Chapter 582: Opening the Door to Deliver Warmth
The wormhole flower was the one he had brought back from Little Flower Red Red Building, purple and red in color. When he first brought it back, he didn't know what kind of flower it was and simply planted it. It wasn't until Deep Blue Island that Dr. Deng mentioned the flower's name and its function.
The amount of red on the wormhole flower's plant could indicate the evolution level of a game district. Just like the players who initially evolved due to environmental changes, the wormhole flower would also change as the district's environment evolved. The higher the district's evolution level, the more red the wormhole flower would have.
Xu Huo wasn't sure about the source and direction of this evolution for now, but it was certain that the higher the evolution level, the greater the integration with the game. Apart from humans and animals, everything in District 014—resources both above and below ground—should be affected.
Were the ores that could be used to make props, or the Nuwa Stone, as well as other raw materials, all produced only after the district evolved?
Did the arrival of the Artificer mean that District 014 was about to fully merge into the game?
The Painting Woman called him on video. She and Yu Qingqing pressed their faces together, distorting them. Two seconds later, the Painting Woman used her strength advantage to push Yu Qingqing out of the frame, happily signing: "You're back! Was it fun outside?"
"Not bad." Xu Huo smiled. "You're staying at my place?"
"We're living together!" Yu Qingqing shouted from behind. "Cousin, you're so mean. You came back and didn't even tell me. Are you coming to Jing City to visit us? Or should I go find you? I've already done my instance for this month anyway."
"How's that flower doing?" Xu Huo asked.
The video shifted, pointing at the flower on the windowsill. The Painting Woman read aloud through her phone: "I've been taking good care of it. I water it every few days."
"Cousin, don't believe her. She never watered it, and she secretly poured milk into the pot." Yu Qingqing poked her from the side, and the two started bickering again.
Xu Huo saw the flower. The red on the plant had indeed increased a bit compared to when he first brought it back.
"I'm currently in Yang City. Come find me if you have time." He said this before hanging up, then went out to eat with Sima Xiao'er.
The more prosperous the area, the better the public security. It wasn't dark yet, and many restaurants were still open. Sima Xiao'er picked an old shop, ordered all the signature dishes, and even called for a case of liquor, wanting to drink to his heart's content with Xu Huo.
"Brother Xu, I really envy smart people like you and Captain Nie," Sima Xiao'er said. "You're not afraid no matter where you go. A lot of us in the Special Defense Department don't dare to wander around, afraid we'll accidentally stumble into a random instance."
"Are random instances becoming more common?" Xu Huo asked casually.
"You bet. The trigger points are all kinds of bizarre too. They're only discovered after a lot of people die." Sima Xiao'er said. "I wonder what will happen in the future."
"If District 014 eventually has Super Players, there might not be any more random instances," Xu Huo said. That was how it was in District 011.
"Is that so?" Sima Xiao'er was surprised but couldn't help shaking his head. "Super Players... how long will that take? I probably won't live to see it."
"Times are different. Maybe we'll have to live like this forever. I hope our efforts now can make things better for our families and future generations."
He had drunk a bit too much. After his bold declarations, he lay his head on the table and started crying. "I'm really scared of dying. I don't want to live in fear anymore..."
Xu Huo listened to his words without much reaction. After a while, he asked the boss for a hangover soup, then got up and walked outside the shop to light a cigarette. Amidst the rising smoke, he counted the heads of people far and near.
Eight people in total, watching him from different places.
He stubbed out the cigarette and walked toward the hospital across the street. Before he even entered the hospital gate, the man who had been lingering near the emergency room changed expression and slipped inside.
Xu Huo didn't have to work hard to corner the man not far from the back door. He broke one of his legs and dragged him into a utility room.
"What do you want... I'm warning you, don't do anything rash..." The man kneeling on the ground showed fear on his face.
"Talk. Who sent you? Talk well, and there's a reward." Xu Huo stood in front of him.
"A... a reward?" The man seemed not to understand his words.
"I'll let you go." As Xu Huo spoke, without even blinking, he lifted his foot and kicked, breaking the man's right arm. "Don't try anything clever. Unless you can escape into an instance."
The man screamed in pain, but the sound didn't reach outside. Xu Huo picked up the small toy that had fallen from the man's hand, fiddled with it for a moment, then said, "Special Defense Department? First Association? Or the Twin Serpents Organization?"
"Looks like it's the First Association. You want to avenge Bao Jiali?"
The man was drenched in cold sweat. Just as he was stammering, the utility room door suddenly exploded, hurtling straight toward Xu Huo!
Xu Huo dodged to the side, but then the soles of his shoes seemed to stick to something, unable to move. Before he could free himself, a figure rushed in from outside, grabbed the injured man on the ground, and ran.
But he was only a few steps from the door when he was grabbed by the neck and dragged back. The newcomer threw the injured man aside, turned around, and charged at Xu Huo, a glowing sword of considerable length appearing in his hand.
However, before he could get close to Xu Huo, a large door suddenly appeared. The man couldn't stop in time and slammed into it, his glowing sword shattering into several pieces!
Forcibly pulling down the strings, this player leaped up again, brandishing something like a sledgehammer and smashing it down—but he hit nothing. Xu Huo, who should have been behind the door, had vanished!
"Watch out!" the injured man shouted from outside. Before his voice died away, the large door suddenly disappeared again. The player hadn't even landed before he was tied up tightly with strings.
Xu Huo stood in a corner of the room, ignoring his struggles. "Both from the First Association?"
"Kill me if you want. Let's see if you can get away unscathed after killing someone from the First Association!" the young player shouted angrily.
"How many of you came?" Xu Huo asked again.
The young player seemed to have backbone, stiffening his neck in defiance.
The one outside was different. He hurriedly said, "Three. Three of us came in total. But we have no ill intentions toward you, absolutely no other motives..."
The young player stared in disbelief. "Why are you betraying the First Association!"
Xu Huo kicked this fool farther away, then turned to the man outside. "Did you see anyone else while you were watching me?"
"Saw two. They're also players, but not from the First Association. Members of a small organization in Yang City. Not sure what their goal is..."
"That makes three more." Xu Huo withdrew the kite strings and said to the two, "I don't have a grudge with the First Association for now. But if Tan Yang sends people to follow me again, I can't say the same. Go back."
With that, he left the hospital. Using the cover of nearby buildings, he circled back to the eating area, entered the seventh floor of a residential building, walked straight to one of the doors, and rang the doorbell. "Open up. The neighborhood committee is here to deliver warmth."
(Chapter End)