Chapter 1124: Dead Fungal Threads
Xu Huo squinted his eyes. "Even if players travel between zones with different time rules, the total amount of time they themselves experience does not change."
For example, when he was at the W37 base station, completing the instance took thirty days, but the countdown at the E27 wormhole point was seven days. That meant if he stayed in W37 for thirty days and returned to E27, only seven days would have passed there. It seemed like a discrepancy in time, but it wasn't time travel. He had spent thirty days at the W37 base station—that was thirty days gone. Returning to E27 wouldn't reverse twenty-three days. Compared to other players who had never left E27, he had simply gained an extra twenty-three days of time, aging twenty-three days more.
Of course, he hadn't waited until the time limit to come out. As long as he returned to a zone with similar time rules, this gap would be hard to notice in the short term.
Therefore, no matter how players moved between instances, their lifespans wouldn't be extended, nor would they regain their youth.
That was why what Uncle Guan said about Dr. Wu obtaining a lifespan beyond his years was impossible.
"That's exactly why I said Dr. Wu might have game permissions," Uncle Guan said. "Maybe the A1 wormhole point has already invented a time-space shuttle, or there are some rights or benefits exclusive to game insiders."
That was a bit of a stretch.
Xu Huo didn't deny his speculation but instead asked, "If time rewind really exists, could players find the game headquarters?"
Uncle Guan fell silent.
If time rewind truly existed, could someone really destroy the game?
Wouldn't the game itself, which first mastered this rule, use it to protect itself?
This seemed like another contradiction.
After that, there was no more conversation. Xu Huo closed his eyes to rest again, while Uncle Guan and the others kept watch on the outside.
Protected by the location item, the xenomorphs wandering outside couldn't get in, but the ordinary people who had originally lived inside Xiaohe City and outside the commercial building were not so lucky.
If they maintained this state, holding out for a few days wouldn't be a problem. But not long after, the remaining players who refused to leave Xiaohe City came out to shout, demanding entry into the bar.
"Are they joking?" Zhou Yuanzhu laughed in disbelief. "Do they think we're fools?"
"Brothers just want a temporary place to hide, and we happen to not have any location items on hand," a bald man covered in piercings said with a sneer. "If you don't let us in, don't blame us for being rude!"
Uncle Guan appeared at the window. The next second, the speaking man quickly dodged to the side, and the skinny man beside him raised his hand. A lotus-shaped metal barrier opened in front of them, not only blocking Uncle Guan's attack but also clamping down on the medicinal item when the lotus closed!
The bald man laughed arrogantly. "A half-crippled B-level player, if you've got the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one!"
"And don't think I don't know that that Xu guy is a Super Evolver," he pointed to a metal piece stuck to his ear. "This is a device specially designed to counter spiritual interference!"
"Is that so?" A voice that didn't belong to their group suddenly sounded behind him. The bald man stepped back in shock, but Xu Huo was already outside, pinching the metal piece he had just taken off the man's ear.
Seeing the metal piece turn to powder in his hand, the bald man showed a flicker of fear, then roared, "Kill him!"
Without a B-level player to hold the line, Xu Huo put on the stopwatch, used the directional item to suppress all spatial items on the field, then extended the Cube Space power, forcibly scattering these people and imprisoning them separately before dealing with them one by one.
Although the temporary space barrier wasn't strong enough to hold the players for long, it could delay them for a second or two. And in that second or two, Xu Huo could send them off in batches. After all, there was still space in the underground parking lot, and the xenomorphs on the ground were hungry—wherever they went, it was the same?
As for those he couldn't send away in time, he handled them personally, killing one for each.
The team of over a dozen people that had just been assembled was quickly torn apart. Forget about coordinating—they first had to face the immediate crisis.
Those locked underground or sent into the middle of the xenomorph swarm simply ran away, but the few still in the air weren't so lucky. Xu Huo, along with Uncle Guan and Lin Qiao who came out later, killed them all cleanly.
"I'm taking you down with me even if I die!" One of them threw an explosive-type item toward the bar.
"This time, it's my turn!" Chi Minghong stood above the bar, swung a baseball bat, and knocked the item, which looked like a toy grenade, away.
"Boom!" The item landed in the xenomorph pile and exploded. It didn't hurt anyone but scared off quite a few xenomorphs.
"Finally settled," Lin Qiao said after using an item to check the surroundings.
Uncle Guan also showed a relaxed smile. "The next few days, everyone can rest and recover from their injuries."
Back in the bar, they used the remaining water and food to make a fairly hearty dinner, and for a time, everyone was in good spirits.
After the meal, Xu Huo gave Uncle Guan a business card and asked if he recognized it.
"It's from someone in our association," Uncle Guan didn't hide it. "They're in charge of the first member review in Zone 002. Someone gave you this card."
It was given to him by Shangguan Xi when he left the W37 base station, saying it could get him information on Dr. Wu. Now it seemed they were all from the same family.
"A friend I met in an instance gave it to me. Since it's your people, it's nothing," Xu Huo said. He had been hesitating about whether to go to Zone 002 again.
"Zone 002 is probably in chaos right now," Uncle Guan revealed some inside information. "The information about Snow City purchasing a large-scale space teleportation device was leaked to the Holy Sword Society by a member of a major family. After this matter is settled, they should conduct a thorough investigation."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow and said ambiguously, "I didn't expect there to be good people among the major families."
Uncle Guan gave an awkward smile. "There are plenty who hate their own kind."
"Let's not talk about the unpleasant stuff," Chi Minghong handed Xu Huo a drink. "Can't drink alcohol, but water's fine. Let's celebrate successfully getting through this high-risk instance!"
Xu Huo went along with it and clinked glasses with them.
Tan Qi sat behind him and asked quietly, "Are you going back to Zone 002?"
"Not for now." Xu Huo had taken quite a beating on this trip and needed to recover. "When the time comes, you can leave using the Non-Player Ticket."
He glanced at the kid behind him. "Don't want to go?"
Tan Qi looked up at him directly. "Can I see you again after I get off the train? I smell a different scent on you."
Xu Huo was about to speak when he felt a bitterness in his mouth. He gently spat into the cup, and a few black fungal threads floated up.
Dead fungal threads.
You've been poisoned. Tan Qi mouthed silently.
Xu Huo quickly reviewed the entire battle, countless possibilities flashing through his mind, but in the end, he couldn't pinpoint the moment the poison was administered.
Looking at the black fungal threads floating in the cup, he let out a cold smile. He had actually fallen for it.
Another early finish today. ^_^
(Chapter End)