Chapter 1007: Borrow It for a Couple of Days
Based on the information revealed by the carjackers and the Dong Jingxuan brothers, the genetic code was necessary to activate a space item named "Little Tunnel." The password for this kind of item was extremely difficult to crack, and it was mass-produced. Since someone was looking for the code, it meant the other party had such an item in hand. The Dong family could casually give it to their younger generation—not only was it mass-produced, but in the hands of a resource-controlling force like the Dong family, this item wasn't considered particularly valuable either.
The two brothers used it as a hunting wager; at least in Dong Qifeng's eyes, it wasn't a very important item.
However, Dong Jingxuan was quite interested.
Xu Huo nodded. "If you lose, don't blame me."
Dong Jingxuan had full confidence in him and went up to provoke Dong Qifeng a couple more times. Then, the four of them piloted single-person aircraft into the forest.
They had all changed into jackets the same color as the forest, and the single-person aircraft, which resembled hoverboards, were also white. Once they entered the forest, the eye could barely keep up with the aircraft's speed. A vast number of semi-transparent or fully transparent plants crowded together, reflecting dazzling arcs of light under the illumination, putting immense strain on their vision.
The roar of a beast came from afar. Xu Huo was about to follow Dong Jingxuan when, unexpectedly, the player who had come out with Dong Qifeng turned his aircraft around and blocked his path.
The neatly groomed man ran his right hand over his hair, which was slicked with gel. He didn't intend to make things difficult for him, only signaling that he couldn't go any further.
Xu Huo compliantly stopped in place, pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket, and raised his hand to ask the other if he wanted one.
That B-rank player didn't even blink, naturally ignoring him.
Xu Huo smiled indifferently, lit one himself, but didn't smoke it. Instead, he let the scent of the cigarette drift through the woods.
With a B-rank player's evolution rate, it wasn't surprising that their perception range was slightly larger than a C-rank player's. Though not very precise, the hair-gel player still noticed that Xu Huo had done something, because a mutated tiger was charging toward their position.
Xu Huo flicked the ash from his cigarette. "This isn't against the rules, is it?"
The rule only said no items could be used, not that potions were forbidden.
The hair-gel player gave him a cold look, then turned and headed straight for the mutated tiger. Meanwhile, the Dong brothers, who had already gone far, heard the noise and chased back.
General traits were ineffective against animals, and since the match didn't allow items, the hair-gel player only needed to physically drive the mutated tiger toward Dong Qifeng to quickly determine the winner.
Of course, Xu Huo might not be able to keep up with a B-rank player's speed, and there was no need to. He estimated Dong Jingxuan's position, circled to the side, and used his spiritual power to cover the area. Animals, though lacking human reason, had instincts. When a giant tiger, several times its size and capable of biting off half its body in one gulp, suddenly appeared, even the tiger knew to run.
The mutated tiger, which had been roaring arrogantly a second ago, tucked its ears and charged straight toward Dong Jingxuan!
"This tiger is mine!" Dong Jingxuan skillfully maneuvered his aircraft while raising his hunting rifle.
But before he could fire, the hair-gel player flashed in front of the mutated tiger, grabbed its front legs, and flipped the beast over like a kitten. The tiger crashed through two trees, hit the ground, and scrambled toward Dong Qifeng's direction.
Simply scaring the tiger wouldn't change its direction anymore, so Xu Huo subtly used his spiritual power to interfere with Dong Qifeng.
Dong Qifeng, who had been aiming his rifle, was momentarily distracted by the sound of a cub's cry. When he shifted his gaze, he heard a gunshot. Almost simultaneously, he fired as well.
Both bullets struck the mutated tiger almost at the same time. Then, Dong Jingxuan and his brother stopped beside the tiger's corpse. Dong Qifeng asked the hair-gel player, "Who hit it first?"
The hair-gel player didn't speak. Dong Qifeng's expression soured slightly.
"Haha! I definitely hit it first!" Dong Jingxuan beamed, then reached out to Dong Qifeng. "Hand it over!"
Dong Qifeng narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze shifting from Dong Jingxuan to Xu Huo, who had arrived later. Suddenly, he gave a faint smile and tossed over a palm-sized ring item. "Just a couple of little things. What's there to argue about between brothers? You can play with it if you want."
With that, he turned and left with his people.
Dong Jingxuan sneered at his back. "He talks big, but he can't take a loss. Look at his face! He's definitely going to tattle when he gets back."
Xu Huo didn't know whether he would tattle or not, but the pitch-black number "9" hovering above his head was unmistakable.
"Is this the Little Tunnel?" he asked, looking at the item in Dong Jingxuan's hand.
"That's right. This one's new and hasn't been locked yet." Dong Jingxuan pressed the edge of the ring. After the item read his blood information, a fluctuation of power appeared in the hollow center, and the space twisted like boiling water.
Then, he aimed the ring at an empty spot. The "boiling water" poured out in an orderly manner, forming a cone-shaped radiation zone. At the far end, an enlarged version of the ring stood about two meters tall, looking like a blurry patch of mist that refused to dissipate.
"This is the space gate." Dong Jingxuan put the item away before pointing at the ring. "It lasts for five seconds. As long as you step through, you can go straight from here to Xiaoyang City. Pretty convenient, right?"
Convenient was an understatement. The significance of this item went far beyond simply shortening distances.
"What's its maximum range?" Xu Huo asked.
"Probably from Snow City to Xiaoyang City," Dong Jingxuan said uncertainly.
"It can't cross into other spaces?"
Dong Jingxuan laughed. "If there were items that could directly traverse different spaces, would our 002 District still be stuck here borrowing sunlight? Wouldn't it be better to set up a district as a tourist spot?"
"The large space passages you saw in the Preservation Hall are all unusable for people."
"The only ones that work are these."
He pulled out the "Little Tunnel" again and casually tossed it to Xu Huo. "Borrow it for a couple of days, but you have to give it back. Dong Qifeng may act generous, but he's actually stingy. He'll definitely come asking for it."
Xu Huo turned the metallic black ring in his hand. "How much does this thing cost? Can you sell me one?"
"My family buys them from others," Dong Jingxuan said. "If you really want one, I'll ask my dad later."
"Then thank you," Xu Huo said.
"Don't mention it. I owe you today. Seeing Dong Qifeng's constipated face made my day." Dong Jingxuan didn't ask about the details and ordered someone to take the dead mutated tiger for processing. "We'll eat this later!"
When the two returned to the estate, the kitchen staff said they couldn't prepare the banquet for now because the chefs from the side building had been borrowed by the main building—Dong Jingxuan's father was entertaining some important guests.
Dong Jingxuan felt a bit embarrassed but decided to cook barbecue in the yard himself.
Just as they were setting up the grill, Dong Yanqiong, whom they had seen earlier, ran over and mocked Dong Jingxuan. "I knew you wouldn't make it to the main table."