Chapter 1326: Contract Bet
"Otherwise?" Xu Huo followed up.
"But if you lose, you have to leave Zone 023," that player said. "Since the instance hasn't started yet anyway, you can just exchange your tickets."
"That doesn't benefit us at all," Xu Huo said flatly. "Why should we agree to this bet?"
"You don't have to agree," the man said. "But from now on, wherever you go, our people might attack you until you leave."
"Isn't that just being thugs?" Qiu Ming blurted out. "If you don't want players from other zones coming here, then tell the game not to issue tickets. What's the point of making trouble for us? There are so many players from other zones—can you really stop all of them?"
"We'll stop as many as we can." The man who spoke, along with his companions beside him, all wore resolute expressions, as if they had already put life and death aside.
Not to mention Qiu Ming and the others, even Xu Huo frowned. Even if they were all C or D-rank players, an endless stream of them would still be troublesome enough. Besides, after passing through here, there was no guarantee they wouldn't encounter higher-ranked players elsewhere.
"Can I ask the reason?" Xu Huo said. "If you want us to leave, you should at least give a valid reason. Threats are unnecessary. If you really could produce a significant number of B-rank and A-rank players, you wouldn't be wasting your breath here."
"But I can still give you this chance."
He paused here, then emphasized, "Listen carefully. Three strikes and you're out. This time, but not next time."
There were twelve people in front of him now. Besides the first group of attackers, six new faces had been added, while the four injured from the second group did not appear.
Some of these people had their faces partially covered, while others had large tattoos or scars on their faces. Apart from that, they shared similar physical traits and commonalities with people in some photos Xu Huo had seen earlier in certain buildings. It was clear they were all from Zone 023.
Even after hearing his warning again, their expressions barely changed, showing they had long been prepared.
"A valid reason..." The leading man touched the long scarf tied around his forehead, then looked up at the surrounding abandoned buildings. "Of course, it's for our homeland. Even if outsiders have ruined it beyond recognition, as long as this place exists and people are here, there is still hope."
His tone was solemn and full of conviction as he spoke, then he turned his gaze to Xu Huo. "If you don't agree, then today we'll have to find a way to keep you here."
Xu Huo was silent for a moment before nodding. "How do you guarantee you'll keep your promise?"
"I have a contract." He took out two scrolls and handed one to Xu Huo. "You can put it in your item slot to check. This contract has binding power. If the agreement is violated, I will go blind within ten days. The same applies to you if you break it."
"Everyone on our side can sign."
Xu Huo confirmed the contract's effect, then handed it to Qiu Ming and Cao Qinglin. The former lowered his voice and said, "Are we really going through with this bet? Actually, it wouldn't be hard to get past them. It's not easy for them to track us either."
Long-distance teleportation items could shake off most people, and even if they had companions scattered elsewhere, changing appearances would be enough. There was no need for this trouble.
"Mr. Xu must have his reasons for doing this," Cao Qinglin interrupted him. "Listen to Mr. Xu."
Xu Huo had already made his decision when he took the contract, but he still asked for their opinions.
Qiu Ming still thought it was risky. Breaking the contract and going blind for ten days—who knew how much trouble that would cause later? Besides, they had already been here for half a day and had a basic understanding of the situation. Going to another instance would bring who knows how many variables.
"Your physical condition..." he said, looking at Cao Qinglin with concern.
"I'm fine. Besides, you're stuck with me as a burden. Whether we take this bet or not, it won't be easy," Cao Qinglin said. "Maybe we'll get an unexpected gain here."
"You two can leave first," Xu Huo said patiently.
In other words, he wouldn't take responsibility if they lost the bet.
"How could we abandon a teammate and leave like that?" Cao Qinglin was very open-minded. Instead, she said, "If I really die because of today, then it's just my bad luck."
Hearing this, Qiu Ming no longer objected.
"I have one more condition," Xu Huo said to the head-scarf man. "If I lose, I won't participate in the ticket instance, but I want to stay in Zone 023. Additionally, I guarantee that within one month, I won't actively participate in any fixed instance in Zone 023. If you agree to that, you can sign."
The head-scarf man turned to consult his companions. After a brief exchange, the other side agreed.
The contract allowed the use of false names. Xu Huo made one up on the spot, then handed it to Qiu Ming and Cao Qinglin to sign.
After everyone signed, the two sides exchanged contracts, and the agreement was established. No matter who lost, violating the terms would result in ten days of blindness.
"I'll go first," Cao Qinglin volunteered. She was injured and didn't seem like much of a threat, but the other side didn't underestimate her. The female player to the left of the head-scarf man stepped forward. "Jian Yue, C-rank player, occupation baker."
"Cao Qinglin, C-rank player, occupation jewelry appraiser."
After they greeted each other, Jian Yue made the first move. She dashed forward to Cao Qinglin, leaped into the air, and struck forward with her palm. A giant bread-shaped barrier condensed beneath her hand, pressing down toward Cao Qinglin.
"Transaction scene," Cao Qinglin shouted softly. The two were separated by an invisible force, and then she turned and ran into a nearby building.
Jian Yue followed closely behind.
"You're not going to cheat, are you!" Qiu Ming shouted.
"We've already signed the contract. We will absolutely not break our principles," the head-scarf man said, looking at Xu Huo. "Please."
With that, he was the first to enter a building on the other side.
"I'll leave this to you." Xu Huo gave Qiu Ming a slight nod. The next second, he had teleported inside the building. As he entered, he used his spiritual power to seal off the entire structure.
The third match began immediately. Qiu Ming faced a player especially skilled in close combat. They were the same type. Apart from using items at the start, the fight quickly turned into bare-handed brawling. Both sides were strong, and soon the street was riddled with craters, even interfering with the battlefield between Cao Qinglin and Jian Yue.
But soon, the first match concluded. Jian Yue pressed a short sword against Cao Qinglin's throat, and the contract judged Cao Qinglin as the loser.
"Impressive," Cao Qinglin said with admiration.
Jian Yue glanced at her, said nothing, and turned to leave the building. Meanwhile, Qiu Ming had gained the upper hand in his fight, using a binding item to trap his opponent on the ground.
Since their strength was similar, he used the brief moment he had gained to collapse an entire floor of the building, using the weight of the structure itself to suppress his opponent and win the match.
One win, one loss. Now it all depended on Xu Huo's match.
(Chapter End)