Chapter 1547: Stand Up and Get It
Seeing that he was about to leave, Xu Huo and Lian Hanshan did not speak, but Zhu Zhu was eager to seize this opportunity and quickly chased after him. "You must have prepared multiple A-grade items, right? Can you sell me one?"
"Anyway, everyone wants to get out. That item of yours requires more than three people to use, so it's mutually beneficial, isn't it?"
Guan Donglai gave her a half-smile. "I believe there are quite a few people here holding A-grade space items."
With that, he left without hesitation.
Zhu Zhu couldn't help but say to Lian Hanshan and Xu Huo, "Don't you want to get out? Could he be lying?"
"The words aren't false. Even if it's not the one he showed, he likely does possess an escape item," Lian Hanshan said.
"Then isn't that settled?" Zhu Zhu couldn't help but say. "He doesn't have enough items; the terms can definitely be renegotiated."
"His minimum condition is an A-grade time-space item or a space device. We can't produce that, so there's nothing to discuss," Xu Huo interjected.
"Why is there nothing to discuss? Doesn't he want to get out?" Zhu Zhu tried to persuade them to give it a shot. "If he lowers his conditions, can't everyone leave?"
"It's not just him who's afraid of the Box Carrier," Lian Hanshan said with a smile. "We're all afraid, but only he's holding the lifeline. Others can only leave through him. When it comes to urgency, everyone else is more anxious than he is."
As for his claim that the item required more than three people to use, that might not be true. It could be usable by two people or even one. He was just trying to extort items.
Zhu Zhu's gaze flickered between them. "Do you have another way?"
"No, we don't," Lian Hanshan answered readily. "But haven't you noticed something?"
"What?" Zhu Zhu asked instinctively.
"There's only one A-grade player who entered the castle. Most are C-grade players." Lian Hanshan adjusted his collar. "Players generally can't obtain items above their own grade in instances. Buying high-grade items privately requires a lot of money. For C-grade and B-grade players, even if they have one, giving up an A-grade item is like cutting off a piece of their flesh. It won't be easy to negotiate."
So the subsequent development was predictable. Guan Donglai, holding the item, would seek out partners for cooperation. To avoid paying the price of an A-grade item, other players would first target him, especially the dominant A-grade player. When everyone had split up earlier, several players had followed that A-grade player. In terms of cooperation, he was naturally the better choice.
As for who would end up with the item, or whether it truly required more than three people and a time-space item as a price to leave, that wouldn't be resolved anytime soon.
"What are you thinking?" Lian Hanshan turned to Xu Huo.
"The castle might be the Box Carrier's instance," Xu Huo said, flexing his fingers. "Then why not gamble and see if the Box Carrier has placed the Instance Authorization here?"
Just as he finished speaking, a series of moderate explosions echoed along the corridor. The sustained, rhythmic sound indicated it wasn't players fighting, and it showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
"Someone's made the first move." Lian Hanshan also stood up. "Let's each rely on our own abilities."
With that, he walked off first.
Zhu Zhu followed without hesitation.
Only Xu Huo remained in the corridor. Listening to the commotion from various parts of the castle, he sat for a moment before stepping into the shadows.
While the players inside the castle desperately sought a way out, the situation outside was also heating up.
The Box Carrier and Lawrence Li had already destroyed three cities and were now entering the fourth, a safe city near the capital safe zone. However, it could no longer be considered safe. As soon as the two entered, the Box Carrier covered the entire city with a gravity item. If not for Lawrence Li's Space Ray interference, the whole city would have already been reduced to rubble.
This was their clash. Neither the cities nor the people mattered to them. The only difference was that the Box Carrier would scout for suitable players during the fight.
That was also his purpose in coming to Zone 017.
After another failed "box opening," he halted a collapsing building, standing on the teetering helipad at its peak, and looked down at Lawrence Li, who remained on the ground. "You're really annoying."
Unlike the Box Carrier, who exuded an eerie aura, Lawrence Li's refined demeanor seemed to emanate from within. After such a long exchange, not even a speck of dust had touched his wheelchair. Blurry Space Rays swirled irregularly around him. Upon closer inspection, one could see that he was actually being lifted by the Space Rays, though being so close to the ground made it hard to discern.
Lawrence Li toyed with a single ray in his hand, not bothering to look up at the Box Carrier. As a Spatial Super Evolver of his caliber, Space Power could almost replace his eyes.
"Did you take the Super Item from Zone 017?" he asked.
The Box Carrier paced along the tilted helipad. "For two broken legs, you really go all out. Too bad there's never been a precedent in the game of someone recovering from evolution sequelae."
"Whether there's a precedent or not doesn't matter." Lawrence Li wasn't provoked. He said calmly, "Just hand over the Super Item to me."
The Box Carrier paused in his steps, his body tilting slightly with the helipad. He cocked his head to look down, his gaze sweeping over the floating Space Rays, and said maliciously, "Stand up and get it."
As the words fell, he plunged diagonally downward. Unlike a natural fall, he accelerated rapidly during the descent. The friction of his defense barrier against the air created a visible bullet-shaped vapor trail. He stabbed straight down, then made a sharp turn just before hitting the ground, charging toward Lawrence Li's position.
"Boom!" But just as he changed direction, a massive force formed by twisted Space Rays surged up from the ground, striking the Box Carrier squarely!
In an instant, all the Space Rays scattered, like countless sharp blades capable of cutting everything, repeatedly attacking the Box Carrier's defense barrier. Under the high-intensity, high-density assault, the bullet-shaped barrier around him shattered in the blink of an eye. At the same time, all the scattered rays converged again, violently wrapping the Box Carrier inside!
If one zoomed out to watch from a distance, the gathered, colorful Space Rays resembled a flower that bloomed and then closed, capable of assimilating everything in its opening and closing.
But the Box Carrier at the center of the "flower" didn't even attempt to dodge. He stood firmly in place, and the rays approaching him collapsed like softened noodles. The next moment, the street, already breached by the Space Rays, began to cave in on a massive scale.
(Chapter End)