# Chapter 46: Probing the Bottom
"...It's very likely a random player. Not sure if his mission is the same as ours, but we still need to be wary of him making a move against us..."
Peng Fengnian, lying in the grass, kept an eye on the factory's movements. When he glanced away for a moment, he found that Xu Huo, who had been in his line of sight just moments before, had disappeared. His pupils trembled in shock, and before he could even get up, a sharp force locked onto his throat, lifting him from the ground into midair!
"That paper phone of yours looks pretty good. Could I borrow it?"
Peng Fengnian stared at the young man who had walked in front of him, his face flushed with blood, his voice filled with disbelief: "When did you find out!"
"Earlier than you think." Xu Huo crossed his arms and looked at him. "If I were you, the thing I'd be most concerned about is whether I'm friend or foe."
Peng Fengnian glared at him fiercely. His right hand, gripping the "String That's Everywhere," suddenly thrust forward, and he made a grasping motion in the air toward Xu Huo. A dozen flying darts materialized out of nowhere, shooting at him from all directions!
Xu Huo spun around and caught three darts on his left side, dodging the rest with swift, clean movements. Seeing the green liquid on the dart tips, he raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when Peng Fengnian suddenly grabbed the string and jerked his head back—he had actually managed to escape on his own! The originally flexible string stiffened like a fixed ring, only responding to Xu Huo's control after a two-second delay.
While controlling the string to return, Xu Huo retreated to avoid the opponent's dart attacks. As the distance between them grew wider, he suddenly accelerated, charging straight at Peng Fengnian!
Peng Fengnian was startled. He recalled the darts, which could only chase after Xu Huo's heels, then pulled out a bottle of liquid and poured it on the ground.
The red liquid spread spontaneously across the ground, instantly radiating out for over ten feet. Xu Huo's foot slipped, and he began to fall forward. Peng Fengnian seized the opportunity to conjure a pitch-black stone and swung it at the back of his head!
But at that moment, the "String That's Everywhere" passed under Xu Huo's armpit and yanked him forcefully to the side. He straightened up, grabbed the string through his clothes, and flew into the air!
However, that black stone followed him as well, circling from the front to the back, persistently trying to smash the back of his head!
With a midair flying kick, he sent it flying away. Xu Huo turned around and kicked Peng Fengnian, who was trying to flee, to the ground. The man fell into the liquid he had spilled, his hands and feet as slippery as if coated in oil, unable to get up no matter how hard he struggled.
Catching the darts flying toward him, Xu Huo stood by and watched him for several minutes until he was exhausted from flailing.
"What exactly do you want? If you're going to kill me, just do it!" Unable to get up, Peng Fengnian simply lay on the ground.
"Middle-aged men with hot tempers tend to go bald easily." Xu Huo tossed the darts back to him. "I'm a random player, alone and weak. I want to discuss cooperation with you."
Peng Fengnian craned his neck. "This doesn't look like a cooperative attitude to me."
"Probing the bottom is never wrong. Besides, you were monitoring me too." Xu Huo raised his chin. "Want me to give you a hand?"
"No need!" Peng Fengnian said immediately. "In about two more minutes, the potion's effect will wear off."
Xu Huo smiled. "I'll wait." He went to retrieve the black stone.
When he returned, Peng Fengnian had just stood up. Brushing the grass clippings off his clothes, he maintained his momentum. "You have to prove you're a random player. What's your instance mission?"
"Rare Items, Little Pig, Odd Jobs." Xu Huo was concise.
Peng Fengnian breathed a sigh of relief. "Our missions are the same."
"But the paper phone is my item. If you try to force things, we'll both end up dead!"
"If I only wanted to steal your item, I could have killed you just now." Xu Huo sheathed his sharpness and spoke gently. "I'm sincere."
"Your combat ability isn't up to par, which is why you're hiding here alone directing things, so you don't hold the team back. But your companions have already entered the factory. Even if it's just stealing the collection, the Skinner's three missions here won't be easy to complete, right?"
"We all want to get out alive. Our goals don't conflict."
That was true. Peng Fengnian hesitated for a moment before saying, "Have you thought of a way?"
Xu Huo didn't deny it. "There's some risk."
Peng Fengnian's expression turned serious. "The Skinner instance has almost a zero survival rate. Even C-level players can't easily pass it, let alone us D-level players this time. It's normal for the mission to be hard, which is why we need to use our wits."
"We don't plan to lose our lives for this instance."
So they were D-level players.
Xu Huo nodded. "Hiding outside won't let you use your wits."
Peng Fengnian's face instantly flushed red, as if trying to defend himself, and he raised his voice. "My trait is better suited for this, and it's more advantageous for us."
"Every instance has risks. How can you clear it without taking risks?" Xu Huo glanced at him. "Did you investigate the Skinner before coming? How much do you know about him?"
"A station city has multiple instances. Only those who come out alive know which ones they are. The information that circulates is scarce, and truth is hard to distinguish. There's even less about the instance boss."
"I spent fifty thousand white notes to buy one piece of reliable information—the Skinner's skinning knife can't be used during the day."
Seeing Xu Huo looking at him, he explained, "The other five players also know this information. Since your mission is the same as ours, telling you doesn't matter."
"It's said that when the Skinner holds his knife, he can dissect a person alive along their muscle fibers without leaving a trace, or peel off an entire skin while they're still alive. If his knife can't be used during the day, it's relatively safer for us to act in daylight."
Normally, everyone would think it's better to act under the cover of night, because the Skinner moves around the factory during the day, time is tight, and the timing isn't ideal. But that's a death trap—the Skinner with his skinning knife is twice as dangerous. Once caught, the consequences are easy to imagine.
"Do you really have a plan?" Peng Fengnian pressed. Honestly, after hearing Tang Pei's feedback, he didn't have a good countermeasure yet.
Xu Huo thoughtfully rubbed his chin, not answering his question. Instead, he reached out his hand. "Let me borrow the phone."
Peng Fengnian gritted his teeth. "Return my item first."
Xu Huo handed him the black stone that specialized in smashing the back of heads. Only after receiving it did Peng Fengnian take out the paper phone. "This phone can only contact its paired paper phone. It can't send text messages. You have to put it to your ear to communicate."
Xu Huo weighed the paper phone, which looked like a button phone, feeling as light as if it had no weight.
"Is there a distance limit?"
"No." Peng Fengnian said. "As long as it's a paired phone, no matter where you are, even if you're not in the same station or the same space, you can still talk. But it's limited to voice calls."
He mentioned the same space. So the game train really did travel through different times and spaces?
Xu Huo didn't press this detail. He put the phone to his ear and tried it. A beeping sound came through. After a few seconds, the call connected, and the female player immediately asked, "Peng Fengnian?"
He chuckled. "Not quite."