"You can think of me as someone just passing through." Xu Huo lifted a hand. Two chairs appeared in the basement. He sat down first and gestured for the Mask player to sit as well.
The Mask player already had one hand braced against the floor. At Xu Huo's words, he sprang upward, shooting out—but the next moment, he reappeared in the basement.
He had emerged from the wall near the stairs, facing Xu Huo. Their eyes met, and after a moment of silence, he said, "I can't get out, can I?"
Xu Huo gave a slight nod and pointed to the chair opposite him again.
The Mask player slowly took two steps forward and sat down.
"First, let me make this clear: I mean no harm." Xu Huo said, "As long as you're holding a Ticket, I can't take your life."
It was a reminder to the Mask player that Xu Huo had the upper hand.
The Mask player said nothing. His body language hadn't changed, and with his face covered, there was no way to tell how he felt.
Xu Huo didn't press him. Instead, he continued, "I've seen several East District players in the West District. Nearly all of them wore items or devices that concealed their physical information. Is there a reason for that?"
Hearing that Xu Huo wasn't asking about the Rebel Army, the Mask player relaxed a little. "The East District was established by a technology company. No matter how powerful they are, they can't get that many Outer District players to work for them. Concealing their strength with little tricks so others will be wary of them is standard practice."
Concealing or altering physical information could indeed make it difficult for outsiders to determine someone's true Evolution rate, affecting how they judged a