Chapter 992: Sunshine Tax
Another white-haired player stopped his companion and shouted, "Stop wasting words with her! Block the car!"
Two of the pursuing players immediately overtook the vehicle. Knowing there were other players inside, they didn't board directly. The white-spotted player tossed down a roadblock prop, cutting off the path ahead:
"Stop the car!"
"Mr. Xu..." The young girl beside him grew nervous, but Xu Huo had no intention of stopping. He leaned out the window and called to Chi Minghong behind, "I'm speeding up. Hold steady."
Chi Minghong gave a distant "OK" gesture before diving back into a scuffle with the players. Xu Huo grabbed the electric switch and cranked it to maximum.
Though the storage cart looked bulky, its acceleration was surprisingly fast. Within three seconds, it reached full speed, roaring forward with a hum!
Under the effect of "Forced Float," the roadblock and the two players all lifted into the air just before the vehicle arrived. The roadblock smashed against the front windshield, but the two players broke free from the prop's power and leaped onto the car.
A long three-edged spike stabbed down from above. Xu Huo dodged, using "Light Sandwich" to deflect it, then kicked the white-spotted player clinging to the door away. He turned to the young girl. "Can you drive?"
"No... Yes!" The girl changed her answer mid-sentence, her eyes firm. "I can hold the steering wheel and go straight!"
"Straight is fine." Xu Huo gave up his seat. "Grip the wheel and just drive forward. It's a straight road ahead. I'll handle any problems."
The girl nodded solemnly.
Xu Huo climbed onto the roof. He first slapped the charging player off the car, then crossed his hands. "Restraint Collar" locked around the white-spotted player's neck.
Without killing him outright, he used "Identity Swap" to switch places with the player he'd just knocked off—the one now trying to crawl back into the car—and slammed the door shut.
Back on the roof, he watched the two struggling with the "Restraint Collar" and offered sincerely, "How about you both get off now and stop chasing?"
The white-spotted player's neck was tight. He rasped, "You killed someone in Huayu City. The government has to investigate..."
"That's true, but you have a choice." Xu Huo gave two options. "First, because you lacked the ability, you failed to catch the outer-zone players and returned empty-handed. Second, because you lacked the ability, you were killed by outer-zone players and died in the line of duty."
Not only the two players nearby heard this, but also the ones still fighting Chi Minghong in the back.
The massive storage cart roared through the darkness. The headlights and roof lights pierced the black, illuminating the road, but as the vehicle sped past, the lit areas quickly sank back into shadow—like a lone lamp surrounded by endless night.
There were only two targets, so the first wave of government players wasn't large. They'd caught up, but the situation wasn't what they'd expected.
They weren't bringing anyone back for questioning—they might be leaving their lives here!
It was clear Xu Huo wasn't bluffing. Realizing he might be harder to deal with than the female player they'd been fighting, the leading white-haired player made a grim gesture.
"Take back your prop," the white-spotted player said.
Xu Huo didn't question the sincerity or negotiate. He simply withdrew the "Restraint Collar."
The two white-spotted players were reluctant but had no choice but to retreat. Xu Huo's willingness to let them go without a word showed he was confident.
Xu Huo stood on the roof, watching them disembark until they were swallowed by the darkness before returning to the driver's seat.
Chi Minghong gave him a thumbs-up. "Bold. I'll try that next time."
Xu Huo didn't say much. He pulled up the car's navigation to confirm the route.
"The roads in Zone 002 aren't bad," Chi Minghong said, clearly familiar with the traffic. "There's a main road between every city. From Huayu City to Xiaoyang City, no forks. You could drive it blindfolded."
"No random instances on the road?" Xu Huo asked.
"Probably not where roads are built, but random instances aren't fixed. Who knows when one might pop up." Chi Minghong was philosophical. "If we're unlucky, we'll just do it. Won't waste much time."
Talk was talk, but her driving was rough. She didn't care if there were random instances on the road.
There was only one road. Unless they stopped, they had to just barrel ahead.
After a stretch in the dark, Chi Minghong grew restless. "Let's chat. This pitch-black is too boring."
"Go ahead," Xu Huo said, flipping through information on the Dimension Below.
Seeing his lack of interest, she turned to the young girl, making small talk—asking her age, who was in her family.
"I only have one sister." The girl, Lu Qing, summed up her background in a few words. An abandoned orphan. Her parents were dead or gone. She grew up in a government welfare home, left at ten to fend for herself. Liao Lian, from the same orphanage, had always looked after her.
Chi Minghong frowned. "The government doesn't help?"
"Welfare homes only take kids under ten." Lu Qing's expression was calm. She didn't see herself as pitiful. "A lot of people live like this."
"I want to save up to sunbathe," she added. "But the sunshine tax is expensive. Only people in big cities get to sunbathe for a fixed time every day. It costs at least thirty thousand white notes a month."
"Sunshine tax?" Chi Minghong heard the term for the first time. "You have to pay tax for sunlight?"
"We don't have a sun here, but people say sunlight can be shipped in. If you pay the tax, you can sunbathe in real sunlight."
Lu Qing's voice carried a hint of longing. "I wonder what sunlight feels like to touch."
Chi Minghong pursed her lips. After a moment, she said, "Probably like lamplight. Just a little warmth."
"I know people in the outer zones can sunbathe every day, sometimes for hours." Lu Qing's pale face showed deep yearning. "That's so nice. I wish I was from somewhere else."
Chi Minghong fell silent. She slapped the steering wheel and muttered, "Shouldn't have brought that up..."
Sunlight. For most people, it's only mentioned when complaining about the weather. Who'd ever think something as natural as living would one day be taxed?
"Zone 002 has no sun. What the taxpayers are sunbathing in isn't real sunlight either," Xu Huo cut in. "It's probably minerals or machines that emit something similar to solar energy. No need to spend thirty thousand white notes on that."
(Chapter End)