"Unfortunately, that is a different kind of mutant toxin; the current antidote is not very effective," Leader Wu said, shaking his head.
*So, is Professor Han dead or not?* Xu Huo thought, deciding to ask Liu Jia next time.
"Mr. Xu, in addition to bringing these items, I am here to formally invite you to join us. The state has already established Vanguard Player squads in various cities, and we are currently in dire need of talent like you. If you join, you will have first-hand access to the latest findings regarding dimensional rifts, and if necessary, you can even apply for high-level items."
"Your family can be relocated to a state-established safe zone, exempting them from the risk of being caught in random dungeons."
Last time, Nie Xuan said he could strive for the best conditions; this time, Leader Wu was laying out the terms directly. Xu Huo wasn't interested in the other offers, but he was very curious about the method for avoiding random dungeons.
"In fact, more than twenty random dungeons have already appeared within our borders alone, and that doesn't even include those suspected but unverified locations. Through domestic and international intelligence, we have grasped some patterns regarding the appearance of dungeons. With current technological means, we can only build avoidance facilities in certain key areas, and we are already mobilizing the strength of the entire nation to do so."
Leader Wu's gaze steadied, his expression solemn. "This isn't a lack of manpower, but a lack of existing rare materials."
"Therefore, allowing your family to enter the safe zone is the maximum benefit the Research Institute can secure. I hope you can understand."
Xu Huo understood in his heart that the testing of these safe zones must have cost many lives. However, as for truly mastering the patterns of dungeon appearances to avoid them entirely—it was obviously impossible. They only had a superficial understanding of the "game" and were far from being able to uncover its underlying principles.
Nevertheless, since Leader Wu had shown his sincerity, Xu Huo felt he should respond in kind.
"I can cooperate with you, but I am not subject to the Research Institute's deployment," Xu Huo said, looking at the two men opposite him. "If you need information, I can exchange it for what I know. Additionally, if I discover any peculiar metallic substances within the game, I can find a way to bring them out and hand them over to you."
Leader Wu's expression was complex. In truth, Vanguard Players had another mission upon entering the game: to collect soil, plants, metals, and fossils. Metallic materials, in particular, were present in the shadows of many items. Of course, special materials alone couldn't explain the peculiarities of the items themselves, but given that players could not bring firearms into the game, these were indispensable for manufacturing defensive tools.
It was an accepted fact that the game world was linked to an advanced civilization.
It was also a fact that the state currently lacked information and materials in all aspects.
"If that is the case, the matter of relocating your family to the safe zone might not be possible," he said.
Xu Huo nodded. The so-called safe zones weren't actually that safe. Super players were being born in other game zones, and there were no complete barriers between wormhole points; there was no guarantee that other players wouldn't wander in. The state's true core could be hidden, but these places would be as conspicuous as lighthouses at sea; ordinary people could absolutely never enter them.
Since the persuasion had failed, Leader Wu did not linger. He left his things and departed.
As soon as the door closed, the painting stuck to the hallway slid down. A thin sheet of paper hit the floor and transformed into a person, wearing one of Xu Huo's short-sleeved shirts, smiling at him with a stranger's face.
The clothes worn on the body could also be turned into paper.
Xu Huo made a quick mental judgment, then acted as if he hadn't seen anything and turned to pack the medicine.
Antidotes could also be stored in the item bar, but there was no specific usage listed, only the words "Unknown Medicine."
Previously, he had tried to put weapons and tools into his item bar, but had failed. It seemed that aside from the rewards given by the game, nothing else could be stored. The antidote might be an improved version of a game potion, but it also proved that items from outside the game could indeed be stored.
Xu Huo glanced at the woman and took a step forward to grab her wrist.
The game did not display any information for her.
"You don't belong to anyone?"
The woman nodded.
An ownerless item—it had no information and could not be forcibly stored. Could it be that once an item gained consciousness, it was no longer a simple inanimate object, but could decide its own fate just like a human?
Looking at the woman who was pouting and leaning against him, Xu Huo flashed a kind smile. "Do you want a medal?"
The woman nodded vigorously.
"I'll let you play with it once you're in the item bar."
The woman shook her head vigorously again.
Xu Huo pushed her aside, turned, and entered the bathroom. As he closed the door, he didn't forget to say, "There's change in the drawer. Go buy soybean milk and fried dough sticks at seven tomorrow morning, and wash my clothes while you're at it."
The woman returned to the wall with an indignant huff.
The next morning, Xu Huo looked at the large bag of fried dough sticks on the table and paused. "You want to eat too?"
The woman, who was currently hanging up clothes, ran over to excitedly claim credit. She held up two yuan and pointed at the food on the table.
"You bought all this with two yuan." Xu Huo glanced at her clothes. "Go grab a pair of pants to wear. I'll take you out to buy clothes in a bit."
The woman gave him a flying kiss with a radiant smile, immediately rummaged through his backpack for a pair of shorts to put on, and then sat opposite him, resting her chin in her hands and staring straight at him.
As their eyes met, Xu Huo ate the dough sticks unhurriedly and took a sip of soybean milk. "Do you have a name?"
The woman nodded, lifted her foot, and spread her toes. Beside her big toe, several tiny characters were written
"Female · Painted by Lichun."
Hua Nü (Painted Girl) pointed to the first two characters and mouthed them: *Hua Nü, Hua Nü.*
The painting had become an item.
If some players could turn paper into items, it wasn't surprising that a painting could do the same.
"Hua Nü sounds strange. Your name is Lichun," Xu Huo decided on the spot.
Hua Nü accepted it aggrievedly. Seeing that he had finished eating, she deftly put the leftovers in the refrigerator and then linked her arm with his, preparing to head out.
Holding her by the back of her neck to pull her half a meter away, Xu Huo locked up and headed downstairs.
He first went to the police station to hand over the wallet he had found earlier. At the entrance, he ran into Zhao Biao, who was seeing off several family members of police officers.
"Xu Huo!" Zhao Biao waved to him. After saying a few words to the people beside him, he walked over. "Is this your girlfriend?"
"A distant relative." Xu Huo paused. "Were your colleagues among those who were sacrificed this time?"
"They weren't as lucky as me." Zhao Biao sighed and patted his shoulder. "I heard from the people at the Research Institute that it was all thanks to you this time. You're a capable man. Good luck."
After leaving the police station, Xu Huo fell into silence.
The people coming and going here were either identifying corpses or reporting crimes. The prosperous and stable Ting City of a month ago had vanished without a trace.
Hua Nü suddenly tugged at his hem, pointed at a women's clothing store by the street, and mouthed: *I want a skirt.*
Xu Huo, with a cold face, pulled up his balance notification text: "You only have a budget of five hundred yuan."