In the end, Gao Ming was saved by a player he met on his escape journey. They were sent back to Yu Country and worked hard near the border for a year, only to flee again due to player wars.
During this escape, he met an injured player who was a member of Yu Country’s current government group. After Gao Ming saved him, he arranged for Gao Ming and his wife to be sent away from the border into Yongta Country, telling him that Yu Country would not be peaceful for many years and advising him not to return.
After that, Gao Ming also paid attention to Yu Country’s situation. Just the rumors of the reappearance of the National Treasure sparked at least a dozen large-scale player wars in the country. They fought until there were almost no people left; only then did they redivide the country, leaving at least a place for ordinary people to thrive.
"Later, I wandered in Yongta Country, and communication wasn’t very convenient. The news I know came from players seeking medical help," Gao Ming said. "Yu Country is still looking for the former Chief Governor, and the National Treasure hasn’t been recovered."
"What exactly is Yu Country’s National Treasure?" Xu Huo asked.
In the game world, unlike the era of cold weapons, you can’t stabilize power merely by faith or lineage. With so many people competing for the National Treasure, at least some people must recognize its uniqueness.
"I’m not quite sure," Gao Ming said. "I heard once that members of the Supreme God Court saw it, but twenty years ago, the former Chief Governor blew up the court when he left, and those people disappeared too."
The National Treasure couldn’t just be impersonated by picking something random, and it would surely evade being falsely identified deliberately. So, the new Chief Governor must have some authoritative person or certification method.
And those forces attempting to seize the National Treasure would probably first seek out the court members. Over twenty years, almost all remaining court members should be under the various player forces.
Normally, seeking information from the Chief Governor would be the most convenient, given that both sides have similar goals. But this instance has two camps, and Yu Country has multiple forces, presenting the risk of being misled or becoming the target after appearing.
Information in Zone 039 is blocked, with different Collection of Information Terminals within subsections, not to mention internal information mutilation and lockdown. The slightly better way to access information might be Beneath the Dimension. Things there may be uncertain, but some clues can be seen.
Many have already posted information about this instance Beneath the Dimension, with the latest gathering post published yesterday. The publisher wanted to contact players from the attacking camp, but few responded.
The defending camp posted five days ago, with some replies, but two days ago, a player claiming to have been to the meeting point replied with the last message. After cursing the poster, he warned others not to fall for it, as the post was published by the attacking camp with the intent to ambush players from the defending camp.
As for the attacking camp’s clearance task, some guessed it might be to topple the Yu Country Government. After all, their ambush of defending camp players must be to prevent them from finding the National Treasure and delivering it to the Chief Governor.
The waters had long been stirred.
"Are you going to Yu Country for the instance?" Gao Ming asked. "It’s quite far."
"But that’s nothing for a player," he paused and added, "I don’t know if the player who sent me to Yongta Country is still alive. He used to work in the government, but if he’s alive, he might be able to help you. I don’t know his name, only his nickname, ’God of the Night.’"
Gao Ming cut a piece of cloth corner and wrote "Gao Ming isn’t wise" using plant juice.
"This was a joke he made when I saved him back then. Though his nickname also sounds like a joke, let’s treat it as real." He handed it to Xu Huo. "If your instance is related to the government, I hope you can help him too."
"If it’s to overthrow the government..." he smiled, "It depends on his luck."
Xu Huo accepted it, "I’ll use it well."
Along the way, many mutant plants Gao Ming usually couldn’t collect were gathered. At parting, Xu Huo gave him two instruments not bound to players, "Best if there’s no need to use them."
Gao Ming accepted them generously, adjusted his backpack, and said "Good luck" before walking into the forest.
When he was far away, Xu Huo glanced at the slowly moving Characteristics Tracking Chain above, changed his facial disguise, and then turned to the Girl in the painting, saying, "Let’s go."
The Girl in the painting was molding "metallic clay," looked up at his words, and delivered the prepared remark, "I think that doll is a bit like the dolls in the castle."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow, "Dolls in the castle?"
Most castles filled with dolls the Girl in the painting encountered likely belonged to the Suitcase Man. If the Suitcase Man appeared in Zone 039 and opened an instance, Zone 039 should have been in turmoil already. Moreover, he had checked carefully just now; the dolls had no Suitcase Man’s mark... But now the Girl in the painting said the doll resembled the castle’s dolls.
Is the Suitcase Man in Zone 039, or someone brought his dolls to Zone 039?
Xu Huo also encountered the Suitcase Man’s dolls in other instances. Though his dolls aren’t sold like the Paper Servant Master’s paper props, they are placed in different places for various reasons. Considering his peculiar hobby of using people as materials, Zone 039 might have his traces too.
"That castle is no fun. Do the dolls want to grab you to that castle?" the Girl in the painting asked again.
"It’s possible," Xu Huo said. "You mentioned before that players were bitten to death..."
The Girl in the painting nodded, her fingers moving swiftly, "Many of the flesh were bitten off."
"It’s okay. If we encounter them, we’ll just wear thicker clothes." Xu Huo took out prop clothing and a mechanical suit set, equipping her as well.
"Don’t be afraid," the Girl in the painting comforted him. "If the dolls want to bite you, I can let them bite my hand; they can’t bite through it."
Xu Huo couldn’t help but laugh, "Well, thank you then."
The Girl in the painting squinted happily, waved her hand heartily as if to say it’s nothing.
Then, the two used the Teleportation Prop to reach Yu Country’s Capital City and immediately encountered a blast of air that sent them several meters away just as they exited the spatial channel, not yet stable. A silhouette followed closely, sweeping over their heads at astonishing speed, colliding with players coming from behind.
A new wave of air surged. Xu Huo pulled the Girl in the painting down to the street below, only to realize they were within a giant lockdown circle, surrounded by high-rise buildings around a stadium. Many players stood scattered across them, seemingly divided into two camps, watching the scene.
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