Chapter 1545: The Possibility of the Suitcase
There were no windows inside the castle. The high vaulted ceilings, the intricately carved decorative patterns, the historically styled but unlit candelabras, the gems embedded along the edges of the baseboards... everything made the space feel oppressive. After a while, it inevitably gave people the illusion of difficulty breathing.
Of course, there was enough air inside the castle, but whether it was the rooms or the corridors, there was no passage leading to the outside world.
The long-ponytailed man was named Lian Hanshan. As Xu Huo walked with him, they gradually encountered several other players. They, too, had been trapped by the spatial rays and hadn't managed to escape in time, inexplicably ending up in this castle.
A middle-aged woman, around forty or fifty, had been chattering incessantly since they first met. "If I'd known it would be like this, I shouldn't have stayed to watch the excitement. They said we'd get to see Lawrence Li, but instead of seeing him, we saw that detestable Box Carrier first. Now look, I might even lose my life!"
"Why am I so unlucky? Even entering the game one second earlier would have been better."
"By the way, is Lawrence Li really still in Zone 017? Or is this just a trap the Box Carrier set up to lure players in?"
"With so many Super Players around, he's the only one who's not human. He's definitely planning to turn me into a puppet. This is so unlucky. Trapped in an Instance with nowhere to run. Once the Box Carrier finishes off the people outside, he'll come in and finish us off..."
...
After discovering they couldn't escape using their tickets, most players were on edge. Even A-rank players were no exception. The middle-aged woman was stating facts, but the more she emphasized them, the more uneasy they felt. After all, a strong person who completely disregards reason is far more terrifying than one who abides by it.
"Say one more word, and see what happens," a bearded man who looked irritable pointed at her. "Believe me, I'll shut you up myself?"
This cut off the middle-aged woman's complaints and also made most of the players unconsciously take a few steps back. A young female player, who was being kindly looked after by Lian Hanshan, noticed that he and Xu Huo, without any verbal communication, seemed to be moving slightly closer to the middle-aged woman. Curious, she asked, "Do you think she's stronger?"
"Otherwise, why do you think she's still alive?" Lian Hanshan said with a smile. Even in this situation, he seemed quite willing to watch players fight for their lives.
The female player looked at the slightly disheveled middle-aged woman and the tall, sturdy bearded man, and couldn't help but say, "You can't judge a book by its cover."
"Before evolution, there was a clear physical strength difference between men and women. But after evolution, that difference shrinks, or even becomes negligible, because of items and traits," said another man carrying a backpack. "I'm guessing a person's personality probably doesn't change much due to evolution. So if this lady managed to level up to C-rank safely, she must have some exceptional qualities."
He then looked at the bearded man. "And this gentleman is also C-rank, but judging by his evolution rate, he doesn't have an advantage. Plus, without anyone to help him, in a one-on-one fight, I think the lady has a higher chance of winning."
He was practically saying the bearded man would definitely lose.
Seeing everyone staring at him, after a few seconds, the bearded man awkwardly averted his gaze and changed the subject. "Instead of wasting time on this nonsense, why not think about how to get out of this Instance?"
"Why does everyone think this castle is an Instance?" the young female player asked, puzzled. "We didn't receive any game notification after entering. I think it's more like a Container Item, although I've never seen a Container Item like this before."
What she said made sense, of course; it was a logical judgment. But the problem was that they had entered the Box Carrier's suitcase. The Box Carrier was a Super Player. Would a Super Player carry a Container Item around in their hand every day?
This reasoning seemed to defy common sense, yet it was strangely persuasive.
Furthermore, for players, a Container Item is just an item, with the possibility of being destroyed. An Instance venue, on the other hand, is much more difficult to deal with.
As for why they hadn't received any game prompts after entering, perhaps there was another issue. In any case, it was beyond their understanding.
"So how do we get out?" the young female player frowned. "We've walked such a big circle and haven't even found a single window."
"And was it really Lawrence Li who was fighting the Box Carrier? If it's a Super Player, their fight might take a bit longer. If it's not..."
If it wasn't, the Box Carrier might be coming in soon.
"It was Lawrence Li," Lian Hanshan said. "I saw him."
The knife hanging over their necks was moved aside slightly, but this didn't solve the fundamental problem. After discussing it, they decided to split up and search the castle again.
"Maybe the Box Carrier will open the suitcase next time he wants to put someone in," the young female player said whimsically.
"Counting on that is worse than hoping Lawrence Li tears the suitcase apart," the backpack-carrying man added.
It was easy to talk, but in reality, they were at their wit's end. Before stopping here, they had tried various methods to damage the castle, but the damage they could inflict was minimal. The castle's outer walls seemed to be made of some indestructible material.
Whether it was a Container Item or an Instance venue, breaking out from the inside was almost impossible.
However, during the attempts, Xu Huo thought of another possibility.
If the Box Carrier's suitcase really contained an Instance, then it was undoubtedly a Random Instance. Random Instances can travel through different wormhole points with their holder. Since an Instance can move, and an Instance must have a physical location to unfold, could it be possible that a Random Instance is loaded into a Container Item or a Space Device to achieve a portable effect?
Super Items could also be Container Items, and Space Devices capable of holding an Instance might not be non-existent.
Whether it was a Super Item or a device, "Three Seconds of Life," which was also a Super Item, might be able to play a role. But this castle was most likely the Instance venue nested within it. Even if the items or devices interfered with each other, leading to the failure of the optimal solution, the castle wouldn't disappear. Instead, it might rapidly unfold into an Instance upon losing its outer shell. At that point, not only would they be unable to leave, but they would also expose the fact that he possessed a Super Item.
Conversely, if this was an Instance venue, for the Instance to unfold the moment the outer suitcase disappeared, the Instance Authorization must be placed inside the castle. Otherwise, the Instance couldn't start immediately.
If he could confirm whether the Instance Authorization was in the castle, then he could consider whether to gamble with the Super Item.
But this was a last-resort contingency plan. Without a clear chance of escape, using a Super Item was an extremely high-risk move.
The Painting Woman inside his clothes moved again.
Xu Huo said to the three people he was with, "I'm going to the restroom."
"We'll have something to eat in the meantime," Lian Hanshan said considerately, suggesting they rest in a small hall not far from the restroom.