Chapter 792: Testing the Waters
Xu Huo could tell she wasn't full, but she still put down her chopsticks at his signal. "Thank you, Uncle! This is the best meal I've ever had!"
"This city was abandoned for a few years. Where did you come from?" he asked.
"I've always lived here," Xiao Yuan said. "My grandmother and I were both born here. After my family died, she adopted me, but she passed away two years ago. Now it's just me."
"Have you thought about going to another city?" Xu Huo said. "Other cities have protection policies for children and teenagers. It's better than staying here."
"There's no good place," Xiao Yuan lowered her head. "Everyone who left died. I've seen their bodies in the trash heap."
The trash heaps in small cities were usually household waste shipped from other cities. Bodies were generally not dumped there. Both the government and player organizations had to consider the risk of epidemic transmission. If bodies were mixed in with the garbage, it meant they came from some shady channels.
After a few more casual words, he gave her ten yuan and let her go.
Before leaving, Xiao Yuan asked him, "Do you want me to buy you dinner later?"
"Come get the money when it's time," Xu Huo said.
"Thank you, Uncle! You're a good person!" Xiao Yuan left happily.
Xu Huo turned his wheelchair toward the window and hung the "Orb of Murmurs" on his button.
About five minutes later, the hotel door was kicked open from outside, and a rough voice shouted, "Resisting arrest means death!"
Along with the voice, two light footsteps entered the room, flanking Xu Huo from left and right.
But at that moment, the wheelchair turned. One of the two players, a man, was sent flying by an invisible force. The woman managed to reach Xu Huo, but before she could act, she was floating weightlessly in the air. Panicked, her eyes met a mirror, and she went blind.
"I can't see!" she screamed and tried to retreat, but Xu Huo didn't give her the chance. A water blade gun pierced her throat from a distance.
There were two more—one at the door, the other less than three meters away. Seeing their companions killed, they didn't retreat but charged forward with ferocious expressions.
"Beautiful Ray" effortlessly severed one man's foot. At the same time, the Orb of Murmurs took effect. Xu Huo simply raised an air barrier in front of him, blocking most of their attacks. As they frantically used their items, they unknowingly fell under the Orb's mental influence.
Hallucinations began to plague them. They started shooting wildly, and in the chaos, the one at the door killed his own companion!
Though the remaining player was still trapped in the illusion, Xu Huo had no interest in watching further. He finished him off and returned to the window. Without pulling the curtain, he used a scanner to check the players still lurking nearby.
These players had items of relatively low grade. With their vanguard dead, whether they were allies or not, none of them dared to come investigate after the commotion inside died down.
Understandable. The players stuck here were either severely injured and unable to enter instances, or they couldn't survive in other cities. They were basically bottom-feeders, incapable of causing real trouble.
Ignoring the corpses in the room, Xu Huo sat there all afternoon. By dinner time, his left shoulder had regained sensation, but his arm and leg were still unresponsive. He couldn't walk or hold things properly yet.
Xiao Yuan arrived on time.
"The door's open. Come in."
The little girl pushed the door open. Seeing the gruesome corpses on the floor, she stumbled back in fright, but quickly calmed down and forced herself into the room. "Uncle, do you want to get rid of these people? I can call someone to help."
Xu Huo smiled and said, "Tell the boss to come handle it."
Xiao Yuan went and came back quickly. The boss was already used to this kind of scene. He looked at Xu Huo cautiously, only vaguely mentioning the depreciation cost of the furniture in a low voice. When Xu Huo offered to pay compensation, he worked diligently, personally hauling the bodies away and replacing the blood-soaked carpet.
"Maybe you'd like to switch rooms?" the boss said with a hint of flattery.
"No need." Xu Huo tapped his fingers on the wheelchair armrest. "The smell of blood reminds others of what happened here."
The boss didn't dare say more and left. Xiao Yuan followed him downstairs to buy food.
But this time, she took much longer. When she returned, her clothes were torn, her lips were covered in blood, and when she opened her mouth, a tooth was missing.
"They stole my food and money... I'll pay you back..." Xiao Yuan's voice trembled. "I've saved some money... I can sneak back and steal it tonight... Please don't kill me, Uncle..."
The wheelchair creaked forward. Each sound made the little girl tremble. When it stopped, she fell to her knees, kowtowing repeatedly. "Don't kill me... don't kill me... I'm useful... I'll pay you back... In a few years, when I'm older, I can earn more money..."
Xu Huo watched her for a moment before speaking. "Why didn't you run? I can't walk. I might have to leave here before my injuries heal. You only need to hide for a few days."
Xiao Yuan's tears dripped down with a patter. She choked out, "I wanted to run... but I didn't dare... No one has been this good to me since my grandmother... I was afraid that if I ran, I'd never meet a good person again..."
Xu Huo sighed. "I can't take you away from here."
"I know! Only players can use tickets!" Xiao Yuan looked up. "When I grow up, I'll become a player too! I can leave on my own!"
"Uncle, you're so strong. You must be able to send me somewhere else!" She hugged his foot. "Even if it's a deep mountain or forest!"
"You can't leave here?" Xu Huo said.
Xiao Yuan shook her head. "They won't let girls leave. Girls can be sold for money. When we turn ten, we get sent away... I don't know where they go, but sometimes I find their bodies in the trash heap... They died horribly, covered in wounds... Their eyes were wide open..."
"Have you told anyone about this?" Xu Huo's expression remained unchanged.
"I didn't dare..." Xiao Yuan looked at him pleadingly. "I'm almost ten..."
Xu Huo didn't respond. Instead, he said, "Go now. Don't come back tomorrow."
Xiao Yuan's eyes instantly dimmed. She seemed to understand the way of survival, didn't beg or plead, and ran off.
Xu Huo heard thunder outside. After a moment, he called the boss up and asked, "Where are the people who robbed my money staying?"