Chapter 2506: Chapter 2506
Although the difficulty was very high, someone still suggested to the town’s merchants that they put out a bounty or quest and then let Outer Zone Players take it, helping them search for the Wan Family.
It was just that under these circumstances, the people in town didn’t really trust outsiders. No one would say yes, and they even called the Law Enforcement Team over to drive those people away.
Which was only natural. Who would distrust their own people and trust outsiders instead? Who knew what Players might do in order to clear an instance?
After listening to a bunch of pointless speculation and bragging, someone finally mentioned that when the tragedy at the Wan Family happened, he seemed to see someone escaping from the Wan Family.
As for why he said "seemed," that was because even though the distance wasn’t that far, that Shadow was very strange. It didn’t look like a real person; more like the outline of a human figure, flying over from the Wan Family, and vanishing within two or three meters.
Even with Players being well‑informed and experienced, they had never encountered something like this. Looking back on it later, it was hard not to feel like they must have been seeing things at the time—after all, right when it happened, they hadn’t even been able to tell if it was an actual person.
"Not necessarily," a Player said. "Maybe a Prop interfered with your vision. Did you get a good look at what that person looked like?"
"I told you, it was just an outline," the earlier Player said. "If I weren’t an atheist, I’d really think I’d seen a ghost!"
People were coming and going in the snack shop. Xu Huo sat for a while longer, then followed a Player out the door.
Once outside, the other man headed toward the edge of town. Just like any ordinary Player, he walked and paused, every now and then paying attention to the gossip nearby.
Xu Huo followed him at a distance that was neither near nor far, making no effort at all to hide his presence. He even waved at the man when the latter happened to glance back at one point.
The young man with the Buzz Cut went pale on the spot. Without a word, he headed straight toward the most crowded area. Although the shops were still open for business and taking tourists from outside, the town was only so big—there weren’t many places he could hide.
And no matter whether he hid in a shop or tried to sneak onto a vehicle, within three seconds, Xu Huo would definitely appear in his field of vision.
After five or six rounds of this, the man finally accepted that he really couldn’t shake him. At that point it was obvious that leaving town wasn’t a good option. The Buzz Cut man picked a drink shop, sat down, and waited for him.
Xu Huo naturally sat opposite him and called the server over for two sweet drinks. "Have something sweet, cool yourself down."
"What the hell do you want?" the Buzz Cut man ground out through his teeth, lowering his voice. "We’re both cleared Players, so what’s the point of making things hard for me?"
"You’re the Player who escaped from the Wan Family," Xu Huo said bluntly. "I want to know what happened there at the time."
The Buzz Cut man looked around warily, used a Prop and still didn’t feel safe, then covered his mouth and nose with one hand. "How did you know?"
"Does knowing that affect whether you tell me the truth?" Xu Huo shot back.
The Buzz Cut man choked on that. "Since you want to know, then at least be honest about it."
Xu Huo said with complete honesty, "Five seconds ago, I was just taking a random shot in the dark."
The Buzz Cut man stared at him with open hostility. "You think I’m stupid?"
Xu Huo took a sip of his drink. It was excessively sweet. He set the cup down and said, "You can either sit here, drink your drink, and talk to me, or you can get locked up by people from the Military District or Law Enforcement Team and then talk. Pick one."
Without clearing the instance, you couldn’t use a Spatial Teleportation Device. The moment anyone started a fight in town, people from the Law Enforcement Team and Military District would swarm over like flies.
"If we go down together, you won’t get away either." The Buzz Cut man threatened.
"Go ahead and try." Xu Huo made a "please" gesture.
The Buzz Cut man clenched his teeth and stayed silent for a long time before finally deflating. "Fine, you’re ruthless."
"Ask whatever you want to know. I’ll say this first though: I didn’t see much. If you want to know who kidnapped the Wan Family or where they were taken, forget it!"
"You just need to describe what you saw in full detail." Xu Huo put a Rank-C instrument on the table. "That’s your payment."
The Buzz Cut man was a little surprised, but he promptly picked up the instrument. "If you’d done this in the first place, we wouldn’t have had to waste our breath. You really should cultivate the good habit of trying civility before force."
Xu Huo looked at him coolly, clearly not interested in taking that bait.
The Buzz Cut man didn’t mind, and started retelling what had happened.
Simply put, he’d gone to the Wan Family to stock up.
His professional habits made him unconsciously pay attention to every "big household" in any dungeon venue. The few families he’d visited before hadn’t yielded anything, and the Wan Family happened to be preparing for a wedding recently, with so many gifts they were piled up in the rooms. He’d gone there basically to try his luck.
(Modify later)
*
Bubble Bean had no objections and left "Small Object Carving" first.
By now, information related to Cat Fruit Town had already been locked down. There were no new updates on the Collection of Information Terminal. The locals didn’t know much either. The ones who knew the most about the scene were probably the members of the Law Enforcement Team. But at this point, whether you tried to bypass them or impersonate them, it was very difficult. The Players sent by the Military District were loaded with gear—Advanced instruments and Props, everything you could think of. Forget using Psychic Power to muddy the waters; he’d have trouble even hypnotizing a few people to get things done.
"I’ll go over and take a look for you." Old Lady Gui said at this moment. "I know a lot of people; I can get the details out of them."
After she spoke, she stared steadily at Xu Huo. "You’re trying to save the Wan Family, aren’t you?"
Xu Huo glanced back at her. "Now you’re willing to trust strangers?"
Old Lady Gui’s expression was wooden. "Crows are black the world over. No matter where people come from, man or woman, there are always beasts who’ll sacrifice innocents for power and profit. As for my grandson, I accept it. He overestimated himself and went to meddle in the affairs of those big shots. He didn’t die unjustly. But the Wan Family are all good people. They don’t deserve an ending like this."
"May as well treat a dead horse like a living one and try to cure it."
With that, she pocketed a few finished Cat Whisker Fruit products and headed out.
"Me! Me!" The Girl in the painting raised the Communicator, indicating that She could help too.
"There are a lot of Detectors over by the Wan Family. They might pick up the fluctuations of the power in you," Xu Huo said. "It’s not safe for you to go there."
The Girl in the painting shook Her head. "I can go to other people’s houses and eavesdrop."
They couldn’t get into where the Wan Family lived, but the intensity of the lockdown weakened in rings outward from the Wan Family. The people who already lived near the Wan Family might know something. They might not talk in front of outsiders, but wouldn’t they gossip quietly at home?
"Then be careful," Xu Huo said. "If someone finds you, head underground if you can."
The Girl in the painting gave him a "don’t worry" look and happily walked off with Her backpack.
Xu Huo followed out a moment later and closed the door of "Small Object Carving."
He didn’t head toward the Wan Family, but instead sat down in an area where cleared Players tended to gather.
Regarding what had happened at the Wan Family, the Outer Zone Players stuck here were of course also talking nonstop. Because of this incident, the Cat Whisker Fruit business in town had nearly come to a complete halt. They had nothing to do, so they could only cluster together and try to come up with new Cat Whisker Fruit business ideas.
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