Free Web NovelChapter 2496: Chapter 2496: Fragrance of Medicine
"I haven’t seen other districts take the disappearance of Outer Zone players seriously before." Bubble Bean said, "There are only two possibilities in this situation: first, District 001 has suffered a major setback due to the disappearance of Outer Zone players, or second, the disappearances have already affected the development of District 001, forcing the district government to take it seriously."
The Long-haired Player didn’t know the inside story. In smaller towns like Cat Fruit Town, which were also dungeon venues, many Outer Zone players came and went, making it harder to define whether someone was missing, and the law enforcement team didn’t have enough manpower.
However, it was common to hear about people requesting the law enforcement team to find someone, but the outcomes were invariably twofold: either it ended without resolution, or the person found had left on their own accord.
In other words, as long as someone could be found, they were usually taken to a consumption place, and there was no other situation.
This doesn’t mean District 001 is very safe. On the contrary, it means that once an Outer Zone player goes missing under the premise that friends confirm the person couldn’t have left without reason and couldn’t be contacted, there is usually no further follow-up.
There must be many similar cases; otherwise, it wouldn’t have reached the point of legislation in District 001.
"This law and the related regulations," the Long-haired Player said, "were first proposed by an Outer Zone player who worked for the district government. You can still find related information on the Collection of Information Terminal."
Bubble Bean found some to look at, "The wording is pretty, but the call of a thief to catch a thief is a common operation of those in power."
While they were talking, Xu Huo, who was standing by the window, was watching the Medicine Fragrance Lamp on the street outside. After a long time, he asked, "How often do these lamps emit smoke?"
"The timing is unpredictable," the Long-haired Player said, "It’s like this in many cities."
"What did you mean by what you just said?"
He was asking about what Xu Huo had said earlier, that they couldn’t leave.
"It’s a fact," Xu Huo said, "The other side hasn’t given up tracking us and hasn’t made a move in Pharmaceutical City, so they can only wait outside."
"When entering the city, I saw some special devices installed at the city border, which should be a kind of interference device."
The principle of spatial teleportation devices and instruments is actually to open a quick spatial channel in space, allowing instant travel to other places. Since the function is spatial power, to restrict players, the local government can create a barrier-like space blockade around the city’s periphery, so even if the teleportation device successfully activates, players would be intercepted at the city’s edge.
This is not as comprehensive as placing interference devices throughout the city, but it’s more than enough to trap people.
If teleportation devices cannot enable quick escape, no matter how fast players are, they have to run on foot.
"The people tracking us don’t enter Pharmaceutical City, it may not necessarily be because it’s not their territory, they may also have reached a cooperation with the people in Pharmaceutical City," Xu Huo said. "If the information on Cat Whisker Fruit is time-sensitive, then just trapping us here is enough."
"If we deliver it later, can we still count it as passing?" Bubble Bean was more concerned about this issue.
"Hard to say." Xu Huo closed the curtains.
"Then find a way out." Bubble Bean said again, "As long as we successfully run, those people will surely not expect us to turn back to Fengxing City."
As for the method to get out, there are many, it just depends on who can run fast enough.
The city’s transmission channels cannot be permanently closed. For example, large enterprises transporting goods will undoubtedly use transmission tools, but higher-level teleportation devices might not be within the interference range, so those tracking them can block them for a long time, and the best way for them to get out is through the local enterprises’ transmission channels.
This is not difficult to manage; there are factories everywhere nearby, and it’s just a matter of seizing the right moment when others are delivering goods.
Straight to action, Bubble Bean prepared to go out and find a suitable transmission channel.
Xu Huo stopped him, "Don’t act alone."
Then he looked at the Long-haired Player, "Where have Wen Xin and the others gone?"
Ling Ling, Wen Xin and the others were traveling with two Wan Family members who were disguised as him.
"They’re almost at Pharmaceutical City," the Long-haired Player said, "So far, it’s been smooth, and no one got injured."
"Let me know when they arrive," Xu Huo said, "I have something I need their help with."
The Long-haired Player nodded.
It was getting dark, and although they had two rooms, for safety, they still piled together, arranged a night watch schedule, and then rested on the sofa and floor.
"Sizzle!" The Medicine Fragrance Lamp outside emitted smoke and made sounds that were particularly noticeable at night. Xu Huo, inhaling the pervasive scent, leaned on the sofa with his eyes closed to relax.
As time passed, Bubble Bean and the others gradually fell asleep, but they didn’t sleep deeply, waking up again at the slightest noise.
"Didn’t you hear any noise?" Bubble Bean couldn’t help asking after sitting up from the ground for the third time.
"What noise are you talking about?" Xu Huo didn’t even open his eyes, "There’s noise everywhere outside."
The window was deliberately left open a crack to better monitor the situation outside.
"Gurgling like boiling medicine," Bubble Bean said, "Are the pharmaceutical factory’s boilers all underground? Are they making medicine or brewing it?"
Xu Huo paid a bit more attention, got up, and asked, "What kind of gurgling sound?"
Bubble Bean described it to him and then said in surprise, "You can’t hear it?"
Xu Huo gestured for him to perform a check-up while also checking for any other Evolvers nearby.
The final result was that Bubble Bean wasn’t poisoned, the air wasn’t toxic, and the surroundings were similar to before they went to sleep, with little change.
"There’s really nothing underground?" Bubble Bean was skeptical.
"There’s a pipeline under the Medicine Fragrance Lamp," Xu Huo said, "Every hour, small robots clean it, and it can’t even hold water."
Bubble Bean’s senses weren’t that sharp; he could only detect a few meters down the streetlights’ pipeline, beyond which he couldn’t probe.
But the abnormal situation wasn’t right; he woke up the Long-haired Player and the others to ask if they heard the same sound.
However, none of the others, including the Girl in the painting, heard anything.
"That’s strange," Bubble Bean couldn’t understand, "Why am I the only one who can hear it?"
"Could you be ill?" the Girl in the painting asked, "A mental illness can cause you to hear sounds you shouldn’t."
Bubble Bean was speechless but didn’t dare rest anymore. Finally, unable to hold out until dawn, he said, "I haven’t had a good rest for several days, I’m going to take a nap, wake me in an hour."
He switched to the sofa and fell asleep almost as soon as he lay down.
As daylight fully broke, nothing untoward happened, and Wen Xin and his group had already settled in a nearby hotel. Xu Huo left the Girl in the painting to watch the elderly lady, and while he went downstairs to buy breakfast, he swapped back with the Wan Family member disguised as him and went straight to another hotel to find Wen Xin and the others.
