Chapter 1089: The Situation in Xiaohe City
"We've thought about that too," Jiang Wenzhang said. "But no one has ever come out of a copy."
That was just playing dumb. Where would a random copy come from in a high-risk instance?
The purpose of a high-risk instance was to punish players, with the goal of killing them. Most players who entered would end up dead—why would a random copy bother to show up?
Besides, if the holder was a living person, what would they be doing here?
Unless someone here controlled a copy.
But if they really held a copy, there would be no need to hide from ticket copies in such a miserable way. When a copy was activated, the player's identity was automatically suspended. Even someone like the Skinner could run around in various districts, which showed that the game's control over copy holders wasn't strict. There was no possibility that a cannibal player couldn't obtain a copy.
"How can you be sure it's because of outsiders?" Uncle Guan asked again. "There shouldn't be that many survivors finding their way to Xiaohe Town."
"Indeed, there aren't. But whenever someone comes in, Xiaohe City has problems. Although some of us haven't encountered living people, occasionally when we go out hunting, we see traces," Zheng Da said. "That's how we inferred it."
"But unfortunately, we've never found the cause."
An unknown danger was right in front of them. Looking at Zheng Da and the others' expressions, they didn't seem to be faking it. Could there really be such a mutant animal?
"Actually, there's no need to worry that much," Jiang Wenzhang said at this point. "As long as you stay in the room, nothing happens."
He said this to Xu Huo and the others.
When he met Jiang Wenzhang's gaze, Xu Huo paused, then nodded.
Next came breakfast time. Xu Huo and his group didn't eat. With Mr. Kang's permission, they could walk around the building.
District 002 originally had fourteen people. One had disappeared last night, and the biting girl was following Xu Huo, so only twelve remained in the dining hall to eat.
As they walked out of the dining hall, Chi Minghong and Zhou Yuanzhu couldn't help but look back. Although the breakfast was simple, it looked delicious.
Chi Minghong ate his dry rations while saying, "This stuff just makes me hungrier the more I eat."
Xu Huo walked ahead, talking with Uncle Guan. "Can the filters sold by the game remove impurities from rainwater?"
Uncle Guan understood his meaning. "Some can, but the game has strict control over filters. And because of technological monopoly, ordinary game districts aren't allowed to produce high-spec filters."
"The game's control over filters is a bit beyond imagination," Xu Huo said.
But Uncle Guan shook his head. "It's not as complicated as you think. It's purely because of the environmentalists within the game government."
"To produce filters capable of removing toxins or certain elements requires a rare mineral resource. Due to over-mining, and the fact that unprocessed ore itself carries pollution, some districts have even become barren wastelands. The environmentalists have repeatedly protested to the game government, and after various back-and-forths, the current situation has formed."
"If you want one, you'll have to find a specialized smuggler."
He handed Xu Huo a business card. "This person has done business with me a few times. He might have a channel."
Xu Huo looked at it. On the white paper was only an account nickname: Independent Express Courier.
"Why did you ask about this?" Uncle Guan inquired.
"The water in Xiaohe City has been filtered," Xu Huo said. "The water might be clean. If you've brought dehydrated vegetables and rice or flour, you can cook for yourselves."
At least they could solve the hunger problem first.
Hearing this, Chi Minghong volunteered to contribute ingredients. Zhou Yuanzhu could cook, and Ruan Qiyan went over to help.
They couldn't go to the back of the building, so Xu Huo and Uncle Guan only walked around the front half. The upper floors were the living quarters of Xiaohe City's players, so there wasn't much to see in this building.
Xu Huo casually handed two repair tools to the bald player Wang Mo. "Are the cameras broken? They look quite new."
He had known since last night that almost all the surveillance cameras in the building were damaged.
Wang Mo glanced at him. "These things aren't easy to break."
Xu Huo smiled. "I did come out last night, but I definitely didn't touch anything in the building. It has nothing to do with me."
A player with Wang Mo said, "A batch gets damaged every time. I really don't know what's the point of replacing them. They can't capture anything anyway. What a waste of money."
"Do these instruments also break when someone goes missing?" Xu Huo asked. "That's strange. Do mutant beasts know how to destroy cameras?"
"Look at the situation outside Xiaohe City, and you'll understand. Nothing that happens here is surprising," Wang Mo waved his hand. "Go somewhere else. Don't distract me from my work."
Destroying cameras seemed even more like human action.
Xu Huo followed Uncle Guan downstairs and found Zheng Da and the others organizing a team to go out of the city.
"These two days are perfect for hunting. We need to stock up on supplies," Zheng Da explained, and added, "Want to come along? See the hunting methods of Xiaohe City."
Xu Huo showed curiosity. Uncle Guan nodded upon seeing this. "Go with them. Bring Yuanzhu."
So Xu Huo and Zhou Yuanzhu got onto Zheng Da's truck.
Besides Zheng Da, there were eleven others from Xiaohe City: the dark-faced player Zhao Xiaofang who had driven yesterday, the bald player Wang Mo, Cao Zheng, Jiang Wenzhang, and a few others.
Three sat in the front. Wang Mo, Cao Zheng, and the others sat in the back with Xu Huo and his companion. Neither side was talkative, so silence was filled only with mutual scrutiny.
Surrounded by so many players, Zhou Yuanzhu couldn't help but glance at Xu Huo, wondering why he had come out.
Xu Huo turned back and gave her a reassuring look.
After a tedious half-hour drive, they encountered their first batch of xenomorphs. Wang Mo took out a metal square box, pressed a button on it, and a sound beyond the upper limit of human hearing instantly spread in all directions. The charging xenomorphs all scratched their heads, stumbling forward and crashing into each other. The group became a chaotic mess, and in their frenzy, they even abandoned their prey and started fighting among themselves!
"Haha!" Wang Mo enjoyed watching the xenomorphs fight. "This thing works every time!"
Watching the xenomorphs tearing into each other, Zhou Yuanzhu said, "It seems not all xenomorph brains have evolved along with their bodies."
Just then, the front of the truck was slapped three times. The players in the compartment immediately steadied themselves and grabbed the handles. The vehicle let out a hum, then sharply turned around, the front swinging to the back, reversing direction and speeding off.
Xu Huo and Zhou Yuanzhu, sitting in the back, saw a nearly ten-meter-tall giant xenomorph chasing the truck. Behind it followed a swarm of smaller xenomorphs, making strange calls as they ran, as if summoning companions.
"Let them taste some hardship!" Zheng Da turned back and said.
(Chapter End)