Chapter 1685: The Tracker
Wang Chaoqing's trait was very practical for certain specialized tasks, so he had a decent position in the Special Defense Department.
The reason people from the Special Defense Department were able to enter was because they had given benefits to Xu Huo, and most of those he selected were not the first-tier picks chosen by the Special Defense Department itself. This seemed somewhat unfair, especially for Yu Qingqing and the others, who were clearly getting in through the back door.
"Before such a major event concerning the entire player population of X Country, isn't it a bit childish to act based on personal likes and dislikes?" the Mask Player said.
"Do you even know how to talk? You're one of the ones benefiting from this too," Yu Qingqing shot him a cold glance.
Zhou Ning, Wang Chaoqing, Da Yu, and another special trait evolver named Jing Qing didn't speak, but their expressions were far from pleasant.
However, Xu Huo didn't get angry. Instead, he answered the question seriously. "The reason is the same as why I agreed to bring people in here in the first place."
"Don't overestimate the role of an individual."
"For Zone 014, no matter how powerful a single Super Evolver is, their strength is limited. That's why more Super Evolvers are needed."
"For me, whether someone has already undergone Super Evolution or is just on the threshold, it doesn't mean they have an absolute advantage. Your chances of evolving are no different from anyone else's, so naturally, you don't get priority."
He made himself clear. He was willing to take this risk for the sake of the bigger picture, since every player in Zone 014 becoming stronger would benefit everyone. But in his view, whether it was the Super Evolvers from the Special Defense Department, the military, or the player organizations, they were all quite average. It wasn't that their secondary evolution opportunity was specifically prepared for them—they weren't as exceptional as they thought they were.
The several Super Evolvers felt a blow to their pride but couldn't argue. First, because Xu Huo was an undeniable genius; without him, even entering the Special Defense Department would have come at a huge cost. Second, they were only slightly ahead of other players and couldn't use that to monopolize everyone's opportunities.
"Let's end the discussion about personnel selection here," Xu Huo said impatiently. "Focus your efforts on evolution."
"Why aren't we walking along this street? We're getting farther and farther away," Yu Qingqing asked, looking at the route. She knew the Nine Divine Paths were passable.
"I chose a safer route for you, so you don't go mentally unstable before we've even walked far," Xu Huo replied.
The closer they got to the Central Temple, the greater the power of the eye patterns. However, many of the patterns near the Central Temple had already been destroyed, so as long as they avoided the eyes on the Nine Divine Paths as much as possible and used defense items, they should be able to get close.
"You're really thoughtful," Yu Qingqing praised, then paused before asking, "Is Bao Yu dead?"
"Yeah," Xu Huo nodded. "He was hit by a special Time Ray and turned to ash."
Everyone fell silent simultaneously, gaining a more visceral understanding of this Chaos Space—the fear here lay in the fact that they could completely vanish from this world in the most unexpected ways!
The journey to the Central Temple wasn't smooth. First, Yu Qingqing and Da Yu couldn't hold on. Even with defense items and Xu Huo clearing the way, they couldn't withstand the influence of the spiritual power. Yu Qingqing, in particular, vomited twice along the way.
"Maybe we should just go out for now," Zhou Ning said, handing her water and patting her back. "It's not worth it if your brain gets damaged."
"No!" Yu Qingqing wiped her mouth fiercely. "We discovered this place. Why shouldn't we get any benefits!"
The people nearby couldn't help but glance at her, unsure whether to admire her stubbornness or finally understand why she was the first to come in.
"Let's stop here then," Xu Huo said. "This place is relatively spacious."
Ignoring the Special Defense Department Super Evolvers who looked like they wanted to say something, he continued, "Whether or not you reach the Central Temple doesn't make much difference. First, try to comprehend on your own. In an hour, I'll materialize the time-space power for you through the Spiritual Realm. Spiritual evolution is also a direction—don't neglect it."
These words lifted everyone's spirits. They found spots within the area he indicated and sat down to quietly sense the time-space power in the space.
Xu Huo's own evolution was already complete, so his main task now was to keep an eye on them while also reviewing some Super Evolution materials.
Unexpectedly, he received a message from Cong Yu at that moment.
After leaving Brown Skin City, Cong Yu had contacted him once, entrusted by him to observe the "Midsummer Night Star River" instance. Later, Cong Yu sent a message saying the instance had been downgraded, and the latest entrants confirmed that "Midsummer Night Star River" had become a D-rank instance.
Xu Huo knew this was because he had taken the "Angel's Eyes."
This time, he initially thought Cong Yu needed a new potion, but instead, he received completely unexpected information.
"Someone is looking for you," Cong Yu's message read. "Someone who came out of the instance with you said a player with golden eyes is tracking your whereabouts. He was originally looking for the B-rank player Yi Jun, whom you killed. After learning of his death, he switched to asking about you."
"People in Brown Skin City didn't say much, but he seemed to use some items while walking around the city—maybe a special tracking item. He left even though no one told him where you went."
"Be careful."
Xu Huo frowned slightly. Being tracked across zones wasn't new to him, but this time, the person was clearly after Yi Jun. Even with Yi Jun dead, they hadn't given up, suggesting their tracking method might not rely solely on the person.
Cong Yu's words weren't baseless, so Xu Huo's first thought was of that box that couldn't fit into the luggage compartment.
Worried the box might be locatable, Xu Huo immediately contacted Yan Jiayu, asking her to transfer the box over. He explained the situation and told her to be extra careful.
But after sending the message, Yan Jiayu didn't reply immediately. After waiting two minutes, he added "Reply ASAP" before closing his game panel and turning his attention back to this Chaos Space.
This really was a good place.
"Brother Xu, what are you looking at?" Wang Chaoqing came over and asked.
Xu Huo glanced sideways at him. "Giving up?"
Wang Chaoqing shrugged, his expression less relaxed than before. "I don't have that kind of talent. I can't even catch a free ride. Sorry for wasting your kindness."
Xu Huo didn't mind and instead asked about the evolution of his trait.
When it came to this, Wang Chaoqing perked up. Originally, he could only release shadows along lines to scare people. Later, he gradually evolved a bit of visual ability—not real-time, but after the shadows returned to him, he would gain fragmented memories.
"Amazing, right?" Wang Chaoqing raised his chin proudly. "The Special Defense Department said this might be Time Evolution, since I can remember things I couldn't see. But after messing around for a long time with no results, they gave up."
"Maybe it's in the direction of Spiritual Evolution," Xu Huo said thoughtfully. Suddenly, he felt that for players with special traits like Wang Chaoqing and Zhou Ning, their traits were essentially equivalent to Super Evolution.
(Chapter End)