Chapter 1166: The Gradually Disappearing Island
"There might be an instance dungeon forming." Xu Huo's expression also turned serious.
"That's possible, but not a hundred percent certain." Nie Xuan skillfully pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket, but seeing the toys on the coffee table, he put it back. "It could also be that a chaotic space happens to be adjacent, or a natural phenomenon after the world's evolution. In short, there are many reasons, but the Special Defense Department has decided to send people to the island just in case."
"The Special Defense Department wants to get the instance." Xu Huo wasn't surprised. "You specifically told me this because?"
"I want you to go." Nie Xuan said, "I have more important matters and can't spare the time, but if it is an instance, I don't want it to fall into the hands of the Special Defense Department."
Xu Huo was slightly surprised, but then heard him continue, "The current Special Defense Department isn't suitable for holding an instance yet."
"You've noticed it too, right? In such a short time, the number of players in the Special Defense Department has already become astonishing. They rely on strategies made by their predecessors to clear instances and level up, thereby gaining more permissions in the game. The number of advanced players is also considerable, leaving player organizations far behind."
"This isn't entirely a good thing."
"Having no common external enemy is something that can't be deeply pondered. Other countries are only worse off than us right now, and they can't catch their breath for a while. If player organizations and civilian players can't form a force, the Special Defense Department will inevitably split internally sooner or later. Then it won't just be about who dominates whom; the absolute power struggle will definitely be more brutal than today."
"So the Special Defense Department must maintain the initiative, but it also can't completely squeeze out the living space of player organizations." Xu Huo said.
"If those people get the instance, they might even fight each other to the death." Nie Xuan said with a hint of sarcasm. "Not that I look down on them."
"There are still many people with a sense of the big picture." Xu Huo said calmly.
"Those with a sense of the big picture are busy right now." Nie Xuan held his cup. "They're currently busy researching how to achieve immortality."
"Who wouldn't be tempted by a lifespan of several hundred years?" Xu Huo didn't quite agree. "Anyone can get caught up in the moment. They'll come to their senses soon enough."
"It may not really be that long." Nie Xuan emphasized time again, not only because of himself, but also because of what he had seen and heard after leaving District 014. "The fact that the Super Item Invasion ended with such a small cost back then can only be called luck."
"So this time, I want to ask you for this favor. Whether you obtain the instance authorization or let the instance be, at least ensure it doesn't fall into the hands of government or Special Defense Department players."
"I can't guarantee that." Xu Huo still had the matter of the Magician unresolved and couldn't be in two places at once. Besides, even if he did go, and it turned out to be a real instance site, obtaining the instance authorization wouldn't be easy.
"Even if I don't go, the Special Defense Department people might not get the instance either."
His "Seventeenth Hospital" happened to align perfectly with Mental Evolution; otherwise, he would have been like Sima Xiao'er and the others, struggling just to survive inside.
Additionally, there were risks when an instance site formed; the space it occupied might not hold up for long. If it were completely drawn into a chaotic space, whether one could even get out alive was a question.
"Wouldn't it be good to have another instance?" Nie Xuan raised an eyebrow and asked back.
Xu Huo knew that his possession of an instance from the last Black Rain incident had likely been exposed, but he still said, "Instance authorization isn't that easy to obtain."
Nie Xuan stared at him for a few seconds before relaxing his expression. "If you want to go, you can contact Team Leader Lu. She's very tight-lipped."
Xu Huo nodded.
Their conversation ended there.
Shortly after Nie Xuan left, the surveillance post across the way was dismantled, and the players who had been added over the past two days also left.
Only the players originally responsible for security remained, and the safe zone returned to a normal state of life.
Xu Huo searched online for information about the missing island.
Sure enough, there was actually something on the Vanguard Player Forum.
It turned out that the gradual disappearance of this island was first discovered by an ordinary player. After it spread online to a certain extent, it caught the attention of the Special Defense Department—probably because the department was too busy to notice the island's initial changes.
This player lived by the sea and used to make a living fishing, often going out to sea, so he was familiar with the nearby waters. After becoming a player, relying on his skills and courage, he expanded his sea routes. After several trips surfing, he carefully noticed that an island he had never set foot on was actually shrinking.
"First of all, the sea level hasn't risen recently; it's very stable, so the island isn't being submerged."
"Secondly, I dove underwater to check. Based on the habits of the marine life around the island and the rocks and plants in the shallow waters near its perimeter, the island isn't sinking either."
"But every time I go to look, the island inexplicably shrinks by a circle. At first, I thought it was an illusion, but later, comparing photos, the island is indeed shrinking by about ten centimeters per day. Photos as proof."
"However, by this time, I could no longer go up to the island to investigate. A colorless, transparent barrier appeared around it, like a barrier, enclosing the island. I could only take photos from the outside. Below are comparison pictures."
The subsequent photos showed much more noticeable changes in the island's size. The island's height hadn't changed, but it was disappearing from the outer edges. As the island's slope changed, the exposed area at the edges increased, making the whole island look as if it had been sliced.
The last photo was taken when about one-third of the island had disappeared.
After that, the island was taken over by the Special Defense Department, and no one was allowed to approach it, until it completely vanished some time ago.
However, the barrier around the island didn't disappear, leading many to speculate that the island might have been swallowed by a random instance. But since there had never been an example of a random instance swallowing land, others speculated it might be a junction with another space, fearing a repeat of the Outer Zone Player Invasion. This theory even caused a few days of panic, but later, when no players came out from inside, the matter subsided, and attention gradually waned.
Only a very few players believed the island might be the birthplace of an instance, but this didn't attract much attention, as tracing the origin of an instance was a more distant matter compared to clearing it, and the process of instance creation wasn't worth excessive focus.
Perhaps having missed the opportunity in Flower City last time, the Special Defense Department was being so secretive this time.
An instance... it really is tempting...
As this thought crossed his mind, Xu Huo turned to face his door. "Since you're here, please have a seat."
Song Xiaohua canceled his invisibility state and said with a face full of resentment, "I only exchanged a few words with you on the plane. Sure, I talked a bit too much, but you can't set me up like this!"