Players, Please Board the Train

Chapter 367: Torture and Interrogation

"Let go!" Xu Huo kicked up with both legs, slashing backward with his sword to force back the woman stepping on his back. He retreated to create distance before quickly observing the several people who had appeared.

The short-haired woman who had spoken earlier was just over ten meters away. She wore uniform trousers and a short tank top, her powerfully defined abdominal muscles exposed. Her hands were wrapped in bandages, and her wheat-colored skin glistened with sweat, showing she had been exercising just before.

Another man draped in an outer coat stood not far from her, but he had his back to Xu Huo, all his attention focused on the fake He Pu currently restrained by the short-haired man ahead.

Including the two robots, there were five people present, but only two were actually engaged in combat at the moment.

Combining this with what the woman had just said, Xu Huo immediately stated, "You're players from the Enforcement Department? I'm pursuing a wanted criminal—that man right there!"

"Wanted criminal?" The woman wiped the sweat from her neck, turning to the short-haired man. "There's something on his face. Clean it off and let's see."

The short-haired man gave a slight nod, took out an eraser, and rubbed it in the air toward the fake He Pu. A layer of skin peeled off from the charred areas on his face.

"It's the skin of an Image Snake. Forty-two percent of wanted criminals like to use this to alter their appearance and evade capture," the long-haired man said after a scan.

"Since he's a wanted criminal, don't hold back. He wouldn't dare run into a dungeon anyway," the short-haired woman instructed. The man beside her instantly vanished from his spot, reappearing right above the fake He Pu, his foot stepping on a metal cage!

The fake He Pu looked up and immediately struck the tuning fork in his hand. Breaking free from the invisible force restraining him, he raised the tuning fork high and scraped the conductor's baton across it, producing a piercing sound. "I am the world!"Before his words even faded, his figure seemed to magnify several times out of thin air, inexplicably giving off an aura of majesty that felt inviolable, stirring an impulse to prostrate oneself in worship.

Unfortunately, this move wasn't very effective. The weaker the target's self-control, the more potent mental interference is. The three people present likely wouldn't fall for it, and the pair of robots were completely unaffected.

The next second, the two men drew their guns and fired. The white metal bullets, the size of a fingertip, packed a punch no less powerful than a grenade. The fake He Pu, who had just managed to create an opening to escape, was blasted back before he could even get out of the metal cage's range, landing perfectly inside it as the cage snapped shut!

That metal cage was also an item. Once it landed, it generated over a hundred beams of light internally, each striking different acupuncture points all over the fake He Pu's body!

"Interrogation by torture!" The man in the coat stood on top of the cage, gave a slight nod of his chin, and the beams lifted the fake He Pu off the ground before plunging *thud thud thud* into his flesh.

The fake He Pu struggled for only a moment before going completely limp, hanging inside the cage, his eyes gradually losing focus.

Affected by the item, Xu Huo couldn't hear what the man in the coat was asking from his position. But He Pu was a player skilled in mental abilities, and to be captured and interrogated so easily by an item, plus the equipment used to counter Spatial Items—this District 011 world, whether it's the players or the public weaponry, had evolved to a certain degree.

He had just taken a step forward when the woman ahead suddenly turned around. "Looks like you weren't affected at all. Is your characteristic related to mental defense?"

The fake He Pu's attack methods leaned toward mental interference. If one had strong mental defense, it was possible for a weaker player to hold their own against a stronger one in this aspect. Not necessarily killing them, but holding out for a few rounds was feasible.

Xu Huo sheathed his sword, glancing at her. "I'm the one who pinned down this wanted criminal. District 011 has relevant laws: anyone who reports, captures, or kills a wanted criminal, whether ordinary person, Evolver, or player, can receive commendation from the government."

"Since you've already caught him, I don't think I'm needed here anymore. May I leave?"

Reporting a wanted criminal to a government unit follows a different procedure, and it doesn't conflict with game settlement. However, since the fake He Pu wasn't captured by him, there was no need to fight over these scraps.

The short-haired woman looked him up and down. "Wait here first."

Then she turned and called out, "Cheng Bing!"

The two robots quickly approached. The short-haired woman asked, "What charge can I use to prosecute him?"

Xu Huo paused in the act of wiping his face.

The female robot answered, "Crime of Endangering Public Security."

In District 011, the Crime of Endangering Public Security was different from Zone 014. The punishment was only equivalent to littering—just a fine, not even detention. One could pay on the spot and leave without issue.

"How can that be?" The short-haired woman grabbed the female robot's hand. "He fought right at the entrance of the Enforcement Department. Can't that count as a terrorist attack?"

The female robot's face was cold, but her tone was very human-like. "Captain, it was just *at* the Enforcement Department entrance, not *inside* it. Besides, there are enforcement recorders nearby. The whole process was recorded. He explained to you from the start that he was pursuing a wanted criminal."

In the players' world, various legal standards have been relaxed;

otherwise, the prisons would have been overflowing long ago. This is especially true for players. District 011 has always adopted a lenient policy toward them, because players with train tickets can leave at any time, making sentencing and imprisonment largely meaningless.

Xu Huo didn't want to get entangled with them and even took out a stack of money.

Seeing he was about to leave, the short-haired woman reached out and pressed his shoulder. "Wait. Do you want to stay long-term in District 011? You don't have an identity certificate yet, do you?"

"Let me tell you, if you want to rent, buy property, or engage in other social activities in the new city district, you can't do it without a government-issued player identity certificate. You also need it to go to other districts."

This sentence successfully piqued Xu Huo's interest. He turned and smiled at the woman. "You can process identity certificates?"

"Of course I can—" The short-haired woman's words were cut off as a hand reached from behind to cover her mouth. It was the male robot. The short-haired man walked over and showed his credentials to Xu Huo. "I am Guo Yingguang, personnel of the Enforcement Department. It's not easy for foreign players to obtain identity certificates, but since you reported a wanted criminal, that counts as meritorious service. The Enforcement Department can specially apply for one on your behalf. There are still some details regarding that wanted criminal that we need to verify with you. Please cooperate."

With things put this way, how could Xu Huo refuse?

He also didn't have a second spatial teleportation item to leave this place.

The short-haired woman's interest in him was obvious. After he agreed, she immediately came over, slinging an arm around his shoulders with a full-faced smile. "What? You just came out of a dungeon and haven't found a place to stay yet? Want to go to my house... I mean, the hotel next door?"

The fake He Pu was taken into the Enforcement Department by the man in the coat. The short-haired man and the male robot went together. The remaining female robot and the short-haired woman accompanied Xu Huo to the hotel.

"The area around the Enforcement Department is a restricted zone. No one lives here, no one comes or goes, you can't even hail a taxi. I'll drive you there," the short-haired woman said, driving up in a silver sports car and enthusiastically opening the car door for Xu Huo.