Chapter 115: A Blinding Entrance
The reasons for the formation of instances.
Peng Fengnian said that some powerful players could open instances at game stations, like the previous slaughterhouse instance, which was opened by a player.
As for the Headchopper and this Decibel Town, they had no fixed boss and only provided a venue, seemingly automatically generated instances.
In this case, the reasons for instance formation were also diverse. They could dissipate, or they could continuously generate. The participants of an instance could also become its creators. In other words, every player had the opportunity to open an instance and become its boss.
"Interesting."
He was becoming increasingly interested in non-closed instances.
He stayed in the office building until evening. Before leaving, he cast a respectful glance at the large clock, then headed towards the West Gate.
*
After a night and a day had passed, Lin Pei and the others inside the wall finally arrived at the West Gate after enduring countless hardships.
Fortunately, the scaffolding was still relatively intact. After they lowered their volume while walking, the number of Xenomorphs following them gradually decreased. It was actually safer than when they had crossed the suspension bridge earlier.
However, they encountered an obstruction upon reaching the West Gate.
Unlike the East Gate, what blocked the entire road this time wasn't a fence, but metal plates spliced together. Each piece was nailed to a frame with steel spikes, completely sealing off the path ahead.
"How do we get out?" Wang Chaoqing reached out to knock on the steel plate, but Lin Pei slapped his hand away. "Do you want to attract all the Xenomorphs here?"
"To get through, we have to pry the steel plate open. Try using Xu Huo's sword," Ke Liang said wearily. Blood had been seeping from the wound on his leg the entire way. Although the flying arrow wasn't poisoned, it had shredded several of his blood vessels, and the self-healing agent was having little effect. If he didn't get out soon, he might die here.
Gu Yu had an injured foot and a broken hand. Leaning against the equally injured Shen Xin, she said, "It's almost twelve o'clock. If we miss this time, we'll have to wait another day."
"Keep watch. Wang Chaoqing, stand in the back." Lin Pei said with a frown.
The only one here with all limbs intact was Wang Chaoqing. If the Xenomorphs were attracted by the noise, he would have to be the first to hold them off.
Wang Chaoqing looked at the miserable state of Gu Yu and the other two and had no choice but to accept.
"Clang!" Unexpectedly, the metal plate wasn't as hard as the wall; it was cut through in one swing.
"It works!" Lin Pei joyfully pulled the sword out. Just as he was about to swing a second time, he suddenly heard Wang Chaoqing shout, "What's that!"
He whipped his head around and saw several pairs of glowing lights in the darkness rapidly moving towards them!
Gu Yu's flashlight beam caught a shadow that flashed past their side. "It's a Xenomorph!"
"Ah!!! Aren't they unable to jump? Why can they fly now!" Wang Chaoqing let out a shrill scream.
"That's not flying! They can move on the walls!" Gu Yu heard a sticky sound moving towards them along the wall. She quickly shone the light over and saw a monster that looked like a skinned frog already right in front of her!
She stumbled back two steps in fright, thinking she was doomed. Unexpectedly, the Xenomorph only grabbed at her before recoiling as if burned, then disappeared into the darkness.
The flashlight beam still illuminated the wall, revealing a trail of wet footprints extending from a distance to their location. However, the liquid didn't flow down like water; instead, it coagulated into a lump like glue.
"They have webbed claws with adhesive properties! They can walk on walls! Don't let them get close..."
Before she could finish, she heard someone beside her cry out. She quickly shone the light over and saw a Xenomorph biting down hard on Shen Xin's arm. When the flashlight beam hit it, it seemed terrified, cowering and covering its face with its hands before fleeing!
"It's afraid of light!" Gu Yu quickly raised the flashlight above her head, letting the light shine down from above. Ke Liang and Wang Chaoqing did the same, crowding together, shielding Lin Pei behind them.
In the darkness, those few pairs of fluorescent lights flickered and moved. Gu Yu could feel they were on the verge of frenzy, and she shouted, "Lin Pei, hurry up!"
Lin Pei had already cut a square in the metal plate. He kicked it, and it immediately became an opening large enough for one person to crawl through. He tied one end of the elastic rope to the scaffolding and jumped out first.
"Hurry! Hurry!" Wang Chaoqing urged Ke Liang. As the two crowded together, they ended up dropping a flashlight!
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
The sticky footsteps rapidly approached again. Wang Chaoqing shoved Ke Liang aside and grabbed the rope, sliding down himself!
In the critical moment, no one had the leeway to argue with him. Fortunately, Gu Yu shone the light beside Ke Liang, driving back the ambushing Xenomorph, allowing him to successfully pass through the exit.
Once he was through, he held the rope but didn't leave immediately. Instead, he took the flashlight and shone it directly on the exit, waiting until Gu Yu and Shen Xin were safely on the ground before he descended himself.
"Bang! Bang!" Two Xenomorphs lingered at the exit, afraid of the light and unwilling to come out, venting their frustration by pounding on the metal plates.
"They'll definitely attract other Xenomorphs this way." Gu Yu said, her face pale.
"It's twelve o'clock!" Ke Liang looked at the time.
"Twelve o'clock is useless." Shen Xin said in a low voice. "We can't open the door."
Everyone turned their gaze to Lin Pei, who was already trying the main gate.
The gate and the wall seemed to have a dividing line, but touching it, one could barely feel any gap. Pushing the gate outward, it didn't budge at all. But pulling it inward, there was no leverage point!
Lin Pei, using both his sword and hands, couldn't move the door inward by even a fraction of an inch.
"This won't work," he turned around, his eyes roaming over Ke Liang and the others. "We need to catch a Xenomorph."
"Those Xenomorphs have sticky hands and feet; maybe we can try..." Gu Yu instinctively agreed, but then immediately understood. "You want us to catch a Xenomorph?!"
Lin Pei's sword pointed at them again, his intention clear.
"No! Absolutely not! We can't possibly beat a Xenomorph..." Wang Chaoqing shook his head as he backed away.
Lin Pei didn't care about his life or death. He was about to step forward and grab someone when, out of nowhere, a Xenomorph dropped down from above!
Then a second, and a third!
The appearance of the Xenomorphs threw them into chaos. However, when they got a clear look at the creatures, they realized these were the same kind of degraded Xenomorphs with poor jumping ability that had appeared at the East Gate!
"Not good!" Ke Liang shone the flashlight back at the opening in the metal plate, but only saw two sets of footprints.
"We've been tricked!" He threw the flashlight on the ground and stood within the beam of light. "Come over here, quick!"
Gu Yu and the others quickly ran to where the light could reach them. But besides the two light-fearing Xenomorphs, there were three more of the degraded ones!
As they fended off the attacks of the degraded Xenomorphs, they kept an eye on the two light-fearing ones. They discovered that not only could these creatures climb sheer cliffs, but they also possessed incredible jumping ability, showing no fear of falling from great heights. Worst of all, they were fast. Whenever Gu Yu and the others extended their hands or feet into the darkness, the Xenomorphs would silently ambush them!
This happened several times. Not only did they fail to kill any of the degraded Xenomorphs, but they also added more wounds to their own hands and feet.
Lin Pei had also tried to lure them over, but these two Xenomorphs were exceptionally clever and wouldn't take the bait!
Using Gu Yu and the others as bait, he was worried they would die before the Xenomorphs. But if he was left alone, it would be difficult to deal with the remaining Xenomorphs, and he wasn't confident he could kill the light-fearing ones in one go.
But dragging it out like this would eventually lead to death. He absolutely couldn't wait until the next day!
Just as he was hesitating whether to take a gamble, the tightly shut gate in front of him suddenly moved inward. It was caught on a pulley axle and pulled upward by an iron chain.
"The door is open? Why?"
"Someone's coming out from over there!" Wang Chaoqing, facing the town, shouted.
Gu Yu and the others turned around and saw a blindingly bright light moving towards them from the direction of the gate...