Chapter 1835: Blind Spots of Thought
Some bones still had numbers etched onto them using special methods.
Xenomorphs had strong regenerative abilities. To survive, they would even actively bite off or tear away injured parts. And because they were highly aggressive, injuring flesh and bone was commonplace. Therefore, directly engraving the number onto the bone while preventing that area of flesh from healing was a cost-effective method.
However, the numbers in the laboratory all started with the designation of the CK22 Safe Zone, and none matched the numbers similar to those on the chip.
"Did you find Dr. Joyce's things?" Gao Dawei asked when they regrouped.
Deng Xiahei shook his head.
"Maybe we should ask my uncle," Gao Dawei tentatively said to Xu Huo. "He hasn't come out for two days."
"Did you bring someone else?" Brother Wu asked curiously.
Xu Huo had specifically given the Picture Frame to Chang Shoujie earlier and had no intention of letting him out for the time being. He only said, "The surroundings aren't safe enough. Let's talk about it after we leave here."
Gao Dawei thought that made sense and nodded.
The group left the laboratory and immediately prepared to head to the next one.
As soon as they left, the group that had ambushed them earlier appeared and entered the laboratory.
Deng Xiahei's item had a wide range. Sensing the movement behind them, he gave Xu Huo a look.
Xu Huo signaled him to stay calm and asked Brother Wu and the others if they intended to avenge their companion.
"Life and death are fated; everyone looks out for themselves," Brother Wu waved his hand. "If you had to charge at everyone you met to get revenge, no amount of lives would be enough. As long as they don't try a second time, we can let things be for now."
"But we can't just swallow this loss."
With that said, after they finished searching the second laboratory, Brother Wu and Juan Er set up two traps inside, waiting for the group behind them to walk right into them.
"Even if we can't kill them, we'll scare them to death."
Juan Er even placed a prank item inside.
Looking at the bizarre, three-dimensionally floating ghost face on the item, everyone was at a loss for words.
"You don't think everyone in the world is afraid of ghosts, do you?" Deng Xiahei said.
"Ghosts are terrifying, shouldn't people be afraid?" Juan Er argued logically. "The more unknown something is, the more terrifying it is. This principle applies to anyone."
Deng Xiahei was speechless but still said, "Isn't being afraid of ghosts the same as being afraid of death? Do you think an ordinary ghost can kill a player?"
"Players turn into ghosts when they die too," Juan Er said with conviction.
Gao Dawei couldn't help but interject, "If ghosts can hurt people, it means people can hurt ghosts in return. Since they can harm each other, what's the difference between a ghost and a person?"
Juan Er rolled his eyes. "You've never seen a ghost, how do you know ghosts are the same as people?"
"You haven't seen one either, how do you know they're different?" Gao Dawei immediately retorted.
"Haven't seen one precisely proves they are more advanced than humans? Maybe they're living in a higher dimension?" Juan Er pointed at his head. "Don't use your common sense to judge everything in the world. What you think is impossible is exactly your blind spot in thinking."
"Look at the Instance Dungeon, for example. A lighthouse, right? No one thinks the game is asking us to find a real lighthouse, do they? Don't we all think the lighthouse represents something else?"
"Makes sense," Xu Huo interjected. This time, Deng Xiahei and Gao Dawei fell silent.
Juan Er, feeling he had found a kindred spirit, came over to put his arm around Xu Huo's shoulders and said, "You're my kind of person. For that comment, I'll give you a twenty percent discount on the protection fee."
The group continued forward. Deliberately slowing their pace, they indeed heard the sound of an explosion from the laboratory. Although no one died, sensing that group's hasty escape was enough to give Juan Er and the others a good laugh.
Although they had been ambushed, the few players tailing them didn't show themselves again. They even gave up following them, disappearing back into the city as if they had never appeared.
For the rest of the day, Xu Huo and his group moved between various laboratories and former government buildings in the city, but they found nothing substantial. It seemed that Dr. Joyce, who had come to CK22, had left no trace at all.
"Maybe the survivors of CK22 took him to another Safe Zone," Ye Xiaoshan comforted Xu Huo.
Since there was no body, it was good to hold onto that hope.
Xu Huo's main purpose for this trip was to find numbers similar to those on the chip. Since he hadn't found any, there was no need to trouble the people from the Polar Safe Zone further.
Ye Xiaoshan and the others had planned to escort them out of the Safe Zone before leaving, as there were other players lurking in the city. But Xu Huo politely declined and told them he intended to head north.
There was a Xenomorph colony to the north, and he wanted to see if there were any clues there.
Ye Xiaoshan and the others were puzzled, but then he added, "We can't rule out the possibility that he degenerated into a Xenomorph."
That was true.
Ye Xiaoshan and his group left that night. Gao Dawei was very confused. "If Dr. Joyce turned into a Xenomorph, can we still find him?"
In Zone 010, many people who degenerated were indistinguishable from humans or animals. What was the point of finding them?
Not just him, but even Deng Xiahei, Brother Wu, and the others found it baffling. In their view, it was a complete waste of time.
"Does this have something to do with the Instance Dungeon?" Deng Xiahei could only think of that reason.
"Barely related," Xu Huo said, rubbing his chin. "Mainly, I need something to report back with."
The people present looked at each other in confusion but said nothing more. After all, he was the one in charge here.
After replenishing their energy, everyone used their respective Defense Items or Location Items to rest. It wasn't until midnight that the early warning item placed outside the building sounded an alarm.
Without a doubt, it was the group that had ambushed them during the day. Now they were all present. Three showed their faces, while three others were hiding further away.
The two sides confronted each other. One person from the opposing side struck out, smashing the annoyingly loud item, and grinned at Xu Huo and his group. "Are you looking for something here?"
It wasn't a good opening line. Deng Xiahei stepped forward to respond. "If you have something to say, say it. If you have something to let out, let it out. We already fought during the day. Why are you trying to cozy up now?"
They were six on the other side, but even without Gao Dawei, they had five people on their side. Their strength was in no way inferior, so there was no need to back down.
"Who's trying to cozy up to you?" a younger player on the other side said. "We came to ask what Instance Dungeon you're in. We're a few people short of clearing it. You look pretty strong, so we're giving you a chance."
Deng Xiahei looked as if he had heard a joke. "Are you okay?"
But the people on the other side weren't joking. The other two players had the same attitude. It wasn't an act; they had grasped an extremely important clue for clearing the Instance Dungeon. This information gap gave them confidence.
"Look at how confident they are. Maybe they really do have some clues," Xu Huo said from behind Deng Xiahei. "Let's find out what their Instance Dungeon is first."
(End of Chapter)