Chapter 151 The Direction of the Task

Chapter 151: Chapter 151 The Direction of the TaskXu Huo wore an expression that said, "You’re trying to fool me," "What kind of important clue is this? It’s all written in the game’s background."

The female player paused before adding, "Don’t you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"It’s said that after the Great Pollution twenty years ago, people here could no longer have children, and tourists with children aren’t allowed into the city."

"Does this have anything to do with the game task?" Xu Huo was puzzled.

"Everyone in town talks about the pollution event twenty years ago," the female player explained, "but the air, soil, and water resources here are all normal. So why haven’t there been any births over these twenty years?"

"There must be some inside story, which might be related to the task."

After thinking it over seriously, Xu Huo said, "You make sense."

The female player grinned slightly, "Your clue?"

Xu Huo looked around before whispering, "You can’t just stay in any shop here. I overheard in a restaurant that tourists often disappear in some shops, and even the meat they serve is made out of people."

"How about that? The news is important enough, isn’t it?"

"Look, it’s getting dark. Shall we share a room? Staying here is quite expensive. Could you lend me some money?"

The female player’s lips were pursed, her chest heaving in obvious anger, but she still threw five hundred White Bills at him and said angrily, "Take this. It’s enough for one night!"

Xu Huo pocketed the White Notes and called out with a smile as he watched her hurriedly retreating figure, "Wait for me."

The female player walked even faster.

Only when she was out of sight did Xu Huo leave the museum to look for a place to stay.

If what the female player said was true, it would indirectly confirm some of his thoughts.

The story told by the florist sounded illogical and downplayed the important parts, but if one were to swap the identities of the main characters and the importance of events, the story would become much more coherent and familiar.

First, the heroine’s husband was a Cannibal Player, and he began to mutate a few years before the Great Pollution.

Second, during the surge of Aliens, the husband fought with the aliens and eventually became severely mutated. He committed suicide before losing his sanity completely. seaʀᴄh thё Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

This fits with the gamification process of the real world, where a small number of Evolvers and players appear first, followed by an increase in numbers.

The difference is that the gamification process in Brick Tale Town was interrupted, and most of its people suddenly turned into Aliens, causing the town’s population and size to shrink drastically.

The reason for the Alien evolution is the toxins produced during the evolution process. This toxin is not a contagious disease and does not need to be heavily guarded.

According to the female player, the soil and water quality here are not an issue, but the government of Brick Tale Town has deliberately isolated themselves, with locals even spreading rumors that anyone wounded by animals from the contaminated zone will be captured for experiments—these are actually exaggerations of the danger posed by the polluted areas.

Whether the people of Brick Tale Town are aware of the specifics of the "Great Pollution" remains unknown, but many stories told here involve it, and there clearly is more to the "Great Pollution." Who would dare say it has nothing to do with the game’s tasks?

The instance has three tasks, and the game doesn’t hint if completing just one is enough to clear it, so currently, all three tasks must be treated as mandatory.

Looking at the last two tasks, there seems to be a connection: finding the woman who tells the correct story and finding a Tooth for her. If the three options are sequential, then the first thing to find should be someone who tells the correct story.

Many people in Fairy Tale City can tell stories, but the "correct story" should refer specifically to one or a few. The truth of the matter aside, before finding this person, one must figure out what the "correct story" is roughly about.

Presently, it’s very likely that this direction is the "Great Pollution" from twenty years ago.

Having sorted out some clues, Xu Huo’s car arrived at the Yongxing Clubhouse.

When he got out of the car, a few tourists were being turned away at the door; a service staff politely said, "Sorry, our club is membership-only. Only members can stay here."

"Can’t we pay extra for entry?" one tourist asked. "We can apply for a membership card."

"Issuance of membership cards is handled by our headquarters, and unfortunately, our local outlets can’t process membership cards," the service staff explained with a smile.

The tourists left in dissatisfaction, and Xu Huo stepped forward to inquire, "Can a Yongxing Restaurant membership card be used here?"

The service staff’s smile became even more genuine, "Of course, Yongxing’s membership card is universally accepted. What’s your surname, sir?"

"Xu." Xu Huo handed over the membership card he had obtained on the preliminary train.

The service staff took it with both hands, quickly swiped the edge, and immediately returned it, warmly inviting him inside and introducing the facilities.

"The first floor is mainly for leisure and entertainment; Mr. Xu can play some sports or enjoy tea here. If you would like to watch a performance, we have a special performance team as well as a cinema."

"The second floor is the dining area which serves local cuisine from Brick Tale Town as well as signature dishes from other regions. However, our restaurant does not provide human flesh or any meat and vegetables from Aliens, we ask for your understanding."

"The third floor houses the swimming and fitness areas, and floors four to ten are VIP rooms. Mr. Xu may choose any available room."

"I’d like to see the night view," Xu Huo said.

"I understand, Mr. Xu can stay in the top floor’s panorama room, which offers a 360-degree view of Fairy Tale City, and you can even see the lit-up government city in the polluted area."

The service staff smiled as he presented a bill to sign, indicating the price: the panorama room was five thousand White Notes per night.

Xu Huo booked for two nights and gave a thousand White Notes as a tip.

"Can members bring guests in?"

"I am sorry, Mr. Xu, Yongxing only accommodates guests with membership cards, to ensure the comfort of all our guests."

Xu Huo nodded, ordered some food, and then asked, "You mentioned a performance team? Do you have storytellers?"

"Yes, would you like to relax in the downstairs private room or just rest in your room?" the service staff asked.

"Have them come up here."

The service staff quickly left, and within the time it took Xu Huo to take a bath, both the food and the storyteller had arrived.

He sat down at the dining table and glanced at the woman standing a few meters away, "You’re quite young."

The woman smiled and said, "If you wish to hear stories about Brick Tale Town, I know them all."

Xu Huo took a sip of wine, "Then start with the pollution event from twenty years ago."

The woman told a few related stories.

Her storytelling was much more captivating than those he had encountered during the day; the narratives were complete from beginning to end, without any obvious gaps. However, the stories were just as indistinguishable between truth and fiction, lacking the content he wanted to know.

After sending her away, he called for the service staff again, only to learn that the clubhouse had been built ten years ago, by which time the resort city model had already matured. Storytelling was a necessary skill for the locals and businessmen, so the clubhouse had trained a group of storytellers, but the stories were much the same as those in Fairy Tale City.

Standing by the window, Xu Huo suddenly noticed several stray cats fighting in a corner of the street. A skinny, exhausted cat rolled off a trash can and was stuck on something on the ground. Then the other cats pounced on it, biting through its throat and devouring it.

By now the night had deepened, and once the shops on both sides of the street were closed, the street lights dimmed dramatically, casting a gloomy silence that resembled dead animals lurking in the shadows beneath the brightly lit buildings of the polluted government district.

Withdrawing his gaze, he drew the curtains and lay down in bed.