Chapter 1594: Big Eye, Small Eye
Both sides tacitly kept silent, and after resting enough, the two prepared to set off.
Xu Huo's next target was Big Eye Small Eye Station. He had no intention of making another detour around the station. Traveling together with Chi Xian would be a good opportunity to get a comprehensive view of Zone 013.
The direction indicated by the ticket also required passing through Stone Medicine Island. After discussing it, the two used Chi Xian's teleportation item to cross the sea directly to Stone Medicine Island.
Despite being called an island, Stone Medicine Island was actually vast in area, complete with mountains, rivers, and plains. Xu Huo and Chi Xian emerged in a rainforest. Unfortunately, their landing spot happened to be a muddy swamp, and they ended up stuck upside down in the mire.
"Oops, my bad!" Chi Xian pulled his head out, wiping mud off his protective mask. "Normally, we don't land like this."
Xu Huo, more than twenty meters away, also pulled his head out. "Is that so?"
At least Chi Xian had a "milk bottle" shield covering him. Xu Huo's protective suit was very loose and shapeless to begin with. Covered in mud, his upper body slumped down, and his mask was smeared. Simply wiping his face wasn't much help.
The two used hovering items to free themselves and ran several kilometers before finding solid ground to stand on. While cleaning their clothes, Chi Xian said, "It's not that we can't travel through the air, but there are too many trees here. Items capable of carrying people for long flights are usually quite large, and this terrain isn't easy to navigate either."
Xu Huo had already taken off his outer protective suit. Within his perception range, there wasn't a single living person. "It looks like we landed far from any city."
Chi Xian nodded. "Then let's pick up the pace."
Even with non-stop travel, it took them two hours to see the first city. Unlike the Suffocating Rainforest Station, the fungal density on Stone Medicine Island wasn't as high. Although spots and patches were everywhere, the original appearance of the plants was still visible.
Moreover, quite a few people were active in this city.
When they appeared outside the city, the people who had been out for fresh air hurriedly retreated back inside. Just as Xu Huo and Chi Xian wondered what they were doing, they saw many people gathering on the road leading out of the city—if it could still be called a road.
These people were in much better condition than those from Cong Yu and the Suffocating Rainforest Station. Most adults, both men and women, wore headscarves and draped long cloths, trying to cover their bodies as much as possible. Judging by their exposed hands and the skin around their eyes, the characteristics of fungal infection were less pronounced, and their physical condition was relatively better.
The only unsettling thing was that the vast majority of these people had eyes of different sizes.
Normal people's eyes aren't usually perfectly identical either, but the size difference isn't very noticeable unless you look closely. These people were different. One of their eyes bulged out like a fish's, the pupil stuck in the yellowish, bloodshot sclera, giving a rather ferocious appearance. However, the other eye looked as if it had endured long-term weathering and hardship—the skin around it was withered and sagging, the eye itself cloudy but glistening with tears, displaying an obvious fragility.
"They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and that the face reflects the heart. I never thought one person's face could show two completely opposite emotions." Chi Xian lowered his voice.
Xu Huo nodded slightly. Almost all adults were affected, while a few children seemed fine.
Before they could get closer, the people opposite were already eager to move. When the distance between them was less than a hundred meters, the adults and children on that side all rushed over.
Although Xu Huo and Chi Xian didn't know what they intended to do, the scene was still somewhat frightening.
Chi Xian immediately used a defense item to shield them both.
However, these people stopped right outside the defense barrier and stretched out their hands. "Can you spare some food?"
Xu Huo and Chi Xian both produced combat items, signaling the people blocking their way to leave.
These people hadn't come because they were truly starving. Seeing the weapons, they wisely made way and then silently dispersed.
The crowd returned to the city. Xu Huo and Chi Xian also entered. People on the streets still stared at them, but no one approached anymore.
"These people..." After walking a bit, Chi Xian couldn't help frowning.
"They're like sculptures," Xu Huo finished his thought.
"Exactly," Chi Xian said. "They don't look starved to the bone, which means food isn't that scarce here. But everyone is lifeless."
He was right. Even when these people stared unblinkingly at them, it wasn't out of curiosity. Although their eyes were infected, their basic functions weren't lost. This silent, prolonged gaze was more like the numbness of someone who had lost all interest in everything.
"Understandable. Living in a hellhole like this, it'd be weird if they were normal." Chi Xian muttered to himself, nodding.
Xu Huo scanned the streets. There were many empty houses, no shops. Occasionally, at a street corner, two people would exchange mushrooms and wild vegetables. Now and then, one or two people could be seen sleeping by the roadside.
"Hey, kid, come here." Chi Xian called over a child passing by who only reached his waist. "Uncle wants to ask you a couple of questions. If you answer, Uncle will give you something tasty, okay?"
The child was lured by the promise of food. He took Chi Xian's snacks first before letting him ask questions.
"Alright, still a normal kid." Chi Xian smiled and asked him, "Why are so many people sleeping on the streets?"
It was normal to see one or two people dozing off, but it was rare to see people sleeping directly on the street.
"Why can't they sleep?" the child retorted. "Everyone does it. In a few days, you'll be the same."
Chi Xian kept his smile. "Do you know why they fall asleep? Is it because of some mushroom they ate?"
The child shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
"Have you seen other people from outside, like Uncle?" Chi Xian gave him another candy.
"Yes, I've seen a lot," the child said while eating, volunteering, "I know where they are. I can take you there."
Chi Xian's expression darkened slightly. He raised his hand. "Go play."
The child walked away. At the street corner, he spat out the candy from his mouth and gave it to several children who surrounded him. Each took turns licking it for a while.
"Only dead people can be found anytime, anywhere," Chi Xian said. "We've been here this long without running into any players. They can't all have fallen for it, can they?"
He was referring to Young Master Mo's group. "Could they have finished their business and left already?"
After all, they had arrived a few days late.
"Are you sure this is Stone Medicine Island?" Xu Huo asked.
"The map I glimpsed should be correct," Chi Xian said. "Maybe they went to another city."
This was undoubtedly near Big Eye Small Eye Station. However, Xu Huo checked his ticket and found that the directional prompt had changed.
In the instances he had visited before, a clear address was usually given, requiring the player to arrive by a specific time. But this instance didn't have that. It only showed a moving arrow. Before landing on the island, the arrow pointed in one direction. Now it had shifted to another side. If nothing unexpected happened, it meant the instance location was right here.
(End of Chapter)