Chapter 843: Unqualified
"The concept of time isn't the same as your concept of space, is it?" Xu Huo said. "What you described as controlling objects focuses on the outside of the object, while changing an object's state is internal."
"Something like that." Bai Kou smiled slightly. "Many things have a principle where understanding one leads to understanding a hundred. You're a smart person, maybe you can draw inferences."
"Why mock me?" Xu Huo took a sip of tea. "Even Super Players might not necessarily reach that level."
Bai Kou laughed at him for not playing dumb this time, then added, "It's about taking a chance. Maybe one day you'll stumble upon it. Before your Mental Evolution, you probably didn't even know about Super Evolution, did you?"
"Isn't there an item that assists Super Evolution?" Xu Huo asked. Knowing the principle of Super Evolution, it was impossible that no one had worked on it from that angle.
"I do have one." Bai Kou leaned forward slightly, crossing her hands and resting them under her chin. "But why should I help you?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Xu Huo said, "I'll trade you the secret of Zone 001 for it."
"You don't know what Zone 001 is." Bai Kou's expression immediately soured. "You're pretty good at trying to get something for nothing. Aren't you curious about what He Pu left behind?"
"Leveling up is my top priority right now," Xu Huo said.
"Going from D-rank to C-rank isn't hard. A few S-ratings on clearance evaluations and you'll pass." Bai Kou leaned back in her chair again. "This won't work. Offer something else."
"Name your terms." Xu Huo raised his hand.
Bai Kou smiled. "Let me borrow your Super Item for a while."
Xu Huo pointed at the Painting Woman, who was pretending to trim flower branches but was actually sneaking cake. "Be my guest."
Bai Kou gave her a disgusted look, then turned back. "Is that your Super Item?"
Xu Huo could only smile. "Then there's no helping it. I can't find a second Super Item either."
Bai Kou didn't dwell on the matter and called for Mr. Dong to change the tea.
Mr. Dong left, and no one in the garden spoke for a while, though Xu Huo could occasionally feel the gaze of the person across from him—she probably wouldn't let this go anytime soon.
By the afternoon, Xu Huo received a reply from Shi Youzhi.
The message was simple: he was notified of a vacation and didn't need to report to the base for now. The specific return date was unknown, and all base staff would leave Zone 011 within a short time until the base was restored.
It seemed there really wasn't anything important in the base.
Afterward, Xu Huo checked the official announcements from Zone 011. So far, only the Base City contamination incident had been made public. The official account stated that the Holy Sword Society had released a Degeneration toxin capable of turning people into Xenomorphs, attempting to destroy Base City. However, thanks to the sacrifices of Zone 011 players, the spread of the toxin had been successfully controlled. The city was uninhabitable until it was cleaned up, but the public was urged not to panic—the toxin dispersed in the air was already very mild and wouldn't cause Evolved Humans to turn into Xenomorphs. If anyone showed signs of poisoning, they could go to the temporary City Hall inspection points, receive an Antidote after confirmation, and claim compensation for emotional distress.
A black pot had been neatly dumped on the Holy Sword Society's head.
As Xu Huo watched the city restoration updates, his attention shifted to the box that Director Sanyang had hidden.
The base had its arrangements, but Director Sanyang's appearance nearby at that time was inappropriate. He knew Wan Tingfang, and Wan Tingfang had specifically run back even after realizing it might be a trap—this suggested they had other identities.
Whether they were members of the Holy Sword Society was uncertain for now, but the item Director Sanyang had left behind could very well be bait.
Whether it was something he had secretly moved out of the base or obtained through some other channel, not taking it immediately but deliberately burying it in an underground pipe and wrapping it in a conspicuous piece of Xenomorph remains—such a setup would hardly fail to attract Zone 011 players.
But if the goal was to target a few players cleaning up the city, there was no need for such effort. Even if the box was taken and passed to a high-level player, the chances of it working were very small.
Now that the base city was crawling with Black Epaulets, he wouldn't go join the fun.
Before dinner, Black Epaulets arrived at the castle with patrol robots. They came only to investigate whether anyone had witnessed injured players or other unusual circumstances in the past day.
The old city area also had patrol robots and monitors, so this was essentially redundant.
"They brought the robots along specifically to check for Outer Zone Players," Mr. Dong said. "Unfamiliar faces are the main targets of scrutiny."
As for how they conducted the scrutiny, Zone 011 naturally had its methods.
"It's just matching based on previously obtained player information," Bai Kou said. "But those who could run have already run, and those who were meant to be killed have been killed. It's basically a waste of effort."
"Casting a wide net—catch one if you can," Xu Huo said. "Besides, the Zone 011 government cares a lot about its citizens' sense of well-being."
Bai Kou could only sneer.
The investigation didn't last long. As soon as the Black Epaulets left, the Zone 011 government announced that the contaminants in Base City had been cleaned up. The next phase would be city restoration, and every resident of the main city could relocate to neighboring cities, with the government providing free accommodations.
Thanks to wartime strategies and welfare policies, despite the severity of the incident, few in Zone 011 expressed dissatisfaction with the government. All communication platforms were filled with positive and uplifting rhetoric.
Compared to other districts where the government was powerless to respond to attacks, Zone 011 was remarkably stable.
After dinner, Xu Huo checked the Nuwa Stone and then went to the study to review the materials He Pu had left behind. Late into the night, the lights in the room suddenly went out. For some reason, he simply lay down on the desk and fell asleep.
Between states of consciousness, he was awakened again.
The bright room was filled with the scent of flowers. The man who woke him wore white clothes and said gently, "Are you too tired? Want to sleep a little longer?"
Xu Huo shook his head, lifting his gaze, but he couldn't make out the man's face. Like the details of the scenery outside the window, it seemed tangled in threads, difficult to discern.
"You did very well on today's assignment. You can sleep a bit." The man placed a leather case on the table and adjusted the agent in the syringe.
"Doctor, has my illness gotten worse?" Xu Huo opened his mouth, but the words that came out didn't match his own voice.
"You're recovering well. This is just a nutrient injection." The doctor gestured for him to extend his hand. "It's good for your body."
"The other kids don't get injections." The voice carried a note of grievance and coaxing. "I don't want one either."
The agent was pushed into the child's thin arm. The doctor reached out and patted his head. "You're my favorite child. You're different from the others."
Then he peeled a piece of candy and fed it to him.
Xu Huo saw a wound on the back of the doctor's hand and carefully reached out to touch it. "Does it hurt?"
At that moment, the doctor fell silent, and the atmosphere turned cold. He withdrew his hand and said coldly, "Today's test is unqualified."