Chapter 147: Xenomorph Observation Tour
The female player had nothing to say to him, but the burly man beside her stepped forward to block him, warning him with his eyes not to come closer.
Xu Huo snorted coldly and distanced himself from them.
Soon, a large bus drove down the street, screeching to a halt in front of them. Before the vehicle had even fully stopped, a long-faced man opened the door and shouted, "Hurry up, hurry up, time waits for no one."
Xu Huo followed the female player and the two others onto the bus. Once aboard, he couldn't help but pause: there were too many people on the bus.
This vehicle was similar to the buses in his living world, but more spacious. There was a table in front of every two seats, and the bus could seat thirty people. Now, with them added, it was almost full.
Could an instance have this many players participating?
It seemed unlikely.
But if all these people were players, that wouldn't be good for them either.
The female player in front frowned instinctively, then walked toward the last row of the bus, where there were only three empty seats.
"Don't just stand there, everyone sit down." The long-faced man, clearly a tour guide, said "Drive" toward the front, and the driverless bus automatically started, moving forward smoothly and quickly.
Once the bus was moving, he stood at the front and said to the full vehicle, "The last batch of tourists for today has arrived. Don't worry, the bus won't make any more stops along the way, and we'll definitely reach Tourist City before dusk."
The other tourists laughed, and a woman said, "I've taken this route so many times, how could I not trust you? You're famous for being punctual."
"Since we have plenty of time, why don't you tell us more about the xenomorphs in the old district!"
The long-faced guide smiled and said, "It seems everyone is very interested in xenomorphs."
"Then everyone, take out the brochures from under the table."
Xu Huo followed the crowd and pulled out the small booklet from under the table. It was a thin, colorful pamphlet. Except for the first page, which had a brief introduction to Block Fairy Tale Tourist City, the rest were all illustrations of xenomorphs, as many as sixteen types.
These xenomorphs, varying in appearance, mostly retained human forms. The booklet named them according to their different looks, along with detailed information on their habits and survival guides for encounters.
"You're all in luck today. You've caught the ebb tide of the Corrosive Sea. Every year at this time, the most valuable type of fish-type xenomorph comes ashore to migrate," the long-faced guide said.
"Is it the Algae-Shell Xenomorph!" the woman who had spoken earlier answered eagerly.
"That's right, it's the Algae-Shell Xenomorph." The long-faced guide clapped his hands. "After twenty years of evolution, the once-corrupted ocean has become a breeding ground for algae-shells, and the xenomorphs that have mutated and entered the ocean are their best habitats."
"During high tide, these algae-shells scatter their seeds onto the skin of the Algae-Shell Xenomorphs. New algae-shells then attach themselves to the xenomorphs, drawing nutrients from their bodies to grow, and by low tide, they become exceptionally plump and delicious."
"So everyone will not only get to see the rare Algae-Shell Xenomorphs but also taste some incredibly fresh algae-shells."
As he described it, the sound of people swallowing saliva could be heard throughout the bus.
Even the long-faced guide himself wiped the corner of his mouth jokingly, "Just thinking about that flavor makes my mouth water."
Xu Huo flipped to the page on the Algae-Shell Xenomorph. The photo showed a thin person just crawling out of purple seawater. Its body was covered in fish-scale-like patches, and on those patches grew clusters of rooted shells.
The roots of those shells pierced into the xenomorph's skin like plant roots, crowded together like veins, seemingly using the xenomorph's flesh and blood as nourishment.
The sight of a body covered in shells was somewhat grotesque, but it was still recognizable as a human.
"Xenomorphs were originally human too. Can you eat things that grow on them?" a young man up front suddenly asked.
Seeing the crowd on the bus turn their gazes toward him, he explained somewhat awkwardly, "I was just asking casually..."
The long-faced guide didn't mind and said, "You and the three friends who came up later must be first-timers to Tourist City. I could tell at a glance."
"None of us have ever eaten that kind of algae-shell," the female player said at that moment.
The long-faced guide smiled. "Exactly. Anyone who's tasted algae-shells won't remember where they came from."
"Telling you now won't help. When we get to Tourist City, I'll point out a few restaurants that make algae-shells. You'll know if they're good only after trying them."
The female player nodded calmly.
Xu Huo flipped through the booklet and muttered, "I wonder if it's expensive."
The bus drove onto a suspension bridge, and the long-faced guide said again, "Everyone, this is the feeding zone."
"Below are the omnivorous xenomorphs, famous for their huge appetites. Although their outward degeneration isn't obvious, their instincts and habits are no different from wild beasts, and they're especially brutal."
"In the past, there have been accidents where tourists fell to their deaths. Once you fall, you won't even have time to breathe your last before the xenomorphs tear you apart and devour you clean. Everyone, be careful when feeding."
The guide's words didn't scare anyone; instead, they excited the veteran tourists on the bus even more. They skillfully stuck their heads out the windows, throwing the meat they had prepared earlier down below, chattering excitedly and pointing at a particular xenomorph with loud laughter.
At that moment, the long-faced guide brought over a cage. Opening it, it was filled with small live animals.
"Would the three of you like to try? It's clearly marked, fifty white notes each."
The female player's expression darkened, and she turned her head away. "Dirty."
"I'll take one!" Xu Huo, on the other hand, handed over a hundred white notes.
The long-faced guide pulled out an animal that looked like a small monkey, gave him his change, and said, "Hold on tight. These pygmy monkeys are very agile."
"You think I'd let it get away?" Xu Huo patted his chest, but as soon as he took it, the little monkey clawed at him twice, kicked off his face, and jumped out the window!
The tourists on the bus burst into laughter, then turned their gazes toward where the little monkey had fled. "This is going to be good!"
The railing of the suspension bridge was made of some unknown material. The little monkey couldn't get a foothold and fell straight down. At the same time, three xenomorphs leaped out from different directions, tearing it into several pieces mid-air. The falling blood and organs were then licked clean by the xenomorphs that rushed up afterward.
In two or three seconds, nothing was left except a few bloodstains.
Xu Huo narrowed his eyes, but heard the long-faced guide say, "In the breeding zone, aside from the tourist route, everywhere else is within the xenomorphs' activity range. Nothing alive that goes in can come out intact."
Then he handed over a tube of ointment. "Special scratch medicine, fifty white notes."
"Did you do that on purpose?" Xu Huo turned back indignantly.
"Don't be so petty when you're out and about. That monkey was caught in the contaminated zone. If you get scratched, the wound might fester. Fifty white notes for a hand that won't rot—it's a bargain." The long-faced guide forcibly took the white notes that Xu Huo hadn't yet put into his pocket.