Chapter 2514
There was no gain on Xu Huo’s side, and Bubble Bean also returned empty-handed.
Although they successfully met Mi Fei, he never opened his mouth. Even after hearing the phrase "self-directed and self-acted," he became more resolute.
"If he had any doubts before hearing those words, after hearing them, all his hesitation vanished, as if he were determined to fulfill the wishes of the Wan Family."
Bubble Bean, while sarcastically commenting on Xu Huo, also cursed the Mi Family and the Wan Family, "Are these people all madmen? What’s worth doing this for, isn’t living a good life? What a joke, the Wan Family even has a newborn! A bunch of lunatics!"
Both leads were broken, and with characters as insignificant as Mi Fei, even if they were to use them to threaten the Mi Family or the Military District, it would just be a waste of time.
"There are too many players around Lady Shela, tracks are hard to find, the Military District and Law Enforcement Team along with the Mi Family are hard nuts to crack. If we really want to trace it back to the source, there won’t be enough time..." Bubble Bean scratched his head, "I don’t want to be stuck in this district, do you have any other ideas?"
"Go to the United Capital," Xu Huo said. "Since the people below don’t know the inside story, let’s go straight to the top."
"You mean Valen?" Bubble Bean paused, "We probably won’t be able to meet him."
Not to mention he is now at the center of public opinion, even as a council candidate, he has many people around protecting him, making direct contact almost impossible.
And through other means, we might quickly be watched by the players.
"Let’s give it a try," Xu Huo said. "It’s almost impossible for us to find the whereabouts of the Wan Family by ourselves, moreover..."
Moreover, this matter is no longer as simple as the Wan Family’s kidnapping incident.
At eleven thirty at night, the three of them arrived at the United Capital.
As the city where the District Government is located, the prosperity of this place is astounding, with no difference between night and day. In the sky, on the streets, and in the shops, there are flying devices and pedestrians everywhere. Armed robots maintaining city order can be seen everywhere, with armed flying devices patrolling from high above. Almost the entire city is covered by defense instruments and interference devices, which will automatically activate if anything goes wrong.
The United Capital does not allow players to use spatial teleportation props and instruments, so Xu Huo and the others were only teleported to the edge of the city, then arrived at the District Government Building via the city’s transport teleportation point.
The office building of the District Government occupies a vast area. As the political core of District 001, it never lacks citizens and tourists coming to visit all day long. Once Xu Huo and the others came out, they were swept forward by the crowd.
Of course, there’s no shortage of media workers outside the building. Earlier today, Valen had just announced his withdrawal from the election, and the heat hadn’t subsided. Media workers, Valen’s supporters, almost blocked the area around the District Government completely. Many were sitting outside, demanding Mr. Valen to retract his decision to withdraw from the election.
As to why he withdrew suddenly, people in District 001 couldn’t stop talking about it. In such a situation, observers would immediately think of his competitors, but helplessly, ever since Valen announced his withdrawal, he hasn’t revealed any additional information. Voters can only speculate freely, while conspiracy theories abound on the Collection of Information Terminal, with all sorts of speculations.
"Quite a setup," Bubble Bean remarked, "Almost the whole District Government is cut off from the network, who dares to cause trouble here."
Non-gaming area simulation instruments aren’t that easy to fabricate, and not every Rank-B Wormhole Point district can have one. Like the previous B37-008, even though they set up city-wide spatial teleportation in many cities, the non-gaming area simulation instrument wasn’t always active and was only used when needed.
Of course, this is possibly considering the convenience of the local players’ actions, but overall, this district is quite affluent.
"I was planning to post a video on the Collection of Information Terminal asking Mr. Valen to meet us voluntarily," Bubble Bean flipped through the communicator, "but there are countless videos like that. People are trying all sorts of ways to meet him, every channel is being attempted, and every channel is packed."
Both the public and private contact methods for the District Government and Valen are the same, either the line is busy or flooded with messages, even trying to contact a relevant person is very difficult.
But it’s not absolutely impossible; important figures in the District Government have designated residences. These places have many residents, and there are always some private channels, just requiring some time.
Xu Huo and the others were quite lucky; after circling nearby for a while, they encountered a staff member going out.
No matter what this person was doing or for whom, once it was confirmed that he was an ordinary person, Xu Huo hypnotized him and issued two simple instructions: one, to go to Mr. Valen’s residence, and two, to tell any personnel in the residence the word "Wan Dong," then they found a place nearby to sit and wait.
Logically, a method like this shouldn’t lead to a meeting, but unexpectedly, less than twenty minutes after that staff member went in, a player found them and wanted to take them to meet Mr. Valen.
(To be modified later)
*
"Go find Old Lady Gui," Xu Huo said. "She and that stalker were both caught, and whoever they’re taken to should know the inside story."
Only then did Bubble Bean understand why he left Old Lady Gui, "Even if I say so, that kid Mi Fei may not cooperate; I think Old Lady Gui’s side has a greater chance of a breakthrough."
Xu Huo glanced at him, "Then shall we trade?"
Bubble Bean knew there was no room for negotiation in this matter and said awkwardly, "You are fearless and skillful; I’ll go to the Mi Family then. Just don’t forget me when you clear the stage."
The three of them split up; Bubble Bean returned to the Mi Family, while Xu Huo and the Girl in the painting followed the traits to track Old Lady Gui’s whereabouts.
Old Lady Gui and the stalker are different; the stalker is a player, and the first thing to be done upon being caught is to strip him of all his props, including traits. Old Lady Gui is an ordinary person and a local, so the inspection wouldn’t be that thorough. Besides, the Cat Whisker Fruit she sent eventually ended up in Lady Shela’s hands, becoming an extended link in the whole event. If luck has it, she might not be checked so meticulously, but she would definitely be caught.
Where she was sent is uncertain, but if someone really came to interrogate her, that person is likely an insider.
However, Xu Huo still underestimated the rigor of the Military District. When the chain’s other end tracking the trait was still moving, it suddenly dissipated. Xu Huo could only estimate a general area. He and the Girl in the painting rushed there with all their might, but only managed to catch the trails left by several flying devices—the Military District people had changed locations through spatial teleportation.
In the desolate mountain forest, only the sounds of birds and beasts could be heard.
"What a pity," Xu Huo thought Old Lady Gui was most likely detained in a Military District close to Cat Fruit Town. After all, transferring across regions might give other forces opportunities, but unexpectedly, they were so absolute, directly making her "disappear."
This is a race against time.