# Chapter 704: News from Zone 009
Xu Huo thought this guy would definitely find a suitable time to leave, but he didn't expect him to actually be prepared to stay in Zone 011 for the long term.
Dr. Deng didn't beat around the bush either, saying directly, "You've heard about what happened in Zone 009, right?"
Xu Huo sat down in the tea room. "I've heard a little."
Dr. Deng exhaled. "Dr. Wu appeared in Zone 009."
Xu Huo's expression shifted slightly. "Really?"
"The source of the information is absolutely reliable, but since I didn't see it with my own eyes, I can't be sure that the Dr. Wu they're talking about is the person I'm looking for." Dr. Deng was very serious.
"You mean you want me to take you to Zone 009?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know the situation in Zone 009? There's definitely going to be a large-scale player battle coming up. Forget about bringing you along—I'm not even safe going there myself."
"But that's the Perfect Evolution Potion!" Dr. Deng said in a deep voice. "Don't you want it?"
"Of course I want it," Xu Huo said. "But compared to that, my life is more important."
Dr. Deng scrutinized him. "I thought you weren't someone who feared death."
"This has nothing to do with fearing death. Everything I do is based on the fact that I'm alive. What use is an evolution potion to a dead person?"
Dr. Deng clearly hadn't expected this outcome. He stood up with some anger. "For the Perfect Evolution Potion, how many people are willing to risk their lives? I didn't expect you wouldn't even take a little risk. I misjudged you!"
"Taking risks has to be worth it. You yourself said the information might not be true." Xu Huo added, "Besides, how many people in the game are looking for Dr. Wu? Why would he happen to appear in a district that's about to fully merge with the game?"
"I've doubted it too, but this lead is worth following. I have channels. Didn't Deep Blue Laboratory also find traces of Dr. Wu?" Dr. Deng looked at him probing. "Aren't you curious at all? Are you so sure the information is fake?"
"I just don't believe it would be that coincidental," Xu Huo said. "How many players will be going to the game merger? I'm more inclined to think someone is fishing."
Dr. Deng's expression changed, but he quickly said, "Since you don't believe it, forget it!"
He was about to leave, and Xu Huo didn't play hard to get by keeping him. Instead, he had Mr. Dong see him out.
Dr. Deng, who had walked out the door, stopped for a few seconds, looked back, and then left angrily.
"Sir, are you not interested in the Perfect Evolution Potion?" Mr. Dong returned to ask.
Xu Huo was very interested. What he lacked right now was the Perfect Evolution Potion, but Dr. Deng wasn't trustworthy.
First of all, his identity was questionable. Although he claimed to have been fired by Stellar Corporation, that might not be true. In this game, probably no one's desire for the Perfect Evolution Potion exceeded Stellar Corporation's. Setting a few decoys was nothing, and as a "dismissed" researcher, his connections were a bit too extensive.
Of course, the information might not necessarily be false. Dr. Deng had been tracking Dr. Wu, so he might know more "inside information" than others. But coming to him, a D-level player, on his own initiative seemed a bit strange.
Anyway, the matter in Zone 009 hadn't been finalized yet. It wouldn't hurt to wait another two days.
Xu Huo paused and asked Mr. Dong, "How's that 'ghost' doing?"
He was referring to the "ghost face" prop brought back from Deep Blue Laboratory. He had directly put it in the luggage compartment and brought it back. Like the Painting Woman and Mr. Dong, it had a certain degree of autonomy, but it just didn't seem very smart. So last time he returned, he handed it over to Mr. Dong, and it had been locked up in the castle ever since.
Mr. Dong looked toward the wall, which automatically extended outward. The surface melted like mud, layer after layer washing down, and soon it spat out the "ghost shadow."
The "ghost shadow" stuck to the ground was exceptionally well-behaved, not moving at all, and didn't even activate its half-real, half-fake ghost face, lying there like a piece of waste paper.
"Given up resisting?" Xu Huo walked over. Before he could crouch down, the paper suddenly flew up and wrapped around his face!
This thing's favorite activity was wrapping around people's faces. He dodged to the side, but at that moment, the Painting Woman ran down from upstairs, and the two papers unexpectedly faced each other.
The "ghost shadow" that had flown into the air turned around to flee, but it was too late. The Painting Woman reached out and grabbed it, though she threw it away the next second.
The "ghost shadow," freed, immediately stuck to the wall and ran wildly until it was sure it couldn't escape the castle. Then it shrank into the farthest corner and didn't move.
Meanwhile, the Painting Woman nervously checked her new clothes before smiling at Xu Huo. "Do I look good?"
Xu Huo nodded, pointing at the dirty thing in the corner. "I can't catch it. Tomorrow, get it down and clean it up."
The Painting Woman had helped Mr. Dong with work during the day and didn't find anything wrong now. When she had lived with Xu Huo before, she was the one who did the cleaning. So she went upstairs, changed out of her new clothes, put on an apron, came down, grabbed the "ghost shadow," and said she couldn't stand such a dirty thing running around in her house.
The "ghost shadow" completely lost its ability to resist in her hands. It was pressed into the bathtub and washed for half an hour, blow-dried, and sprayed with perfume before being sent to Xu Huo's room.
Xu Huo was about to sleep at this point. Seeing the Painting Woman squeeze out from under the doorframe with the "ghost shadow," he couldn't help saying, "Did you forget our previous agreement?"
The Painting Woman looked aggrieved. "I didn't let anyone see me."
"I said you can't casually enter my room. Did you knock?" Xu Huo looked at her.
The Painting Woman quickly nodded, then dragged the "ghost shadow" out and knocked on the door.
Xu Huo pulled the covers over himself. "If there's something, talk about it tomorrow."
There was silence outside the door for two seconds, then the knocking started again. After a while, Mr. Dong came upstairs and took her away.
But early the next morning, when Xu Huo opened his door, he saw the Painting Woman squatting by his door, idly playing with the "ghost shadow." The poor "ghost shadow" was rolled into a ball by her and didn't dare to stretch out, rolling around on the ground all wrinkled.
"Didn't sleep?" Xu Huo asked.
The Painting Woman didn't need sleep. She handed over the balled-up "ghost shadow." "It wasn't obedient, so I taught it a lesson."
Xu Huo reached out to take it. This time, the "ghost shadow" didn't run but obediently stayed in his hand.
He easily stored it in his item slot and opened his game panel to check the specific information.
[Congratulations, Player Passerby A, for obtaining a special item.]
[Reformed Poster: Its creator was a famous stalker who was imprisoned three times for following others and stated upon each release that she would never give up her hobby because of the law. Until she fell in love with her last target—a beautiful and kind-hearted person—and made this poster that can change its appearance based on the holder's inner beauty. She hoped that when the woman on the poster became a peerless beauty, the other party would accept her feelings.]
[But who would fall in love with a stalker? From then on, she believed that beautiful appearance and beautiful heart were completely opposite attributes, so she changed the poster's function and endowed it with the ability to kill the stalked person.]