Xu Huo didn't mind the proposal. If he refused again, this plane might never reach Country Y's territory, and he truly didn't want to come a second time.

After he agreed readily, Nix seemed visibly relieved. He sat across from him and chatted, not probing into his identity or the so-called transaction, simply discussing the recent situation in Country Y.

Nowadays, communication between nations wasn't that fast anymore, and even the major powers had their hands full dealing with their own problems.

"Nation X is really fortunate. So far, there haven't been large-scale casualties," Nix said with a hint of envy. "Unlike my country, where a quarter of our territory has been abandoned."

Country Y's main problem was still the epidemic incident from the last time players invaded Zone 014. To this day, there was no good solution. To contain the infection, Country Y had directly quarantined certain areas. Add to that the emergence of Mutants, and half the country was now in dire straits.

"Large-scale casualties?" Xu Huo tapped the table. "Didn't the Special Defense Department headquarters just experience the black rain? Anyone caught in it gets infected and turns into a Mutant within a very short time."

"I've heard about that, but Nation X has the antidote fungus, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Nix put on a sorrowful expression. "In the grand scheme of things, the most pitiable ones are still the ordinary people."

"Yeah." Xu Huo's tone was nonchalant, utterly devoid of sympathy for those who had died.

"Mr. Yu, what are your thoughts on players?" Nix studied his expression. "As the situation evolves, more and more people are shifting from aversion and fear of players to trust and dependence. All the nations in Zone 014 will eventually become a community of shared destiny. In my view, players are like weapons—a double-edged sword."

"You're overthinking it." Xu Huo shot him a glance. "Do you really think ordinary people can control players? Zone 014 isn't some community of shared destiny—it's just a Game Partition. Players can leave and never come back."

"This place is a cesspool. I'd rather settle down in a more stable district."

Nix forced a smile. "But it's our homeland. Our family and friends are all here."

"Life is what matters. Who needs a homeland?" Xu Huo scoffed at his sentiment, then asked the flight attendant to bring him some alcohol.

The passengers on the plane still didn't know who he was, but the crew did. The flight attendant first sought Nix's approval with a questioning look, and only after he nodded did she go get the drinks.

A sealed bottle of fine liquor was brought over. The flight attendant performed the opening ritual right there and was about to pour for Xu Huo when he covered the mouth of his glass with his hand.

"Do you people have any sincerity at all? This is how you treat a guest—by lacing his drink?"

The flight attendant's face changed color. Nix waved him away and offered Xu Huo a sincere apology.

Xu Huo was still somewhat gracious. "Don't think that just because players are the ones acting, no one can tell. I see you haven't managed to produce much antidote, but you've got plenty of poison—just like your ancestors, carrying on the tradition, huh."

Nix could no longer maintain his smile. He said in a low voice, "Mr. Yu, I ask that you respect my country and my forebears."

"I was complimenting you, didn't you catch that?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "Either don't do it at all, or go all the way. But if you do it and then can't handle people talking about it, where's your spine?"

His words and expression were completely at odds, and Nix couldn't figure out what he really meant.

The lengthy conversation wasn't just small talk—it was a psychological and behavioral assessment of a player capable of sneaking onto a plane. Every player entering Country Y had to go through this process. If they could be won over, that was best; if not, they were driven away.

Nix still didn't know Xu Huo's true identity, but from his words and demeanor, he didn't seem outraged by what had happened in the Capital City. He had some hostility toward Country Y, but that wasn't a big deal.

As long as it wasn't a matter of national hatred, ordinary personal grudges could always be smoothed over with generous material rewards.

Nix relaxed his expression and was about to sit back down for another talk when Xu Huo suddenly pulled out his Binoculars and looked toward an island on the sea. "This is already within Country Y's territorial waters, isn't it?"

Nix opened his mouth, but then his expression shifted instantly. The next second, he saw Xu Huo drop out of the plane along with his seat, plunging through the air amid the roaring wind. A moment later, he had vanished from the seat!

"Spatial Item!" Nix roared with fury. Ignoring the panicked passengers and the flustered fellow players, he leaped straight down from the disintegrating plane. Two seconds later, he too disappeared into thin air.

This plane was never going to make it to Country Y. Within minutes, it would crash into the sea.

Meanwhile, Xu Huo had already crossed the ocean and land to reach a completed and operational safe zone in Country Y.

"The Shortest Distance Between Two Points Is a Straight Line" didn't toss him into midair like the "Fifty-Fifty Air Window." Instead, it slammed on the brakes and dropped him right into the core building of the safe zone.

Of course, that was where he had set his target, but he hadn't expected to land in such a central spot—right into an ongoing leadership meeting in the conference room.

Over a dozen people in the room, plus a few video call participants, all turned their heads to stare at him.

"Hi!" Xu Huo flashed a friendly smile. The next second, he pulled half the conference room into his Mental World, sending a hailstorm of bullets all flying toward the windows, while he himself had already shifted to the door.

Donning his concealment item, he slipped out as the guards and players outside breached the door. Dodging the surging crowd, he randomly picked an empty office and walked in, yanking down the light fixture and pulling out the electrical cable.

He only needed to use the "Life Core" to destroy the safe zone's metal structure—no need to pick a special spot. As long as this safe zone had underground cables, there would always be metal to reach.

To be safe, the moment he landed, he had already equipped "Three Seconds of a Life" on himself—not just for healing and revival, but also to restrict the safe zone's Spatial Items.

He had seen the list sent by the Special Defense Department on the Pioneer Forum, but that was just a feint. His real destination had been determined from the start.

It wasn't some top-secret weapons manufacturing facility, military base, or other classified research site. It was one of the large-scale safe zones that Country Y had openly and publicly constructed.

Nix would never let him set foot on Country Y's soil. So the military airfield he mentioned was most likely a facility built on some island—not only packed with countless players lying in wait, but also sure to have measures in place to control Spatial Items. Country Y had already traded with Artificers, so they would definitely be prepared for that. That was also why he didn't choose a secret facility.

Even destroying a military installation on an island wouldn't mean much. In comparison, safe zones that had just been built or were nearing completion were far more suitable.

These were the last "paradises" that the Country Y government and its people pinned their hopes on. When the safe zone collapsed under the gaze of the public, and the Mutant threat came roaring back, the Country Y government would remember this brutal lesson.

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