Chapter 2791: Truth and Lies

Noticing a subtle change in Gong Ying’s expression, Xu Huo continued, "But it’s really of no use to me. You can trade something for it."

Gong Ying pondered for a moment and asked, "What do you think would be a good trade?"

"Maybe a good prop," Xu Huo suggested, "Some life-saving prop in the game is rare and invaluable. Helping you clear the level should be worth such a prop."

"Actually, I might not be able to clear the level..." Gong Ying muttered, but she didn’t refuse and instead took out a Rank-B prop, "This is all I have."

"Charm of Alluring?" Xu Huo read the name of the prop, "Don’t you think pulling out this prop requires a considerable amount of courage?"

Gong Ying’s eyes widened, "How could you! Do you know how important charm is? It’s like beauty, a hard currency in the game. If you look good and have charm, others will speak to you more gently and be more willing to help you out..."

She paused here, "Perhaps you’ve never experienced such privileges, but once you have this prop, it will absolutely provide you with an unprecedented new experience!"

Xu Huo noncommittally put away the prop and asked, "Are you coming again tomorrow?"

"Of course, I can’t stand seeing a beauty in distress, I’ll come again tomorrow to persuade her." Gong Ying waved her hand and left gracefully.

The next day, Xu Huo didn’t report early to the Whale Garden. After breakfast, he wandered aimlessly around the island, moving from one island to another, showing no intention of going to Whale Garden.

Starting from his visit to the second island, the number of players tracking him increased. These individuals coordinated with each other, maintaining a distance of about five kilometers as they moved around him.

Their purpose was unclear, but since there was no direct action, Xu Huo pretended not to notice. He bought an ice cream from a street vendor and sat by the lake watching a caretaker feed the birds.

Time quickly passed until noon, and he stayed in the same spot for two hours. The people tracking him also didn’t move for two hours, until noon at twelve, a powerful shockwave erupted from somewhere on the island, indiscriminately sweeping across the entire island. Xu Huo, on a nearby island, naturally felt the impact. He glanced back at the location, likely towards Whale Garden, and just then, half of the trackers disappeared instantly, while the remaining half narrowed their enclosing circle.

It’s finally here.

Xu Huo clapped his hands and stood up; the next second, he vanished from the spot.

He returned to the Whale Garden at his fastest speed. From a distance, he saw the entire Whale Garden leveled to the ground, with Miss Ruo confronting several players in the air, surrounded by layers of protective barriers that set off a battlefield. The law enforcement team members who arrived later stayed outside the barriers, orderly activating the non-playable arena simulation instruments.

It was obvious that both sides of the confrontation remained calm, and neither paid attention to the actions of the law enforcement team.

Xu Huo was surrounded by a few players who caught up with him. He glanced at them, gestured for silence, and motioned them to step back a little further.

The players were clearly all members of the law enforcement team. Xu Huo raised his hand slightly, and the "Hand of Space-Time" formed a small cutting field, prompting the individuals to retreat again.

This time, the players were a bit smarter, tactfully retreating but still used a sealing barrier to enclose him.

Xu Huo didn’t mind and turned his gaze towards Miss Ruo’s side.

"If you still want to live, come with us," said the masked, white-haired elder confronting her.

Miss Ruo shook her head, "I once promised someone, to retire here. I’m sorry I can’t do as you say. I understand your desire for revenge, and you can kill me now, just don’t harm the innocent."

"Innocent?" The red-haired female player behind couldn’t hold back and sneered, "You’re qualified to say those words? Have you forgotten how many people you killed in my hometown? You didn’t even spare infants just a few months old! What face do you have to say don’t harm the innocent here?"

Miss Ruo’s expression turned sorrowful, "It wasn’t my true intention, and even if I didn’t do it, someone else would have. I was compelled...Plus, I did try to transfer personnel to the best of my ability. Though only a small portion, there really are people who survived."

"Lies!" shouted the red-haired female player, "You used these excuses on my senior, didn’t you? He came looking for you three months ago, and since then, there’s been no news!"

Miss Ruo’s expression shifted slightly before continuing, "I don’t know who you’re talking about, but if you don’t believe me, I can tell you about a place—a place with many people I rescued. Years ago, I didn’t dare disclose it, fearing unnecessary trouble. Now, if you want to know, I can tell you."

Though still filled with resentment, the red-haired female player’s tone wavered with hesitation, "You say it, and we can immediately send people to verify it!"

However, the white-haired elder extended his hand to interrupt her, "You still don’t understand? Whether it’s us or any other place she massacred, absolutely no one survived. She’s saying this only to lure us into her prearranged trap. Had there been any truth to her words, the people who came before wouldn’t have disappeared without a trace."

The elder spoke while casting his gaze at Miss Ruo, "If you really wish to atone as you claim, tell us where the people on this list went."

He tossed a folded piece of paper towards Miss Ruo.

Miss Ruo took it and looked it over, hesitatingly saying, "I don’t know any of the people you mentioned."

The white-haired elder sighed, producing a square button box, "This is a disposable item, capable of bypassing Rank-A props and instruments to kill a person. Even though you’re colluding with the 022 District Government, they can’t provide you with super props for protection."

"I suppose you arranged these law enforcement personnel ahead of time, just waiting for us to arrive. Unfortunately, dead people hold no value."

With those words, he pressed the button. In an instant, several visible spatial forces pierced through Miss Ruo’s body, impaling her in mid-air. It’s at this moment that Miss Ruo swiftly looked at the law enforcement players outside the barriers.

However, the pre-arranged non-playable arena simulation instruments didn’t activate. While Miss Ruo had prepared, the white-haired elder’s side also prepared, with several protective barriers successively popping open around the sealing barrier. The law enforcement team lost more than ten players in an instant, and the subsequent arrivals were flung outside the island by a shallow white shockwave!

This kind of shockwave isn’t a one-time event; it spreads continuously outward every two seconds, and regardless of the direction the law enforcement players approached from, they were repelled by the wave.

Xu Huo was no exception, although he seized the gap when the prop took effect. During this unimpeded moment, he entered the Whale Garden’s range, the center of the prop’s coverage, which remained unaffected.