Chapter 1603: Tricking Players Into Dying
"Bang! Bang!" Several desks in the classroom were knocked over, and the three players who hadn't fully woken up were also thrown to the ground. The player forcibly returned to the classroom immediately grabbed someone to shield himself, blustering, "Don't mess around! Six against one, we might not lose!"
The two players who had already moved to the side thought he had some issues with his brain. The female player among them asked him, "Don't you have a long-distance teleportation item?"
If you're going to run, run far away.
The other's face stiffened, as if hit on a sore spot, and he protested too much, "I'm not leaving! I want to see what you're trying to do!"
At that moment, the player he was holding also woke up. The latter turned around and slapped him—not an ordinary slap, but one carrying the power of an item, sending him, along with the desk, crashing through the wall and onto the railing outside.
A defense item blocked most of the damage. That player dusted himself off and stood up, intending to run to the playground. Of course, this time he didn't succeed. After hitting the reinforced space barrier several times in a row, he wisely returned to the classroom. Seeing Xu Huo at the front with an expressionless face, he remarked, "This really gives me a sense of fear, like being back in my student days."
No one paid him any attention. The remaining two players also woke up. Like the player who had hit someone, they were unclear about the situation. Seeing everyone staring at the person who had just entered, they looked over as well.
"What's going on? This has nothing to do with me," the other quickly pointed at Xu Huo and said, "He's the one who brought us here. I was already here when I woke up."
The group was silent for a moment. Then the tall female player said, "It seems the trap items we set up are useless. We won't be able to sleep for the next nine days."
For advanced players, as long as someone isn't hiding deep underground or using items for complete concealment, finding them is still quite easy. Besides, they were trapped in this city, with few places to hide.
"When did you enter the instance?" Xu Huo asked.
"Yesterday," the tall female player replied. "At ten in the morning."
"I was also in the morning, but at ten-thirty," said the player who had come in from outside. "I came with a companion, but the white fog only brought me in."
The others were similar.
Then Xu Huo asked about the locations where they had entered the instance.
All six players had entered using tickets from the Big and Small Eye Station. Only two had found maps, confirming they were on a landmass called "Flower City," far from the sea. The other four hadn't even encountered any locals after getting off the train.
The people in "Flower City" also had the strange physical characteristic of big and small eyes.
"I heard that many people near the Big and Small Eye Station are like this," said Tong Qi, the player Xu Huo had retrieved from the playground. "I heard from the locals that when the smaller eye completely closes, death is near. It's really terrifying. If it were me, I'd worry every time I blink whether my eyelid would fail to open."
"Is there a symptom of unconsciously falling asleep, like in the 'Midsummer Night' instance?" Xu Huo asked further.
Tong Qi, who had seen the locals, and another middle-aged player, Mi Yaojia, both gave a negative answer.
Unfortunately, the map found at the Suffocating Rainforest Station only covered a few nearby islands and didn't detail their contents, so they couldn't confirm if the places mentioned were near Stone Medicine Island.
"Is this related to the instance?" Mi Yaojia pressed. "Although some fixed instances are related to the local environment, not every instance is like that."
"Besides, the people in Zone 013 of this instance don't have big and small eyes. The instance's scope should be very large," said the tall female player, Liao Xiaorong.
Xu Huo was silent for a moment before asking, "What does falling asleep feel like?"
The group exchanged glances. Mi Yaojia frowned and said, "It's not much different from normal sleep, just deeper and better."
Liao Xiaorong nodded as she listened.
"None of you had dreams?" Tong Qi looked around curiously. "I dreamed all night."
"What did you dream about?" Liao Xiaorong quickly asked.
"Of course, good things!" Tong Qi said with a nostalgic expression. "I dreamed I became a super player, with all kinds of super items within easy reach. Even the Game Government had to bow to me. I could go through any wormhole point without hindrance, and beauties from all walks of life threw themselves at me..."
Mi Yaojia interrupted him, "Do you usually have such daydreams?"
"The instance description says seeing the 'Midsummer Night Star River' might grant wishes, but I think your wish is a bit far-fetched," Liao Xiaorong said.
Tong Qi was unfazed. "Don't tell me you actually believe you can make a wish come true in some broken instance? It's obviously a scam. I'm not planning to look for the 'Midsummer Night Star River' anyway."
"Why do you say that?" Xu Huo looked at him.
"Haven't you noticed? This instance is designed to trick players into dying," Tong Qi said bluntly. "After we circled the city and couldn't find the 'Midsummer Night Star River,' we naturally thought, maybe we need to be in a specific environment to see it."
"The first thing that comes to mind is sleeping and dreaming. This definitely wasn't written into the introduction for no reason; there must be some connection. And the cost is low, so it's worth a try."
"The second is a near-death state, since those who see the 'Star River' are all on the verge of death."
"Players definitely wouldn't put themselves in a near-death state, right? Only an idiot would do that. A normal person, when they can't clear the instance, would try the first option."
"But now, everyone knows the situation. Falling into such a deep sleep is either due to poisoning or a special environmental effect. You can hold out with an antidote for a while. But if you actually try it, you might sink deeper and deeper. What if you can't wake up next time?"
"Trying it once might seem fine; you fall asleep and seem to wake up. But who can say you'll wake up again the next time? We were moved here without even knowing it, right?"
What he said made a lot of sense. This instance seemed like a trap placed right in front of you, offering only two options, both very dangerous.
"Since you understand it so clearly, why did you still fall asleep?" Xu Huo asked.
Tong Qi scratched his hair awkwardly. "I couldn't help it..."
Right, that was the crux of the problem. Ten days—who could resist sleeping?
But Tong Qi didn't think it was a big deal. "As long as you don't insist on clearing the instance, surviving until you get out and take the antidote should be fine."
Using antidotes, they wouldn't fall asleep as easily as ordinary people, who would just drop off at any moment.
"We've only been in for a day. No need to give up so quickly," Liao Xiaorong said. "Which instance isn't difficult?"
The other players felt the same way. After sleeping, they were in decent condition. They could wait and observe what happened after the next sleep before deciding what to do.
"You're the only one who dreamed," Xu Huo said, looking at Tong Qi. "Maybe you're the closest to the 'Midsummer Night Star River.'"
(Chapter End)