Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 849: Contest

Chapter 849: Chapter 849: Contest

After he spoke, he took a prop cloth and wrapped it around his head, plunging his vision into darkness, and light spots within the stone suddenly lit up, resembling a starry sky.

"Very pretty," Xu Huo unfolded the cloth from his head, "Where did you get this prop?"

"Mr. Dong gave it to me," the Girl in the Painting covered her new communicator in her pocket and ran off with the prop.

Picking up the Stone, Xu Huo went to the study to check those ores stored alongside the Nüwa Stone and, after examining them with instruments, discovered no changes had occurred.

Ores near a Primeval Stone would transform into Secondary Stones under its influence, but the type of Secondary Stone, and the time required for the transformation, were not certain.

Xu Huo thought for a moment and then slipped the Stone into his pocket.

He needed the Nüwa Stone to cultivate the King Fungus. Thus, the Stone could not be away from him for long, and he had to alternate their use.

"Sir," Mr. Dong knocked from outside, "The goods you ordered have arrived."

Xu Huo had ordered Wormhole Flowers and props in the morning; they were not rare advanced items, so the delivery was swift.

He placed a pot of Wormhole Flower on the desk and took another pot into the castle’s inner space.

Taking out a vial of green Potion, Xu Huo used a cotton swab to apply a small dab to a leaf of the Wormhole Flower. Indeed, within seconds, the Potion-touched area changed from purple to red.

Dr. Deng hadn’t lied about this.

Just to be safe, he also tested a regular Potion, resulting in a patch of uneven color, just like the best Evolution Potions available on the market.

Such results confirmed that the information Dr. Deng had provided, as well as his method for identifying the Perfect Potion, were true.

It was unknown how much stock he still had on hand.

Xu Huo did not plan to inject the Potion immediately. After tearing off and destroying the treated leaf of the Wormhole Flower, he returned the plant to the luggage compartment and then went to the guesthouse with the props.

As a "person without a Perfect Potion," he could only verify its authenticity through the use of props.

Of course, he couldn’t directly show the props to Dr. Deng. Instead, it was necessary to be partially concealed.

Dr. Deng certainly understood why Xu Huo had asked again and cooperatively completed the "testing" with the prop, ending up with results showing that, whether it was the Wormhole Flower verifying the Potion or the incomplete data, remarkably, it was all true.

Xu Huo smiled at him, "You’ve made a mistake."

"You know that I wouldn’t believe you told the complete truth. Yet the prop test reveals it’s all true, which suggests you have a way to circumvent the prop’s detection. Then, is anything you’ve said actually true?"

Dr. Deng smiled without answering.

Xu Huo put away the prop and stood up. When he reached the door, he said to Mr. Dong, "Keep him locked up a few more days; he’s got nothing better to do."

Mr. Dong nodded.

The trapped Dr. Deng quickly said, "Are we not still partners in cooperation?"

"Don’t push it. Our cooperation will be very harmonious," Xu Huo said with a wave of his hand and walked away.

Perhaps accustomed to his ruthless turnabouts, Dr. Deng, whose solitary confinement was extended, didn’t seem too distressed and simply said, "As long as we can still cooperate, that’s fine."

By dinner time, Bai Kou had not returned, and after waiting in the living room for a while without seeing her, Xu Huo was first reached by the Duchess, who invited him to her residence for assistance with a matter.

Immediately after disconnecting from the call, Xu Huo searched the network for news, finding only the old news from the main urban area, with no activity reported regarding Zone 011 players or the Enforcement Department.

He hesitated briefly before deciding to make the trip, instructing Mr. Dong on a few matters before leaving.

Once he arrived, he realized the situation might be more serious than he had imagined.

Flying vehicles filled the outside of the Duke’s mansion, and both the Government players and the Enforcement Department, with their black and white epaulettes, were present. Additionally, a significant number of players dressed in noble garb were on the scene.

The Enforcement Department and Government players encircled the Duke’s mansion. Meanwhile, the noble players split into two factions standing in the garden, backed by numerous players of indistinguishable allegiance — though, discerning "friend from foe" wasn’t difficult, as Selin, standing with one side, was signaling him.

As Xu Huo approached, he simultaneously surveyed the situation inside the castle: Lesser nobles outside, while more noteworthy ones, including Ashis whom he had met before, were inside, seemingly confronting the weeping Lady Lily.

"Curious about what happened?" Selin used a prop to communicate, "Lady Lily’s brother is suspected of secret communications with the Holy Sword Society, and he’s hiding in the castle."

Xu Huo looked toward the castle, and although the doors were shut, voices penetrated through.

While wiping her tears, Lady Lily asked, "Are you bullying me, a widow?"

"Surrounding my residence with Black Epaulettes without explaining... What’s the point of me being a Duchess? Am I an easy target because I have no man?"

Through the doors’ glass, several nobles and government officials appeared uneasy, with a white-haired elder in the center saying, "Lady Lily, let’s talk calmly. The government always follows rules; there must be evidence for our presence."

"What evidence?" A still charming Lady Lily, with tearful eyes and in a frail voice, replied, "My father, mother, two elder brothers, two younger brothers, five male cousins, three male second cousins, four male distant cousins have all sacrificed themselves for Zone 011."

"My parents died in their prime. One brother left a child less than a year old. Another had just married for two months. One of my younger brothers was about to marry but died on the battlefield, his fiancée remains unmarried to this day. Another was captured and tortured by players from other zones before being strangled to death... His body was dismembered post-mortem... He was only twenty-five years old!"

"My male cousins and second cousins, which one hasn’t been left without a proper burial?"

"Even my husband was mistakenly killed on a ship..."

Her tearful narrative made the elders across from her look away in discomfort, with one of them sighing, "Zone 011 will not forget anyone’s sacrifice..."

"No," interrupted the Duchess, "I accept their sacrifice for the future of Zone 011. But with half my family dying in battle, does someone suspect ties between me and the Holy Sword Society? Are you trying to drive me to death?"

"Or are the real traitors trying to shift suspicion by framing me?"

"Most of you elders watched me grow up. Can you stand to see me, newly widowed, pressured like this?"

The elders looked conflicted, but Ashis remained unyielding, "Without significant evidence, we wouldn’t be here. Lady Lily, it’s best to let your brother come out for investigation. Besides him, you have other relatives."

"Are you threatening me?" Lady Lily’s eyes hardened, "The Mi Lai’er Family shed blood for Zone 011 when you weren’t even born. Now that the Mi Lai’er Family is in decline, do we deserve only to be trodden underfoot, to be a stepping stone for upstarts like you?"