Chapter 964: The Female Mayor
The duckbill-capped man glared angrily at the man, though his anger wasn't directed at him or the mayor. But he silently agreed with the man's words, so he shot a fierce look at Xu Huo before storming off.
With that speech, the enforcement team members present gained a new "understanding" of Xu Huo's identity, and their gazes toward him turned hostile.
"All good people," Xu Huo said, seemingly oblivious to the pressure of their stares, as he found a seat and sat down.
His companions, Shangguan Xi and the other two, were also reluctantly released. The three had been worried about their situation, but seeing Xu Huo so calm, they gradually relaxed. Shangguan Xi, in particular, even asked others for water and food.
At the behest of the player guarding Xu Huo, the enforcement team fetched water and food. Shangguan Xi thanked them without hesitation and invited the others to eat.
Pan Qiao and Kuang Wenjun were both tired and hungry, but they couldn't let loose like him. They couldn't help glancing at Xu Huo, hoping for some hint about what to do next.
Since he had a living sample in his hands, clearing the instance would allow them to leave. There was no need to take such a big risk for a side mission. Compared to a high instance score, staying alive was more important.
"Wait a little longer," Xu Huo signaled them to be patient, then said to the player beside him, "Could you also release my other friend?"
The man shot him a sideways glance. "Don't push your luck."
"Maybe your mayor will need my help later. A favor for a favor," Xu Huo said.
The player hesitated for only two seconds before raising a hand to order the release, then fell silent.
Zhu Feiyun walked over, rubbing his arms, and said irritably, "Don't think a word from you will make me grateful..."
Before he could finish, Xu Huo turned to the person behind him and said, "Then please just press him back down..."
"I thank you!" Zhu Feiyun raised his voice to cut him off.
Xu Huo gave a faint, ambiguous smile and nodded. "Eat something to regain your strength."
Zhu Feiyun pinched his nose and sat down.
How could Shangguan Xi miss out on the drama? He deliberately sidled up to Zhu Feiyun. "Did you enjoy that beating?"
They were all prisoners, so neither could point fingers at the other. But Xu Huo clearly held some leverage, which made Shangguan Xi, who was practically licking his boots beside him, particularly detestable.
But the situation was different now.
Zhu Feiyun stiffly turned his head and gave him a "twisted" smile. "Loved it. Want to try?"
Shangguan Xi chuckled. "Not my hobby."
Soon, Xiong Qing woke up. Seeing their predicament, he tightly gripped Luo Changren's hand. "Old Ai..."
Luo Changren signaled with his eyes for him to stop talking. Just then, a man dressed like a secretary walked out of the elevator. He first nodded respectfully to the player before saying, "The mayor invites Mr. Xu and Mr. Ai upstairs."
Xu Huo stood up. The male player found a wheelchair for Luo Changren, and the four of them, including the secretary, went up to the fourth floor.
The entire fourth floor was the mayor's office. As the elevator doors opened directly into the office, they saw Gao Xiaoyan about to leave as they entered. This somewhat "rough" woman had red-rimmed eyes and walked past them without a glance.
The secretary followed her out.
Xu Huo and the remaining two stood in the office.
Ahead was a slightly oversized desk. Behind it stood a woman, her back to them, facing the floor-to-ceiling window. Beside her was an IV stand hung with colorful potions. Each bag was connected to a rubber tube, and the needles of those tubes were inserted into her withered hands and arms, simultaneously pumping medicine into her body.
"Lou Jia, you may leave first," the woman—Mayor Gao Zhen of W37—said, supporting herself on the stand as she turned to face the three.
"How did you become like this!" Luo Changren exclaimed involuntarily.
This dying woman before them had nothing in common with the rumored seductive female mayor known for her many lovers. Seeing how thin she was, almost just skin and bones, it was clear she had been gravely ill for a long time. Even going back a few years, her appearance could never have been particularly beautiful.
Player Lou Jia had already retreated into the elevator. Gao Zhen smiled at Luo Changren. "You look pretty good."
Luo Changren's expression was complicated. Looking at this woman who struggled even to breathe, he moved his lips but couldn't find the words for a moment.
"It's been quite a few years. I didn't expect you to still be alive," Gao Zhen said. "I'm old and in poor health. I almost forgot the agreement I made when I let you go back then. I never thought you would actually find the vaccine."
"Give me the vaccine. W37 will distribute it to every corner of the base station, so our future generations won't be threatened by the virus anymore."
Hearing this, a trace of sarcasm crept into Luo Changren's expression. "Can I still trust you? You..."
"Wait," Xu Huo interrupted him, looking at the two of them. "I personally don't want to hear your reminiscing. Would you allow me to play on my phone?"
Neither of the other two in the room answered him. Gao Zhen didn't even spare him a glance. But Xu Huo took her silence as consent, pulled out his phone, sat down to the side, and signaled for them to continue.
Luo Changren was holding back a torrent of words. "Are you going to tell me you didn't know about the original SE virus sample from the living sample sent by W11? Throwing the doors wide open to let players from other zones bring the sample in—what are you trying to do?"
"If you really wanted to kill people, why save those infected?"
"Or has the female mayor, who once righteously urged me to spend the rest of my life atoning, now become someone who chases fame and reputation?!"
After hearing this, Gao Zhen sighed and turned to look at the chaotic city below. "I wanted to save them too. But it was only a few years ago that I gradually came to understand that one person's strength is limited. You can't save that many people, nor can you bear the weight of so many lives—especially when their lives are draining the future of W37 Base Station."
"No one blames you for not being able to save everyone. It's the same in every other base city!" Luo Changren refused to believe her excuses. "But why save people only to kill them? Gathering so many infected here—was it just to kill them?"
"You've joined forces with other base cities, haven't you? You're using the original SE sample to kill the infected, to kill non-players!"
"Thinking that way isn't wrong," Gao Zhen said slowly, as Luo Changren's face grew increasingly grim. "In my prime, I believed I could lead W37 toward the light. But now that I'm old, I understand that time cannot be overcome. I'm aging, but W37's burden is growing heavier. I can't leave that burden to my successor."
"Then why do you want the vaccine? Why not just destroy the Bird Tower?" Luo Changren shouted. "Wouldn't it be better if all the ordinary people died? If the entire base station were left with only players, there would never be any burden!"
His health wasn't good. The long journey and his injuries had left him gasping for breath after saying all this. He could only lean back in his wheelchair, glaring at Gao Zhen.
He truly seemed to want to hear some unspeakable difficulty from Gao Zhen's mouth. But Gao Zhen, who had been standing straight all along, delivered the final blow. "After lightening the base station's burden, we still need people to reproduce."
(Chapter End)