Chapter 1608: Awakening Experiment
Yi Jun took out a long strip-shaped item. After pressing the buttons on both ends, a transparent film spread out from the item, gradually expanding to the size of the entire floor and blocking the windows. With the inside and outside isolated, even the sound of the wind outside disappeared.
"This is a B-grade item. Besides blocking sound, it also blocks sight. We can see outside, but they can't see us."
Tong Qi and two players stepped forward to check it, confirming that the item had sealed off the entire floor before they felt relieved.
Next came the question of who would sleep first.
Tong Qi was the first to say he could help protect everyone's safety, but as for sleeping, he wasn't doing it.
Liao Xiaorong and the others knew full well that surviving last night was pure luck. Xu Huo said he respected their wishes, but even a fool could tell they couldn't leave. Rather than being forced to sleep, it was better to volunteer and seize the initiative. At least until results came out, whether it was Yi Jun or Xu Huo, they would definitely protect them.
Liao Xiaorong and Mi Yaojia immediately volunteered to be the first test subjects.
Among the players who stayed behind like Yi Jun, only one seemingly very weak female player, Zhao Qing, was willing to give it a try.
That made three players, plus the six from District 013, totaling nine people.
"Let's do a small experiment." Xu Huo called Zhao Qing and the other two over. He opened his spiritual realm on a small scale, stared into their eyes for a few seconds, then suddenly drew his black blade and slashed toward their faces while issuing a command: "Duck your heads."
Liao Xiaorong and Mi Yaojia lowered their heads almost instantly, but as their gaze shifted downward, they sensed danger and immediately forced their heads back up, raising items to block in front of them.
Zhao Qing, who seemed the weakest, was not affected by the mental control at all. The moment Xu Huo raised his blade, she retreated without hesitation.
The black blade stopped horizontally in front of Liao Xiaorong and Mi Yaojia, less than an inch away—each of them had lost one item.
Under their shocked and uncertain gazes, Xu Huo withdrew the black blade and said, "Now we can begin."
Zhao Qing and the others weren't stupid. They realized he might have been testing them with his spiritual power. They breathed a sigh of relief but couldn't help feeling a heightened sense of crisis.
However, no matter what they thought, it couldn't change the current situation. So they took out items for resting and lay down.
Although Liao Xiaorong and Mi Yaojia had slept well the night before and weren't sleepy at all now, they still quickly felt drowsy after lying down. After struggling for a while, they finally collapsed onto the simple beds and fell asleep.
Once he confirmed they were asleep, Xu Huo counted the time. After a full minute, he used a needle to prick the palms of all three at the same time. Liao Xiaorong and Mi Yaojia, who weren't completely dead asleep, reacted, while Zhao Qing, who had held out the longest before falling asleep, showed no response.
"Try to see if we can forcefully wake them up," Xu Huo said to Yi Jun and the others.
"That's simple." Tong Qi took out a set of instruments and stuck them onto Mi Yaojia's forehead. "Pain experience device. Let's start with childbirth pain."
Watching him dial the number above "10," Mi Yaojia, who had been sleeping soundly, immediately twisted his face in agony and sat up with a jolt.
"What the hell!" He ripped off the thing stuck to his head, followed the wire to Tong Qi, and lunged to grab him by the collar. "Are you trying to die?!"
Tong Qi quickly raised his hands. "Don't blame me. Xu Zhi told me to do it."
Mi Yaojia glared at Xu Huo.
Liao Xiaorong and Zhao Qing were also awake now, but Yi Jun and Scarface Glasses were much gentler in their methods.
Xu Huo explained, "This is to find the safety baseline. One question: did you feel anything else?"
"How could we feel anything in such a short time?" Liao Xiaorong couldn't help saying. "Doesn't it mean the longer you sleep, the longer the sleep time gets? It should take enough time to dream or feel something else, right?"
"What's the point of the pain stimulation method?" Mi Yaojia said with a dark face. "If someone's really dead asleep, even cutting off their hand with a knife wouldn't make them feel it... Unless we actually try cutting off a hand?"
"No one's cutting off your hand." Xu Huo said flatly. "Today is the second day of entering the instance. If, after sleeping tomorrow or the day after, waking them up in the same amount of time becomes harder or impossible, it proves that the spiritual interference intensifies over time."
"Besides, problems and clues are discovered through trial and error. Doing this may not necessarily be meaningful, but it's not completely useless either."
Mi Yaojia said nothing more. He put away his items and stepped back.
"Anyone else willing to give it a try?" Xu Huo swept his gaze over the others. "Let me remind everyone: if we can't find it, or if there simply isn't a formed spatial entrance, then to clear the instance, everyone will have to enter a sleep state. The earlier, the safer."
After some hesitation, two players stepped forward.
Including the original two, four people went to sleep together.
For the two who came later, the first wake-up call was still at one minute.
Liao Xiaorong and Zhao Qing were woken up at the third and fifth minutes respectively.
After both groups had been experimented on for half an hour, and it was confirmed that ordinary pain could no longer wake them, Xu Huo turned to the six from District 013 and said, "You can start now."
These six were very cooperative. They didn't need beds or anything; they just leaned against something or lay down and fell asleep.
Their wake-up times were the same as the players', and their waking states were similar. They also fell into a deep sleep after half an hour, unable to be woken up.
"This at least shows the instance treats players and ordinary people equally," Tong Qi quipped from the side.
"If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute," Mi Yaojia sneered.
Tong Qi couldn't be bothered with him. He sidled up to Xu Huo. "They're probably going to sleep for a long time. Are we just going to wait here for them to wake up?"
"Of course not." Xu Huo turned to look at Young Master Mo and Scarface Glasses. "You two didn't sleep last night. Are you feeling sleepy now?"
They weren't the only ones who had pulled an all-nighter, but they weren't ticket players.
"We don't need to clear the instance," Scarface Glasses said.
"This isn't about clearing the instance or not," Yi Jun interjected. "It's obvious that everyone who enters the instance is equal. Willing or not, they all have to fall asleep. It would be great if we could find 'Midsummer Night Star River,' but if we can't, whether we can get out after nine days is a big question mark."
The non-ticket players were willing to participate precisely because they were afraid they wouldn't be able to leave even if they held out until the end. Exploring for a way to clear the instance alongside the ticket players was just another escape method.
"Give it a try," Xu Huo said. "Isn't that why you came for 'Midsummer Night Star River'? Maybe you'll get lucky by accident."
"Can you guarantee our safety?" Scarface Glasses asked.
"I can only give a verbal guarantee, not take full responsibility," Xu Huo replied. "Also, as long as Mr. Yi doesn't turn against us, I can guarantee that no one in this instance can break through this protective circle."
Seeing everyone look at him, Yi Jun gave a wry smile. "I was hoping everyone would protect me. Why would I cut off my own escape route? Besides, Mr. Xu is the only Super Evolver here. We'll need him to clear the instance. A smart person would definitely choose to cooperate."