Chapter 2504: Chapter 2504: Triggering a Side Quest
Sure, here’s the translation:
"What else can we do but accept it?" Xu Huo’s face darkened, "Do you believe if you say something wrong next, our lives are going to end here."
Bubble Bean’s expression became solemn, "I haven’t sensed any players nearby. Could that old woman be a Rank-A Player?"
Xu Huo didn’t speak. The old lady was undoubtedly just an ordinary person, but the moment they entered the house, more people appeared around them. These people were probably nearby the Beast Taming Garden all along, just hadn’t shown any hostility before. When he was talking with the old lady, these people deliberately exerted pressure to warn them.
The reason for being so subtle was merely to test their opponents. If they were completely unaware, it would be a small matter to eliminate them. If they had detected it, then this was the real warning.
Bubble Bean was dumbfounded, "That serious? Could the information on the cat whisker fruit possibly affect the bigger picture in District 001?"
Xu Huo was quickly searching the Collection of Information Terminal for information. He heard the old lady mention a list, the information on it being either enemy or ally. Since it was a list, it might have some traces exposed.
However, before he could find the relevant information, the Collection of Information Terminal was suddenly topped by a piece of news.
"Council’s popular candidate Mr. Valen announces his withdrawal from the election!"
Mr. Valen, mentioned by Ren Zhi Pharmaceuticals’ Lady Yi from Pharmaceutical City, he was also a high official who had connections with the Wan Family.
Regarding his sudden withdrawal from the election, the Collection of Information Terminal was in an uproar, with nearly all media speculating why he did this, spreading rumors everywhere.
[Ding! Player Passerby A triggers side quest "Noble Character," please complete the main clearing quest and side quest within the instance time limit.]
[Side quest hint: "Noble Character" is both an aura and a shackle, but often it becomes an aura less frequently and a shackle more often.]
Not only Xu Huo, Bubble Bean also received the side quest hint. He looked at Xu Huo with a regretful face, unsure whether he regretted partnering with him or regretted choosing this cat whisker fruit to deliver.
The chances of triggering a side quest in an instance are generally low, but once triggered, it absolutely indicates frequent contact throughout the player’s clearance journey — "Noble Character," and Xu Huo first thought of the Wan Family.
The Wan Family players had been back for a while.
Xu Huo immediately contacted the long-haired player who left earlier, but the communicator could never connect.
"We need to go back to Cat Fruit Town." He said.
Bubble Bean accepted his fate, "Let’s go together."
They each used teleportation props directly to Cat Fruit Town, but they only arrived outside of Cat Fruit Town. The teleportation prop was blocked outside town, indicating a spatial barrier had been activated outside Cat Fruit Town.
Though the spatial teleportation device was blocked, the town didn’t prevent players from entering and exiting. Xu Huo and Bubble Bean resumed their previous appearances and smoothly entered Cat Fruit Town. But the closer they got to where the Wan Family lived, the more local players they encountered.
And the area where the Wan Family resided had already been sealed off.
This matter wasn’t moving on the Collection of Information Terminal, but many locals knew about it, yet all kept silent. Anyone asking was told almost nothing, and with numerous local players stationed nearby, outer zone players couldn’t easily use other means.
Xu Huo and Bubble Bean went to "Small Object Carving," first releasing Old Lady Gui. Coincidentally, the female traveler who came after hearing about them visited again, and that’s when they learned what really happened.
The Wan Family was attacked half an hour ago. The attacker is unknown, but they swiftly eliminated players guarding nearby to protect the Wan Family and kidnapped all Wan Family members, including the newborn infant.
The murder was brutal — visible from the bodies of those players. The bodies were even deliberately placed at the Wan Family’s, just waiting for someone to discover.
Previously, the Wan Family had been lively, just having sent away all the guests, and the house had just quieted down. If not for an accounting boss discovering he made a mistake and returning to refund the overcharged money, this tragedy might not have been discovered for a long time.
The local government acted swiftly, besides the Law Enforcement Team, players from nearby Military Districts were deployed, aimed at finding the Wan Family’s whereabouts and tracing the criminal.
Why don’t town folks tell outsiders? That’s an order from the Law Enforcement Team, preventing any news from being leaked to the kidnapper.
The female traveler revealed this only because she knew Old Lady Gui’s background.
The old lady snapped back to herself and sent her guest away first, then said, "It’s all my fault; I dragged them into this. If I’d said earlier that my grandson was killed, the Wan Family wouldn’t have been recklessly implicated. If I’d said it at the start, they would definitely have been more cautious..."
She rambled on endlessly. After successfully handing the cat whisker fruit to the little cat, she no longer cared about what happened afterwards.
"Could this be related to the election?" Bubble Bean suddenly remembered the brief communication at the Beast Taming Garden. The Wan Family incident seemed to have happened at around that time, right after Mr. Valen announced his withdrawal from the election, and he had connections with the Wan Family. "Is someone using the Wan Family to threaten him into withdrawing from the election?"
"We should go find her immediately!"
"It’s too late," Xu Huo said. "We initially missed the opportunity because we didn’t react in time. If we go back now, we probably won’t find anyone."
Even if they could find someone, they’d probably still be unclear about the Wan Family’s whereabouts. If the old lady at the Beast Taming Garden were involved in this, as an ordinary person, surely she wouldn’t participate in the specifics. Not to mention where people were tied up, she might not even know who the participants were.
The only certainty is, her identity must be unusual.
Xu Huo sketched the old lady’s portrait and searched on the Collection of Information Terminal. Surprisingly, her identity wasn’t a secret.
Mrs. Valen Shela, Chief Secretary to the former Chief Governor, also the mother of Council member candidate Mr. Valen.
Bubble Bean also saw this information, he slightly frowned, "There’s news that says her husband was the former Chief Governor’s lover while alive. Surely she wouldn’t threaten her son to withdraw, would she?"
"It’s not impossible," he then turned to another candidate’s profile. "This Henderson is rumored to be her and the former Chief Governor’s child, officially adopted by the former Chief Governor and his wife, and also participating in this Council membership election."
"This old lady is quite formidable."
Xu Huo quickly scanned through the media-published tales and rumors of this famed Iron Lady and turned to her past political statements and public activities she’s been involved in.
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