# Chapter 409: Attacking the Ship
Using space items rashly would attract the government's attention, so entering and leaving the lower city still required using the passages around the block—some areas inside the lower city had special items arranged, but the outside didn't, and it was impossible to cover that many places.
When many people came and went, those with higher evolution rates who had interacted with Brother Jing's lookouts stood out especially.
They gathered in batches over the first two days, then left in batches over the next two days, though more people left than entered.
With more targets, the chance of exposure increased. Especially after Xu Huo randomly selected two of them to follow and discovered they had contacted the dock through different channels, he knew what this group was planning.
Additionally, while tailing them, he noticed someone from City Hall secretly watching the dock from the shadows. Of course, it was just an inconspicuous person appearing near the dock inconspicuously, but they clearly knew the targets he was following. This meant at least three factions were involved in this matter.
The lower city, City Hall, and Rongxin Group.
By now, he was basically certain this was eighty percent a setup. Even a newcomer like him with no foundation could trace from lower city players to City Hall's forces. Rongxin Group's people shouldn't have missed the wind direction. They had dealt with several leakers in advance and were coordinating at the dock, setting up the trap openly.
The lower city crowd was mostly cannon fodder. The question was whether players like Butterfly Lady would get involved.
After spending a hefty sum to rent a long-range flying device, Xu Huo explained the situation to Butterfly Lady. She thought it over before saying, "Don't you already know that the goods arriving at the dock recently aren't weapons?"
He didn't know her information channels, but he was guessing based on Rongxin Group's movements. The people who came to kill him were from City Hall, but those who later tailed him were Rongxin Group's leakers. Whether City Hall had a hand in this was still unclear.
"This situation doesn't call for my intervention, but I can still join in the fun."
Butterfly Lady gave him a deep look. "I also want to know if your guess is right. City Hall people robbing Rongxin Group?"
"It's not necessarily City Hall wanting to rob them." Xu Huo turned back and said, "Judging by your expression, this period shouldn't be a transaction date."
Butterfly Lady narrowed her eyes. "You're quite capable. Then guess when they'll transact."
"You don't even know, how could I possibly know?" Xu Huo said with a smile.
Butterfly Lady was fuming. She took the driver's seat first, and as soon as he got in, before the door was even fully closed, the vehicle shot out like a beast unleashed.
Zone 0 had strict controls on flying devices. All civilian flying instruments had set control distances. Even if they wanted to observe from a distance using the flying device, both Xu Huo and Butterfly Lady had to go out to sea or near the coast.
Butterfly Lady chose the location. She drove the vehicle straight into the sea, heading toward the sea station.
"We don't know the exact time the lower city will act. If we go too early, will we just drift at sea for nothing?" Xu Huo discussed with her in a good mood.
"Duke Tal has been invited by Rongxin Group tonight to receive a batch of donated supplies from other districts." Butterfly Lady stopped the vehicle on the sea.
Government base vehicles were amphibious—land, water, and air capable. There were levitation devices under the chassis, and opening the vehicle allowed it to float steadily on the water's surface.
"If it's really like you said, that Rongxin Group specially dug a pit to bury people, this is the perfect opportunity." Butterfly Lady told him to release the flying device.
This position was a certain distance from both the station and the shipping lane. After the flying device left, she took out something like a rain cover and draped it over the vehicle, instantly making it invisible from its original position.
"This thing only works on objects. Only inside the vehicle can others not see us. Best not to go out."
Xu Huo nodded, controlling the flying device to its farthest and highest position, then activated the auto-flight button, letting it circle over the sea on its own.
Neither of them were talkative people. They waited in silence until late at night, when finally a ship sailed out from the harbor, heading toward the station.
The latest technologically improved steamship combined aesthetics with practicality, running across the water like a speedboat. The massive waves it kicked up surged all the way from the shipping lane to their vehicle, shaking it and pushing it back nearly a hundred meters. The flying device also automatically retreated a hundred meters after detecting the signal.
"I imagine things will get quite exciting on that ship soon. Too bad we can't get premium seats," Butterfly Lady said.
Xu Huo understood. By now, the people who were supposed to board had already boarded.
The B-class cruise ship Hero, belonging to Rongxin Group, had just finished receiving the cargo. Twenty large crates were transferred to the rear hold. Duke Tal ordered someone to bring wine and raised his glass to the man across from him, who wore a trench coat and a cowboy hat. "I didn't expect only you to deliver the goods. I've taken over the cargo. Your mission is complete. You can relax on the ship now."
The cowboy hat man downed the wine in one gulp and set the glass down. He didn't speak, and his exposed hands and face were blurred by black shadows, looking very indistinct.
Duke Tal didn't mind. He nodded to an elderly man beside him.
The old man raised his hand, and several women in revealing clothes came out from the cabin, surrounding the cowboy hat man.
The deck soon became lively. The cruise ship turned around to head back. The elderly man beside Duke Tal left for a few minutes and returned, lowering his voice. "Aside from the crates we just inspected, the others can't be opened."
"The complete key is with Meni. Just hand the stuff over to him. Don't worry about the rest." Duke Tal was embracing a beautiful woman, getting intimate, completely unconcerned with the old man's words. He waved his hand for him to leave.
The old man's face darkened. He returned to the cabin and had just taken out his communicator when the cruise ship suddenly slammed on the brakes.
"What's going on?" Outside, Duke Tal was saved from falling embarrassingly by his bodyguards. Once steady, he immediately said, "Check the cruise ship immediately!"
On the cruise ship, besides Rongxin Group's players, there was also a City Hall squad led by the old man. They were all players, reacting quickly to the sudden situation. Several figures vanished from the deck like ghosts, reappearing in the cockpit and rear deck the next second, aiming to take control of these two locations as fast as possible.
"Why did the ship stop?" a white-haired player demanded of the captain.
"The controls malfunctioned. I'm going outside to check the connectors." The captain came out of the personal control cabin and walked quickly toward the passage. But as he passed the white-haired player, he deliberately brushed against the other's clothes. Then, the white-haired player's clothing seemed to come alive, suddenly constricting him. The fabric automatically structured itself into threads, rapidly winding around his neck!
The white-haired player touched himself with blue gloves, freezing his outer clothes, pants, and the separated threads. Then he rolled to the side, dodging a bullet fired by a crew member, and shouted, "These aren't staff! Take them out!"