Chapter 38 - Digging Holes

“If you cooperate with the capture, you can choose an item from her props, or if you just provide information, I’ll give you a bottle of P0 Evolution Potion,” Nie Xuan immediately said.

“A potion, but I want the P1 Evolution Potion,” Xu Huo said.

Nie Xuan looked somewhat disappointed.

But Xu Huo smiled and said, “This is not a bad deal for you at all.

If you catch that Cannibal Player, not only will you have an extra experimental sample, but you’ll also learn about other players’ information and the status of the instances.”

Nie Xuan raised an eyebrow, knowing he wouldn’t reveal the details of the instance from his own mouth.

Although he was disappointed, he still found it acceptable.

The current situation was unstable, and most players were wary of the outside world.

Someone like Xu Huo, who showed up on his own and could negotiate calmly, was already pretty good.

Before this, he had approached several players.

Some were so disturbed that a few words could trigger indiscriminate attacks on others; some had such inflated egos that they thought they could stand up to national power; others tried every means to flee, and even if captured, they refused to cooperate.

In fact, they had underestimated the resolve and courage of a nation when facing disaster.

Far from stripping them of their abilities and resources, the government would instead nurture them vigorously.

After all, players were a minority, and the country needed them.

“The Special Affairs Bureau has just been established, and the government is currently recruiting.

The terms offered are quite generous.

If you’re interested, you can contact me anytime.”

“I’ll consider it,” Xu Huo said, reaching for paper and pen to write down Liu Yuanyuan’s physical characteristics, accent, and some small details.

Seeing him also make a simple sketch on the side, Nie Xuan felt he might still be persuaded.

“This is a good start.

Hopefully, we can cooperate more in the future, and I can help you achieve the greatest benefits.”

Xu Huo pushed the paper over and lifted the bottle, “Pleasure doing business.”

“How much do you know about the game’s instances?”

Nie Xuan picked up his glass and took a sip, “We have quite a bit of information at the moment; you can trust us.”

“Do you understand the principle behind the Evolvers’ evolution?” Xu Huo put down the bottle.

“Of course, the expert team is already conducting experiments in this area.

We’ll soon be able to suppress the Evolvers’ urge to feed,” Nie Xuan answered without hesitation.

“Will there be any side effects if an Evolution Potion isn’t taken for a long time?”

“No, the Evolution Potion can perfectly eliminate any defects that appear in the Evolvers…” His voice trailed off as Nie Xuan frowned.

He clamped his mouth shut, glanced at Xu Huo, and then his gaze fell on the cup of water.

“I didn’t expect you to notice so quickly,” Xu Huo said apologetically with a smile, “Sorry, I just wanted to test the potion’s effect, and you happened to come along.”

Nie Xuan let out a cold laugh and walked away.

After descending the stairs, he got into a van parked at the curb.

“Did the talk go smoothly?” asked the secretary who had previously inquired about Xu Huo with him.

Nie Xuan opened his mouth and then closed it again.

When he lifted his hand, there was a Hello Kitty hand puppet on his palm.

The cat’s mouth opened and closed, emitting a childlike electronic voice:

“He tricked me.

I’m not able to speak right now.”

The childish voice and the warm, plush toy were completely at odds with Nie Xuan’s image.

The secretary wanted to laugh but dared not.

“Should we proceed with the arrest?”

“No need,” the hand puppet continued: “He’s not the Cannibal Player, and this man is smart, a player with potential.

The country needs people like him right now.”

“Give this to the tech team and have them find this person.

He’s a Cannibal Player, very dangerous.

Tell everyone to be careful when capturing him.”

The secretary took the note, slipped it into his notebook, and then asked, “Do we continue surveillance?”

Nie Xuan thought briefly, “Withdraw the snipers and special agents, but set up a surveillance point near the house he rented.

No need for round-the-clock close watch, just confirm that he’s in Ting City.”

“Recently, there have been incidents of mass disappearances and group dismemberment across the country.

The victims, old and young, men and women, most of them don’t exhibit Evolver characteristics.

We’ve had two such cases in Ting City.

I suspect they’re related to the instances.

We should focus our manpower on finding these instances as much as possible.”

“I understand,” the secretary nodded.

“Take this Potion and his credentials to him, and try to get a sample of the water from the glass on his desk.” Nie Xuan picked up the aluminum case by his feet and took out a tube filled with blue liquid.

The secretary followed the order but returned in a few minutes, looking somewhat embarrassed, “By the time I got there, the glass had been cleaned, and he said he was going to move.

He asked you to join him for a housewarming meal once he finds a new place.”

Nie Xuan’s eyelid twitched, but he instantly suppressed his anger, “Forget it, take my blood.”

In the hotel room, having sent Nie Xuan and his people away, Xu Huo swirled the tube of Evolution Potion.

It was the correct item, the P1 Evolution Potion, but he didn’t plan on taking it now.

Players’ dependency on the Evolution Potions and the serious side effects were too strong.

Like a ticking time bomb, he didn’t want to ingest it unless absolutely necessary.

After securing the Potion, he picked up his phone which had been vibrating non-stop since he exited the game.

Besides dozens of friend requests mostly sent by Yuan Yao, there were also various text messages and missed call notifications.

Most of them could be ignored, but one of the numbers belonged to Liu Jia.

From the pilot train until Xu Huo’s first instance ended, merely three days, Liu Jia had sent almost fifty messages.

Some of them expressed a desire to meet him in person to thank him, followed by news about Professor Han’s worsened condition after getting off the train, with green pustules appearing on his body.

After being admitted to the hospital, some professionals took him away, and she herself had joined a local government organization.

She summarized the pilot train situation, but she and Professor Han had hidden the identity of the other passengers in their compartment and hadn’t been troubled for it.

“If there’s an issue with Professor Han, you can contact me,” he replied with a message.

“Mr.

Xu, have you returned?

Professor Han said you must have gone to an instance.

I knew you would come back safe!” Liu Jia immediately responded and then sent a barrage of messages.

Both she and Professor Han were from a neighboring city, Xu Huo didn’t agree to meet with her but instead asked about the specific symptoms of Professor Han.

Actually, Professor Han’s condition had improved upon leaving the train, but his later symptoms resembled that of the stranded player – pustules on the skin, extreme weakness, and signs of muscle atrophy.

“Toxin or pathogen?”

Did this imply that all Evolvers had an unknown toxin or pathogen in their bodies that not only made them stronger but also laid a tremendous hidden risk to their evolution?

The Evolution Potion had a suppressing effect, so if an Evolver went too long without using the Potion, the accumulation of these toxins or pathogens could deteriorate the body.

Would normal players who don’t take Evolution Potions for a long time turn into that kind of monster seen on the train?

Unfortunately, the officials didn’t have a good solution yet… Xu Huo’s frown deepened, and suddenly his phone rang.

Seeing the name on the screen, he rubbed his temples and answered:

“Xu Huo!

You have five minutes to show up.

If you’re not here in five minutes, you’ll never see your beautiful and lovely cousin again!”