Chapter 791: Xu Huo and the Little Girl
It started raining outside.
The children who had been lingering around the hotel, unwilling to leave, gradually dispersed. Only that little girl remained, squatting under a utility pole with a plastic bag over her head, occasionally smearing some mud and ash on her face. Her eyes were bright, fixed firmly on the second-floor window of the hotel, as if she would jump up the moment the curtain was pulled open.
Xu Huo pulled open the curtain, and she immediately stood up.
However, Xu Huo made no other move. He just glanced outside and then drew the curtain closed again.
His condition hadn't worsened for the time being. Although the blood flowing from his cut palm was black, the fungal threads had already begun to take effect. He just couldn't move for now.
An unofficial wanted notice was starting to circulate online. It was said to be for the player who had attacked Jiang Jiang, and a nationwide manhunt was underway.
The portrait on the notice looked quite different from him. Although he didn't understand Jiang Jiang's intention in doing this, she knew he hadn't left District 009... She was probably waiting for him to come back again.
This was the first time Xu Huo had encountered someone who might have been trained by that doctor. Just like that antisocial child from the Seventeenth Hospital, Jiang Jiang also held life in contempt, completely indifferent to the lives of those protecting her. Even her emotions were faked, and her methods of killing were equally brutal.
However, they also had differences. Violent, cruel people might be more inclined to kill with their own hands, as that allowed them to directly experience the thrill of slaughter and the sense of superiority over life. But Jiang Jiang was somewhat contradictory in this regard.
She hadn't killed her adoptive parents. Whether it was because she didn't have enough time or didn't want to, she even mentioned them when talking to others. That was the unusual part.
The other boy might have already left District 009. Why did Jiang Jiang choose to stay?
She was clearly not a "failed product." Or was this another form of abandonment?
"Boom!"
Thunder rumbled, and the rain grew heavier. Xu Huo lifted a corner of the curtain to look outside. The little girl across the street stood up again.
Letting the curtain fall, he opened his game panel and searched the bounty platform for a temporary pass. However, aside from basic information, no player was selling one. This wasn't surprising—with a pass, you could board the train anytime, anywhere. Every player wanted one.
Then he switched to searching for space-type items related to painting.
Based on his description of the item Jiang Jiang had used, someone quickly offered to sell relevant information for three thousand white notes.
"The item you're describing might be the work of a famous artificer named Dan Qing. Both the brush and the painting frame are items, but the frame must be completed by the brush. It's called the Octagonal Gallery, a location-type item. Once activated, it can create a small venue on its own. It's very deceptive, and the item can store other items inside."
"This is a pair of B-grade items. I heard they were Dan Qing's final works, because he was killed right after making them."
Great. The lead he'd just gotten was already a dead end.
But it also indirectly confirmed that Jiang Jiang was indeed connected to that doctor. An artificer capable of making B-grade items couldn't have been without protection. The fact that someone could kill him meant they were undoubtedly a high-level player.
"Training disciples and throwing in items as a bonus—generous enough." Xu Huo let out a cold laugh, closed his personal panel, and rested with his eyes shut.
When the rain stopped, he pulled open the curtain and saw that the little girl was still there. So he waved her over.
The girl rubbed her face and ran over. She didn't enter the hotel, just stood downstairs, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.
Xu Huo tossed her fifty white notes. "Buy two dishes and bring them up."
The girl snatched up the money quickly, clutched it to her chest, and ran off.
The hotel owner was downstairs drying an umbrella. He smiled and said, "This one's pretty honest. She won't take your money and disappear."
In less than twenty minutes, the little girl was back, holding steaming hot food in her arms. But there were fresh scratches on her arms and face. The owner allowed her upstairs. She placed the intact food containers on the table, set down the change she'd hidden away, and then stepped back obediently.
"I run fast, and my reflexes are good. The other kids couldn't steal the food I bought. From now on, I can buy for you every day!"
White notes didn't come in smaller denominations, so the change was in District 009's currency.
Xu Huo picked out a five-yuan note and slid it over. "Yours."
The little girl looked a bit disappointed to see only five yuan, but she quickly took it anyway. Then she said, "Uncle, let me shine your shoes for you. Your shoes are dirty. I don't want money. If you have any leftovers, could you give them to me?"
Xu Huo nodded. He ate while watching her shine his shoes and asked, "How old are you?"
The girl hesitated before answering, "Eight."
Xu Huo said nothing.
After a moment, she added, "Actually, I'm nine..."
Xu Huo didn't say anything more. He left a third of the food for her.
The girl carefully set his shoes back in place, bowed repeatedly in thanks, then cautiously carried the food out.
Xu Huo heard her squatting just outside the door, drinking the soup. She probably didn't eat the rice or the dishes. After a while, she left.
He didn't need to look to know that someone had followed her—both children and adults.
One night passed. Early the next morning, the little girl was back outside the hotel. Fresh wounds were layered over old ones, and one eye was so swollen she couldn't open it. But she still tried her best to put on a fawning smile.
Two more children had appeared beside her.
"My name is Xiao Yuan!" the girl announced loudly.
A clever child.
"Come on up." Xu Huo pulled the curtain closed.
The girl ran fast. By the time his wheelchair reached the door, she was already there.
Xu Huo opened the door and let her in. Looking at her injuries, he asked, "Did an adult hit you yesterday?"
Xiao Yuan shook her head. "Adults don't hit girls."
Xu Huo raised his hand. They were very close, and he could tell she wanted to bolt, but she forcibly held herself back. Fear was mixed with some other emotion.
"Don't be afraid." He gave her some medicine for external injuries. "If you can't see out of that eye, can you still run?"
"Yes!" Xiao Yuan nodded vigorously. "I'll definitely bring the food!"
Xu Huo gave her money and sent her off.
This time, it took a bit longer, but the food arrived safely. She said happily, "I grew up here. I know this place like the back of my hand. I know every road. If I take a different route, they can't catch me!"
Xu Huo invited her to eat together.
Xiao Yuan was stunned on the spot. "You're willing to give me food?"
Xu Huo handed her a pair of chopsticks and gestured for her to get a chair for herself.
Xiao Yuan didn't dare to sit. She stood by the table, swallowing continuously but hesitating to pick up her chopsticks. "Uncle, aren't you disgusted that I'm dirty? Other people think we're covered in germs."
"Aside from being a bit malnourished, there's nothing wrong with you," Xu Huo said.
Her face and hands were covered in mud and ash, but her teeth were very clean.
"When you took the food back yesterday, did you have anyone else at home?"
Xiao Yuan shook her head. "My grandmother died. In the two years before she died, she never had a single hot meal. I wanted to bring some back for her to taste."
"Did she get to eat it?"
"She did!" Xiao Yuan's eyes were unusually bright. "They couldn't outrun me. They thought I'd eaten the food myself, so they just beat me up to let off steam!"
Xu Huo put some food in her bowl. "Chew slowly and swallow carefully. Don't eat too much."
(Chapter End)