Chapter 584: Friendly Gift
"Twin Serpents usually only send invitations to players with special professions or those who are exceptionally strong," Brother Liang said, now calmer. "It seems you belong to the latter category."
He pulled an invitation from his clothes. "I received one too."
"This organization is very shady. After I got the invitation, I went to inquire about Twin Serpents. Some players mentioned that friends of theirs who received invitations to attend gatherings never showed up again."
"That's impossible," Xu Huo said. "If players who received invitations never reappeared, things would have blown up long ago. The missing players you mentioned are people you know."
"That's right." Brother Liang didn't deny it either. "But the disappearance of players who attended the gatherings is a real thing, not just the two I know."
"They might have encountered danger and entered an instance, or they could have been targeted and killed by other players at the gathering. Why are you so sure the Twin Serpents organization is the problem?" Xu Huo asked.
"Intuition." Brother Liang said solemnly, "My intuition has never been wrong."
Xu Huo looked at him for two seconds before saying, "It's a trait, isn't it?"
He himself had the "Fifty-Fifty" trait, so it wasn't unusual for other professions to have intuitive traits.
Having taken the "Star-Binding Sphere," he said to Brother Liang, "The messenger is already dead. You'll have to find another way."
Brother Liang saw that his five companions were standing unharmed in their original spots, and while his eyes showed amazement, he said, "You're willing to let us go?"
"Don't want to leave?" Xu Huo paused in his movements.
Brother Liang quickly said no, his expression quite complicated.
Xu Huo clearly hadn't used his full strength against them. Killing them would have been easy. Six players combined would have plenty of items and potions—it would have been a waste not to take them. He never expected to spit out the fat that had been delivered to his mouth.
But they were hardly "fat." Xu Huo only saw six rookies who had been led around by the nose while tailing a single messenger.
Still, there were benefits.
"Can invitees bring family?" he called out to Brother Liang.
"Bring family?" Brother Liang looked at him hesitantly. "You really want to go? You can bring people, but one invitation only allows two guests. Otherwise, you'll be turned away at the door."
Xu Huo nodded, pulled out his phone, and said, "Leave a contact method."
The two exchanged contact information. Before leaving, Brother Liang still said, "I think unless it's absolutely necessary, it's best not to take risks. There are always stronger people out there. Those players who went to the gatherings also had abilities, and they all disappeared in the end."
Xu Huo nodded slightly, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the park.
Behind him, Brother Liang and his group watched his back, and soon vanished into the mist.
Of the eight surveillance personnel, after Xu Huo dealt with three groups, the remaining few had already fled without a trace. He went to the restaurant and called out Sima Xiao'er, who was only half-sober.
"Brother Xu, is something going on?" Sima Xiao'er's mind was still relatively clear. "I've already notified the nearby department colleagues."
"Nothing major. I dealt with a few tailing people." Xu Huo mentioned it casually, signaling him to have the Yang City Special Defense Department members who had already arrived head back.
Probably having received orders from above, the Special Defense Department personnel didn't leave. Instead, they stationed people both inside and outside the hotel he was staying at, specifically to protect his safety and ensure that the next time he went out, nothing extra would appear in his room.
Team Leader Wu specifically contacted him, saying he could arrange for two players to accompany him to the gathering.
This time, Xu Huo didn't refuse. Early the next morning, the people Team Leader Wu had selected arrived. Along with them came Zhou Ning and Hu Wenhu.
"Long time no see." Zhou Ning smiled and greeted him, her expression carrying fatigue.
Xu Huo glanced at the listless Hu Wenhu. "Serious?"
"The Special Defense Department couldn't do anything either. There's no specific antidote." Zhou Ning said, "He's already used many kinds of potions, but it still relapses. I heard Team Leader Wu talk about the fungus, so I rushed over overnight with him to find you."
"I'll help detoxify him later." Xu Huo turned to greet the two people Team Leader Wu had chosen.
One was named Guan Sheng, and the other Qian Xuwen. The former's profession was a combat coach, proficient in various martial arts with strong practical combat ability. The latter's profession was a recorder, skilled in fast writing and fast memorization, with a photographic memory and a talent for tracking.
He told them to make themselves at home, then took out a pre-prepared injection and handed it to Zhou Ning. "A cure for what ails him."
Zhou Ning immediately injected Hu Wenhu. Seeing his condition visibly improve, she was so moved her eyes reddened. The two of them kept thanking him repeatedly.
"No need to be so polite." Xu Huo looked at Zhou Ning. "Go wash your face."
Zhou Ning wiped her face and found her makeup smudged. A bit embarrassed, she went into the bathroom. After a moment, she came out looking fresh and clean, her braid also undone.
After sitting down, she said, "By the way, I got a pretty good item this time."
She placed a pair of gloves as thin as cicada wings on the table. "Density Extraction Gloves. They can change their own density based on the object they touch. A bit like the Metamorphosis Gloves, but these should be closer to what you mentioned—usable multiple times but not repeating. They can switch densities twenty times a day."
Xu Huo had been looking for glove items to use the "Omnipresent Strings." For the same object, the strings could only work once. To use them, he had to constantly change the contact object. So far, he had been using disposable gloves.
He had previously speculated that the item's judgment of whether something was the same object might be based on the object's own characteristics—like color, hardness, or material. Up to now, he hadn't found a suitable item to adapt to the strings.
"Let me try." He put on the gloves and casually tapped the table. He immediately felt the hardness of the gloves change. Although they became harder, they didn't deviate from the category of gloves. After grabbing the strings once, he touched another object to change the glove density. The gloves, after their second density change, could still catch the suspended strings.
"Not bad," Xu Huo said. The gloves only needed to casually touch an object to switch densities, which was very convenient. Additionally, wearing these gloves was like putting on a layer of fake skin—they could cover fingerprints and palm prints without being easily noticed. They were a good item for concealing one's tracks.
"I'll trade you a D-grade item for them."
"No need," Zhou Ning said with a light laugh. "You saved Huzi's life. An item is the least I can do."
"We're all friends." Xu Huo gave her the lucky bracelet he had obtained from this instance. "Increases luck by 10%. I haven't used this item, so I'm not sure of the exact effect."
It was an item that combined effect and aesthetics. Zhou Ning didn't refuse and put it on immediately.
Xu Huo also gave them some potions, including not only Evolution Potions and Self-Healing Agents, but also Hair Growth Potions.
"This is a C-grade potion. It should be more effective than the previous Hair Growth Potions."
Leaving aside everything else, the Hair Growth Potion was very useful for Zhou Ning's trait. She needed potions, but every time after an instance, she just couldn't get her hands on Hair Growth Potions.
At this moment, Hu Wenhu voiced a question from the depths of his soul. "Besides essential potions like Evolution Potions and Self-Healing Agents, the potions the game usually gives are based on the player's hidden needs. Brother Xu, why do you always manage to get so many Hair Growth Potions?"
(Chapter End)