Chapter 1820: Never Seen Anyone So Miserable
Xu Huo made a "go ahead" gesture.
Deng Xiahei didn't rush to discuss the item distribution either. Instead, he asked if Xu Huo wanted to deal with the remaining players in the safe zone. There were only a few stragglers left—even he could handle them easily.
Unlike Deng Xiahei, the other players in the safe zone weren't instance players. If pushed too far, they could flee to the station. But some people didn't want to enter the station, especially those who would have almost no room to move once they got off the train. Since they could drag things out day by day, some turned and ran, while others simply squatted on the ground, surrendering and begging for a way to survive.
Since Deng Xiahei was offering to help, Xu Huo had him gather all the players in the safe zone into the commercial building, and also asked what instance he was doing.
Deng Xiahei's instance was named "Light the Eastern Lighthouse." The instance task was the same as the name—it required players to light the eastern lighthouse. But Zone 010 was nothing but desert everywhere. Where was he supposed to find a lighthouse?
So Deng Xiahei judged that this lighthouse represented some kind of symbolic meaning—like standing up for the people of Zone 010, or even leading them to break free from the control of outer zone players and establish a new government.
It sounded a bit unrealistic, as if the player's task had suddenly become high-end. Revenge and national restoration—was that something a single player could accomplish?
"My instance is a group task," Deng Xiahei said. "I went to the Sand Sea center to find other players to team up with, but the deceit among players was worse than I imagined. I had only recruited three or four people when I was ambushed by other players. I got injured and escaped, then hid here."
"Were the ones who attacked you outer zone players controlling Zone 010, or instance players?" Xu Huo asked.
"Most likely instance players," Deng Xiahei guessed. "There are also players who couldn't clear the instance and stayed in Zone 010. That's why the number of outer zone players here keeps growing. They can't clear the instance themselves, and they don't want others to clear it either. I don't know what instance you're doing, but for my instance, if 'lighting the lighthouse' really means guiding the locals to resist, then success might cause others to clear the instance along with me... just like what you did in Zone 019."
"After you cleared that instance, several others disappeared too, right? Those were time-limited instances. Once one was gone, you could immediately move to the next. Zone 010 has plenty of B-rank instances, and most of them aren't time-limited. If they followed the later arrivals to clear the instance, they'd end up in high-risk random instances when they got out."
"Come to think of it, what you did in Zone 019 is really hard to replicate."
"The Ember Maiden instance has already been analyzed by some high-level players. Aside from what you revealed yourself, everyone guessed that you found clues from other instances. But that final move you pulled—many people couldn't figure it out. Even if they did, most probably wouldn't dare to replicate it. Still, the analyzed version of the clearance strategy is very popular among advanced players. A 3S instance—you don't run into one in years. Now there's one right in front of us..."
"Have you been to the Sand Sea center? Any other news?" Xu Huo interrupted his endless chatter.
Deng Xiahei didn't know exactly what he was referring to, but he gave Xu Huo an "I understand" look and began to detail his experiences at the Sand Sea center.
First, regarding the players remaining in Zone 010: some were stranded after failing to clear instances, some had voluntarily stayed and made Zone 010 their home, and the players still doing instances were the main force. They could bring back supplies from outside. Those who survived were constantly getting stronger. The stranded players varied in strength, and their main tasks were maintaining order in the Sand Sea center and plundering outer zone players.
Second, regarding the instance players who arrived: instance players entering the Sand Sea center were best off traveling in groups. A lone player was easily targeted. Whether B-rank or A-rank players, to people driven mad by poverty, getting their hands on even one was a stroke of luck.
Also, never trust the job postings and information purchases posted in the Sand Sea center—99% of them were scams. Not only did the free players there cheat, but the outer zone players managing the Sand Sea center cheated too. Zone 010 had no orderly resources to speak of. Outsiders were the best resource. Whether items or people, everything could be exchanged for White Notes. White Notes could be used through special channels to order food, building materials, and other goods, which would then be delivered by train.
So, although the city at the Sand Sea center looked well-maintained, it was actually more chaotic than anywhere else in Zone 010. Because the moment you walked in, everyone around you was an enemy.
"You didn't see any children in the Sand Sea center?" Xu Huo asked after listening.
"Not even half-grown kids," Deng Xiahei shook his head. "Black Thorns made it so the people of Zone 010 can't reproduce. There's been zero yield in the last ten years. Maybe some were successfully born over a decade ago, but for them to survive until now would be a miracle."
"Even if there were any, they wouldn't appear in the Sand Sea center. That place—ordinary people really can't survive there."
"When I escaped, I didn't see many ordinary people either. I heard they were all taken to dig drainage ditches."
"Drainage ditches?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.
"Apparently, someone got their hands on a water maker. Those people want to build houses underground, so they're using the people of Zone 010 as free labor," Deng Xiahei clicked his tongue. "I've been to so many zones, and I've never seen people as miserable as those in Zone 010. They're both food reserves and labor, herded like livestock. Getting a little water and a little food each day counts as a good day."
After chatting a bit more, Xu Huo learned that Deng Xiahei had been randomly thrown to this area by an item. He happened to run into Ao Quan and needed a place to recover, so he stayed. He even specifically used cleaning agent to scrub off the number on his back, indicating he wasn't a cannibal player.
Xu Huo now had a general understanding of the Sand Sea center's environment. If "Melissa" wasn't being kept by outer zone players, then she must still be in another safe zone or an unknown camp. For now, Chang Shoujie, the one with the black snake tattoo on his face, was a relatively clear lead. If he couldn't find Chang Shoujie, or if Chang Shoujie didn't provide valuable information, he would have to make a trip to the Sand Sea center first.
Then he returned to the cannibal players and mainly asked three questions.
First, about Chang Shoujie. Second, information about nearby safe zones and camps. Third, the patterns of mutant group activity.
For the second and third questions, these people could provide some information. After all, Ao Quan had previously led people to search this area and had discovered some small camps. But there were too few people, so Ao Quan hadn't wiped them all out at once—he was keeping them.
As for the mutant groups, this wasn't their active period. They had migrated eastward two months ago. With luck, it might take a year or two before a new mutant group returned here.
Information about the mutant groups' species, physical characteristics, and whether they had experiment numbers was all recorded.
But regarding Chang Shoujie—just like the Xiaohe City players, they had only heard of him but never seen him.
Xu Huo had them gather everyone in the safe zone together.