Avoiding Eyes
Xu Huo turned around. The braided girl's older brother was there, an axe in his hand. His gaze swept over the stone carving by Xu Huo's feet. "Xiaoyun said you wanted to buy a sculpture. Come with me."
Xu Huo didn't refuse. He followed him out of the woods.
The siblings lived near the Station. To get there from the woods, they had to cross a street. Just like yesterday, many residents openly or secretly watched the outsiders.
Some players were staying in guesthouses, too. Even dressed in the same clothes, they stood out immediately from the listless locals.
As they passed a house, they heard cries and pleas for mercy from inside. An old man was kicked into the courtyard. Through the half-open door, Xu Huo caught sight of a tall man holding a little girl down on a table.
The neighbors promptly shut their doors. Xu Huo noticed Xiaoyun's brother tighten his grip on the axe. He stepped into the courtyard and sent out "Swift Swallow."
The black blade, shaped like a swallow, spun through the air and shot into the house. Its successive attacks forced the player outside. The man retreated into the courtyard, then sneered when he saw Xu Huo. He pushed off the ground and lunged at him, a curved blade appearing in his hand and sweeping toward Xu Huo's throat!
Xu Huo stood still. He used "Opposites Repel" to stop the man, then raised "Danger Blinds People." The player was forced back three meters. When he looked up, he couldn't help seeing his own eyes in the little mirror. A moment later, the light left them.
Just as Xu Huo was about to finish him off, a rubber prop resembling a children's sticky hand flew in from outside the courtyard. It wrapped