players and ordinary citizens, I've always believed that the upper class should hold sympathy and reverence, and should do their utmost to help and guide them, allowing them to live happily and smoothly."
"Thus, the moment I encountered the New Wheel Sect, I knew it was the spiritual high ground I had been searching for. I am very willing to become a preacher for the New Wheel Sect, to help it grow in District 011."
The purple-eyed woman covered her lips with a laugh, nearly laughing to tears. "The followers of the New Wheel Sect are lions and wolves, never lambs."
Meni refilled her glass. "Of course I won't alter the doctrine. The New Wheel Sect exists to fight against the nightmares in the game world, to strive for a bright future for the common people, and to create a brand-new world for our next generation."
The purple-eyed woman restrained her smile, propped her cheek on one hand, and leaned sideways on the sofa. She studied the man across from her before speaking. "You're a bad man. But I like bad men."
"Thank you for the compliment." Meni raised his glass, then added, "I've long heard of Madame Butterfly's reputation. I didn't expect you to come to District 011 this time. This meeting gift is a small token of my personal regard. In one month, District 011 will host a unique banquet. I hope Madame will do me the honor of attending."
Madame Butterfly smiled in acceptance.
Just then, Meni seemed to receive some information. He apologized to her and stood up to leave the room.
Only Madame Butterfly remained in the room.
Xu Huo, who had been crouching on the balcony, pushed open the French window, parted the curtain, and said with a smile, "What a coincidence. We meet again."
Madame Butterfly picked up a small fan and began to wave it, showing no surprise. "A man lurking outside a woman's window in the dead of night is no decent person."
Xu Huo leaned against the French window, watching the woman from a distance of about ten meters. "You don't like Vison Meni."
Madame Butterfly's fanning motion paused. "What makes you say that?"
"If you liked him, why would you let me listen outside for so long?" Xu Huo smiled. "Not only that, you actually dislike him."
"No woman likes a greasy man, especially one with an inflated ego. Does he think a cheap game is enough to win someone over?" Madame Butterfly said. "And he's just a side dish anyway."
Xu Huo smiled without speaking. Madame Butterfly lifted her eyes to look at him. "You're hiding here. You wouldn't happen to be the person he's looking for, would you?"
"Not at all. Pure coincidence."
"Is that so?" Madame Butterfly took a sip of wine, unconcerned. "I thought you were following him just now."
"I'm simply curious about who Vison Meni is looking for." Xu Huo spread his hands. "Just joining in the fun."
Madame Butterfly pursed her lips in a smile. "You're too curious for your own good."
"One of the interesting things about humans is their curiosity." Xu Huo paused, then added, "How long will you be staying in District 011?"
Madame Butterfly raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just hear?"
Xu Huo nodded. "At least a month."
Madame Butterfly said nothing, seemingly waiting for him to continue.
But Xu Huo didn't pursue the topic. He stepped back and exited the room. "Fate willing, we'll meet again."
With that, he vaulted over the balcony.
In the room, Madame Butterfly rose from the sofa, walked to the balcony in her high heels, and picked up the red rose he had left behind. She pinched the thorny stem and gave it a gentle twist. The rose withered instantly from stem to petal, crumbling into gray powder that scattered on the ground.
Xu Huo, having left the room, hadn't gone far. He lingered for a moment in a corridor across from the garden, just in time to see Madame Butterfly pick up the flower. He smiled faintly before stepping out from behind the pillar.
The hunt in the game had not stopped. By the latter half, it seemed to have devolved into a pure killing game. Corpses in the corridors and rooms grew more numerous. The fox that Vison Meni had been searching for had been caught and offered on the altar. The reason he had left the room earlier was to go to the main hall to conduct the sacrifice.
Now, the only remaining target was the hyena. However, after searching the game thoroughly without finding any trace of the middle-aged man, Xu Huo forcibly terminated the game.
That was right. Although the game had disabled the exit button, players could still forcibly end the game. Those inside the operation pods had not lost consciousness. Strictly speaking, even within the game, they could still use traits and items, though they might not be able to affect the simulation.
The black wolf, the fox, and the hyena had not left the game even while being hunted. One possibility was that they couldn't forcibly exit like players could. Another was that even if they did exit, they wouldn't be able to escape.
Thus, these three were either gray players working for the government who, for whatever reason, didn't want to restart their tickets and return to instances, or they were simply trained evolved humans with some strength but inferior to players.
After all, players had limitations and a high mortality rate. For a vast district like 011 to function, most of the work was still done by ordinary people.
Although he hadn't obtained definitive information, Xu Huo's efforts were not entirely fruitless. After exiting, he looked up "Zheng An" and the Rongxin Group. Cross-referencing names and related data, he discovered that Zheng An was an accountant at a Rongxin Group subsidiary specializing in medical devices. Pulling up the radish brought out the mud. From Zheng An's network, he traced the identity of the middle-aged man. This man was a distant relative of Zheng An, who had previously worked as a security guard at Rongxin Group. After retiring due to an accident, thanks to District 011's welfare policies, he was able to settle in a building constructed by Rongxin and now worked from home.
These two were connected.
However, Xu Huo had no dealings with Rongxin Group. The middle-aged man's decision to follow him was most likely related to the Deng Xuan incident.
As for Deng Xuan's network, Xu Huo had spent some money to sort it out. Deng Xuan was just a small fish. His elder brother was surnamed Jing, known as Brother Jing. Besides smuggling supplies, he also dabbled in buying and selling information.
These two groups would intersect only through the exchange of supplies or information.
Now that Rongxin Group had dealt with Zheng An and was pursuing the person who had been in contact with him, the player who had come to kill Xu Huo that day was most likely sent by Brother Jing's side.