Chapter 1508: Preparation Phase
[Congratulations to Zone 017 of E27 Wormhole Point for obtaining a Super Item. This Super Item is the fourth Super Item at E27 Wormhole Point. A notification is now being sent to all players in all zones within this wormhole point!]
[Congratulations to Zone 017 of E27 Wormhole Point for obtaining a Super Item. This Super Item is the fourth Super Item at E27 Wormhole Point. A notification is now being sent to all players in all zones within this wormhole point!]
[Congratulations to Zone 017 of E27 Wormhole Point for obtaining a Super Item. This Super Item is the fourth Super Item at E27 Wormhole Point. A notification is now being sent to all players in all zones within this wormhole point!]
Xu Huo had already returned to E27 Wormhole Point. At this very moment, like him, a large number of players both inside and outside the station stood frozen in place. It hadn't been long since the last zone-wide announcement for Zone 014. Who would have thought another announcement would come so quickly?
"This doesn't seem right," a passing player said to his companion. "Aren't Super Item broadcasts for a wormhole point only supposed to be for the first three? Why is the fourth Super Item also getting a zone-wide announcement?"
"It's probably something wrong with Zone 017," the companion replied. "If the entire zone is in jeopardy, the game might let players from other zones go retrieve the item. If the whole zone is in trouble, Super Items could also be lost. More than half of the Super Items in the game are naturally occurring—hard to come by. Wouldn't it be a shame to lose them?"
"Since when did the game have such a rule?"
"Of course, it's not explicitly stated. I heard it from players in other wormhole points. Not sure if it's true, but it doesn't matter much to us anyway. We can't go to Zone 017..." The two walked away, still talking.
Of course, there were quite a few people discussing Zone 017, but most regretted not being able to get a piece of the action. Since Zone 017 hadn't yet merged with the game, its instance venues and real-world venues were separate. Even if someone obtained a ticket, they couldn't enter Zone 017 unless they used special items or instruments, or encountered a low-probability accident.
So, despite the zone-wide announcement, the Super Item in Zone 017 had little to do with ordinary players.
But that wasn't entirely due to the separation of zones and instances. In fact, even if someone successfully entered Zone 017, most players would still have no chance at the Super Item. Only the top-tier players truly had an opportunity to obtain it. Otherwise, if the holder of a Super Item fled their own zone, no one else would have a shot.
However, the chain reaction triggered by the Super Item wouldn't disappear. At this moment, perhaps some people had already entered Zone 017.
Xu Huo immediately purchased a ticket to Zone 017 through the Bounty Platform—players needed to upgrade to D-rank to unlock the Bounty Platform, and only D-rank players could trade on it. This was also the main channel for tickets from semi-closed zones to flow out.
Aside from large-scale teleportation instruments that could directly move between different spaces, most items required passing through a zone's instance venues to enter accurately. So, at this moment, more players wanting to go to Zone 017 should have headed to instances first.
Gradually, tickets on the Bounty Platform would increase. In Xu Huo's gift pack for advancing from D-rank to C-rank, there was a special item called "Doorbell." This item allowed travel between the real world and instance spaces of semi-closed zones, serving as a relatively cheap tool for entering a zone via an instance.
With the ticket and "Doorbell" in hand, he didn't rush into the instance. Instead, he deliberately searched for information on the whereabouts of Super Players who frequently operated in E-rank wormhole points.
One reason the Super Item incident in Zone 014 ended so easily was the emergence of the Field Battle Angel ruins. Compared to a Super Item of unknown whereabouts and effects, the Field Battle Angel was far more tempting. So, at the time, the nearby Super Players and some powerful high-level players were all drawn away. The only one who arrived at Zone 014, Lawrence Li, was probably there seeking hope to heal his legs, with little intention to compete—especially since the Painting Woman had impersonated the Super Item, and Paper Control might have been more attractive to a Paper Servant Master.
If no major event had recently drawn the attention of high-level players, then it was likely that soon they would find ways to gather in Zone 017.
Unfortunately, neither the Bounty Platform nor Under Dimension mentioned any major events happening in E-rank wormhole points recently. Naturally, he could only access partial information about E-rank wormhole points; he wasn't clear on what was happening in other wormhole points. But without a "grand event" like the Field Battle Angel, it would be hard to divert players' attention.
Thinking about the possible situation, Xu Huo contacted Xin Rong and borrowed several new energy weapons and some container items from him.
Xin Rong was already aware of the Super Item announcement in Zone 017.
"Don't underestimate the Platinum Eye's intelligence network," he sent a message through Under Dimension. "But the cost of entering a semi-closed zone is relatively high. Before a zone merges with the game, players are all broke. If the Super Item runs away, you basically won't get anything good. Going there might not even cover your costs. It's fine to join the fun, but if I were aiming to get some items back, I definitely wouldn't go."
"If you go, be careful not to flaunt your wealth. Outer zone players think they can harvest the zone, but they don't realize they're also targets for some high-level players. If there's no gain in Zone 017, some high-level players might try to recoup their losses from these people." Xu Huo thanked him and asked if anything had happened recently with the Platinum Eye.
Xin Rong gossipily shared the conflict between the City Government and the Lang Family. The reason was that the City Government had discovered that the Lang family members, who had come under the pretext of an engagement, were not only committing crimes but also privately wooing some precision instrument-making family businesses and some Artificers. This was essentially poaching from the Platinum Eye, provoking the City Government's displeasure. The two sides were still arguing over the matter.
However, there was no mention of breaking off the engagement, so there was probably another exchange of interests. Xin Rong was an outsider and wasn't very clear on the internal changes within the City Government.
"Wishing you a fruitful trip in advance." After the conversation ended, Xu Huo left Zone 001 and took a train back to Zone 011.
Zone 011 was one of the more advanced zones in E27 Wormhole Point in terms of evolution, having been formed from the fusion of several zones. It couldn't possibly be indifferent to the Super Item. When he arrived at the station, the streets were already full of small ads for purchasing Space Teleportation Items.
Considering the cost, of course, no one would send large numbers of players. Opportunities would only be given to those most likely to succeed. So, this was still the preparation phase, not yet the time for players to flood into Zone 017.
Xu Huo didn't linger outside. Instead, he went straight back to the Rose Castle. Under Mr. Dong's management, the castle was just as he had left it. The two children were taking lessons with Angel, the Painting Woman was amusing herself against the wall, and the Ghost Shadow item roamed through various dark corners. When they discovered his return, everyone came out to greet him.