CHAPTER 1579: CHAPTER 1579: THE SPECIAL DEFENSE DEPARTMENT’S SINCERITY

Xu Huo immediately replied to the message, "The antitoxin just ran out, and it will take at least two hours for new ones to be available. Is it urgent? How much do you need?"

Over there, the person stayed beneath the dimension without exiting, "At least five doses, needed right now."

The message came along with a trade alert, and Xu Huo clicked to receive it, taking out a box specifically used for transporting toxic substances or pollutants, labeled with a "Handle with care" notice.

Without opening the box, he directly placed it into the luggage compartment, then returned to the room. He extracted live mycelium and added it to the antitoxin he bought from the game, producing a potion and placing it beneath the dimension.

"Try it to see if it’s effective."

About five minutes later, Cong Yu responded, "Effective, thank you. Is there really no extra dose available? I can use the terms I started with just now to exchange for another antitoxin."

Sensing the urgency from the other side, Xu Huo had no choice but to turn all the newly released mycelium into potions and hand them over to him.

"This is my limit. The transaction terms remain as you stated before. However, I am looking for a place to cultivate antidote fungi on a large scale. Does your district have an environment where fungi of any kind thrive?"

This time, Cong Yu took a moment before sending a message, "Fungi with antidote effects generally conflict with toxic fungi and cannot survive."

Xu Huo remembered Cong Yu mentioning on the train that his hometown was filled with toxic fungi and infectants, and everyone there was infected. People like him had even evolved certain abilities to coexist with these things, but the mortality rate among children was high.

Apparently, players like him have also been searching for ways to save their hometown in the game for years, obviously having tried the route of cultivating antidote fungi.

"You can consider it. I am also doing this to save more people." He replied.

There was no response from the other side for a while. Just when Xu Huo thought Cong Yu wouldn’t contact him again, there was a prompt of a new trade item underneath the dimension.

This time, the transaction content was a ticket.

D07-013 Zone, Choking Rainforest City Station.

Seeing the ticket, Xu Huo paused for a moment, then took out the ticket given to him by Lady Palace in Zone 017.

D07-013 Zone, Asymmetric Eyes Station.

They were actually in the same district.

"Coincidence?"

Not necessarily a coincidence.

If D07-013 Zone is as harsh as Cong Yu described, Dr. Wu, with his high achievements in pharmacology, would naturally be interested in such a place, so it wouldn’t be surprising for him to have been there.

Moreover, Dr. Wu had left traces in many districts. Since the Old Holy Sword Organization had given him the ticket through Lady Palace, it indicated that someone had already explored Dr. Wu’s movements in this district, just like in the Deep Blue Laboratory.

Anyway, whatever Dr. Wu did or left in the D07-013 Zone, it’s worth visiting. After all, he might be deliberately spreading the perfect potion and his actions, which surely serve a purpose, and this purpose could be hidden in his past traces.

The phone rang, and Xu Huo closed his personal panel to open the door. This time, it was Director Lü delivering the items.

"Minister Ji and Xiao Nie are too busy, so I volunteered. I hope you don’t feel slighted," Director Lü said sincerely.

Following her were twenty-five boxes.

"Here are two hundred million white notes, two Rank-A props, six Rank-B props, six special items, four hundred batches of various potions, four secondary stones, two units of combat machinery, two sets of Rank A protective suits, a mental power auxiliary device, and a spatial power auxiliary device, along with some other small items."

"These items are a token of the government’s appreciation. Although they do not nearly repay your and the Girl in the painting’s contribution to saving Sea City, these are currently the most suitable items the government can select for you. If you need anything else in the future, feel free to ask."

Xu Huo smiled, "I certainly will."

"Additionally," Director Lü opened her briefcase and took out formal documents, "regarding the city you mentioned earlier under the Girl in the painting’s name, do you have any ideas?"

"You handle it," Xu Huo invited her to sit down.

Director Lü, being a kind-looking and approachable woman, was particularly grateful since Xu Huo had saved her daughter and helped the Special Defense Department, hence her good attitude.

"The Special Defense Department has selected three places, all decent medium-sized cities. But since your and the Girl in the painting’s return ticket location is Ting City, it’s best to select Ting City. It’s not a big city, so if you chose it, the Special Defense Department would merge a large and a medium city nearby into Ting City."

"The three cities will be renamed Ting City, with the original Ting City as the center, and the other two cities designated as districts. The transportation roads between the cities will also be rebuilt, and later handed over to the local government."

Xu Huo flipped through the documents, which detailed specific regional boundaries and city planning for different districts, as well as local government personnel arrangements and intercity railway laying—all clearly laid out.

Simply put, the government authorized these three cities to the Girl in the painting, providing her with a space to control props while everything on the ground remained unchanged, with the local government running as usual and having nothing to do with their affairs.

"It must cost a lot to requisition these lands?" Xu Huo asked.

"In special times, these things aren’t difficult," Director Lü paused, "But that’s all we can do. The economic benefits the city produces are unrelated to Miss Li Chun."

Xu Huo waved his hand, indicating he didn’t mind. After reading the documents, he said, "Let’s choose Ting City, but there’s no need to merge the other two cities, just Ting City."

Director Lü was a bit surprised, "Even though Miss Li Chun’s current ability might not cover three cities, it can’t be certain for the future. Why refuse?"

The Special Defense Department this time invested heavily for two reasons: to build a closer relationship with the Girl in the painting and ideally keep her, and to make her responsible for these three cities, as her abilities could cover a city. This means the city is not only her hunting ground but also a defense ground, allowing her to protect the city’s inhabitants incidentally.

"It’s not that I don’t want a win-win situation with the Special Defense Department, but some things are uncontrollable. What looks good now may not be in the future." Xu Huo turned to look at the Girl in the painting cooking frogs and rabbits in the kitchen with Tongtong.

Director Lü also followed his gaze. Just then, the Girl in the painting turned and smiled, her sweet smile so perfect as if trained, completely unconnectable to her actions at R1 Base.

"The document you provided mentions authorization time and method. Leaving the duration aside, it also blocks any loopholes for unilateral breach of contract this time," Xu Huo pointed to the document, "Very sincere, but I’m afraid you might regret it, and it would be hard to take back if you do."