The card, measuring two fingers on each side, had the fine grain of jade, and Xu Huo’s first impression upon seeing the diagram was that it was a jade token.
The materials he found did not mention what it was made of, nor did he explain it to the master engraver at the engraving shop.
It was only then that the busy master engraver in front of the equipment looked up and said, "A door access card that’s been outdated for over a decade can’t be replicated. Kid, who do you think you’re underestimating?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Huo felt a sense of strangeness about the item in his hand, "Access Card?"
Holding the paper he had drawn, the master pointed to the pattern and said, "This kind of pattern is inherent to a special metal produced elsewhere. Originally, this metal was used for safes or doors of secret institutions. See the three forks at the end of the pattern there? The sensors are inside. The first generation was crude, requiring three separate sensors, but now they use a composite sensor, and the pattern has been modified."
"Is that so?" Xu Huo took out the metal card he had found in the secret chamber.
The master adjusted his glasses without looking at him and said, "Access cards come with built-in identity recognition and tracking functions. If you’re not planning to rob the government vault, you’d best throw it away sooner rather than later."
"Thanks," Xu Huo paid the remaining money, took the cage, and left.
After leaving, he went to meet Tao Chengxin and was surprised that they didn’t find what the female guide wanted but brought back Tang Yuan and another player he had not met before.
"We ran into them on the road," Tao Chengxin gave him a meaningful look, then added, "Tang Yuan found the storyteller woman."
Xu Huo turned to Tang Yuan, "You found one too?"
Tang Yuan nodded, "I just heard it from Sun Jirou, but the story you all heard differs from what I heard."
Sun Jirou explained, "He tracked Wang Qiao and Gao Baimei to the Delicious Sausage Shop, where he unexpectedly encountered the storyteller. What she told was opposite to what we’ve heard."
Xu Huo paused briefly before asking Tang Yuan, "Where are Wang Qiao and Gao Baimei now?"
"They are still at the Delicious Sausage Shop," Tang Yuan replied. "They didn’t want to leave, so they sent me and Yang Sheng to find you."
"Yang Sheng was also met at the Delicious Sausage Shop."
"Is that so?" Tao Chengxin chimed in, "You all found someone but still thought of us?"
Tang Yuan smiled and said nothing, but Yang Sheng crossed his arms and retorted, "If it weren’t for the third mission, who would care to bother with you?"
Angered, Tao Chengxin blurted out, "You... "
Xu Huo cut her off and asked, "Do you know where to find the tooth?"
"The storyteller didn’t mention that," Tang Yuan said.
"Then we’ll have to go and ask," Xu Huo pondered briefly, then inquired further, "What was the story that you heard?"
Tang Yuan and Yang Sheng recounted their version.
It was similar to what he had heard before from the girl in the white dress. After the Evolvers appeared, the government hall began secret research and successfully developed a batch of evolution drugs, benefitting all players at the time.
But the subsequent part was different. Players were classified into three categories: Black Players, White Players, and Red Players. Everyone knew Red Players were Cannibal Players, but at the time, the government hall did not exclude Cannibal Players from their training programs. Instead, they actively provided them with food, allowing them to serve the government just like the other two categories of players.
This model was originally beneficial for the stability of Fairy Tale City, but after the first Alien transformed player appeared, the situation changed dramatically.
Unable to develop an antitoxin, the government hall planned to eliminate these uncontrollable factors in advance, but some players became aware of this plan. They banded together and used the laboratory potions to create a large number of Aliens, indiscriminately slaughtering the residents of Fairy Tale City to create large uninhabited zones. Then they attempted to blend in with the survivors and escape to the safe zones.
Some players failed in their endeavor, but others succeeded. These successful players have been hiding in the tourist city, using the lives of everyone in the city as leverage to coerce the government hall from entering.
Although the government hall was in a delicate position, not wanting to risk injury, they were not passive. They sent some players to quietly infiltrate the tourist city, looking for any opportunity to kill these players.
"So, the outbreak of Aliens was due to the Cannibal Players tampering?" Xu Huo summarized, "Why hasn’t there been any human reproduction in Fairy Tale City to this day?"
"It’s said to be a side effect of the drugs from years ago," Tang Yuan said. "I only heard the general idea; I’m not very clear on the details. If you want more information, you’ll have to find that storyteller."
Xu Huo put down the cage in his hands. "You already know the content of the story we heard, right?"
Tang Yuan nodded, "The two versions are completely different. I don’t know which one is true."
"That’s why I believe neither." Xu Huo stated, "Unless someone can produce solid evidence."
"How could there be solid evidence?" Yang Sheng couldn’t help but say, "Can they bring back to life someone who died twenty years ago?"
"Every occurrence leaves behind some trace; the storyteller can’t possibly be without even a shred of empirical evidence," Xu Huo stated. "From what you’ve said, the government hall’s people are pursuing Fairy Tale City’s Cannibal Players, and the ones we’ve met are likely the ones they seek. Now, we’re the only ones who can find them. If they want us to side with the government hall, they need a reason; otherwise, why should we get involved in this mess?"
"That makes sense," Tang Yuan quickly agreed. "Maybe we should discuss this further at the Delicious Sausage Shop."
"I’ll just wait here," Xu Huo said. "Either you bring her to me, or I’ll pretend I never heard anything."
Not only Tang Yuan and Yang Sheng, but even Sun Jirou frowned, "That way, we won’t be able to complete the third task."
"There are other tickets if we don’t get through, we can simply move on to the next instance," Xu Huo bluntly said. "You need to understand, we’re just Level E Players. Why should we interfere in a decades-old city feuding? Do we even have that ability?"
His words were harsh but true; their level was indeed too low.
"I agree," Tao Chengxin stated. "If the people from the government hall truly want to learn the whereabouts of the tourist city players, this concession should be within their power to grant."
Tang Yuan and Yang Sheng seemed persuaded by his words. The former said to the latter, "Why don’t you go find Wang Qiao and Gao Baimei, and together you can ask the storyteller."
After a moment’s hesitation, Yang Sheng acquiesced, "Alright then, regardless of what you decide, I’m going to complete the task."
With that, he left, and Tang Yuan stayed with them.
The group found a place to rest, and soon after they sat down, Tao Chengxin asked while looking at Xu Huo’s cage, "What’s in there? It smells a bit."
"The corpse of a stray cat," Xu Huo replied.
"Why would you pick up something like that?" Tao Chengxin was surprised by his action.
"It looked pitiful, I thought I’d find a place to bury it," Xu Huo replied nonchalantly.