Chapter 1040: Forcing a Breakthrough
The shifting ground surged again. Xu Huo used "Kite String" and "Forced Float" to lift the Dong siblings into the air while simultaneously drawing out "Eye of the Dead" to slash and dodge the cone-shaped stone spikes rushing toward him. After selectively avoiding the traps on the ground, he tossed out "Speed Damage Ice Bead," letting it bounce freely within the square.
Originally, he only intended to use the ice bead to destroy some of the traps, but unexpectedly, the moving stones could no longer move after being frozen, effectively countering this troublesome prop that could churn the ground.
Not far away, Wei Yu also blocked the attack with his own prop. As a Super Evolver, he could control objects from a distance, turning the fallen stones into natural weapons. Under his manipulation, they formed a localized horizontal rain!
This wasn't enough to kill the eight players who had yet to enter the fray. When they noticed Wei Yu trying to approach them, one of them produced a tall canister. The next second, a massive amount of toxic gas poured out!
Wei Yu quickly erected a protective barrier for himself and Wei Chengzhang, shouting, "Using such filthy tactics in a player duel? Hiding your faces—who the hell are you?!"
Clearly, the other side only intended to kill, not waste words. Or perhaps these few people weren't worth their breath—this was a one-sided hunt, and from the start, the two sides were never on equal footing.
"Wei Yu..." Wei Chengzhang knelt in pain. The protective barrier prop didn't last long, serving only as a transition for Wei Chengzhang to put on defensive gear. But even after donning a gas mask and protective suit, he was still poisoned.
Wei Yu's expression changed. He immediately checked the suit and found a tear at the ankle—the poison gas had entered through there!
"Just skin contact and it poisons this fast?" Wei Yu muttered while pulling out an antidote, glancing toward Xu Huo. But he found the Dong siblings had disappeared, replaced by a sizable box-shaped prop, with Xu Huo standing outside... outside?!
Wei Yu's vision blurred. The person he had just seen standing outside the prop vanished in an instant. His gaze swept quickly and caught Xu Huo's figure at the edge of the square—he had directly charged at a B-rank player!
He was asking for death!
Not just Wei Yu, but the other players present thought the same. Yet unexpectedly, Xu Huo not only blocked two attacks from the B-rank player but also pulled him down from the platform. As they fell toward the square floor, a metal ball even grazed past the B-rank player's temple!
With both feet on the ground, Xu Huo retrieved "Holder's Demise," twirled it once, and looked at the opponent. "You were standing too high. This is better for conversation."
As his words fell, the floor panels around him suddenly rose up, crashing down toward the center like falling meteorites!
"Inviolable Domain" caught this attack. From within the dust, Xu Huo saw the opponent closing in and leaped through space to twenty meters away. Mid-motion, he equipped the defensive prop "Ideal Skin" and quickly deployed "All Things Want to Cut Everything" into the air!
"All Things Wither!" The B-rank player spoke, and the fine threads hanging in the air slid down limply. At the same time, he intercepted Xu Huo, using a space prop to restrict his movement. Then, with a simple clench of his fist, he punched straight at Xu Huo's face!
Xu Huo couldn't retreat, but this punch instinctively made him sense danger. "Lifelike Wax Figure" probably couldn't offset the force of this blow. However, at that moment, a force blocked his heel—yes, his heel. Combined with his backward motion, a pull and a tug caused him to fall uncontrollably backward.
It was precisely at this moment of falling that the punch meant for his face struck empty air. A visible shockwave spread finely from beneath the fist, and the surrounding air seemed to gain substance, forming diamond-shaped cracks. Though only for an instant, Xu Huo saw the lines in the air—lines he could only perceive when stacking spiritual power. Without it, he could only sense them!
Another Super Evolver!
This punch broke the prop's restriction effect. Xu Huo quickly retreated, pulling back to the front of the shelter. Using "Forced Float," he then brought out "Mini Mushroom Cloud."
"Mini Mushroom Cloud" had a ten-second delay before detonation, but that wasn't enough time to deploy the prop elsewhere. He couldn't enter the shelter. Not only would he have to endure the explosion head-on, but he also had to block the opposing Super Evolver!
Seeming to recognize the power of the prop in Xu Huo's hand, the B-rank player didn't press the attack but quickly withdrew to his companions!
Seeing the B-rank player adopt a stance of protecting his teammates and retreating, Wei Yu, knowing he absolutely couldn't safely shield Wei Chengzhang, rushed over to Xu Huo with him. "Let us hide inside!"
"Give me two props!" Xu Huo said quickly.
Wei Yu didn't hesitate and handed over two B-rank props. The moment they entered, "Mini Mushroom Cloud" detonated!
At the epicenter of the explosion, even hiding behind the shelter, Xu Huo was still heavily affected. First, as he was carried by the blast wind, he was slammed twice by his own shelter. "Inviolable Domain" shattered three times. If not for stacking it with "Ideal Skin," he would have died on the spot once!
"Mini Mushroom Cloud" was only a B-rank prop, but its core explosive power was enough to breach the defense barrier of an A-rank prop. This blast should be sufficient to blow through the entire square.
As a mushroom cloud rose from the ground, the shelter was carried by the blast wind to a relatively safe area. "Forced Float" couldn't lift the heavy shelter. Unable to land safely, Xu Huo first retracted the prop, then used "Kite String" to suspend the two people in the air.
Looking at the ground, the square that had trapped them was actually an underground structure. Now that the ceiling was blown off, a large pit appeared, revealing some broken instruments and facilities nearby.
"Looks like it was specifically designed to deal with Snow City players." Xu Huo asked Dong Jingxuan, "Do you know this place?"
"We're safe..." Dong Jingxuan was hit by a gust of strong wind and shut his mouth.
"A development zone," Wei Yu said grimly. "I remember this place is under direct government jurisdiction. There were rumors a new experimental zone would be built here..."
"It seems the new experimental zone is already finished." Xu Huo smiled. "It's just that the first batch of test subjects isn't you."
"But now that this place is exposed, Snow City players will be here soon."
He looked up at the opposite side. "Want to leave first?"