Chapter 1041: The Root of Evil
The B-rank player who had been fighting Xu Huo, along with his teammates, had also landed safely on the other side of the underground plaza. It was to them that Xu Huo had spoken those words.
In their confrontation, Xu Huo's side held no advantage. But one peculiar aspect of games and players lies in items. Items are ranked, but the targets they affect are not necessarily ranked. Sometimes, an E-rank or D-rank item can, at the right moment, affect a B-rank or even an A-rank player. Of course, the probability is very low, but it means that high-level players don't have absolute crushing power over lower-level players. As long as a person still has items, unexpected situations can arise.
Xu Huo's actions just now had precisely demonstrated this point, and at the same time, sparked the other side's interest in conversation.
"A C-rank Super Evolver, your skill level is far higher than that 002 Zone player beside you," the B-rank player who had been fighting him said, looking at him. "You have great potential. It's a shame you're willing to be a hired thug for a spoiled brat."
"That's where you're wrong," Xu Huo waved his hand. "Can't a spoiled brat have friends?"
The other's expression darkened slightly, as if unsure whether Xu Huo's words were a mockery.
"I don't know about others, but he still has some bottom line," Xu Huo said, raising his hand to pat the head of Dong Jingxuan, who was dangling beside him. "Meeting by chance is also a kind of fate, so I fished him out. At the critical moment of life and death, he didn't want to abandon his cousins, so I had to drag them along too."
"One-on-one, I might not necessarily win, let alone while carrying two dead weights." He looked squarely at the person in front of him. "But if you think you can easily kill these two from my hands, that's probably not possible either."
"Brother Xu..." Dong Jingxuan looked at him with emotion. "We've only known each other for a few days, I didn't expect you to truly treat me as a friend. All my life, others have only seen me as a sucker..."
"You can shut up now." Xu Huo couldn't spare any attention to look at him; his gaze and focus were entirely on the person opposite.
However, the B-rank player suddenly laughed. "Talented people in the game often go to extremes. Those with talent who live a long time either have very good luck or very good brains. Which category do you think you belong to?"
Xu Huo narrowed his eyes. This wasn't a question, but a choice, forcing him to decide between self-preservation and a head-on confrontation.
"The Holy Sword Society has killed many people," he said in a deep voice. "The first time I encountered a Holy Sword Society player, half of the members they had recruited were Cannibal Players. They specifically targeted the old, weak, women, and children. It's not much different from you guys targeting a few pampered children of the powerful today who can't even carry a shoulder pole or lift a hand."
The B-rank player wasn't angered. Instead, he said, "The Holy Sword Society never recruits Cannibal Players. If you encountered someone who didn't follow the rules, then he definitely wasn't a member of the Holy Sword Society."
"Furthermore, the extent of harm one person can cause isn't determined by their personal strength. The many families in Zone 002 controlled by non-players are the true root of evil. By killing them, more people can live in peace."
"As for these two you mentioned, whether they are good or bad, the current situation is caused by their families. They share in both the benefits and the consequences."
Without even needing to use an item, Xu Huo could feel the killing intent emanating from the other. In an instant, multiple escape plans flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed them. Escaping alone wouldn't be difficult, but taking Dong Jingxuan and the others with him, even with free use of items, would be extremely difficult. And once he acted, the lives of Dong Jingxuan and the others could be over in an instant…
Someone was coming!
The player reinforcements from Zone 002 had finally arrived!
Xu Huo was clearly not the only one who realized this. The B-rank player had no intention of letting Dong Jingxuan and the others go. Even knowing reinforcements had arrived, he still released his item—a rotating metal barrel that looked like a cannon, hovering high in the air, firing hundreds of bullets with smoke and mist!
At this speed, running was definitely too late. And this area restricted long-distance teleportation items. The only option was to block.
Wei Yu was the first to use a defense item to intercept a wave of bullets, but the barrier could block the bullets, not the person. Almost simultaneously, the B-rank player bypassed the defense and flashed behind them. With a flick of his hand, several finger-length daggers flew through the air, sealing off Xu Huo and the others' range of movement at super high speed!
Those flying daggers were so fast they were almost impossible to track with the naked eye. And if one tried to look, they would inevitably be one step slow, then every step slow. In the blink of an eye, Wei Yu and Wei Chengzhang had six or seven wounds. Wei Yu, in particular, had her right shoulder pierced while shielding Wei Chengzhang.
Xu Huo's situation was slightly better. "360-Degree Defense" was enough to compensate for the eyes' inability to keep up. And this item had the added benefit of slightly covering Dong Jingxuan and the others. He stacked "Ideal Skin" and "Inviolable Domain," and in a flash, parried the rapier the other swung at him!
The B-rank player had already recognized "Inviolable Domain" as a space item, so he had used a targeted attack item. When this strike failed to break Xu Huo's barrier, he was slightly surprised. But in the next moment, he switched items and easily shattered the barrier with a sheep's head hammer!
The barrier of "Inviolable Domain" was broken, but "All Things Want to Cut Everything," which had been pre-deployed inside, precisely caught the sheep's head hammer.
Although he withdrew the item immediately, the B-rank player was still startled by the pulling force on his hand and instantly retreated ten meters away!
B-rank players, especially battle-hardened ones, not only had high evolution rates but were also more perceptive. Even without mental evolution, they could vaguely distinguish this special kind of evolved result.
"You fooled my eyes." He looked at Xu Huo, his expression turning serious.
Xu Huo said calmly, "If I had just thrown a punch directly, you might not have kept your right hand just now."
Of course, this was an exaggeration. In reality, if the opponent had still used a punch empowered by Super Evolution Power, even an A-rank item probably couldn't have truly severely injured him. But making the other party vigilant was beneficial to him.
Because the Zone 002 players had finally arrived to take over.
Five groups of players arrived one after another. After confirming the identities of Dong Jingxuan and the others, they immediately intercepted the Holy Sword Society members and cleared a path to an aircraft.
Xu Huo and the others quickly boarded the aircraft and rapidly distanced themselves from the fighting.
"I wonder how they managed to affect the destination of teleportation items," Wei Yu said, still shaken as she looked back. After a pause, she added, "There must be other experimental sites down there."
"That's none of our business!" Wei Chengzhang said. "The government players will handle it."
"Even holding a teleportation item now, I wouldn't dare use it," Dong Jingxuan said, operating the aircraft. "Let's go to my place. It's safer there."
"Contact the Dong family first," Xu Huo said. "The Dong family might be safe, but if you can't get back, it's useless."
(Chapter End)