Chapter 1058: Detected Player Has Entered High-Risk Instance
“Do you have a Perfect Evolution Potion in your hands?” Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.
Uncle Guan laughed bitterly. “Even if the real Holy Sword Society isn’t as numerous as the fake one, we haven’t come up empty-handed. We managed to find out that Dr. Wu is connected to the Stellar Corporation, so naturally we could also find one or two doses of Perfect Evolution Potion.”
Both sides had held back during that conversation, not even directly mentioning the model name of the Perfect Evolution Potion. Besides concealing information, they were also testing each other’s depth. In the end, both parties felt the other knew more than they had expected.
“But the potion isn’t on me right now. It has to be delivered through the Bounty Platform,” Uncle Guan said. “However, I can share Dr. Wu’s information with you.”
“I want both the information and the potion,” Xu Huo said. “If you have extra potions, you can name an additional price.”
Uncle Guan studied him. “You should know that the Perfect Evolution Potion is ineffective for people who have already taken other versions of Evolution Potions, right?”
“Of course I know,” Xu Huo said, placing a dose of Antidote in front of him. “But there are many talented people in the game. Who knows, it might come in handy someday.”
“I used to think that way too.” Uncle Guan held the bargaining chip, naturally not about to devalue himself. “One piece of information about Dr. Wu, one dose of Perfect Evolution Potion, in exchange for twenty bottles of Antidote.”
“I’ll give you five at most, and that’s for three pieces of information and one dose of Perfect Evolution Potion,” Xu Huo bargained. “Compared to the Evolution Potion, the information about Dr. Wu is more important. And my Antidote isn’t just for one specific toxin—you’re not losing out.”
The two went back and forth haggling, finally settling on seven bottles of Antidote in exchange for three pieces of information and one dose of Evolution Potion.
“First, Dr. Wu is indeed one person—only one person. The Holy Sword Society once intercepted an encrypted file from a Gray Player investigating him. Dr. Wu has used many different faces, but the Game Government has determined he is the same individual.”
“Second, Dr. Wu might be a Perfect Evolver. Based on information gathered by both the Game Government and the Holy Sword Society, Dr. Wu is at least over two hundred and twenty years old. To date, no publicly available player data from the Game Government exceeds that age.”
“Third, Dr. Wu might possess a certain degree of game authority.”
Xu Huo had guessed at the first two points, but the third was genuinely surprising.
“So that’s why you believe Dr. Wu is one of the game’s founders?”
“Exactly,” Uncle Guan said, touching his severed arm. “He’s been able to stay steady and avoid the Game Government’s pursuit every single time. Who could pull that off except someone familiar with the game and holding certain authority?”
“Even a Super Player couldn’t be so slippery.”
“Is there solid evidence?” Xu Huo asked after a moment of thought.
Uncle Guan fell silent, neither confirming nor denying.
So there was some basis for it, not entirely baseless speculation.
From this perspective, the Game Government might indeed have already mastered the formula for the Perfect Evolution Potion, only choosing not to mass-produce it to limit players. The pursuit of Dr. Wu might also involve other hidden circumstances.
This meant Dr. Wu likely understood the entire operational mechanism of the game…
Xu Huo frowned slightly, then handed the Antidote to Uncle Guan.
After receiving the potion and confirming it, Uncle Guan said, “Are you sure you won’t consider joining the Holy Sword Society? Going it alone in the game means taking many detours, and the Holy Sword Society shares information.”
“That bait is big enough.” Xu Huo didn’t give a definitive answer. “I’ll think about it.”
Uncle Guan smiled and was about to enter the storage room when his expression suddenly changed. He kicked open the door in front of him and pulled out the two injured individuals. The moment they retreated from the storage room, a massive explosion erupted inside, and a burst of open flames quickly engulfed the surroundings!
Xu Huo also retreated, but the residential building was already surrounded by Government Hall players. The sky and ground were filled with aircraft, forming a net that covered the entire building.
By the time Chi Minghong and the Holy Sword Society members arrived, a half-dead, battered person was thrown down from the command vehicle ahead.
“That’s one of ours.” Ruan Qiyan growled.
The player who had kicked the person down sneered lightly. “I thought the Holy Sword Society were all tough nuts.”
The faces of the Holy Sword Society members darkened, but since things had come to this, they could only find a way to leave first.
Even though they had two injured members, as long as they entered the station together, it would be fine.
“Prepare to leave,” Uncle Guan said from the front.
In this situation, fighting head-on would make it hard to escape the Government Hall players, and their strongest combatant had already lost an arm, significantly reducing their strength.
“Sorry about this,” Uncle Guan said, turning back to Xu Huo.
Xu Huo wasn’t even looking at him. Instead, he was watching the Government Hall players’ movements. When he came out, he had sensed something was off about this place, but he had initially thought it was a Government Hall attack prop. Seeing that all the players were keeping a distance of over a hundred meters and showed no intention of attacking, he realized that this wave from District 002 was probably planning to use advanced weapons against them.
He quickly said to Chi Minghong, “Give him a ticket. Give me an address, and I’ll find you after leaving here.”
Chi Minghong immediately understood he was giving the boy a Non-Player Ticket. With the situation urgent, she quickly took out two Non-Player Tickets and handed them to the boy and woman beside her. At the same time, she pulled out three business cards and was about to hand them over when a massive circle, at least fifty meters in diameter, appeared in front of them. Thick, almost solid dark clouds rolled across it, accompanied by wandering lightning and flickering dazzling lights. A powerful suction force erupted from it, instantly pulling the boy and woman standing behind Xu Huo away!
Xu Huo reached out without hesitation and grabbed the child, but the woman, along with her scream, vanished into the dark clouds!
Space Channel!
Realizing something was wrong, Xu Huo immediately went for the ticket. At the same time, the boy he was holding also gripped the Non-Player Ticket tightly—survival was the priority now; whether they met again would depend on fate!
But just as they, along with Chi Minghong and the Holy Sword Society members behind them, were about to use the tickets to leave, another strange force enveloped them. For a moment, everyone seemed frozen in midair, but this process lasted less than half a second.
The next instant… Boom!
The building behind them was torn apart from the middle, rapidly disintegrating as large chunks of debris were all sucked toward the channel by gravity. Before that, Xu Huo and the others, who had been barely resisting the suction but were delayed, had already vanished into the channel!
The ticket didn’t activate in time, and the game’s notification sound followed:
[Detected player has entered a B-grade high-risk random instance venue. This instance has no background introduction or mission requirements. Players may act as they please. The ticket channel will reopen in fourteen days. Good luck, players.]
(End of chapter)