Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 1179: Exchange for One Hypnotherapy Session

Chapter 1179: Chapter 1179: Exchange for One Hypnotherapy Session

Of course, I don’t mind.

There was no personal grudge between Minister Fan and Xu Huo. For the benefit of the Special Defense Department, once the situation was settled, they had to consider the best course of action.

After discussing matters with his successor, Chief Ji, and their superiors, Minister Fan decided to offer generous terms to acquire part of the ore in Xu Huo’s possession.

Buying everything was unrealistic, and Xu Huo wouldn’t sell it all, but a small portion could be negotiated. As long as they could obtain some of the ore, the Special Defense Department’s bottom line could be lowered repeatedly.

After a large influx of players into the game, the Special Defense Department had gained some understanding of special ores, and their collection of various ores was not insignificant. However, this time, the island’s ore originated from Zone 014. Moreover, it had caused such a major commotion. No matter what kind of ore it was, the Special Defense Department had to acquire a portion for testing in order to determine the virtualization progress of Zone 014.

This proposal was rejected by Xu Huo. If it were any other type of ore, he might have been willing to share some with the Special Defense Department. But this particular piece of Shitou was highly likely to be the "Time Origin." Even if it wasn’t, its special properties, such as the Time Ray, made it extraordinarily valuable. A single piece of unidentified Primeval Stone could enable Zone 011 to wage massive attacks against other zones. Such rare minerals could not be obtained at will.

"I know you didn’t board the Special Defense Department’s ship just to seek protection," Minister Fan said amicably. "Since we’re negotiating, why don’t you set your terms clearly? Whatever it is, we can discuss it."

"The ore from the island happens to be exactly what I need, so I cannot sell it to you," Xu Huo replied. "However, I can provide S-rank evaluation clearing strategies for two instances."

Even someone as composed as Minister Fan couldn’t help but blink rapidly in response. After two seconds, he forced a smile and said, "Even the country’s top elite teams can’t guarantee S-rank evaluations every time. You’ve only played a few instances."

To level up quickly, the top players from the Special Defense Department typically completed two or three instances per month, and those responsible for clearing strategies were no exception.

However, grinding instances for the sake of leveling up came with a problem—achieving high-level clearances was near impossible. Human stamina was extremely limited, especially when subjected to the high pressure of instances. It was rare for anyone to maintain a consistently high standard. While quite a few players attained S-rank ratings, their performance was often inconsistent. Factors such as mental state, energy, and personal expertise all played a role.

Compared to the elite teams receiving material support from the Special Defense Department, Xu Huo’s engagement with instances wasn’t remarkably frequent in Zone 014. It couldn’t be pure luck that he had consistently secured S-rank evaluations—could it?

"I can guarantee that I enter instances at least twice a month," Xu Huo said casually, leaning back in his chair. "I advanced to Rank-C Player just last month. You can calculate my clearance evaluations."

"I definitely have two S-rank clearing strategies."

"But if your people use my strategy and still don’t achieve an S-rank, you can’t blame me for that."

Behind Minister Fan sat an assistant team. A researcher in a uniform quickly performed the mental calculations and provided a conclusion:

"Even if he completes two instances per month, it would still be insufficient to advance from Level E Player to Rank-C Player within six months unless every instance was cleared with an S-rank evaluation. The odds of that happening are infinitesimally small—unless special game rewards were obtained to allow early clearance."

When Xu Huo heard this, he glanced at the bespectacled researcher and nodded. "That’s correct. For the final segment of Level D, I received an SS-rank evaluation."

The assistant team members exchanged quick glances. Evidently, they were also aware of the hidden SS-rank rating, which was higher than S-rank. After confirming it among themselves, the researcher finally turned to Minister Fan and said, "It’s possible."

Minister Fan regained his composure and asked, "What was the difficulty level of the instances?"

"One was Level E, the other was Level D," Xu Huo said with a smile. "Two S-rank clearing strategies can at least help the backbone of the Special Defense Department advance significantly."

"What do you want in return?" Minister Fan asked again.

"I want Tang Guangbo to perform a deep hypnosis on me," Xu Huo said seriously. "But it must be conducted in the presence of at least five top-tier psychologists and no fewer than twenty elite players from the Special Defense Department as witnesses."

"That’s not difficult," Minister Fan thought it was a fair deal. However, at the mention of Tang Guangbo, he couldn’t help but ask, "Why do you mistrust Tang Guangbo so much?"

Earlier, when Tang Guangbo returned to the country with Lady Fang, Xu Huo had already suggested to Chief Wu that they investigate Tang Guangbo. However, nothing came of it at the time. Later, when Tang Guangbo took up a key position within the Special Defense Department and frequently interacted with players, the department conducted three follow-up investigations on him, all concluding that everything was normal.

If Xu Huo only needed a single hypnosis session, why not go directly to Tang Guangbo? Their relationship was close, so there was no need to involve the Special Defense Department at all.

Yet Xu Huo explicitly requested that it be conducted under the department’s surveillance, clearly indicating his lack of trust in Tang Guangbo. If he didn’t trust him, why insist on choosing him? Wouldn’t it make more sense to select another psychotherapist or find a more suitable candidate in another zone?

The truth was, Tang Guangbo indeed wasn’t trustworthy. But Xu Huo had no better candidate for the task. To continue using psychic power, he needed full control over his shadow personality, and retrieving childhood memories through hypnosis was the only method he currently knew. In this regard, Tang Guangbo was the best available option.

To Minister Fan’s question about why Xu Huo still chose someone he didn’t trust, Xu Huo had a straightforward answer: "I don’t trust anyone. But he is relatively controllable."

This "controllable" didn’t mean that the Special Defense Department or its elite players could genuinely restrain Tang Guangbo. To put it bluntly, even if Tang Guangbo acted inappropriately right in front of them, they might not notice... Therefore, "controllable" referred to Tang Guangbo’s subjective intentions.

For reasons unknown, Tang Guangbo seemed intent on staying in Zone 014 long-term. At the very least, he needed to maintain his façade until he was ready to leave.

Additionally, Xu Huo suspected that Doctor Zhang’s actions went beyond merely erasing parts of his memory. During the hypnosis, someone had to ensure his safety—and in this respect, Tang Guangbo wasn’t an ideal choice.

His unwavering determination, however, began to sow doubts in Minister Fan. If Tang Guangbo truly posed a problem and the Special Defense Department couldn’t find anything, it could mean Tang Guangbo hailed from another zone. Being able to infiltrate a newly evolving zone so early suggested some extraordinary capabilities. Someone like that hiding in the Special Defense Department certainly wasn’t just here to look after new zone "friends."

Seeing Minister Fan’s change in expression, Xu Huo said, "I suggest the Special Defense Department avoid provoking Tang Guangbo. Routine monitoring is fine, but attempting to capture or interrogate him is unnecessary."

Then, he uttered words that sent chills down everyone’s spines, "Think about how many players in the Special Defense Department have undergone his treatment. You really shouldn’t take that risk."