Chapter 1370: Bauhinia Restaurant
The decision rested with Xu Huo; Dai Song and the other two couldn't make the call. Once he made up his mind, they directly used the item called "City Friendship" to teleport from the city to the next one.
This time, their luck was good. They weren't blocked in front of a mountain range or trapped in the woods but safely crossed this active mutant zone, arriving at a small abandoned city adjacent to their destination. It was only half a day's journey from their planned location, saving them considerable time.
Since they had borrowed his item, Xu Huo couldn't just abandon them there. So for the next leg of the journey, they used "simple transportation" to travel, reaching the next stop, Dedication City, before noon.
Dedication City was much more prosperous than Twin Cities. Although it still didn't particularly welcome outer zone players, business went on as usual.
The group had been cooped up in the vehicle for half a day, so they found a designated cooling-off spot to enjoy the cold breeze and have some cold drinks. They also let Dr. Duo Er out for some fresh air.
Xu Huo was afraid he might die inside the painting, so for most of the journey, he had kept him in the vehicle to enjoy the cool air. As a result, his condition was still relatively good. Seeing Xu Huo and the others, who had changed clothes countless times, he proactively poured water for them.
"We should be at the very front, right?" Dai Song knew why Xu Huo's group was heading to the New District Government, hence his comment.
Xu Huo pointed at the long-haired player and the scar-handed player passing by outside. "Aren't there others?"
The scar-handed player also spotted them and immediately greeted them, coming in to enjoy the cool air.
"I've been lucky. Brother Shi helped me out on the road, and I ran into you all when I entered the city." He said with a grin, "The price for this cooling room is really not low. It's only worth it if there are enough people."
As a gesture of goodwill, the scar-handed player treated them to a glass of ice water.
"Do you know each other?" Xu Huo mentioned the long-haired man.
The scar-handed player paused. "You noticed?"
Compared to No. 2 and No. 3, who were with him at the beginning, this long-haired man, who claimed to be a lone wolf, was much more familiar with him.
"When you're out and about, you can't put all your eggs in one basket." The scar-handed player praised Xu Huo for his sharp eyes and then added, "There won't be such large uninhabited forests ahead. There are bound to be plenty of small cities in between. Your item isn't practical anymore. I took a look around the city just now and found they have a kind of assault vehicle. It's very fast, has a low profile, and can also fend off mutants. It's good for long distances, but it's a bit expensive. How about we pool our money and buy one?"
The RV was already packed with so many people; two more wouldn't make a difference. Xu Huo simply invited them aboard.
"Now I know you're truly impressive." The scar-handed player said enviously, "A vehicle like this seems useless, but it sells for a high price. Ordinary players wouldn't waste their money on it. It must be a clearance reward."
And ordinary players would be lucky to get a few decent items from instances; they basically wouldn't have such flashy rewards. So this could only be the icing on the cake.
Xu Huo exchanged a few polite words and then brought up the combat robots in the New District Government.
"Don't worry about that," the scar-handed player guaranteed. "We have jamming devices bought from a D-class wormhole point, specifically designed for these robots. While they can't affect an entire city, they're enough to coordinate our actions."
Since Xu Huo was strong, he was willing to reveal a bit of his hand as a sign of good faith.
Both sides were willing to cooperate and had worked well together on the road. After using "City Friendship" to travel two more legs, on the morning of the sixth day, they reached the border of the high-temperature zone. Ahead lay the normal area of District 023.
It was at this moment that trouble arose.
The climate-normal zone preserved more small cities. Although the New District Government didn't pay much attention to them, to ensure smooth transportation, dense expulsion devices were laid nearby to minimize mutant interference. Thus, these cities resembled normal cities on the outside. As they drove through a bustling downtown area, a notification sounded without warning:
[Player has arrived at Bauhinia Restaurant. Default entry into this C-grade random instance.]
[Bauhinia Restaurant is one of the top-rated premier restaurants within the game district. Not only is it sought after by ordinary people, but it is also beloved by players. To give back to new and old customers, Bauhinia Restaurant has recently launched a three-day free dining event, offering unlimited food and fine wine to every guest who enters, inviting them to join this lively day-and-night carnival party.]
[Instance Task: Successfully select one "Dish of the Day" item.]
[Instance Time: Unlimited.]
When the instance notification came through, almost everyone's heart sank. Most random instances had no time limit, which meant that the only option was to clear it successfully; otherwise, they would never leave the instance. Regardless of whether they were in a hurry to get things done, this was a hassle for the players.
"Didn't they say there were almost no random instances on this road?" The scar-handed player stared at the restaurant archway made of bauhinia flowers that had appeared out of nowhere but seemed to have always been there.
"Do random instances check the time?" Dai Song said with a grave expression. "I don't know if you've heard of Bauhinia Restaurant, but I heard from an outer zone player that this restaurant welcomes red players."
Welcoming cannibal players meant that this instance definitely involved cannibalism. Combined with it being a restaurant, it immediately conjured up all sorts of unpleasant associations.
"Selecting a dish... it wouldn't be a meat dish, would it?" the long-haired man said euphemistically.
The faces of everyone in the vehicle turned sour. Xu Huo spoke up, "Let's go in separately. Dai Song, come with me."
There was no point in wasting time outside. The instance introduction didn't mention many rules, which meant the rules inside the restaurant had to be discovered by the players themselves, undoubtedly increasing the difficulty of clearing it.
A welcoming hostess with a sweet smile stood at the door, her slender hands handing out two number tags. "Welcome to Bauhinia Restaurant. Please take your number tags. They will be your identity codes within the restaurant. Do not lose them."
Xu Huo flipped his number tag over for a look. No. 172. He casually slipped it into his pants pocket.
Dai Song was No. 171. The two Twin Cities players who followed, along with the scar-handed player and his companion, occupied the next four numbers.
Xu Huo pushed open the door and entered the restaurant. It was nearing noon, and a lively dining scene was in full swing. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that some people were feasting heartily, while others couldn't swallow a bite. Some even instinctively covered their mouths when a server passed by with a plate of pork chops.
Melodious music echoed through the restaurant. Some diners were dressed appropriately and polite, while others were rude and boisterous, shouting loudly, cozying up to the servers for tips, or flirting with the pretty waitresses... all kinds of people, all kinds of behavior.
When the door swung open, the people inside the restaurant glanced over, both openly and covertly. Xu Huo, who was walking at the front, had just stopped when the number tag he had securely tucked in his pocket somehow fell out. With a "clatter," at least dozens of eyes locked onto it.
(Chapter End)