"A big gift indeed," Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.

"Just making a friend," Shi Sanjiu said with a smile. "The moment I saw you, I knew we were kindred spirits. Who knows, we might meet again in the future!"

"Thank you," Xu Huo accepted the badge, nodded slightly to Zhu Xiaojin and Mi Qiaonan, said, "See you again if we’re fated," and then left through the Spiritual World portal with the Girl in the painting.

What would happen later in Bu Liu City no longer concerned Xu Huo. He used the Spiritual World to quickly exit Bu Liu City’s boundaries. A few players tried to block his way, but after making an example of them, the rest of the journey was peaceful.

"Are we heading back?" the Girl in the painting asked him, "Where are we going?"

Xu Huo had stumbled in the third of the game. Given the strength of the Municipal Government’s Space-Time Power, a regular player couldn’t break through the suddenly appearing barrier. Now there were only two paths: one, find an Advanced Player or Super Player skilled in this domain for help, or two, go to the Eye of Platinum and attempt to use the Interference Device to disrupt the Magic Cube.

If seeking help, the best target should be Lawrence Lee. Among the Super Players Xu Huo knew, he was arguably the one most accomplished with Spatial Power. Their last encounter was on a train, where Lawrence Lee used Space-Time Reversal on two occasions. At that time, he was capturing an Alien. Considering the rumors that he was always seeking ways to alleviate degradation, asking him for help may not be wise.

Xu Huo didn’t know this person well enough to determine if he would have ulterior motives towards perfect evolution.

The second candidate is Huahan Werna, a known benevolent Super Player with Temporal Evolution abilities. He should have a better understanding than regular players about Space-Time Evolution. Plus, being a Super Player, he was already among the elite in the game, likely knowing more about the game’s development instruments.

However, like the Paper Servant Master, the absolute power gap made it hard for Xu Huo to assess the risks, so seeking them can’t be the first choice.

As for the Eye of Platinum, there were indeed many skilled in creating instruments there. Deconstructing the Magic Cube from the instrument itself was a low-risk approach, but inevitably required seeking Bai Kou’s help. Previous experiences showed that the Municipal Government within the Eye of Platinum was not stable. Bai Kou appeared to wield significant influence, but she was controlled by her mother—a woman who looked entirely ordinary, showing no emotional fluctuations when dealing with her daughter or those her daughter brought, hard to decipher any motive from her words or body language.

Such instability makes it equally unfit as a primary choice.

The Magic Cube had sealed his Space Evolution Ability, greatly locking down his combat power. Temporal Evolution wasn’t enough to fill the gap, so the Eye of Platinum, which could easily seal player props, was also a very dangerous place.

The Water Rubik’s Cube as an instrument was far beyond anything he’d seen before, naturally attracting many interested parties.

Upon leaving Bu Liu City, Xu Huo had already made up his mind. After hiding the Girl in the painting inside his clothes, he released the female player from his zone trapped inside the picture frame and used the Return Ticket.

*

Ting City had already been sealed off.

Inside the city, apart from several densely populated streets near the Special Defense Sub-Department, other areas were being evacuated, and the city was visibly emptying.

The players of the Special Defense Sub-Department had retreated, now replaced by Advanced Players transferred from nearby large cities and Jing City, most of whom were battle-hardened Rank-C and Rank-B players. These players had been stationed near the sub-department since the previous day, aiding other players in setting up a blockade.

During this time, the streets surrounding the sub-department were very quiet. Calls for help echoed, but those present, even children, dared not make much noise.

Because, before yesterday, a group of six Outer Zone players broke into one of the communities, killing over a hundred ordinary citizens trying to flee in panic, silencing all.

Over this day and night, the Special Defensive Department had been arranging personnel but hadn’t given up negotiations with the six. However, these individuals didn’t show up or reveal themselves, only relenting to say they would exchange one player’s life for an entire community’s freedom.

The temporary command center had already gone through several rounds of arguments. The focus wasn’t on exchanging one player for a community but rather on how to ensure the majority’s safety while defeating or expelling those six players. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

This group emerged from a medium-sized city on the coast, injured upon arrival. Although their purpose remained unclear, it seemed they weren’t planning to leave anytime soon. They probably thought, as Rank-B players with a Spatial Teleportation Device, moving through populous cities, the government wouldn’t dare use massive weapons against them, so they rampaged through the city without restraint, much like those Outer Zone players during the Super Props incident in Zone 014.

Of course, the Special Defense Department couldn’t let them be, so they used an elite team and newly acquired instruments to quickly analyze their behavior patterns, ambushing them in a particular city ahead of time.

There were ten in this group, four died in the ambush, and among the remaining six, three suffered severe injuries, barely escaping the encirclement and fleeing to Ting City, where they finally stopped.

They somehow learned of the player responsible for the ambush, now taking the opportunity to demand the Special Defense Department exchange that player’s life for freeing one community from the sealed area.

The Special Defense Department would never agree to their demands. The backup plan was to simply hold out for a month or two, remaining idle as they did, assured that come the next instance time, they would naturally leave.

"This plan won’t work," a man in a Special Defense Department uniform, wearing a custom mask, stepped into the meeting room, took off his hat, and placed it on the table before saying. "I just verified with the group’s other members; this batch of Outer Zone players doesn’t number just ten. There are at least three more scattered outside, already traceless."

"Over time, once their injuries heal, the situation will only worsen."

Everyone in the meeting room fell silent. Outer Zone player assault incidents intermittently occurred over the past nearly two years. There were always players using props and instruments to reach districts not yet fully integrated with the game, deluding themselves into acquiring firsthand resources. However, Zone 014’s strength was not weak, making these incursions mere skirmishes, with the rare occurrence of ten or so players banding together.

"They came prepared; their goals remain unclear. These six are no threat, but when working in concert with the three outside, they form a pincer," the man in the uniform stated. "Whatever they plan to do, take out one group, and the plan naturally fails."

"I’ve sent the aggressive plan to everyone’s Communicator. I wonder how the discussion has gone."

The personnel in the meeting room were mainly composed of local Ting City Special Defense Department members and collaborators from nearby cities. Jing City had only sent one representative; others had their tasks. The uniformed man’s proposal had already stirred debates twice in the room, with Chief Wu firmly objecting.

"Using poison gas, you’ve got to be joking!" Chief Wu glared at the uniformed man angrily. "Even sending players in directly might result in fewer deaths than your plan. Poison that could knock out Advanced Players, how could ordinary people withstand that? Before devising the plan, could you also consider the lives of the Ting City residents, Captain Ming?"

The man addressed as Captain Ming calmly analyzed the pros and cons with him, "These six individuals have set up triple-layered barricades within their controlled areas, each fencing off a building full of people. The moment our men go in, they’ll receive the news; killing in rage would become their first choice. Although we can interfere with the barrier, it’s largely meaningless."

"Using poison gas is different; as long as it’s wrapped up within half an hour, the vast majority can be rescued."

"These six people and the residents of these streets are no longer the primary issue. They’ve attracted the Special Defense Department’s attention, focusing our main efforts on them, allowing the other three to slip away. It’s still unclear where those three are now."

"If they head somewhere absolutely off-limits, are you prepared to bear the consequences?"

Chief Wu’s face turned bright red, squeezed for a long time before saying, "Didn’t you kill a few of them? No clues at all?"

"Those are bodies, not live captives, information is limited," Captain Ming stated as he rose. "I’m giving you all ten minutes to consider whether to adopt this plan. If opposed, I’ll be leaving here with my team in ten minutes. Subsequent matters will be yours to handle."

"I’ll be waiting in the next room."