Chapter 998: Flame of Freedom
The shouting didn’t last long before a large number of players responsible for city security arrived in force. The people being sold didn’t cry out to them for help or complain; instead, they fled in panic—if the city government caught them, their situation might not be any better than now.
These players hadn’t come to put out the fire. They immediately surrounded the culprit.
“Stop!” Young Master Xuan shouted upon seeing this. “I told him to do it!”
“Who’s that?” On a rooftop fifty meters away, a white-haired young man asked the person beside him.
“Captain, it’s someone from the Dong family. He’s classmates with Miss Cai. His name is Dong Jingxuan.”
The white-haired young man leaped to the ground, nodded at Brother Lei first, then greeted Dong Jingxuan.
“Young Master Dong isn’t hurt, is he?” He offered a fake show of concern but didn’t order his men to back off from surrounding Xu Huo.
“Thanks to my new bodyguard.” Dong Jingxuan’s anger also extended to the players of Xiaoyang City. His face cold, he said, “Otherwise, I might have died on your turf today.”
“In this new era, I never thought I’d still be ambushed and killed on the street!”
“This is our dereliction of duty,” the white-haired young man said. “Why don’t you return to the hotel to rest first, Young Master Dong? Let us handle things here. We’ll give you a satisfactory explanation afterward.”
“Go explain to him.” Dong Jingxuan pointed at Brother Lei, then at Xu Huo. “That person is coming with me.”
His tone left no room for negotiation.
The white-haired young man looked troubled. “He’s an outer zone player. He killed so many people. If the guard team just lets him go like this, we won’t be able to bear the responsibility when our superiors question us.”
“Question us?” Dong Jingxuan raised his voice. “Wait until I get back to Snow City and ask the General Guard Department what you mean by ‘questioning.’ I told him to kill. These people dared to lay hands on me—killing them was letting them off easy!”
Without giving the white-haired young man a chance to speak again, he said directly, “Let’s go!”
He was calling Xu Huo.
Xu Huo put away his sword and said to the two players blocking his way, “Excuse me.”
The two looked back at the white-haired young man first, and only moved aside after he nodded.
Xu Huo smiled and walked behind Dong Jingxuan, placing his bloodstained hand on his shoulder. With a grin, he said, “Young Master Xuan, I didn’t expect you to be so committed to the contract.”
He was speaking to Dong Jingxuan, but his eyes were fixed on Brother Lei ahead.
Brother Lei’s gaze swept over his hand, then he said to the white-haired young man, “We’ll take Young Master Xuan back to the hotel first. Someone will come later to explain to the mayor. Please don’t disturb us for now.”
The white-haired young man narrowed his eyes, chose to back down, and ordered his men to clear the way.
“Wait, I’m bringing someone.” Xu Huo interrupted, releasing the little boy from the cage and asking him, “Will you run?”
The boy’s expression was stubborn. He looked at the burning buildings around them, then asked, “Will you sell me?”
Xu Huo patted his head. “Don’t trust anyone easily.”
The boy looked up at him. “If you try to sell me, I’ll find a way to escape!”
Xu Huo nodded, took the boy’s hand, and followed Dong Jingxuan’s group.
The little braided girl and the other two couldn’t follow Dong Jingxuan to the hotel. Brother Lei separated them from Dong Jingxuan directly. By the time they reached the hotel, Dong Jingxuan didn’t even have time to change clothes. Brother Lei grabbed his documents and prepared to leave immediately.
“Why do we have to leave right now?” Dong Jingxuan was displeased. “I want to shower and eat.”
Brother Lei said, “If you want to keep your new bodyguard, leave now.”
“Are you threatening me?” Dong Jingxuan refused to cooperate. “I don’t believe Xiaoyang City would dare do anything to me!”
“Of course they won’t go after you,” Brother Lei said. “But if they want to forcibly detain an outer zone player, can you stop them? There are only ten of us on this trip. A strong dragon doesn’t crush a local snake—even we have to bow our heads.”
“Do you think me not agreeing to let you kill people was just to make things difficult for you?”
“We represent the Dong family. Once we act, it becomes a conflict between the family and the local government. To smooth this over, the Dong family will at least have to bleed some resources. Cause this much trouble for the family, and do you think you’ll ever be allowed out again?”
“He has a point,” Xu Huo said calmly from the side. “If you leave now, you can go back and file a complaint first. If you can turn the tables, you might get off with fewer beatings.”
Dong Jingxuan’s face fell at this, and he had no choice but to agree to leave.
Originally, their group had their own aircraft, but to avoid being intercepted halfway, they chose to take the train—District 002 had a regulation that no local city government could delay or stop a train for any reason.
Once they were on the train, Dong Jingxuan’s young master temper flared up again. He told Brother Lei to get him clothes and food.
Even though he seemed to be picking a fight, Brother Lei still did everything and didn’t delegate to anyone else.
Seeing this, Dong Jingxuan’s expression relaxed a bit. He then noticed Xu Huo, who had changed clothes but hadn’t showered, and said, “You’re filthy. Go wash up.”
The person using a communicator looked up. “What did you say?”
Beneath that calm face seemed to hide a danger others couldn’t see through. Dong Jingxuan swallowed. “No… I was just asking if you wanted to wash up. You got so much blood on you earlier…”
Under Xu Huo’s gaze, his voice grew quieter, but he quickly found a way to save face. Pointing at the boy beside him, he said, “He at least needs a wash, right? People who aren’t properly dressed aren’t allowed into Snow City.”
Only then did Xu Huo’s expression change. He looked at the boy beside him. “Yeah, you should wash up.”
“Go on yourself.” Xu Huo pulled a dress from the luggage compartment and handed it to him.
The boy held the dress and looked up at him.
Xu Huo lowered his eyes. “If you don’t want it, you can come out naked.”
The boy obediently went to wash up.
Meanwhile, Xu Huo contacted Chi Minghong and told her he was already on the train.
“See you when you get off,” Chi Minghong replied.
Before long, the boy came back. He was wearing the prop dress Xu Huo had bought for Little Pink Hat. Clutching the hem, he walked back to his seat. He had clearly already tried to tear the dress.
Seeing the table knife, he grabbed it and slashed at the dress, but it didn’t leave even a mark.
“Is this still a prop?” Dong Jingxuan, who was eating elegantly, seemed surprised that someone like Xu Huo would carry children’s prop clothing.
“Bought it for a kid at home.” Xu Huo pushed a plate of food toward the boy, then said, “Your surname is Dong? When I came to District 002, I ran into a pair of siblings named Dong. They said they were from Snow City. I don’t know if they’re your relatives.”
“What are their names? Single character or double?” Dong Jingxuan showed some interest. “If they’re players from Snow City, there might really be a family connection.”
“Single character.”
“Single character means they’re cousins from the maternal side.” Dong Jingxuan was dismissive. “In my family, only Dong-surnamed children born to married-out daughters get single characters. Even if they carry the Dong family name, cousins don’t really count… Do you have a grudge against them?”