Chapter 2756

(Wait for modification) "During the time when Cannibal Players were rampant, Punishment City even experienced a situation of high demand, where some powerful Cannibal Players would personally choose their food."

The Gourmet paused before continuing: "The original intent of the law is to restrain people, but some are beyond the law’s restraint."

"The present Zone 022 doesn’t seem to rely on Cannibal Players much," the Photographer said. "In advertisements, Star Players always specify their player categorization."

"That’s because the district has stabilized," said the Scholar. "The existence of Cannibal Players themselves has become the biggest issue for the district. After a period of chaos, the government no longer allowed Cannibal Players to appear in any public venue. Eventually, they were slowly excluded from the government and important positions."

"There should be quite a few people like Mr. Wen."

"They’ve lived quite long, Cannibal Players suffer degeneration symptoms more easily than other players, yet Mr. Wen seems quite normal," the Photographer remarked.

"There are always exceptions," the Gourmet added. "I suspect Zone 022 doesn’t want to deal with them because those Cannibal Players who live to old age are inherently remarkable. Handling them incurs a certain cost. Besides, they’ve contributed to the district before, and surely some people hope they can retire peacefully rather than be discarded like useless garbage."

This brings up another issue: if they choose the second option, will they become hunted targets of the district?

In this light, the first option seems safer.

The group couldn’t reach a conclusion and decided to wait another night to see the situation. If the Shadow showed any restraint, they could entirely wait until the Mansion instance ended or end it manually.

The dungeon Players had already separated from Xu Huo’s group. While being wary of Mr. Wen, they were also wary of Xu Huo. Regardless of why Xu Huo’s group remained in the mansion, if they couldn’t solve Mr. Wen, resolving the dungeon Players was an alternative.

When Xu Huo’s group returned upstairs from the garden, these people sat in the hall watching them with notable attention, though their gaze wasn’t friendly. Under such pressure, the Photographer’s temper was not as good, provocatively looking back as if daring them to act.

Both sides seemed eager to make a move, yet Xu Huo turned his head slightly, causing two Players who were about to stand to silently sit back down.

"Xu!" Harry appeared at the top of the stairs, enthusiastically saying, "I just had a chat with my uncle. He appreciates your abilities and wants to see you after dinner for some psychological therapy."

Xu Huo smiled, "That’s great. Has Mr. Wen’s mood stabilized a bit?"

"Much better," Harry warmly patted his shoulder, "Come to my room, I found a good bottle of wine from the cellar."

Ignoring the other Players, the two went upstairs.

Harry wanted to gain Mr. Wen’s favor, so while tasting wine, he shared several stories from his past with Xu Huo.

However, he wasn’t very close to Mr. Wen himself, most stories lacked detail, filtered through a familial lens, with a positive bias. After a few more glasses, he even mentioned if Mr. Wen left the mansion to him, he would definitely hire someone to write his biography.

"Mr. Wen only chatted about domestic matters with you, didn’t say anything else?" Xu Huo inquired. "I guess he might want to see me today due to the botanist’s death. Is he having a moral dilemma because of it?"

"What dilemma," Harry waved his hand dismissively, "He used to be a Player, has seen plenty of deaths, what dilemma could he have? It’s just the usual soft-heartedness of old age, fearing not having a proper burial after death."

"If he asks you about this, just reassure him. It’s okay if he’s old and feeble, the government and I, as his junior, are still around. Government officials also periodically check his health, everyone’s concerned about him, don’t let him feel isolated."

Xu Huo smiled silently, believing Mr. Wen’s concerns might lie elsewhere.

"By the way." Harry suddenly put his glass down, gazing into Xu Huo’s eyes, "You better not assume you can say and do anything just because you’re a Player. If something suddenly happens to him, the District Government will definitely intervene to investigate."

Xu Huo raised an eyebrow, "I’m just here making some side money, I’m unlikely to be involved in such significant matters. Besides, Mr. Wen is also a Player. Even though he’s old, it doesn’t mean he’s weak. I imagine both of us together wouldn’t be a match for him."

Harry laughed heartily, "You’re quite humorous."

"Did you know all the Law Enforcement Teams that came earlier?" Xu Huo inquired, "I noticed you greeting them."

"Somewhat acquainted," Harry lazily leaned back in the chair, "Can’t help it, relationships need constant maintenance."

"Does the one with the scar near his eye have issues with you?" Xu Huo asked further.

Harry adjusted his demeanor, "How did you notice?"

Xu Huo tactfully replied, "When you were speaking to the captain, he gave you a few extra glances."

A few extra glances... Harry instantly interpreted this as dissatisfaction towards him, immediately displeased, "He was originally from Punishment City, later transferred to the field Law Enforcement Team due to good performance. Think about it, what kind of person can perform well in a place like Punishment City?"

"I heard he had some family background, got sent to Punishment City after making a mistake, and soon left, forming factions within the Law Enforcement Team, excluding others, surrounded by an unpleasant bunch..."

He paused there, quickly adding to Xu Huo, "When you meet my uncle tonight, give him a hint for me, maybe that guy is jealous of his inheritance and that’s why he dislikes me."

The mansion’s money is secondary; Mr. Wen, as a Player, has accumulated valuable Props that’s truly priceless.

"I’m just a psychologist, and concerning personal matters, Mr. Wen might not take my advice," Xu Huo diplomatically replied.

*

Otherwise, we really won’t be opponents. It would be best to find non-gaming simulation instruments to limit him. If his Props were to fail, we would have a chance."

"What do you think?"

This was a request for Xu Huo’s group’s opinion.

The Scholar and Photographer turned their gaze to the only person who faced the Shadow and retreated unharmed.

Xu Huo didn’t answer directly but asked, "Does Zone 022 have specialized Cannibal Player laws?"

"Certainly," the Scholar quickly answered, "Zone 022, during its initial rise, relied on Cannibal Players. Then, the law dictated that Cannibal Players had special supervisory powers in daily life, meaning under government management, they could openly kill."

"But the targets were limited to criminals."

"Or government-supplied food," the Gourmet added, "The fear of Punishment City’s reputation originated from its initial purpose of providing necessary sustenance to Cannibal Players."