CHAPTER 1577: CHAPTER 1577: ALL ABOUT TECHNIQUE

Xu Huo didn’t make detailed arrangements for the Girl in the painting, but he had two strict requirements: One, no one can leave the base, and two, no one can approach the meeting room.

Preventing anyone from leaving the base was simple. With all the major entry and exit gates of the base shut, essentially no one could leave unless they were a player. Forget about bringing people out—thanks to the government for building the R1 Base so well.

Preventing anyone from approaching the meeting room required some skill.

The Girl in the painting found it inconvenient to move in human form, so she used the monitoring system to instruct staff near the safety doors to shut them securely. In rare cases where there was non-cooperation or a lack of people to cooperate, she simply filled the passage with Flying Paper to prevent anyone from approaching.

Of course, there were some very skilled players who broke through her defense, such as players who set fire to the paper. However, she wouldn’t allow her paper to line up for others to burn. She’d beat them up first. If they surrendered, fine, but if not, she would take someone nearby hostage, forcing others to strip or lie on the ground, covered by several desks, making it embarrassing or difficult for them to move freely.

During this time, she repeatedly emphasized Xu Huo’s intention that they were only seeking an opportunity for peaceful negotiation. Once the meeting room delivered a result, or if the Special Defense Department came to take over, she would release everyone.

The words "Special Defense Department" made some astute individuals sense something unusual.

Although no one else had appeared so far, when the Special Defense Department was mentioned, it couldn’t be that batch of military personnel, led by Shangguan Jing, who had just joined the department. If not them, then it must be from the original Special Defense Department. Since it’s a battle of wits between the two sides, it had little to do with most people, as those below in the pecking order wouldn’t get to interfere in the negotiations.

But those on Xie Song’s side and others who were promoted thought differently. If the situation solidified, it would be much harder to overturn later. The best outcome would be to completely crush the original Special Defense Department now!

It’s not that they were particularly brave or unafraid of death; even when facing players wielding Super Props, they didn’t flinch. Rather, some believed that since Super Props appeared in this place, they were most likely held by the Special Defense Department people. Even for future cooperation, neither side could go too far. So, they boldly rushed through the Flying Paper, approaching the meeting room.

In the end, the players converged in the two large corridors on either side, very close to the meeting room. A few steps further, they could see into the meeting room. Thus, the Girl in the painting, strictly executing Xu Huo’s instructions, decided to massacre after pondering for a second.

When Xu Huo broadcasted the monitoring footage, those individuals had just entered the corridor. In the instant the constantly flying papers obscured the camera, the Girl in the painting had already acted.

When the paper in front of the camera flew away, the monitoring footage was replaced by a large swath of red—not because blood spattered on the lens, but because the flying white paper had been dyed red.

The scene was somewhat bloody, which also made the elder sitting at the head of the table tense up.

"You killed so many players at the base; you’ll have to answer for this!"

Xu Huo looked at him strangely and then dialed the Girl in the painting’s phone.

The Girl in the painting answered the phone using a recording. Virtual voices can now mimic human voices perfectly, so a gentle female voice spoke from the other end, "What do you need? I haven’t let a single person in."

"I know you’re enjoying yourself. Speak nicely," Xu Huo paused and said.

The voice on the line immediately became normal, followed by a masked head appearing on the main control room’s monitoring screen, waving at the camera, "Hello everyone!"

"Didn’t we say this time was for friendly negotiation? Why did you attack?" Xu Huo asked.

"They were disobedient," the Girl in the painting sat on the control room’s operation table, tapping on the communicator. Her voice flowed naturally, "I warned them five times not to come over, but the more I said it, the more excited they got. So, I had to kill them all."

"Why do they all have ears but don’t listen well? See, I’m so obedient; I didn’t kill a single person outside."

As the communicator beeped, she absentmindedly touched the paper floating around her, her leisurely swinging legs indicating her current mindset—it didn’t matter whether to kill or not, nor how many to kill.

But these lighthearted words brought chills to those in the meeting room. When they investigated Xu Huo’s background earlier, they determined he was an uncontrollable ticking time bomb. Looking now, Xu Huo seemed perfectly normal, almost a flawless good man compared to many players who became arrogant with power—never bullying the weak, helping those in need, abiding by the law, buying tickets for transportation, following rules, keeping himself clean, never engaging in illicit relationships, respecting the elderly and caring for the young, regularly keeping in touch with family to maintain bonds...

Although his attitude towards the military was debatable, it’s often the small things that reveal a person’s character. On the other hand, looking at the Girl in the painting, just from her two sentences, it’s clear she’s a person who follows her whims, with no internal compass, doing whatever she wants. Laws and morals are entirely irrelevant to her.

When the Girl in the painting communicated with Xu Huo, she hadn’t turned off the base’s broadcast, so their conversation was heard by everyone, causing a slight reaction. She tilted her head, feeling a bit troubled, "They keep setting fires; the firefighter sprinkler water will wet my paper. How about I kill the ones setting the fires too?"

People inside and outside the meeting room instinctively looked at Xu Huo. On one hand, they felt the Girl in the painting, as a holder of a Super Prop, must also be a character who could be both good and evil, implying she might indeed kill as she said. They worried Xu Huo would provoke her, leading to more severe consequences. On the other hand, they feared Xu Huo would encourage it, given they were now partners.

Xu Huo didn’t answer her question. Instead, he replied calmly, "You stay in the control room for a while; we’ll leave in a bit."

The Girl in the painting seemed disappointed, immediately swiping the communicator, "Did Chief Nie arrive so soon? I haven’t had enough fun yet. I even found people to fold paper frogs and rabbits for me, and there are still many left until we reach ten thousand!"

Forcing people to help her fold paper in such a setting was truly a miraculous operation, but after hearing this statement, few people paid attention to it anymore: Is it really okay to let Nie Xuan slip out just like that?

However, the Girl in the painting didn’t realize it, and Xu Huo didn’t care. Instead, he said, "Aren’t you free? Fold a few more yourself."

After saying this, he cut off the communicator and turned off the monitoring devices, then faced the crowd, "You all understand the situation. I hope everyone can cooperate in the upcoming time just like before."

Everyone present understood. As he said, he genuinely didn’t care about the internal conflicts within the government, nor did he intend to keep secrets for his partner Nie Xuan, openly revealing it in front of the entire base.

At this point, the elder at the head of the table also saw the situation clearly. He turned to the elder in military attire, "If they’re not government people, their hearts won’t be with you."

The elderly man in military attire replied calmly, "Living in the past is the reason you’ve been abandoned. The country is filled with talents, and we will soon exit the stage. All we can do now is stand guard for the last time and solve any worries for these young people struggling out there."

"Beep beep beep!" Suddenly, the alarm sounded. With the doors around the base opening, the player team led by Nie Xuan and Director Lü of the Special Defense Department officially entered. After taking control from all parties, they quickly surrounded the meeting room.