When the Black Epaulets had just cleaned out the two transport planes, Xu Huo’s car and flight device were also exposed. However, Madame Butterfly immediately used an item to conceal the car again. By then, the speedboat team had already passed by, and the Black Epaulets were busy dealing with the remaining people, seemingly having no time to bother with scattered stragglers.

“Those players are no match for the Black Epaulets.” Xu Huo started the car, lifting it off the sea surface and quickly flying towards the harbor. In the distance, he could see several tower-like instruments erected in the sea—these were the spacetime item restriction devices. He didn’t know if they had always been installed underwater or were prepared in advance for this “catching the turtle in the jar” operation.

However, today had indeed allowed him to witness the formidable strength of the Enforcement Department’s Black Epaulets, who operated independently from the District 011 government and were not under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Hall.

“Do you have a connection with that Ran Ying?” Madame Butterfly suddenly asked.

“Not really.”

“It could become one,” Madame Butterfly said. “Duke Tal’s side probably won’t be able to get the exact arrival time of the arms shipment. You can start with Ran Ying; the Enforcement Department has more abundant sources of information.”

Xu Huo glanced sideways at her. “Do you think she would tell such important information to someone she’s only known for a few days?”

“Won’t you try?” Madame Butterfly raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you a smart person?”

“Sleeping with her is unnecessary; I’m worried about dying for unknown reasons.” Xu Huo paused and then asked, “Now can you tell me why you were so certain that what arrived today wouldn’t be weapons?”

This time, Madame Butterfly didn’t hide it. “Because of the special nature of weapons transport, some weapons cannot be stored in container items or spatial items and need to be carried directly. Carrying weapons in a vehicle easily exposes the target, so they can only rely on special items to traverse space.”

“Are there specific restrictions for traversing space?” Xu Huo continued.

“Of course there are. Otherwise, couldn’t players cross space arbitrarily?”

“Can one enter the real world from a dungeon world?” Xu Huo asked again.

Madame Butterfly gave him a look. “Yes, but such space-traversing items are expensive, limited in number, have extremely limited usage counts, and cause some physical damage to players, so they cannot be used frequently.”

“That’s why they need time.” Xu Huo pondered. If that were the case, then even the leak about the Rongxin Group’s information might be fake. The real location for the weapons transaction might not even be in the same partition as the base.

“What are you thinking?” Madame Butterfly asked.

“Let’s check the news tomorrow.”

When they reached the shore, the entire base city was already under lockdown. Lockdown meant that everyone, including players, had to remain at the location they were at when the lockdown notification was issued; otherwise, violent measures would be taken.

With Madame Butterfly’s help, Xu Huo bypassed the monitoring instruments and returned safely to Rose Castle.

After getting out of the car, she pried off a circular instrument stuck to the outside of the vehicle and tossed it to him. “Anti-monitoring device, a gift for you. It’ll be convenient for sneaking around in the future.”

“Thanks.” Xu Huo smiled at her.

Madame Butterfly turned her head away. “The matter isn’t finished yet. I’ll wait for your good news.”

The entire base city was restless that night. There was no helping it—the technology was too advanced. Many people had flight devices and immediately posted scattered fragments of footage online. The Enforcement Department also seemed to deliberately allow it, not making a special effort to destroy the flight devices or control the discourse.

Thus, after fermenting overnight, the Black Epaulets became the number one hot topic.

The Enforcement Department’s White Epaulets and Black Epaulets had different responsibilities. Although both were responsible for handling emergencies, if forced to categorize, it was roughly like one worked the day shift and the other the night shift. The White Epaulets had more dealings with the Municipal Hall, while the Black Epaulets were more independent, especially the hardline faction led by Ran Ying, which frequently clashed with the Municipal Hall.

These two epaulet groups also didn’t get along. So, while the Black Epaulets were being praised by citizens for their combat videos, the White Epaulets became the target of criticism. Some even posted the White Epaulets’ dark history online, such as accepting bribes, getting beaten in one-on-one fights with Black Epaulets, and neglecting their duties to frequent entertainment venues.

The efficiency of the District 011 government was undeniably high. The Municipal Hall issued a notice the next morning praising the Black Epaulets and directly rewarded them with one of the intact transport planes they had brought back. Additionally, Ran Ying, as the captain, received a medal, and all Black Epaulets received improved benefits.

Furthermore, the Rongxin Group also came forward to thank the Black Epaulets, stating they would send a batch of supplies to them and provide employment quotas for the families of the Black Epaulets.

As for those players who were captured or killed, no one cared. Everyone was immersed in the joy and pride that their city’s heroes had protected them. Businesses held promotional activities, actors came out for relay performances, and the entire city fell into a frenzy of celebration.

Apart from these superficial things, the Municipal Hall was not idle either. Last night, they had already sealed off the lower city district to search for and arrest players. If they encountered resistance, they killed on the spot, regardless of whether they were involved in robbing the Rongxin Group.

While the base city was celebrating, the lower city district was being cleansed.

Xu Huo took some time to go take a look outside the lower city district. Many corpses were being dragged out from inside, piled on the ground, and transported away by vehicles. Among them, he saw two children who had previously asked him for candy.

The lower city district was shrouded in terror and gloom, while just one street away, residents near the main city district took to the streets to celebrate.

It wasn’t until evening that the Municipal Hall’s troops withdrew from the lower city district. By then, the lower city district was dead silent. The usual street-roaming hoodlums and children running and jumping everywhere were nowhere to be seen.

Xu Huo entered the lower city district and soon found the small courtyard where he had previously seen Deng Xuan. By now, the protective item outside was gone, the courtyard gate was shattered, and there were bloodstains everywhere inside.

He glanced at it and left, coming to an alley with an apricot tree. He checked house by house and finally found two children trembling inside a cabinet in a small, dilapidated house at the end of the alley that had been torn apart.

As soon as he pulled open the cabinet door, the little boy holding a small knife stabbed at him. Xu Huo pressed down on his head. “Don’t you recognize me?”

“Clown!” the little boy said warily, looking at him.

“Where are your parents?” The one crying inside the cabinet was the child who had run back to pick up the candy. He sat inside wiping his tears. “They were all taken away. Big brother said they will all die.”

There were bloodstains inside the house, and the smell of fresh blood hadn’t yet dissipated. Xu Huo asked them, “Do you have any other relatives or friends?”

“No!” the little boy said, holding back tears. “Our relatives died long ago. Dad’s friends won’t care about us!”

Xu Huo was silent for two seconds, then took out some water and food for them. The two children pounced on it, stuffing it into their mouths. The boy said indistinctly, “Uncle, are you a player? Can you turn me into a player too? I don’t want to die…”

“It’s still too early to become a player now,” Xu Huo said. “Tomorrow, you go to the welfare home. The welfare home will send you to school. We’ll talk about the rest when you grow up.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep