Chapter 171: Only One Target
"The appearance of wormholes indicates that the external environment of a certain space is beginning to change. Those who adapt fastest to this change are Evolvers. However, this disrupts the normal evolutionary process of humans, which is why various aftereffects appear, such as cannibalism."
"But as long as you survive the initial stage and obtain the potion, this symptom can be alleviated."
"If this is a natural evolutionary phenomenon, why were no players born in Fairy Tale City later?" Xu Huo looked at her.
"That's not hard to explain. After a period of rapid increase, the number of Evolvers will decline. That's why many game zones later used special methods to force the birth of new players. But the vast majority of Fairy Tale City's population died. It's perfectly normal for no new players to emerge from the remaining few." Sun Jirou said with certainty.
Xu Huo was silent for a few seconds before saying, "You mean, because of the appearance of wormhole points, spatial matter changed, and ordinary people in that environment naturally underwent transformation."
If the emergence of Evolvers was due to this reason, then could the organization or other organizations that developed the Dimension Crack game control this process?
That was hard to say.
The evolutionary process had two outcomes: Xenomorphization or death from illness. The number of Xenomorphs in Fairy Tale City was abnormally high. He didn't believe that potions alone could produce so many Xenomorphs in such a short time. One possibility was human control.
Assuming this line of reasoning was correct, then someone had deliberately turned Fairy Tale City into its current state.
Turning a large city completely into a Xenomorph breeding ground—was it because the number of players had sharply declined?
After entering the game, Evolvers and players were considered the greatest assets of each district. Losing players meant losing value. To the game, ordinary people might be worth less than Xenomorphs. So from the perspective of Hyperdimensional beings, demolishing an ordinary game district and establishing a breeding ground was neither troublesome nor regrettable.
Following this line of thought, everything became clear. And Old Lady Bai's claim that "if 014 District produces a large number of players in a short time, it will be safe" also became logical.
The upheaval in 014 District came from a Super Item. He didn't know what caused it in Fairy Tale City...
"...Hey, I'm talking to you." Tao Chengxin waved her hand in front of his eyes. "When did you figure out the clearance method? And how did you know this Instance was set up for the players of Fairy Tale City?"
Xu Huo withdrew his thoughts, looked up at the three people staring at him, and said, "At the Fresh Meat Sausage Shop, when the Government Hall player gave us the items."
"Some clues could be seen even before that."
"The Government Hall and Old Lady Bai are mortal enemies, but the Government Hall people didn't dare to enter Fairy Tale City freely. The owner of the Fresh Meat Sausage Shop would rather give us items than leave his residence. This shows they fear the players who control Fairy Tale City."
"The Instance had three tasks. They could be completed as long as Old Lady Bai or someone who knew about the Great Pollution twenty years ago appeared. Regarding the Great Pollution, Old Lady Bai clearly didn't tell the whole truth. But she personally promised we had cleared the Instance. Given her abilities, there was no need to deceive us. This proves my earlier guess that the 'correct story' doesn't need to be completely true."
"Old Lady Bai also had no intention of harming the Instance players. The Instance tasks were so simple. Plus, Fairy Tale City was opposed to the Government Hall, while the Government Hall used players who were extremely cruel and ruthless. Comparing the two, it should be clear that the players controlling Fairy Tale City were also protecting it."
"But she led us to the Government Hall's murderous players." Sun Jirou retorted. "If she meant no harm, why did she send us to our deaths?"
"Didn't I tell you? There might be Government Hall people mixed in among the players." Tao Chengxin shot back at her.
"That's a very small possibility. If the Government Hall really sent low-level players into the Instance, and they had communicated with each other, then among those who survived those places, there might be Government Hall players." Xu Huo added. "But it's also possible some escaped by luck. However, as a high-level player, Old Lady Bai should have her own method of judgment."
Sun Jirou and Tang Yuan shuddered involuntarily, thinking of the interrogation they had just endured under the item.
"But isn't that very unfair to us Instance players?" Tang Yuan couldn't help saying. "Shen Taibai died."
"Reasoning with the Instance boss?" Tao Chengxin looked at them in astonishment. "Are you out of your minds?"
"They're not out of their minds; they're just bullies who fear the strong." Xu Huo said coldly. "Because compared to the cannibal players who kill without blinking, Old Lady Bai is easier to talk to. Otherwise, they should go seek revenge from the players who actually did the killing."
Sun Jirou, gnashing her teeth, had red eyes. "Easy for you to say. What kind of good person are you? From the tour bus to the Bear Claw Restaurant later, her target was always you!"
Old Lady Bai had first given Xu Huo coupons for the Bear Claw Restaurant and the Beauty Aroma Shop. Then, transforming into a tour guide, she told him about the Bear Claw Restaurant and the Long-Nosed Nut Pie. In truth, she only wanted to trap him. But to complete the game tasks, he had led others to take the bait!
Once spoken, her hatred turned into a raging inferno. She raised her hand, and the floor of the small wooden house suddenly shook violently. Then the wooden planks split, and three-inch-long spikes grew from below, spewing white smoke like red-hot branding irons!
"Hell's Judgment!"
With Sun Jirou's shout, the spikes under Xu Huo's feet suddenly grew to two meters long, piercing his clothes as he dodged!
"Damn it!" Tao Chengxin, who was next to him, was nearly caught in the crossfire. He quickly stabbed his fishing rod into the wall to hang himself in mid-air.
Xu Huo grabbed the strings to leap into the air, dodging the constantly extending and retracting spikes while using Flying Arrows to interfere with Sun Jirou. He held a lighter in his hand but hesitated to set the fire.
"What are you waiting for? Burn her!" Tao Chengxin shouted from his hanging position. "This woman is completely unreasonable. And you even saved her once at the Block Muffin Shop."
Sun Jirou dodged the Flying Arrows and said hatefully, "If I hadn't said I had clues, would he have saved me?"
With that, she clasped her ten fingers together. The spikes, which had been growing in twos and threes, suddenly multiplied into over a dozen, turning the roof into a honeycomb in the blink of an eye!
After the roof was torn off, Xu Huo leaped out of the small house. Looking around, he saw the surrounding woods twisting, causing the ground near the house to slowly undulate as if water were flowing beneath it.
While he was distracted, Sun Jirou leaped up from below, throwing out a triangular spike. She landed a step behind, then pressed her palms together and pulled them apart, revealing several thin threads between them!
Xu Huo swung his sword to deflect the triangular spike. As he sheathed it, he twisted her hand back with one hand, spread his fingers to grab both her wrists, pulled her back into the house, and casually took out a bottle of potion, spraying it in her face:
"Psssh—!"