Compared to Huang Junjie's deep concern and Tan Yang's thoughtful contemplation, Vice President Pu Kang and the others present were not as tense. Pu Kang said, "Let him co at us. I don't believe he can walk out of here after coming in."
Upon hearing this, Tan Yang turned to Huang Junjie, "In your opinion, is Xu Huo the type of person who holds such a strong grudge?"
"Grudge isn't quite the right word," Huang Junjie said. "But all smart people share one characteristic: they don't place much importance on conflicts with others; it depends on whether soone crosses their path. However, he's not an unreasonable person. Maybe he ca to Yang City for other reasons. He just happened to run into Wang ng on the way."
"But incidents like Bao Jiali's definitely need to be reined in. In the future, there will be more and more players. If we want to strengthen the First Association, we must first establish a solid footing in public opinion. If people start viewing the First Association as a criminal organization akin to a cult, it won't do us any good. Players have families too; everyone has relatives. Compared to ordinary people, players are still a minority."
"You make a valid point," Tan Yang said. "I'll assign soone else to take over Wang ng's case."
"Should we send a few people to keep an eye on Xu Huo?" Pu Kang inquired.
"Have people observe his movents from a distance," Tan Yang said, still haunted by the mory of Xu Huo traversing cities out of thin air. "Don't let him discover it, and don't interfere with him."
"I'll handle this well," Pu Kang said with a smile.
Huang Junjie frowned, "I don't think it's necessary. We absolutely must not create unnecessary complications because of this."
Pu Kang slapped him on the back, "You're too timid. Even the Special Defense Departnt treats us with courtesy, let alone just one player. Huang Junjie, you're supposed to be the strategist of the First Association. Don't dampen our own morale."
"The Special Defense Departnt simply doesn't have the spare capacity to deal with us right now," Huang Junjie said irritably. "Wait until the border situation is resolved, then see."
"What's there to fear?" Pu Kang said. "Our cooperation with the Special Defense Departnt is precisely to gain legitimacy. Even if they turn their attention back later, their targets will definitely be those cults."
"Speaking of cults..." Huang Junjie took a hard-shell envelope from a drawer. "How do you plan to handle this?"
*
"Double Snake Invitation?" Xu Huo looked at the black hard-shell envelope that had appeared on his desk after he had only been out for a few minutes. Seeing that Sima Xiao Er recognized it, he asked, "What's the story behind this?"
Sima Xiao Er picked up a notebook, opened the Vanguard Players forum, and accessed a hidden post. "You'll understand after reading this."
"With so many players around, you get all sorts. Not all players are career-focused; so are downright mystical and love to flaunt their mystery. This Double Snake organization is one of them."
"That group we encountered on the way back from Flower City last ti was also a cult organization. They were later absorbed by Double Snake and stopped tailing people. Instead, they directly post encrypted ssages on major platforms frequented by players. If you crack it, you can log in and get an invitation with an address written on it."
"Just like the one on the table."
Xu Huo quickly skimd the post's content. "Are they recruiting people or looking for targets?"
"That's not entirely clear either," Sima Xiao Er said. "Strangely enough, many people in the Special Defense Departnt have opened this post, but very few have actually received an invitation."
"Those who got the invitation went to the address on the envelope. When they arrived, it was just a group prayer session. A bunch of people prayed in front of a bronze statue for ten minutes. The rest of the ti was basically for mutual exchange, like if you wanted to know so ga information, item details, or even trade. It ended after two hours, and everyone went ho."
"Hasn't anyone analyzed their criteria for selecting targets?" Xu Huo asked.
"It seems random," Sima Xiao Er said. "The Special Defense Departnt tracked a few sessions and then stopped paying attention. I didn't expect they were still sending out invitations everywhere."
Xu Huo pondered for a mont before opening the envelope adorned with a silver double snake pattern and pulling out the invitation inside. "An address. The ti is five days from now."
"Are you going?" Sima Xiao Er asked. "If you just want to exchange information, the forum is better."
Xu Huo set the invitation aside and glanced outside before saying, "We'll see in a couple of days."
"Does this Double Snake organization have so problem?" Sima Xiao Er perked up. "I knew they couldn't be as simple as just holding tea parties!"
"Brother Xu, if you go, can you take with you? I'll run errands and help you. If we accomplish sothing, I'll give you all the Special Defense Departnt's bonus money!"
Xu Huo withdrew his gaze, turned to pour himself a glass of water, and asked, "So eager to earn rit?"
Sima Xiao Er smiled sowhat sheepishly. "rit leads to promotions. With higher authority, I can apply for advanced items."
Xu Huo didn't agree imdiately, similarly replying with a "we'll see when the ti cos." However, Sima Xiao Er seed very excited and eagerly invited him out for a al.
Having monitored the "Master Craftsman's Handicraft Shop" for two days, Xu Huo had a rough idea of what kind of place it was.
On the surface, it appeared to be an ordinary shop. After closing, the interior beca completely dark, making it nearly impossible to see anything inside from the outside. Last night, a few thieves were stealing on this street but walked right past the shop as if they didn't see it, entering the luxury brand store next door instead.
To so extent, this shop resembled a dungeon location, possessing the ability to evade outsiders.
Yang City was also a bustling tropolis with many wealthy people. So affluent individuals, though not players, had taken a liking to items in the handicraft shop. Over the past two days, no fewer than ten groups had gone in, all leaving ekly, including two who had disputes with the boss.
It was the sa with players. In two days, only one person managed to buy sothing.
Additionally, Team Leader Wu had inford him via phone that the Special Defense Departnt had also tried to obtain advanced items by offering higher prices but was refused. They didn't dare to openly rob the place either—Sima Xiao Er didn't know, but in another city, soone had robbed a toy shop. The next day, the shop was empty. Not only were the items gone, but even the interior decoration had been completely stripped away, as if the shop had never existed.
Viewed this way, the Artificers' objective seed quite clear: they only wanted ore.
Only they knew what specific ore could be traded. If the Special Defense Departnt wanted to get good items, they had to bring the mined ore to them.
In an instant, nurous hypotheses flooded Xu Huo's mind. After connecting the information, he suddenly thought of another matter: Was there really only one Nüwa Stone in the underground nest of Clown City?
The diary from the Little Flower Red Red Building dungeon ntioned this underground nest, indicating people from other districts could also enter. Assuming special stones like the Nüwa Stone hadn't only appeared in Clown City, wouldn't the nest fungi being studied attract the attention of the Ga Governnt or other forces?
"Perhaps it was left behind..."
The Nüwa Stone Xin Lang gave him might also be a piece of ore coincidentally left behind.
Taking out his phone, he sent a text ssage to Painting Woman, asking her to take a photo of the wormhole flower.
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