Chapter 612: Just Killing a Few Players
“My trait is quite simple—I can put makeup on people.” Wen Xuelin brought out a box. “This is a prop box. If I work directly on the face, I can achieve about ninety percent likeness, and it’s hard to see through. Props can’t undo it either.”
She picked up one of the small pink brushes from the box. “Using this is different. One-button makeup application, can be done remotely, but the distance can’t be too far. The similarity is about seventy to eighty percent. If they wear a mask and hat, it’s not easy to recognize them either. The advantage of this method is that you can change someone’s appearance without them noticing at all.”
The Painting Woman’s face gradually changed. The outline of Zheng Liang could already be seen in her eyes and brows. By the time Wen Xuelin finished, she had become almost identical to Zheng Liang. With just a slight modification to her body shape, she could completely pass as his twin brother.
“Mr. Xu, what do you think? Does it look like him?” Wen Xuelin asked with a hint of pride.
“Very much so,” Xu Huo said, satisfied. The number and uses of appearance-changing props were limited, but makeup wasn’t.
The Painting Woman looked at herself in the mirror from left to right, then typed two words to Zheng Liang: “So ugly.”
Zheng Liang’s lips twitched, and he said irritably, “If I’m ugly, then don’t look!”
The Painting Woman obediently closed her eyes.
Zheng Liang’s temper flared. He slammed the table and stood up to confront Xu Huo. “Did you teach her that?!”
Gu Yu couldn’t stop him in time, and Wen Xuelin was also slightly flustered. The two quickly tried to push him back into his seat.
Zheng Liang stubbornly refused to sit down, but then Xu Huo glanced at him. That look was like cold water pouring over him from head to toe, extinguishing all his anger.
Without needing Gu Yu and the others to act, he sat down on his own and said sullenly, “You’re acting like Brother Zhi now.”
“I’m different from him. He won’t fight you, but I will.” Xu Huo tapped the table. “You should change your temper a bit.”
Zheng Liang’s mouth conceded, but his face didn’t. “Other people would be lucky to get even a glance from me!”
Xu Huo didn’t waste words and cut straight to the main topic.
First, he needed to know the situation around the Special Defense Department Headquarters. Saying he wanted to visit the headquarters didn’t mean he actually had to go inside. The meeting point could be chosen at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, making it convenient for the Special Defense Department to clean up or cover things up.
Second, too many players were gathered near the headquarters. Most of them weren’t his targets, so they needed to be dispersed in advance. This required multiple people to cooperate.
“That’s a lot of manpower,” Zheng Liang said, frowning after listening. “The Spring Rain Association alone might not be enough.”
Luring away a large number of players was an extremely dangerous task in itself. One wrong move could cost someone their life. It was best to have multiple people working together, avoiding direct conflict with other players and just focusing on drawing their attention.
“I’ve also found some other players, about fifteen of them.” Xu Huo glanced at his phone. “They’ll arrive in Jing City this afternoon.”
“After you lure the players away, what do you plan to do?” Gu Yu asked. “This time, I’m afraid quite a few cannibal players will come for you. Two fists can’t fight four hands. I think you should be more careful. And the situation with the Special Defense Department… it’s hard to say.”
“That’s right,” Wen Xuelin added. “Dai Wenqian contacted us at this time to assassinate your stepfather. It’s clearly targeting you.”
“If he really wants to target… Xu Huo, killing anyone would be better than killing Tang Guangbo, right?” Zheng Liang said. “He clearly knows we know each other. Just a little investigation into Tang Guangbo would reveal the relationship between the two of you. This is obviously an impossible deal.”
“And he went around the Special Defense Department to contact us, which means he’s doing this privately. It has nothing to do with the Special Defense Department.”
“Then what does he really want to do?” Gu Yu’s expression darkened. “Dai Wenqian is a very deep person. I don’t know how he managed it, but I heard Team Leader Song has been removed from his post. In just a few days, he’s gotten close to that new Team Leader Chang. He wouldn’t have done all this for nothing, would he?”
Xu Huo smiled. “He wants me to kill Tang Guangbo, or he’ll take the opportunity to do it himself when things get chaotic.”
Dai Wenqian wasn’t a fool. He had also undergone psychological treatment with Tang Guangbo. Now he must have realized that Tang Guangbo had serious problems.
Contacting Gu Yu to hire a killer was a move that could achieve multiple goals at once. If Gu Yu and the others followed through, whether Tang Guangbo lived or died wouldn’t affect him. If Tang Guangbo slipped up during the process, Dai Wenqian could use the Special Defense Department to intervene.
If Gu Yu rejected the deal and contacted him, it would serve as a warning. Dai Wenqian wouldn’t kill a psychology professor for no reason. Xu Huo, as a player who had also undergone psychological evaluations, would definitely pay attention. The players who had long-term treatment with Tang Guangbo would be good leads to investigate.
If Xu Huo discovered Tang Guangbo was wrong and either acted himself or informed the Special Defense Department, it still wouldn’t affect Dai Wenqian.
A simple check into whether Dai Wenqian had recently undergone psychological evaluations or treatment would reveal his true intentions.
But in Xu Huo’s view, the fact that Dai Wenqian had come up with the not-so-brilliant move of directly killing Tang Guangbo showed that he had confirmed his suspicions but lacked evidence. That’s why he couldn’t directly report Tang Guangbo through his superiors. Additionally, his current situation was awkward. Rashly exposing a well-respected professor without solid proof would be digging his own grave.
But if Xu Huo did it, it would be different. He was a key focus of the Special Defense Department and had no conflict of interest with Tang Guangbo.
Psychological changes were a very subtle argument. Even if Dai Wenqian sensed something was off with Tang Guangbo, it would be hard to determine if Tang Guangbo had actually tampered with anything, because after entering the game, players’ mindsets undergo massive changes. Even the Special Defense Department couldn’t provide standard data.
“Why would he think that?” Gu Yu asked, stunned. “It’s not like your relationship with your stepfather is that bad!”
Wen Xuelin tugged at her sleeve. “Even if you don’t trust Dai Wenqian, you should trust Mr. Xu. That Tang Guangbo is definitely not a good person!”
Gu Yu looked to Xu Huo for confirmation.
Xu Huo didn’t say it outright. He only said, “He’s very good at using psychological suggestion.”
“Tang Guangbo is a hired professor. His daily job is to provide psychological treatment and evaluations for players.” Zheng Liang was horrified. “Is he targeting Special Defense Department players?”
“It’s not that serious,” Xu Huo said. “If it were, Dai Wenqian could report him. The fact that he’s doing this without evidence shows it’s not that severe. As for Tang Guangbo, he’s probably just running experiments.”
Gu Yu sneered. “That bastard wanted to use the Spring Rain Association too. He’s not afraid I’ll report him to the Special Defense Department!”
“Would the Special Defense Department believe you?” Zheng Liang pounded the table. “We’re old enemies with Dai Wenqian.”
Gu Yu opened her mouth, then felt deflated. “I’ve really been played by him. What bad luck to run into someone like him!”
“Dai Wenqian has so many players under him, yet he still uses underhanded schemes. He has no future.” Wen Xuelin looked at Xu Huo with anticipation. “Let’s hear Mr. Xu’s plan!”
Xu Huo clasped his hands together in front of him. “It’s not much of a plan. Just killing a few cannibal players.”
(Chapter End)