Chapter 1601: The Contradiction of Clearance
The thin tube blew out a transparent bubble, initially only the size of a human head, then expanding to the size of a vehicle, followed by a house, and eventually large enough to cover an entire building.
This was no ordinary bubble; it was more like a protective barrier. Rising from the ground, it wedged itself in the middle of the street, even pushing back the dense fog that lingered around it.
Once the bubble had grown large enough to fit snugly within several buildings, Young Master Mo withdrew and flicked the thin tube, then began blowing smaller bubbles along its edge.
Though called small bubbles, they were still two to three meters in size. When Xu Huo, who was locked in combat with Scarface Glasses, charged into the large bubble, those aimlessly floating small bubbles suddenly seemed to come alive, darting toward the two of them!
Xu Huo gripped his Black Blade and first slashed two incoming small bubbles apart. Unexpectedly, after being split in two, these bubbles automatically merged into new ones, doubling from two to four, each retaining the same size as before.
On the other side, Scarface Glasses had already been caught by a bubble and transported to Young Master Mo's side. Xu Huo glanced over, then moved to the edge of the large bubble and stabbed it with his blade.
However, to his surprise, this layer of bubbles wasn't truly meant to cut off his evolutionary power. Unlike the small bubbles' splitting, the large bubble burst directly into a massive pool of sticky liquid, cascading down toward him like a torrent!
The "Flower Bloom" barrier blocked these liquids first, but the substance seemed to possess an adhesive quality, defying gravity to pile up directly on the barrier. As he and the item barrier moved, the mound of liquid followed suit, like a mountain pressing down on his head.
With this substance enveloping the item barrier, Xu Huo could no longer use spatial power for long-distance movement. But since the bubble had burst, it was no longer a complete item, so he smoothly opened a portal on it, shaking off the sticky mess and arriving right in front of Young Master Mo.
Drawing from their previous experience, Scarface Glasses first deployed an item to create a defensive barrier in front, preventing Xu Huo from grabbing Young Master Mo again. Then he split into multiple figures, weaving through both sides of the barrier to launch attacks.
Such a simple illusion naturally couldn't fool Xu Huo's eyes. Even if it did, it was impossible to truly split a person into several in space. After deflecting a few attacks, he seized an opportunity to lock onto Scarface Glasses' eyes, using mental interference to buy a brief moment, then broke through the defensive barrier and seized Young Master Mo once more.
Since close contact with a player could trigger an effect, Xu Huo didn't approach Young Master Mo. He only needed to separate the two. Though Young Master Mo had many items, disabling his hands was simple enough.
He improvised by using a bit of toxic fungus.
With his protective suit torn and limbs paralyzed, Young Master Mo could only glare hatefully at Xu Huo, rolling his eyes.
Scarface Glasses couldn't get near Young Master Mo and pointed his blade at Xu Huo. "If anything happens to Young Master Mo, the only thing I'll do for the rest of my life is kill you!"
"Really?" Xu Huo didn't take it seriously at all, speaking slowly and deliberately. "At the very least, you'd have to enter an instance. If you don't and become a gray player, stagnating in place, how much of a chance do you think you'd have?"
I'm talking about determination, and you're talking about reality?
Scarface Glasses wasn't a man of many words, but his sharp gaze remained fixed on Xu Huo.
"Don't be so tense. I just wanted to ask you a few things." Xu Huo tossed the monitor over. "Take a look at what's inside."
Though Scarface Glasses caught the item, his eyes lingered on Young Master Mo for a moment.
Young Master Mo, meanwhile, was in agony. His limbs were paralyzed, but he still had sensation in his body. The three sharp tangents pressing against his neck could end his life in an instant. Whether it was a perception issue or not, he felt his body shifting slightly—perhaps without anyone else's help, he could cut off his own head.
He shot a glance at Scarface Glasses.
Still on guard against Xu Huo, Scarface Glasses took the projector with one hand and played the monitor's content.
After watching it, he said, "The person isn't with me."
"I know," Xu Huo replied. "I just wanted to ask if you used any items or devices that could interfere with the monitor at that time."
"No," Scarface Glasses stated firmly. "Young Master Mo didn't either. You might not know much about this kind of monitor, but to produce the blocking effect seen in the footage, you'd need a targeted item or device. Players generally don't use such items or devices in combat."
Because they were completely useless.
Xu Huo turned to Young Master Mo. "What do you say?"
Young Master Mo's face darkened. "Why would I use an item like that? Do you have any mechanical devices?"
Xu Huo withdrew the tangents. "I'll take your word for it for now."
Seeing him release the man so readily, Scarface Glasses didn't attack again. After injecting Young Master Mo with an antidote, he asked, "What use is finding those missing people?"
Xu Huo glanced at them. "Don't you feel sleepy?"
Both of them certainly did; they were only staying awake with the help of potions. They had already learned the instance's background from other players, but it wasn't a major issue for them. At worst, they could find a place to sleep until the instance ended, since the time limit was only ten days.
"The instance time limit is ten days, but that doesn't mean everyone who enters can survive those ten days," Xu Huo said. "You saw the monitor footage. That player vanished for no reason, and while sound asleep. Where do you think he went?"
In fact, once inside, with a little inquiry, players could more or less guess that the instance venue's space was problematic. So had the missing player entered another space within the instance? Was that other space safe? Could they come back out?
Was it only sleeping players who suddenly disappeared, or did every player face this risk?
Additionally, the drowsiness might be caused by fungal influence. Who could say how severe that fungus would become after ten days?
Everyone had antidotes, but they still felt drowsy.
Moreover, for players, the instance itself had contradictions.
The game's background hinted that the longer one slept, the greater the chance of uncovering their inner desires, and "Midsummer Night Star River" represented the ultimate human longing. Did this mean only by sleeping long enough could one understand the meaning of "inner desire" or enter other spaces in the instance?
If one forcibly stayed awake, would they lose the opportunity to clear the instance? After all, wandering around the city yielded no results.
But accepting the game's background setting meant risking deeper poisoning and venturing into potentially dangerous spaces within the instance, which was also very risky.
Pursuing one's deepest desires and seeing the star river at the brink of death hinted at a causal link, yet these two things also conflicted. When truly close to death, the greatest wish was simply to stay alive.
(Chapter End) Source: /txt/35960/32073048