Chapter 61: Sincerity

"Unfortunately, that's another mutated strain, and current antidotes aren't very effective," Team Leader Wu sighed, shaking his head.

I wonder if that Professor Han is a goner, Xu Huo thought, deciding to ask Liu Jia next time.

"Mr. Xu, besides bringing these supplies this time, I am also here to formally invite you to join us. The state is currently establishing vanguard player squads in various cities, and we are in urgent need of talents like you. If you can join, you will have first-hand access to the latest research findings on dimensional cracks, and you can apply for high-level props when necessary."

"Your family members can be relocated to a state-established safe zone, eliminating the risk of being dragged into random instances."

Last time, Nie Xuan mentioned striving for the best conditions, but this time Team Leader Wu laid them out directly. Xu Huo was indifferent to everything else, yet deeply curious about the method for avoiding random instances.

"Actually, within our country alone, over twenty random instances have already appeared, not to mention those suspected locations that haven't been verified yet. Through communication with foreign countries, we have grasped certain patterns regarding the emergence of instances. With current technological means, we can only build avoidance facilities in a few key locations. This is already the result of utilizing the entire nation's resources."

Team Leader Wu's gaze turned resolute, and he said with a stern expression, "This is not due to a lack of manpower, but rather the absence of currently available rare materials."

"Therefore, allowing your family members 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. Since the state used cannibalistic evolved humans for experiments, testing this safe zone must have cost plenty of lives as well. As for truly grasping the emergence patterns of instances and completely avoiding them, it was obviously impossible. Their understanding of the game was superficial, far from reaching the level of figuring out its underlying principles.

However, since Team Leader Wu had shown sincerity, he needed to make a gesture in return.

"I can cooperate with you, but I will not be under the jurisdiction of the research institute," Xu Huo said, looking at the two people across from him. "I can exchange some of the information I know for whatever data you need. Additionally, if I discover any special metallic substances in the games, I can find a way to bring them out and hand them over to you."

Team Leader Wu's expression grew complicated. In fact, after entering the game, vanguard players had another task: to collect soil, plants, metals, and fossils, especially metallic materials. Many props bore traces of them. Of course, special materials alone could not explain the peculiar nature of the props themselves, but given that players could not bring firearms into the game, these were indispensable for manufacturing defensive tools.

That the game world was connected to an advanced civilization was already an accepted fact.

It was also a fact that the country currently lacked information and materials in various aspects.

"If that is the case, relocating your family members to the safe zone might not be possible," he said.

Xu Huo nodded. The so-called safe zone was not actually all that safe. Other game zones had super players being born, and wormhole points were not completely isolated; there was no guarantee that other players wouldn't sneak in. While the true core of the state could be concealed, ordinary people could never enter these places, making other safe zones stand out just like lighthouses on the sea.

With the persuasion having failed, Team Leader Wu did not stay long. He left the supplies behind and departed.

The moment the door closed, a painting hanging in the corridor slid down. The thin sheet of paper landed and transformed into a human figure, still wearing Xu Huo's short-sleeve shirt, and smiled at him with an unfamiliar face.

The clothes worn on the body could turn into paper as well.

Xu Huo made a quick judgment in his mind, then pretended not to see it and turned to put away the potions.

The antidote could also be stored in the item inventory, though it lacked specific usage instructions, bearing only the label "Unknown Potion."

Previously, he had tried putting some weapons and tools into his item inventory, but none of them succeeded. It seemed that aside from the prizes given by the game, nothing else could be stored. The antidote might be a modified game potion, but it also proved that items from outside the game could likewise be stored.

Xu Huo glanced at the woman, stepped forward, and grabbed her wrist.

The game did not display her information.

"You don't belong to anyone?"

The woman nodded.

An ownerless prop, possessing neither information nor the ability to be forcibly stored. Could it be that once they gained consciousness, props were no longer simple inanimate objects, but rather capable of deciding their own staying or leaving just like humans?

Looking at the woman who was pouting and leaning against him, Xu Huo wore a benign smile. "Want a badge?"

The woman nodded vigorously.

"Enter the item inventory and I'll let you play with it."

The woman shook her head vigorously instead.

Xu Huo pushed her away and walked into the bathroom. As he closed the door, he didn't forget to say, "There is loose change in the drawer. Go buy soy milk and fried dough sticks at seven o'clock tomorrow morning, and wash my clothes while you're at it."

The woman returned to the wall in a huff.

Early 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 hanging clothes while bare-legged, ran over excitedly to claim credit, pulled out two one-yuan bills, and pointed at the items on the table.

Xu Huo glanced at the shape of her chest and the hem of her clothes that barely covered her buttocks. "You bought all this with two yuan? Go get a pair of pants to wear, I'll take you out to buy clothes later."

The woman gave him a radiant smile and blew him a kiss, immediately rummaged through his backpack to find a pair of shorts to put on, and then sat down opposite him, cupping her face in both hands and staring straight at him.

As their eyes met, Xu Huo leisurely ate a fried dough stick and took a sip of soy milk. "Do you have a name?"

The woman nodded, lifted her foot, and parted her toes to reveal a few tiny characters written right next to her big toe:

"Female, painted in Lichun."

The painted woman pointed at the first two characters and mouthed: Painted Woman, Painted Woman.

The painting had turned into a prop.

Since players could turn paper into props, it was hardly surprising that a painted picture had become one.

"Painted Woman sounds weird, let's call you Lichun," Xu Huo settled the matter decisively.

The Painted Woman accepted it with a wronged expression. Seeing that he had finished eating, she briskly put the leftovers into the refrigerator, then linked arms with him, ready to go out.

Pressing the back of her neck to push her half a meter away, Xu Huo locked the door and headed downstairs.

He first went to the police station to turn in a wallet he had picked up earlier. At the entrance, he bumped into Zhao Biao, who was seeing off the families of several police officers.

"Xu Huo!" Zhao Biao waved at him, said a couple of words to the people beside him, and walked over. "Is this your girlfriend?"

"A distant relative," Xu Huo paused. "Did any of your colleagues make the ultimate sacrifice this time?"

"They weren't as lucky as me," Zhao Biao sighed, patted his shoulder, and said, "I heard from the people at the research institute that we owe this all to you. You are a capable person. Good luck."

Xu Huo fell somewhat silent after leaving the police station.

The people coming and going here were either identifying bodies or filing reports. The prosperous and peaceful Tingcheng of a month ago was completely gone.

The Painted Woman suddenly tugged at the corner of his shirt, pointed at a women's clothing store by the street, and mouthed: I want a dress.

Xu Huo expressionlessly checked his balance text message: "You only have a budget of five hundred yuan."