Chapter 1200: A Unique Ally
The person kneeling on the ground vomiting was a woman. Behind her followed a man. The two clearly knew each other, but the man didn't step forward to help his companion. Instead, he stood behind and laughed, saying as he laughed, "This is what you get for asking for it. If you can't handle it, just can't handle it. It's not like I'd laugh at you for admitting defeat. Feeling good now, huh? Look, the cleaning robots are all gathering around."
Vomiting after coming down was not an uncommon sight. Besides the robots prepared to clean up, there were also robots specifically delivering clean towels and mouthwash.
The woman, who had been half-lying on the ground, stood up, quickly rinsed her mouth and wiped her face, then turned around and greeted Xu Huo, "What a coincidence!"
It was quite a coincidence. The other party was Ye Bingxin.
"I saw you two from mid-air just now. You're also here for the Playing Card Maze, right? What a stroke of luck. This is my friend, Jiang Zifeng."
Ye Bingxin walked over and quickly introduced both parties. Unexpectedly, Jiang Zifeng had heard of Xu Huo. He chuckled and said, "Ye Bingxin said you drew the Sun, Moon, and Star cards. That's really impressive. I draw twenty times a day and still can't get the Sun, Moon, and Star!"
"Proves your luck sucks!" Ye Bingxin couldn't help but roll her eyes. She said to Xu Huo, "Don't mind him, he's just hyperactive... You're going into the instance too? How about we team up?"
As she spoke, she pulled out a few pin-shaped miniature playing cards. "One for each of us. With more people, the chances of running into each other in the maze are higher. Maybe we can even clear it together!"
"Sure." Xu Huo directly took one of the pins.
Liang Shuang's expression hesitated slightly, but seeing that Xu Huo had taken it, he didn't say much.
"Let's all go together," Jiang Zifeng said with a smile. "The more, the merrier. Who knows, with enough people, we might even conquer the maze!"
"You're dreaming. Don't you know the new rules?" Ye Bingxin said. "If you get teleported into the same maze gate, the first thing you have to do is eliminate your own people."
After speaking, she turned back to explain to Xu Huo and the other two, "In the past, teleporting into an instance would also filter the participating players, but the rules were relatively loose. Two to three people could enter one maze gate. Not anymore. Now, if you enter the same maze gate, only one person can ultimately participate in the instance."
So if they ended up in the same gate, they'd have to eliminate their teammates first.
"Don't we have team-up items?" Jiang Zifeng said confidently. "Generally, players in a group won't be teleported to the same gate. If they do end up in one, then we follow the instance's rules. If not this round, then the next. Maze tickets are easy to buy anyway."
Ye Bingxin nodded in agreement. "Hopefully, we won't end up together. Otherwise, this team-up would be a waste."
A food cart passed by nearby. Jiang Zifeng's eyes followed it, and he called it over. Generously, he said, "What do you guys want to eat? My treat. I recommend this Bud-Wrapped Meat. It's super delicious. I can down three of them in one go!"
As he spoke, he quickly added three.
"Then I won't be polite." Xu Huo ordered one, then noticed an "Extreme Flavor" option on the menu. He asked, "What flavor is this?"
"Extra bud filling, with a doubled risk of death." Jiang Zifeng said with a grin. "This flavor is only available to players."
"Let's try the Extreme Flavor." Xu Huo said.
Jiang Zifeng gave him a surprised look. After less than a second of thought, he decisively changed his three orders to Extreme Flavor, then turned back and looked at Ye Bingxin and Liang Shuang with enthusiasm.
"I'm not going to torture myself. Give me a regular stuffed pancake." The former said.
"To avoid wasting antidote, I'll have a stuffed pancake too." The latter said.
Jiang Zifeng looked a bit regretful but respected his companions' choices.
The four of them got their food, found a less crowded spot, declined the free mobile seating, and simply squatted by the roadside to eat.
"Why are we doing this?" Liang Shuang was very confused. "Isn't it better to have chairs to sit on?"
"Did you see the development company on those mobile seats?" Jiang Zifeng said.
"Stellar Machinery Company... What's the problem? It seems pretty normal." Traces of this company could be seen everywhere in the game.
Jiang Zifeng chewed his food as he spoke, "I have a grudge against this company. I plan never to use any of their products for the rest of my life."
The three people present fell silent simultaneously: Your stubbornness is truly unique.
"No, wait," Liang Shuang said. "How can you avoid the Stellar Company in the game? Even the White Notes you use are from the Stellar Company. The entire game might be this company's. How do you survive by avoiding them?"
"Simple, barter." Jiang Zifeng had already finished one Bud-Wrapped Meat and opened the second. "And it's not like I have a grudge against the entire Stellar Company, just Stellar Machinery."
"Why?" Xu Huo was very interested.
"I spent fifty million ordering a combat robot from Stellar Machinery, but the first time it fought, it self-destructed. I sent it elsewhere for inspection, and they said the core materials were skimped on." Jiang Zifeng dragged out his tone. "What the hell? The core materials were even my own Subclass Stones I provided, and they dared to cut corners!"
"And then?" Liang Shuang pressed.
"In a fit of rage, I blew up that branch company and grabbed a batch of Subclass Stones on the way. Made a small fortune." Jiang Zifeng said with a hint of pride. "I've been pretty well-off lately."
"Aren't you afraid of becoming a wanted criminal?" Liang Shuang asked in shock.
Jiang Zifeng glanced at him. "Simple. Buy a high-level face-changing item, finish it quickly, and they usually can't catch you."
He said it lightly, then started attacking the third Bud-Wrapped Meat. But after just one bite, he stopped, and his face and lips quickly turned purple-blue.
"Poisoned!" Ye Bingxin quickly took out an antidote, but Jiang Zifeng just grinned and said nonchalantly, "I took an antidote an hour ago. Otherwise, would I dare eat this stuff? I won't die, I won't die."
Ye Bingxin didn't say much. She grabbed his not-so-long hair, pulled his head back, bit open the antidote bottle cap, and directly poured it into his mouth—from the look of it, she seemed to want to shove the bottle in too.
Jiang Zifeng, with his neck stiff, spat it out while mumbling indistinctly, "Lady warrior, be gentle... ugh!"
Xu Huo leisurely finished his own Bud-Wrapped Meat and, under Liang Shuang's gaze, commented, "It really does taste good."
Liang Shuang held his forehead, his expression looking rather bad.
"Good... taste..." Jiang Zifeng took a moment to give him a thumbs up, but was then violently interrupted by Ye Bingxin. As she shoved the bottle into his mouth, tears streamed down her face. "Your luck is already bad, you really need to cherish your life..."
Xu Huo watched this scene with a smile, then turned and called over an automated vending cart. He bought several Bud-Wrapped Meats and invited the others to eat together.
All three looked over, but only Jiang Zifeng reached out his hand, only to be choked by the bottle in his mouth, rolling his eyes.
Liang Shuang looked at the sky, then at the person beside him, his gaze filled with deep suspicion and confusion.
(Chapter End)