Chapter 1178: Suspected Primordial Stone
His spatial coverage wasn't enough to clearly see the movements of the time rays from a distance, so by the time he caught their trajectory, they were often already very close. And the speed of the time rays couldn't simply be described as "fast"—when the power struck, it was more like a hand holding a brush, instantly covering everything.
Many players died under the time rays.
Although the time rays couldn't truly kill people, anyone they passed through would freeze, maintaining their posture at the spot where they were hit. Whether someone else pulled them or a flying piece of rubble struck them, that person would suddenly become like a dried-up old tree, shattering at the slightest touch.
For these people, and for those watching nearby, this scene was completely incomprehensible. Some who wore time-space items were lucky enough not to be affected by the rays, but they had no idea why. They could only panic even more as they watched their companions and those around them shatter one after another, desperately searching for an exit.
But running fast didn't mean escaping. Although long-distance movement items could speed things up, as long as you hadn't gotten out, whether you'd encounter a time ray upon landing was purely a matter of luck.
"It's more dangerous ahead, everyone don't run too fast!" someone shouted, trying to wake up those around them after seeing the people ahead shatter. But the next second, they themselves froze and were crushed by falling rocks, serving as another reminder that danger had nothing to do with running fast or slow.
Another observant person noticed that a few individuals had time rays disappear near them several times without being harmed, so they followed these people. But even when they were practically stepping on their heels, they still couldn't escape.
Only two people carrying injured companions on their backs made it through without incident.
Although wearing time-space items could largely avoid the effects of the time rays, Xu Huo had no interest in direct contact with them either. The Cube Space's coverage reached nearly a kilometer. As he moved quickly, he casually scooped up several injured people and reminded others wearing items along the way.
But this had little effect, because players not only had to face the time rays but also the falling islands from the sky. Some unlucky players were crushed to death.
Of course, the clever ones were trying to use their tickets, but no one succeeded.
"Brother Xu! Brother Xu!" Wang Dafa and his group spotted Xu Huo from afar and immediately waved for help, "Give us a ride!"
Wei Mang and the others were fine, but what surprised Xu Huo was that Song Xiaohua was actually with them.
After he had fought the Magician earlier, this person had disappeared without a trace. He had originally thought...
Pausing slightly, Xu Huo pulled them all over with a spatial barrier.
But unexpectedly, as soon as they got close, a female player he had just rescued suddenly attacked, using an item to break through the spatial barrier and dragging Sun Minqi along as she flew out:
"If I die, I'm taking you with me!"
Sun Minqi wasn't weak. After reacting, she immediately used an item to control the female player and mercilessly stabbed her in the chest.
Guo Nan and Yi Huijun, who were traveling with them, had unpleasant expressions. The former said, "The Special Defense Department will deal with him sooner or later!"
Ban Tao and the others also showed hints of disdain, but given the crisis at hand, no one said anything.
Xu Huo knew the map well, so he quickly found the nearest exit. But just as he was about to leave, he looked back and saw that part of the still-detaching island hadn't come down yet. After a moment's thought, he stepped on "Gentleman's Poise" and rose into the air, approaching the remaining island. Through the Cube Space, he discovered a very dense cluster of time rays faintly glowing inside, though they were wrapped in stone and hard to see clearly.
Using "Crimson Sword" to cut away the surrounding stone, what was finally revealed was a red stone about the size of a human head. Inside the translucent stone was a white stone about half a fist in size, and the dense rays were emanating from that white stone.
Xu Huo now understood why the island had been pulled into the ruins space—it was because of this stone!
Time-space items are attracted to the raw materials used to create them. This attraction is ethereal and indefinable, but the white stone in front of him was very likely a Primordial Stone, even the top-tier kind known as the "Origin of Time." Only such a Primordial Stone could give Subclass Stones their special attributes!
Someone behind him used an item.
But Xu Huo had already sealed off the entire area with a spatial barrier before making his move. He calmly took the stone, stored it in his luggage compartment, and then turned around, looking down at the five people who had come to ambush him.
"Two from the Special Defense Department, three from player organizations. Very good."
One of them was Sun Minqi. After his item failed to steal the stone, he brazenly said, "Finders keepers. Hogging it all won't end well!"
There was a clear threat in his words.
Xu Huo ignored him and turned to the two from the Special Defense Department, his face full of killing intent. "Think carefully. You represent the Special Defense Department now. Do you still want to make a move?"
The two had acted on impulse. Now that Xu Huo had the item, the possibility of killing him was far lower than the possibility of taking it from him. And once they got out, Xu Huo could use his ticket to leave, making the Special Defense Department's deterrent power essentially nonexistent.
The two didn't even dare to meet Xu Huo's gaze and immediately withdrew.
The remaining three, including Sun Minqi, couldn't help but show contempt. One of them even tried to call over other eager companions, but in the next second, all three were sliced into pieces in midair, their blood and organs scattering to the ground.
Xu Huo didn't spare the player organization members who were still nearby watching either. He killed eight in one go, so fast that it seemed only corpses remained wherever he passed!
This terrified the remaining people. Every single one of them scrambled to jump out of the entrance.
Xu Huo didn't actually wipe them all out. He looked back at the space that was about to collapse before walking out.
By this time, the barrier of the ruins space could no longer hold. Parts of the outside area were already visible, showing the island rocks that had sunk into the sea. But only after he came out did the entire spatial barrier completely disappear, leaving behind a churning ocean.
The players who had escaped had all boarded the Special Defense Department's ships. Xu Huo was no exception, but as soon as he got on, the people on the deck instinctively stepped back.
Glancing at the player corpses bobbing in the seawater, Xu Huo turned and waved at Minister Fan on a nearby ship.
The Special Defense Department personnel had already reported what happened before the ruins space collapsed to Minister Fan. Upon learning that Xu Huo had taken the item again, he felt a pang of frustration. The only consolation was that Xu Huo had taken a special ore, not a fully formed instance.
As soon as Xu Huo finished waving, he was standing right next to Minister Fan, smiling broadly. "I'm worried the road back might be dangerous. Minister Fan, you wouldn't mind giving me a ride, would you?"
Two more days and Sichuan will cool down, (〃'▽'〃)
(Chapter End)