Chapter 2468: Chapter 2468: Two Big Heads Duped
"Sir, do you need us to contact the nearby Law Enforcement Team to help find someone for you?" the staff asked.
"The Law Enforcement Team handles this?" Xu Huo recorded the footage. Not to mention the Girl in the painting voluntarily left with someone else; even if she were suddenly kidnapped, as long as it doesn’t threaten the local residents, the Law Enforcement Team probably wouldn’t care.
"Of course, this is a city with a high safety index. The Law Enforcement Team is also responsible for the personal safety of Outer Zone players, though it’s not free," the staff said.
Xu Huo got a bit interested and had the staff contact the Law Enforcement Team. Sure enough, the team quickly sent two players over, who first inquired about the circumstances of the person’s "disappearance" and charged a significant initial fee before officially starting the investigation.
First, they located the woman based on her physical characteristics in nearby surveillance equipment, but due to investigation permissions, these two had to coordinate with the Law Enforcement Team in another district to continue the search using surveillance equipment.
Secondly, they sent internal messages to nearby Law Enforcement Team members to watch out for the Girl in the painting and that woman, advising them to first lock them down if encountered without alarming them.
Finally, they took Xu Huo personally to conduct the search.
To be fair, their efficiency was quite high, with good cooperation among departments. There was no intentional delay, and no issue with permissions being stuck at various levels, so they quickly found out the next itinerary of the Girl in the painting and that woman.
Rather than calling the woman a scammer, it’s more apt to say she was a shopping guide. She took the Girl in the painting to several luxury shops, and each time they came out, the Girl in the painting had either a few more bags in her hands or a couple more accessories on her body. After shopping, the woman took her to a welfare institute for donations.
Yes, she was asked to donate money, and the process was all recorded by the equipment.
The woman, with a silver tongue, accompanied the Girl in the painting into the welfare institute, where children, big and small, wearing uniform clothes provided by the government, lined up to perform for her. Then, they presented their handmade crafts, opened the terminal equipment, and displayed the large words "Thank you kind-hearted person for supporting XX Welfare Institute" above the welfare institute building, rolling alongside the children’s heartfelt voices like "Wishing Sister always happy" and "Sister is kind and beautiful."
After watching the performance and listening to the children’s sweet words, the Girl in the painting took out her terminal and transferred a large sum of money to the welfare institute.
Think that’s the end of it?
Too naive.
Following luxury spending and charity, the "shopping guide" transformed into a "tour guide" and took the Girl in the painting to entertainment venues.
Taking advantage of technological advancements, the "signs" displayed at the entrances of these entertainment venues looked almost no different from real people, with faces and muscles partially concealed to provoke imagination.
The Girl in the painting went to a venue exclusively for women, with private spaces where surveillance equipment couldn’t enter. Judging by the long time inside without coming out, she was most likely completely engrossed.
"This lady should be fine." The two Law Enforcement Team members did their duty by accompanying Xu Huo, finding the Girl in the painting happily spending in a private room, while the woman who had led them there was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing Xu Huo, the Girl in the painting immediately pushed away the man beside her and ran over, pointing at the floating holographic menu, asking him which one looked better.
"Now that the person has been found, our job is done," the Law Enforcement Team members said with a smile. "You can settle the remaining payment on your terminal."
With that, they left without wasting any time.
"Look." The Girl in the painting extended the menu again.
"Look at what?" Xu Huo said with amusement. "Look at two big suckers?"
After visiting so many districts, it’s the first time encountering a situation where the Law Enforcement Team is leading a scam.
Of course, the entire process was suggestive and not coercive, so it can’t be entirely called a scam, considering they did do some work.
Coldly refusing the Girl in the painting’s proposal to "play a bit longer," Xu Huo took her back to the hotel.
The staff greeted them, and Xu Huo did not pursue the matter of the Law Enforcement Team taking him in circles; instead, he asked if there had been someone tailing them near the hotel.
Taking the money kept the staff’s mouth shut, but they revealed a little of the local people’s routine.
Some locals would pick out some guests who seemed "naive and rich" and take them to spend money. This process is, of course, consensual, and they wouldn’t actually coerce Outer Zone people—besides players, many wealthy tourists from Zone 001 stay at Eternal Star Hotel.
Of course, this is only part of it; some people take the opportunity to rip off customers, even causing serious consequences. But because they’re Outer Zone people, it’s hard to say whether the person is dead, missing, or just left. Zone 001 has specific laws targeting tourists, which is why there’s a compromise wherein the Law Enforcement Team provides paid services. Using the Law Enforcement Team’s Collection of Information Terminal system, those in need pay out of pocket, making it convenient for Outer Zone tourists and reducing the pressure on the Law Enforcement Team.
Xu Huo sensed another implication from this, "Is there someone specifically targeting Outer Zone people?"
The staff gave him a meaningful smile, "With so many players, a few bad ones aren’t surprising, are they?"
Xu Huo nodded, giving another tip before taking the Girl in the painting back to their room.
The Girl in the painting wasn’t just there to play; after putting down her things, she talked like spilling beans, telling him that in fact, several groups of people had followed them along the way. Some seemed ordinary, but a few were formidable players.
The Girl in the painting wasn’t a fool and could tell if there was malicious intent. Logically, she’d followed that woman to so many places, even if the other party had accomplices, they wouldn’t need to add more people to stalk her, so the ones who came later could only be another group.
Actually, not only were they being followed, but those people seemed to cast a wide net, seemingly selecting targets, and wouldn’t follow through entirely.
"Calling it stalking might be a bit far-fetched," Xu Huo said. The people he met at the library and those outside the Eternal Star Hotel seemed more like they had a fixed surveillance range, not targeting a specific player, but rather monitoring anyone entering a certain range, some following a bit longer, some less, indiscriminately collecting everyone’s information.
This seemed more like a screening process.
The Law Enforcement Team’s service for Outer Zone people and the laws of Zone 001 regarding Outer Zone people might very well be a chain reaction caused by this situation. If the problem wasn’t serious enough, the Law Enforcement Team wouldn’t need to increase extra work.
Not being able to commit crimes against local people, they target those kite-like Outer Zone people to avoid direct conflict with the Law Enforcement Team and District Government, which is considered rational thinking. However, if it comes to the point where the District Government has to take action, it might not be a small-scale matter anymore. This city... or even this district, might be the same.
