Chapter 644: Bait and Transport Mission
Those gilled xenomorphs were heading toward the Special Defense Department headquarters. The five players still in Wen Mountain also withdrew from different locations, with Special Defense Department players following closely behind—not just because of the xenomorphs, but also due to the original bombing plan.
The operation was supposed to take thirty minutes, but due to changes in the situation, it had already exceeded that time. The Special Defense Department had issued a new order: the bombing was still to be carried out.
Xu Huo also received a call from Team Leader Wu. He asked again about the current water quality report and, upon learning that the composition of the black rain hadn't changed much, suddenly realized something else: the depression might be one source of the black rain, but not necessarily the only source.
Assuming that the special nature of the prop allowed the depression to sustain such heavy rainfall, then the time spent purifying the depression should have caused a qualitative change in the rain over the Jing City area.
Why were the xenomorphs carrying props toward Jing City? After the Y country players failed their prop guarding mission, why did they also retreat in the direction of Jing City?
Numerous thoughts surged up at once, only to be dismissed in an extremely short time. Xu Huo dialed Nie Xuan's number.
Nie Xuan was still interrogating that player. Some props and drugs that affected the mind had been used, but they hadn't extracted much useful information. After all this effort, the final conclusion was that this player was just bait—but they couldn't kill him either.
"Found any useful leads?" Nie Xuan didn't waste words, cutting straight to the point.
"Do you know the xenomorphs under the depression are heading toward the Special Defense Department?" Xu Huo said. "Xenomorphs have no thinking ability; they only run in straight lines. The surveillance should show which direction they're going."
Nie Xuan turned his computer around. "The drones have followed them. Although they haven't entered the headquarters' range yet, the general direction is clear."
"The xenomorphs and the players left behind in the depression should have dual tasks: bait and transport. If the players are discovered, the xenomorphs transfer the props; if the players aren't discovered, the players would be responsible for the transfer." Xu Huo spoke quickly. "I estimate that one of the operating conditions for this high-level prop requires a large open-air water source."
Nie Xuan's fingers moved rapidly across the computer. "So, the open-air water sources along the xenomorphs' path should be the second target for the lurking players. If we can find the second contaminated water source on this line, we can disrupt their plan!"
"It's not necessarily a contaminated water source; clean water sources can't be ruled out either," Xu Huo said.
Nie Xuan paused in his movements. "You mean the true source of the black rain isn't surface water?"
"I can't be sure, but the rainfall ratio doesn't add up." Xu Huo had already sent the Painting Woman out with the Nuwa Stone and props. He omitted the change in water quality at the depression and continued, "Bombing Wen Mountain is meaningless now. The xenomorphs are more useful than those players. I've sent Li Chun to keep them there."
"Stop bombing Wen Mountain?" Nie Xuan spoke while signaling to someone beside him. "Can the reservoir at Wen Mountain save those ordinary people who turned into xenomorphs?"
"If the Special Defense Department can stop the black rain from falling everywhere, then probably yes." Xu Huo let out a laugh.
"Good!" Nie Xuan swept away his earlier gloom. "Wen Mountain is yours to handle. Our Special Defense Department won't drop the ball either—we'll definitely catch those people in advance!"
Both were sharp minds. Xu Huo didn't explicitly mention the black rain prop, and Nie Xuan naturally didn't ask how he had guessed the arrangement for the local prop transfer.
Nie Xuan's communication quickly reached the headquarters and the safe zone. The order to bomb Wen Mountain was rescinded. Zeng Tai and the others also received instructions to abandon the pursuit of the lurking players and return to guard the headquarters.
The Special Defense Department elites had the numerical advantage, having killed three of the enemy, but they had also lost two of their own. The group was in hot pursuit, seeking revenge for their fallen comrades, and were inevitably confused by this sudden order. Zeng Tai immediately started arguing with Team Leader Wu, and before much was said, he smashed his phone.
"Headquarters has handed them over to Xu Huo," the tall, thin player said coldly, staring toward the depression.
"Jian Yuanjie, don't talk nonsense!" Zeng Tai shouted angrily. "No matter how powerful Xu Huo is, he's only one person. There are still five players left, scattered everywhere. Did he learn a clone technique or something?"
"Didn't you just say he killed one of their people without even lifting a finger?" the female player Zhu Yuchan said thoughtfully. "Maybe he has methods beyond our understanding."
"What bullshit methods! I don't believe one person can kill five players!" Zeng Tai said bitterly. "I don't care what you think—I'm going after those bastards!"
Jian Yuanjie blocked him. "Follow the order!"
Their eyes met, and Zeng Tai backed down, reluctantly giving up. "Fine, I'll see how he deals with them!"
The group was somewhat unwilling, except for Wang Chaoqing, who was running at the front, looking very happy. "Not having to risk your lives is a good thing, you idiots!"
Zeng Tai, looking for an outlet for his anger, rushed over and grabbed him by the collar, raising his fist to punch him. But at that moment, a dark shadow suddenly flew past overhead. Zhu Yuchan chased it with a searchlight and discovered it was a living person wrapped in white bandages!
"That's one of the lurking players!" her expression changed.
"He's wrapped from head to toe—how did you recognize him?" Zeng Tai asked in surprise.
"Are you blind? Didn't you see the shoes on his feet?" Wang Chaoqing slapped his hand away.
Zeng Tai really hadn't seen clearly, but several other players confirmed it. They belatedly realized the person was flying backward toward the depression. The group understood and stopped their pointless venting, quickly heading to the headquarters to intercept the xenomorphs.
Back at the depression, the Painting Woman used Xu Huo's stored paper to drag over the two players she had knocked unconscious. She took out "World Within the Painting" and stuffed them inside, then went up Wen Mountain to place the Nuwa Stone and King Fungus into the reservoir.
"Why plant it here? There's no mud—nothing will grow," the Painting Woman said boredly, chiming in. The badge of the Light Gentleman gifted by Yan Jiayu was already hanging around her neck.
"It can survive without mud." Xu Huo held the kite string wrapped around the box, sitting at the entrance of the reservoir, flipping the cube in his hands left and right.
He had tried using props to destroy it and putting it into the box or the shelter, but this thing was truly indestructible. Even the "Life Core" had no effect on it. If he put it into a prop, even the original prop couldn't be stored back in the item slot.
The Painting Woman noticed Xu Huo wasn't paying attention and secretly slipped into "World Within the Painting." In no time, the two squeezed oil painting faces on the canvas started moving. Less than thirty seconds later, she came slinking back out, looking dejected, and sat down to the side, pretending she hadn't done anything.
Xu Huo turned to look at her.
"I didn't mean to," the Painting Woman said guiltily. "I hadn't even spoken to him yet, and he just coughed up blood and died."
(Chapter End)