As the red-haired woman made her move, the other two players assisted from the side. When she diverted her attention, those two focused on delaying Xu Huo. Unfortunately, neither their props nor their characteristics had any effect, as if he were enveloped in a barrier that could never be breached.

"The stronger the prop, the more obvious its weak points. We can’t attack him, and while the barrier is up, he can’t attack us either!" The long-haired man stomped his foot, causing the ground of the alley and surrounding residential buildings to sink.

Hearing the screams from the buildings, Xu Huo sighed and said, "This is the inconvenient part."

He turned the Time Ring on his hand, bringing the nearby residential buildings into Static Time. Then he turned to look at the people attacking from both sides. In a second, he pulled both of them into the Mirror Space and quickly harvested the props they wore with a Materialized Item.

But from a certain perspective, such ruthless individuals who treat human lives as worthless are also very determined people. Quickly interfering with them is not easy, and controlling them is even harder. However, by stacking the prop "Counting Soldiers and Generals," it can forcibly control them for a second or two, which is enough.

In the blink of an eye, Xu Huo appeared behind one of them. After continuously weakening the opponent’s defenses with a Materialized Item, he easily stabbed through his heart with the Black Blade.

Seeing their companion killed so cleanly, the remaining two showed fear in their eyes. No longer daring to delay, they immediately tried to use Tickets to escape into the game. The red-haired woman, entangled with the Girl in the painting, successfully escaped, but the long-haired man, who was closer to Xu Huo, wasn’t so lucky. He was strongly controlled by Psychic Power, missed the less than a second’s time, and was immediately killed by the Materialized Item.

Three dead, one escaped, and two more people who quickly aged suddenly fell into unconsciousness on the ground.

"You go back first. I’m taking a trip." Xu Huo said to the Girl in the painting and then took the two and broke through the barrier, heading straight to the Special Defense Department members outside, "Where’s Chief Wu?"

The players monitoring outside were already aware of the commotion inside the barrier, but they never expected that Xu Huo would handle six opponents so easily. Looking at the two players completely altered and floating in midair, the questioned Special Defense Department member swallowed and said, "Chief Wu is at the temporary command center in the Joyful Activity Plaza, along with Captain Ming from Jing City and captains from other cities..."

Before the words were finished, Xu Huo had already disappeared from before him.

Unable to resist glancing in the direction of the temporary command center, the Special Defense Department player couldn’t help but exclaim, "What an incredible man!"

Then he pointed at the buildings that had come out of Static Time, shouting to others, "Move quickly, support the foundations!"

This kind of situation is not an insurmountable task for the Special Defense Department now.

Meanwhile, Xu Huo headed straight for the temporary command center, just as the team from Jing City was preparing to leave. The two sides ran into each other in the meeting room.

Seeing the people he brought, Chief Wu smiled even before speaking, warmly approaching, "You came back just in time, precisely solving my urgent problem. Only these two left, right? Hurry, some of you come and take them out for questioning!"

"Xu Huo, let me introduce you, this is Captain Ming, who has recently become famous in the Special Defense Department. His player nickname is ’Ubiquitous Xiaoming’." Chief Wu spoke with satisfaction, then said to Captain Ming, "Our Ting City division is not that unreasonable. We’ll handle things ourselves. If you’re in a hurry, feel free to go ahead and attend to your business."

Captain Ming paid no heed to him and nodded slightly toward Xu Huo, "Mr. Xu’s name precedes you. With you overseeing Ting City, this result is expected." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Looking at this masked man, Xu Huo said, "’Ubiquitous Xiaoming’, is Captain Ming’s surname not Ming?"

"Ming is my code name." Captain Ming had no intention of revealing his real name. "Since the problem here is resolved, I’ll take my leave."

With that, he activated a Spatial Teleportation Device and left with his team members.

"What’s so smug about him!" a player in the meeting room murmured, and a few captains were also unhappy, but they quickly adjusted, greeting Xu Huo warmly and inviting him to visit their divisions.

"Go, go, go, Xu Huo finally comes back, he will surely be more comfortable staying in his own home." Chief Wu jokingly dismissed them and wiped sweat from his forehead once only the Ting City division members were left. He told Xu Huo with lingering fear, "If you had come a little later, I might have had to agree to Captain Ming’s proposal."

He briefly explained the course of events to Xu Huo and added, "You’re one of us, and I have nothing to hide. With so many lives, I really didn’t dare to gamble... You’ve done me a huge favor this time!"

"We’re all friends, no need for thanks." Xu Huo said, "Who exactly is this Captain Ming?"

"He suddenly appeared, seemingly a specially trained player from the military, apparently intending to compete with Nie Xuan." Chief Wu said, "His style differs somewhat from Nie Xuan; employing a method of selective compromise has gained him some support from internal members."

Xu Huo had already seen the proposal to release poison gas within the blockade. In the situation where the Special Defense Department couldn’t dispatch top players, this was not a bad plan to accomplish the task with minimal manpower. However, putting forth this plan meant certain sacrifices had to be made, as encountering player attacks couldn’t result in zero casualties. This habitual action taken under the mindset of obtaining the best solution and yet being forced by circumstances, adopting a style of gaining initiative by small-scale sacrifice was indeed distinctive.

"Hasn’t Nie Xuan come back recently?" he asked.

"He returned some time ago, stayed for a few days, and then left. He should be back soon." Chief Wu, unaware of the plan to intercept Dou Shengnan, said, "You need him for something?"

"Just a personal matter." Xu Huo paused and said, "I’ll stay in Ting City for a few days."

Chief Wu was delighted to hear this, "Ting City now belongs to Li Chun; it’s truly your second home. Jing City supports Ting City’s development, so feel free to take a walk and see the recent changes in Ting City when you have time."

Though Li Chun didn’t have direct economic control, this city was nominally assigned to her, so she and Xu Huo had the right to get involved in Ting City’s affairs. This incident wasn’t kept from him by Chief Wu.

Additionally, to better coordinate with Li Chun, the division received orders to carry out some urban reconstruction according to her or Xu Huo’s requests.

Xu Huo was not interested in these matters for the moment and politely declined the invitation to have a meal. "I need a good few days’ rest. Please excuse me from invitations like this."

Chief Wu, without any objections, watched him with gratification and a bit of fatherly concern, "Rest assured and relax. I’ve already arranged for someone to prepare whatever living supplies you need, and if you have any other requirements, feel free to mention them, even if it’s a bit excessive."

Xu Huo gave him a sidelong glance and then turned to disappear from the meeting room.