Chapter 1327: High Temperature Zone
Xu Huo and the turban-wearing player were extremely quiet on their side, not at all like they were in a fight, but from the outside, nothing inside could be seen. So as soon as Qiu Ming's side finished, his companion Masked Man and the others prepared to find a way into the building.
However, before they could act, the sealed building reopened, and Xu Huo and the turban-wearing player walked out simultaneously.
Neither of them had any external injuries, and the building interior was exactly as it had been, not at all like a fight had occurred.
"How did it go?" Qiu Ming couldn't help asking after Xu Huo came down.
Xu Huo gestured for him to get in the car, and then the turban-wearing player's side cleared the way.
A bet was a bet; the turban-wearing player's group no longer interfered with their passage.
After the car drove past, Qiu Ming still found it hard to understand. "They're willing to accept defeat? Earlier, I thought they'd definitely renege since they had the numbers. There must be more than just these players here."
"Proposing the bet actually meant they were already backing down," Cao Qinglin said. "They knew that if they really went all out, the losses would be severe, so they used this compromise. A fifty-fifty chance isn't a loss for them, especially since we have injured people on our side. Losing doesn't mean they have to sacrifice everyone's lives."
In essence, these people were just taking the lowest-cost gamble.
Of course, they couldn't count on the morality of these strangers. She added, "After we leave here, it's best to disguise ourselves."
Xu Huo nodded in agreement.
The rest of the journey indeed went without incident, though some sections of the road were severely damaged, forcing them to detour twice.
Once they left this ruined city, the jamming device could no longer reach them, and from here on, they could use items again.
The three of them resumed their journey with a hot air balloon.
As they traveled, the temperature grew higher and higher. Under a cloudless sky, it felt like two suns were shining directly down on them. Even with items providing insulation, sitting in the hot air balloon was unbearable. After prolonged exposure, the balloon itself became scorching to the touch, let alone sitting or leaning—even standing inside was excruciating.
"Should we just go down?" Cao Qinglin wiped her sweat-soaked hair, having even taken off her protective suit.
"Going down is still scorching hot," Qiu Ming said, shirtless, sweating like a waterfall. While replenishing fluids, he added, "Can't even wear the protective suit. What if we run into trouble down there?"
"This area is very open. With the high temperatures, plants and animals can hardly survive, so there probably aren't many poisonous insects or plants," Cao Qinglin said, barely able to endure. "I feel like my internal organs are being boiled."
Being in such extreme heat for a long time was unbearable even for evolved players. Xu Huo agreed to go down.
Of course, the ground wasn't much better. Cao Qinglin's thermometer only dropped by two degrees.
The air was as hot as boiling water. A difference of one or two degrees wasn't significant. The three used items to travel for a while but still couldn't escape the high-temperature zone.
"It seems this entire area has this kind of weather," Xu Huo said, holding up the "Umbrella of Justice." This umbrella could normally produce rain when opened, but under these extreme conditions, it couldn't even manage that. Before long, even the handle became hot to the touch.
"Try mine," Qiu Ming said, pulling out a large sunshade umbrella and a remote control. "Floating sunshade umbrella with a cooling function. But using this means we can't use long-distance movement items."
"If only we had a space teleportation device."
"Space teleportation devices are too expensive, and most don't teleport very far. Not worth it," Cao Qinglin said.
Xu Huo had just sold some items, but the prices were average. Combined with the money he'd spent in Card City, he didn't have much left. Space teleportation devices were costly, likely due to technological restrictions. Most were single-use, consumable items that couldn't teleport very far, far from the "anywhere door" effect. They could be replaced by long-distance teleportation items or space teleportation items, just used a few more times.
As for large-scale space teleportation devices—like the cross-space directional teleporter bought in District 002's Night City, or the multi-person teleporter stolen from Card City—they were usually only sold to district governments and were also consumables, breaking down after a few uses or even one or two. Truly expensive one-time products.
In short, space teleportation devices could be bought, but using them just for travel wasn't necessary.
"That kind of thing is expensive and rare in regular trading posts and auctions, but district governments and some local forces definitely have them," Qiu Ming said, shaking the last drop of water from his bottle and licking his lips. "I wish we could run into one or two."
Cao Qinglin didn't want to talk anymore. This environment was even harder on her as a severely injured person.
"Maybe things will be better when we reach Twin Cities," Xu Huo said after a short rest.
They did have ordinary transportation tools. Qiu Ming took out three small carts. "Good thing the road is passable, or we couldn't even use the carts."
This high-temperature zone was just too vast. Even with long-distance teleportation items, they couldn't get out quickly. This was at least a way to conserve energy.
The three sat on the carts, huddled under the sunshade, eating something during the break.
They traveled like this, stopping and going. About an hour later, another stretch of ruins appeared ahead, looking like a small city, far smaller than the previous one. Before they got close, they noticed a concealed trench on the outskirts, with a few fresh footprints nearby that weren't completely covered.
"There are people living here," Cao Qinglin remarked.
"Maybe they're ordinary evolved humans," Xu Huo said, getting off the cart. He walked along the trench for a bit, found a passage hidden beneath a building, and called them down. "It's cooler down here."
The underground passage was dug fairly wide, allowing two or three people to walk upright. However, there were many small traps along the way, all low-level trap items that were almost useless.
A few minutes later, Qiu Ming dragged out a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy from a nearby side passage. The boy was bound by an item and couldn't break free, shouting and spitting at Qiu Ming.
"Behave yourself!" Qiu Ming grabbed his head. "Want a beating?"
The boy stopped moving, but his eyes glared fiercely at Qiu Ming, full of defiance.
Qiu Ming laughed heartily, ruffled his hair, and pulled out a bag of dried meat, placing it in front of the boy. "Want some?"
The boy's nostrils flared slightly, and his eyes involuntarily shifted, but he quickly turned away.
"Pretty stubborn," Qiu Ming said, untying his hands. Just as he was about to give him the meat, the kid pulled a broken knife from behind his waist and stabbed at him.
Qiu Ming said, "Kids shouldn't play with dangerous things," while grabbing his hand, taking the knife, and forcing the dried meat into his hand.
But the boy's wariness didn't diminish. He let go and ran. Qiu Ming instinctively wanted to chase, but Xu Huo reached out to stop him. "Let him go. Just leave some things here."
The sheep came out of the building and got locked at home. Now living a life of eating and drinking without going out, no idea how many more days this lockdown will last. Three years already, when will the pandemic end? o(╥﹏╥)o
(Chapter End)