Chapter 1064: High-Risk Instance Has Only One Purpose
Such items certainly existed, but the bar’s door was itself an item barrier, and using the chains was already sufficient. Moreover, the chains could be stacked multiple times—completely blocking the door would actually be disadvantageous for those inside.
In fact, some had previously blamed Uncle Guan and the others, and a few had even fantasized about having them personally escort everyone to a safe place one by one… But Uncle Guan and the others had calmly explained themselves. Now, however, these people were instead turning around and accusing the players of putting them in danger, their attitude grating.
Zhou Yuanzhu’s face was cold as she said, “Look clearly—they saved people from District 002. The only reason you’re still alive right now is because of us. If it weren’t for you, we would have left long ago and wouldn’t be surrounded by the mutant horde.”
“Isn’t it because of you that we ended up in this godforsaken place?” The man who had spoken earlier ignored his companions’ attempts to stop him, angrily pointing at them and at Xu Huo, who had just put away his invisibility cloak. “Whenever an outer-zone player comes to Snow City, it causes chaos. Since you’re so capable, why don’t you go mess up your own districts? What are you doing in District 002?”
It was clear that a few members of the Holy Sword Society were barely holding back their tempers. But before they could act, the man suddenly burst into loud sobs. “I was about to get married! My parents, my in-laws, and relatives from my hometown all came—I even have an eight-year-old brother… They’re all dead!”
The bar fell silent. Uncle Guan and the others said nothing, the man’s cries echoing in the space.
In the face of tragedy, words held no power. What was even more pitiful was that this grief might not last very long either.
“Do you think you’re the only ones suffering?” Chi Minghong, who had already quickly treated her wounds, lifted her head. “How many districts weren’t suffering when they entered the game? You’ve been living like kings in Snow City—did you never wonder where your supplies came from?”
“You don’t think it was all bought by the District 002 government, do you? To us, you’re outer-zone people, and to people from other districts, you’re also outer-zone people. When District 002 slaughtered other districts to grab resources, you should have spoken up too, instead of living the good life with bloodstained White Notes!”
She took a breath. “I’m not saying this to make you repent or talk about karma, nor am I comparing who has it worse. We’re all sinners, and we’re all victims. At least let’s be peaceful for now. We might not even live another three to five days—what’s there to argue about?”
The adults fell silent. Only a child focused on the key point. The girl sitting beside her asked, “Why can’t we live another three to five days? Will the mutants outside come in?”
Chi Minghong pushed the girl toward the group from District 002 and said, “Do you have any food or drink?”
That was the real issue. The people who had gone to find supplies earlier had only managed to bring back a few snacks, nowhere near enough to feed over twenty people, and they had no water either.
“I have a little water here, but not much.” Uncle Guan gestured for Ruan Qiyan and the others to go behind the bar. “The items a location item can hold are limited. It’s impossible to stockpile enough supplies to fill this place.”
Worse still, food and water couldn’t be remotely accessed through the game platform—unlike items and potions, which could be transmitted to players.
If they were trapped here for a long time, their only option would be to supplement with special nutrient supplements.
The game had developed nutrient supplements that could temporarily replace food, but those couldn’t be taken long-term, and they might affect a player’s evolution rate increase. Unless someone was literally starving to death, players generally avoided drinking that stuff—no matter how advanced technology got, food remained indispensable.
But ordinary people weren’t as affected. Since they were barely surviving anyway, it could hold them over for a while.
“Don’t expect me to buy nutrient supplements for you,” Chi Minghong said with a roll of her eyes.
There were three cases of bottled water in the bar. If they rationed carefully, it could last over twenty people a few days.
“Gurgle…” The girl Chi Minghong had pushed away was crying. The hunger-induced growl of her stomach embarrassed her, and she explained sadly, “I was trying to lose weight, so I only ate two apples in the past two days…”
No one blamed her now, but after hearing that, everyone couldn’t help fantasizing, “If only I could go back to half a day ago.”
Ruan Qiyan gave her a cookie.
The girl thanked him repeatedly before taking it. Noticing someone staring at her, she quickly stuffed the cookie into her mouth in two bites, then moved closer to Chi Minghong.
Soon, a few more stomachs growled. A middle-aged woman stepped forward. “We adults can handle going hungry, but there are still children here. Give them something to eat.”
Besides the two children Xu Huo had brought down, there were four kids among the people Uncle Guan had saved—one about eight or nine, and the other three around thirteen or fourteen.
In truth, it wasn’t just the children. The adults were also feeling hungry, but they were too embarrassed to ask for food.
That was only for now, though.
Chi Minghong, leaning on a stick, walked behind Xu Huo, who had been standing by the door the whole time, and said, “Thanks for earlier. I didn’t expect you to actually come save me. I, Chi Minghong, consider you a friend from now on!”
Noticing he had been staring outside, she bent down to look as well. “Is there something out there?”
“The distribution of the mutant horde has changed,” Xu Huo said. Initially, there were smaller mutant beasts with high speed and explosive power, followed by ones that relied on numbers and strength, like mutant rhinos. Of course, that didn’t mean the mutants farther away were inferior—the ultra-large ones were at the back.
This arrangement was closer to group warfare. After the vanguard was repelled, the mutant beasts began adjusting their positions, with the front-line ones retreating to make room for the larger ones behind.
Normally, animals like wolves and leopards, which were about the size of humans, would increase in size when mutated, but unless a special evolution occurred, they wouldn’t grow too much larger. However, animals like bears and gorillas, which could naturally grow quite large, would have an advantage in size, and their claws and teeth would undergo special evolution, allowing them to reach three or four times human height.
This was all relatively normal. The abnormal ones would undergo rapid mutation in a short time, such as displaying genetic traits from other animals, or even looking like a crude patchwork of multiple species—so rough that even the word “hybrid” seemed inadequate.
However, the Stellar Corporation’s explanation was that evolution caused genetic mutations in animals, leading to the appearance of traits from different species. The most successful evolution was when an animal survived the shock of genetic mutation and successfully reproduced. Like humans, many animals faced multiple problems in the later stages of evolution, especially those that mutated particularly severely.
Thus, the appearance of so many ultra-large mutants—those approaching the size of prehistoric dinosaurs—was abnormal.
Indeed, a high-risk instance had only one purpose: to ensure that everyone who entered would die.
(Chapter End)