Chapter 2410: Chapter 2410: Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
"You don’t know..." To be on the safe side, Wu Xing used a Silencing Prop and covered his mouth and nose. "They’re from the Holy Sword Society."
This time Xu Huo was genuinely a bit surprised. "The Holy Sword Society has that good a reputation in District 001?"
Wu Xing understood his misunderstanding and immediately explained, "It’s the Old Holy Sword Society, not the new Holy Sword Society."
Xu Huo knew a bit about the Holy Sword Society. These days, when people talked about the Holy Sword Society that had become so famous, they usually meant the splintered New Holy Sword Society. Because of their different ideology and methods, the New Holy Sword Society didn’t have the best reputation, but they had numbers and volume, and they gradually drowned out those who had stayed in the original Holy Sword Society. Many people—especially at the newer Wormhole Points—had no idea there was an Old and a New Holy Sword Society when they mentioned the Holy Sword Society at all. He’d only learned some of this by running into members of the Old Holy Sword Society by chance.
Compared to the New Holy Sword Society’s madness, the Old Holy Sword Society were about as normal as people came. They had strict recruitment standards and a clear bottom line in what they did.
"The Old Holy Sword Society can’t take those people in, but they can send them to relatively peaceful sub-districts so they can live proper lives." That was what Wu Xing was planning to do.
"How did you end up making enemies with them? A con artist shouldn’t be able to con them that easily," Xu Huo asked.
"It wasn’t because of that. They originally wanted me to join the Holy Sword Society." Wu Xing sighed helplessly. "But I don’t think like they do... They’re genuinely good people, and I’m not. We couldn’t walk the same road, so I turned them down."
"And then?" The Girl in the painting raised the Communicator.
The people from the Holy Sword Society wouldn’t hold a grudge just because of that.
Wu Xing hesitated for a long while, but the two people present were not the type to empathize. They didn’t bother to coyly say something like "if it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to," and just waited in silence.
In the end, Wu Xing sighed and said, "Later, when I made a move on someone, it accidentally involved their people and left two of their members severely injured..."
"Did they die?" the Girl in the painting asked again.
"They probably didn’t..." Wu Xing said uncertainly. "If they’d died, they’d have come looking to avenge them long ago... right? That’s how it should work, right?"
As he spoke, he didn’t sound very sure himself, and tried to console himself, "As long as it’s not a blood feud, there’s nothing that can’t be worked out..."
Xu Huo looked again at the area around the hall. There were more than a couple Players watching this place. Some of them were probably from the Holy Sword Society, and some from Chunyi City. But the fact that the hall had been standing for a long time and had drawn a group of "Believers" showed that both sides were turning a blind eye.
Considering District 001’s situation, the local government and Players here should be more willing to accept the Old Holy Sword Society.
Residents from nearby kept coming to see the doctor. For a continuous two hours, the white-robed old man almost didn’t rest at all. It wasn’t convenient for Xu Huo and the others to go up and interrupt him, so they simply sat down at a snack shop near the hall.
As soon as the food was served, Xu Huo stood up. "You two eat first, I’m going to the restroom."
Seeing he was heading out, neither the Girl in the painting nor Wu Xing asked much.
After circling around to a nearby alley, Xu Huo jumped onto the roof of a small building. The view here was fairly open, and he could just see a small drying ground a few streets away. Two people were wandering among rows of clothes hung out to dry. One of them was the fat player they’d split up with at the Lan Family Factory.
The two of them were ducking in and out of the hanging clothes, sometimes yelling, sometimes flailing their arms and legs as if in a fight, but no one around reacted. Only two other Players were watching from nearby, just like he was.
Meeting one of their gazes, Xu Huo nodded slightly.
The other person didn’t respond, simply withdrew his gaze calmly and continued to interfere with the two people on the ground.
The two fat players had obviously entered someone else’s Spiritual World, but the one taking action didn’t seem to want to hurt them. The two of them ran around for over ten minutes without even breaking skin.
Keeping an eye on that Super Evolver’s expression and feeling the Spiritual World gradually weaken, Xu Huo was just about to leave when the fat player suddenly snapped out of it. His instinctive attempt to flee happened to send him running straight toward Xu Huo. The moment he saw Xu Huo, his eyes lit up. "Bro, help me!"
But right after yelling that, he came to an abrupt stop more than ten meters away and asked suspiciously, "You’re real, right?"
"What do you think?" Xu Huo tossed him a piece of fruit with a chuckle. "Didn’t you leave? Why’d you come back here again?"
"Don’t even mention it..." the fat player shouted as he hurried over. "I fell into someone’s trick, like a ghost wall, going in circles. I don’t know if someone’s still watching me, so I’d better get out first..."
Xu Huo jerked his chin at the space behind him. "Someone’s looking for you."
It wasn’t anyone else; it was that Super Evolver and the person who had come with the fat player.
"You’re together with them?" The fat player frowned. "What are you people trying to do?"
"Don’t get the wrong idea." The tall Player who’d come with him hurriedly said, "This was just a little test. We were worried about running into someone with ulterior motives."
The fat player gave a cold laugh. "I can do business with anyone, but a test? Testing me? Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Come on, don’t be mad, man. We’re just thinking about safety," the tall one said. "You’re in business, so you know how important it is to keep channels secret. Everyone’s afraid of someone who can’t keep their mouth shut."
The fat player could understand that, but understanding didn’t mean accepting it. He waved his hand. "Forget it. I can’t do business with you. Go find someone else."
He called Xu Huo to leave with him. The tall Player still wanted to persuade them, but Xu Huo cut him off. "You came from the hall over there?"
That momentary instinctive reaction couldn’t be faked. From their expressions, Xu Huo was sure they were also from the Holy Sword Society. It seemed the test wasn’t just about whether the fat player could keep quiet; they were also considering recruiting him.
"Who are you?" That Super Player stared at him warily.
"I came to visit the doctor." Xu Huo pointed in the direction of the hall. "And I’d like to ask you for a favor while I’m at it."
"You know them too?" The fat player stared at him with some suspicion.
"Why are you looking at me?" Xu Huo said with a smile. "What would I gain from lying to you?"
They’d come out of Fish Banquet together, and the fat player knew this guy wasn’t short on money. He immediately grinned from ear to ear. "Bro, I trust your character. Since you know them, tell me, what kind of people are they?"
"I’ve dealt with them a few times, but I wouldn’t say we’re close. If you really want to know something, you should ask them." Xu Huo pointed at the two behind them. Just then, Wu Xing had already gone into the hall on his side. Xu Huo tossed him a "I’m going in" and followed.
Most of the patients in the hall had already left. The white-haired old man was sorting through medical records. When he looked up and saw them, he said, "Quite a few people have come."
He first pointed at the fat player. "Take him over to the dining room. The food’s just about ready."
Then he looked at the three with Xu Huo. "You’ve already eaten. If you don’t mind, have some tea."
