Players, Please Board the Train

That Captain didn't respond to Xu Huo's explanation, instead saying, "The children from the Welfare Home have all been sent away. If you need it, I can give you a specific address."

"Did any children get hurt this time?" Xu Huo asked for the address.

"No." The Captain answered tersely, then added, "If Mr. Xu has business to attend to, feel free, but it's best not to enter the Main City District. During the repair period, there will be some large machinery moving around. It would be unfortunate if you got accidentally injured."

With that, the man led his people away. Xu Huo circled the outskirts of the Main City District for a while, and after confirming that it really wasn't easy to get in, he instead went to the address the Black Epaulets had given him to check on those children.

After finishing that, he planned to return to Rose Castle, but unexpectedly ran into Qing Cai.

More precisely, Qing Cai had come looking for him. Wearing a hat and wig, she walked straight up to him and asked, "Do you have a place to stay in District 011?"

Xu Huo asked with slight surprise, "Why haven't you left District 011 yet?"

"My stuff was stolen. Of course I can't just leave like that." Qing Cai said, "If I don't get my things back, this trip will have been a complete waste."

"Do you have a place to stay... I don't have much money on me."

Xu Huo said he could take her to the castle, then added, "Speaking of which, this time it was my fault for dragging you into this. I didn't expect to bring you along too."

Qing Cai waved her hand dismissively, indicating it was no big deal. "I don't like District 011 anyway. I'm actually pretty happy to watch the commotion. Besides, it's not like you deliberately brought me here."

"Everything will work out in the end. It's such a coincidence that I happened to come over. Maybe it's a good opportunity the heavens handed me!"

Seeing that she looked ready to stir up trouble, Xu Huo said, "I'm planning to stay in District 011 for a long time."

"Don't worry, I definitely won't cause you any trouble." Qing Cai said with a beaming smile. "I took a stroll around the Black Epaulets' place and saw them pull a box out of an underground pipeline. I was planning to snatch it as interest, but it turned out several senior players personally came to pick it up."

"I heard from the lower-ranking Black Epaulets that it might be some important experimental sample, about to be transferred to another laboratory."

That box should be the one Director Sanyang had deliberately hidden. Xu Huo added a follow-up question, "There aren't many high-level laboratories near the base city. Are you sure it's being sent to a laboratory?"

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"It was revealed through Black Epaulet conversations, so it might not be accurate. But I put a tracking mark on the Black Epaulet piloting the flight device, so I'll know wherever they go." Qing Cai patted a disc-shaped metal object at her waist. "I'll show you later."

"What? Is that box yours?"

"Not exactly, I'm just curious what's inside." Xu Huo gestured for her to get in the vehicle.

Qing Cai sat into the flight device. "If you're curious, let's go check it out. Maybe my green gem was taken to the same place by the Black Epaulets."

"It was the Black Epaulets who stole your gem?" Xu Huo asked. "I only caught a glimpse of a shadow at the time."

"It was someone from the Holy Sword Society," Qing Cai said. "That guy was unlucky. He didn't get far before he was killed. The ones who struck were two Black Epaulets. I figured fighting them might be risky, so I retreated first."

"There's also a mark on the green gem. It's our habit. As long as they don't digest the item internally, they'll definitely hand it up to the Partition Government. Getting it back shouldn't be too hard."

"Is that stone worth a lot?" Xu Huo paused before saying, "Even the Partition Government has quite a few senior players. And given the current special circumstances, the players won't be pulling out anytime soon."

"I'm not afraid of risk," Qing Cai said, flexing her fingers. "Anyone can pick up a bargain, but this bargain just can't be allowed to fall into District 011's hands!"

Xu Huo didn't say anything more. After arriving at the castle, Qing Cai got out of the vehicle and let out a whistle. "Rich people, huh."

Mr. Dong came out to greet them. Xu Huo briefly introduced Qing Cai. She was naturally outgoing and enthusiastically greeted Mr. Dong, adding, "I'll drink anything. No need to go to the trouble of making tea."

Mr. Dong served tea anyway. When Qing Cai saw Painting Woman and Xiao Yuan coming down from upstairs, she remarked with emotion, "I didn't expect you to look so young with kids this old already."

"This is my younger sister and my niece." Xu Huo said with a smile. "My sister can't speak."

Qing Cai greeted both of them and gave each a "meeting stone." "Just little trinkets, not worth much. They look especially nice when there's no light at night. Have fun with them."

Facing her generosity, Painting Woman happily accepted. Xiao Yuan wasn't as comfortable yet, first exchanging a questioning glance with Xu Huo, and only accepting after he nodded.

They had only been sitting for a while when the metal object at Qing Cai's waist let out a faint beeping sound. She took it off and opened it. "That box was sent to a third-level laboratory in a neighboring city. It probably isn't anything particularly important."

Even the toxins polluting the Main City District required a fourth-level laboratory to handle.

"Maybe it'll be transferred again." Xu Huo said. "What about your stone?"

"It's been handed over several times already." Qing Cai stretched lazily. "I'm not in a hurry."

Whether it was that box or her gem, once collected by players, the chance of getting them back was very slim. Moreover, since they weren't items of special value, one of the players could easily have taken them during the transfer process.

But seeing how confident Qing Cai looked, Xu Huo didn't say much. Perhaps she had some special method.

Then again, even if she couldn't recover her things, District 011 had plenty of targets.

She probably wasn't the only one secretly planning a robbery.

After resting for a while, Qing Cai offered to pay and asked Mr. Dong to prepare some supplies for her.

"In District 004, daily necessities are in high demand. They're usually enough for daily use, but I'm used to keeping my luggage compartment topped up at all times. Besides, supplies in District 011 are relatively cheap."

Compared to taste, Qing Cai preferred foods that were small in size but highly filling. She also requested very little water, because energy replenishment agents also provided partial hydration.

"How long do you usually stay out in the wild when prospecting for Ore?" Xu Huo asked.

"Short trips are half a month, long ones are hard to say." Qing Cai said. "Sometimes if you're unlucky enough to run into a Mutant herd, you might get trapped for two to three months. District 004 has vast territory, and once excavation teams scatter, it's hard to get effective rescue. Whether you survive an accident all depends on luck."

"Compared to entering a dungeon, does prospecting for Ore pay better?" Xu Huo said with a smile, handing her the teapot.

Qing Cai poured herself a full cup of tea and let out a hearty laugh. "A person's got to live, right? Can't just sit around doing nothing."

Xu Huo tactfully dropped the topic and had Mr. Dong take her to a guest room.

"Excellent! It's been so long since I've had a bath. Today I'm going to wash up a storm!" Qing Cai cheerfully followed Mr. Dong away.

Painting Woman, who had run off to fiddle with that stone together with Xiao Yuan, came rushing back, excitedly gesturing to him: "This stone gives off starlight!"