Things went much more smoothly after that. It was hard to talk while standing in the sand under the scorching sun, so Xu Huo and the other two returned to the small town with Mr. Chi and his group, where they were taken to their underground dwelling.
Calling it a dwelling was generous. It was really just a collection of dugout holes. Xu Huo had noticed them earlier. There weren't many people—counting Xiao Lai and the two Players who had returned later, there were only sixteen in total.
"We don't have much to offer you," Mr. Chi said, inviting the three of them to sit on small stools. The mask man poured each of them half a cup of water.
"And we're the ones who gave you the water," Qiu Ming muttered.
"I wonder if you three think a hundred thousand White Cash is a lot," Mr. Chi suddenly asked, changing the subject.
A hundred thousand White Cash wasn't much money to a Player.
"What about five hundred thousand?" Mr. Chi continued.
At five hundred thousand, Qiu Ming and Cao Qinglin paused slightly. Add a little more, and they could buy a decent item.
Mr. Chi's gaze remained fixed on Xu Huo. He continued, "What if it was a million?"
Xu Huo swirled the cup in front of him. "Is that the price for a Player from Zone 023, or for information?"
Mr. Chi smiled. "There are fourteen ordinary people in this underground passage. Information on one person's whereabouts is worth a hundred thousand White Cash. Bring back their corpse, and it's five hundred thousand. Alive, they're worth between five hundred thousand and a million. Players fetch even more."
The breathing of everyone present changed, though only slightly. Qiu Ming and Cao Qinglin were shocked by how much people from