Chapter 1836: No Eternal Enemies
Deng Xiahei snorted after hearing this, then put on an impatient expression and said to the three across from him, "What instance are you doing?"
"You were the ones who proposed teaming up to clear it. Showing a little sincerity isn't too much to ask, is it?" Juan Er also said.
The three across exchanged glances. The man in the black coat who had spoken first said, "Our clearance instance is 'Dying Wish'."
"It requires at least ten players to carry out the instance mission simultaneously."
Xu Huo and Deng Xiahei didn't know the details, but the three beside them did. Juan Er sneered, "Are you really doing the 'Dying Wish' instance? As far as I know, that instance requires at least twenty players scattered across twenty different safe zones to achieve the clearance conditions. It's hard to say if Zone 010 can even gather twenty named safe zones anymore..."
"Why don't you first check if there are twenty safe zones before considering finding people?"
The black coat and his group couldn't reveal their clearance content to strangers, and it was natural for them to conceal things. But since Juan Er could state the specific details of the instance, they stopped hiding it. They simply invited all of them to join and promised to help Juan Er's friends clear their instances afterward.
"Aren't you doing the Lighthouse instance?" Deng Xiahei turned back to look at Juan Er.
"Yeah," Juan Er shrugged, smiling slyly at the people across. "Sorry, but none of us here need to clear 'Dying Wish'."
The three in black coats darkened their expressions, but Xu Huo asked, "Does the instance require all twenty players to be in the same instance?"
"Not necessarily," the black coat paused, then said, "But players from the same instance are safer."
One was to avoid someone backing out at the last minute, and two was in case the instance's hidden condition required players from the same instance—wouldn't finding other players be a waste of time?
Xu Huo smiled after hearing this. "You've been here for a while now, and you still haven't gathered enough players from the same instance. Besides, twenty people is no small number. Unless you go to the Sand Sea Center, but you haven't done that. Why not try the method I'm suggesting?"
"Anyway, you're still short of people. There's no loss in pursuing both approaches."
"Wouldn't it be bad to collude with the enemy?" Gao Dawei covered his mouth and used a silencing item to speak. "They wanted to kill us at first."
And they succeeded in killing one person.
On the surface, Brother Wu and his two companions didn't show much, but they had been with their group for a while. If they hadn't been compatible in temperament, they wouldn't have banded together. Moreover, since one of their own had been killed as a member of their faction, they were predisposed to distrust these people.
"There are no eternal enemies in the game." Xu Huo spoke this widely circulated saying in the game, then said to the black coat and his group, "You can discuss it with your companions."
The three across exchanged glances, then retreated.
"You want to take them north to raid the mutant group?" Brother Wu saw through Xu Huo's intention. "Aren't you worried they're using this as an excuse to infiltrate our team and make a move?"
"Still, there are no eternal enemies," Xu Huo said. "Besides, if they really have designs on us, they'll follow us after we leave anyway. Since we can't shake them off for now, we might as well have them do us a small favor."
Brother Wu turned his gaze to Deng Xiahei.
Deng Xiahei pretended not to notice, pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Makes sense. Better than us fighting mutants while they sit back and reap the rewards."
Brother Wu and his two companions could now see that although Deng Xiahei was a B-level player, he had no real opinion of his own and basically listened to Xu Huo. Even if Xu Huo didn't offer a single explanation, he had no objections.
Of course, in this situation, they could only assume that Deng Xiahei, like them, had taken Xu Huo's money, or was simply a bodyguard Xu Huo had hired before entering the instance, which was why he did everything Xu Huo said.
"Let me make this clear first," Juan Er said. "I can protect you for the money, but don't expect us to be your free labor to clear out mutant groups for you. When it gets truly dangerous, don't blame us for looking out for ourselves."
Xu Huo said that was fine.
Not long after, the six players returned, clearly agreeing to Xu Huo's proposal.
"State your conditions," the black coat spoke again.
"Very simple." This time, without needing Deng Xiahei to speak for him, Xu Huo walked straight up to the few B-level players. "We need to head north first to find an elder I'm looking for."
The black coat and his group immediately understood. "Your elder turned into a mutant?"
"Not sure," Xu Huo said without a moment's hesitation, raising an eyebrow. "We'll find out when we go see, won't we?"
Seeing that the B-level players with him had no reaction, the black coat group smiled and agreed, setting a time limit.
"Only three days. Mutant groups roam around. Who knows where your elder might have wandered off with other mutants? We can't search aimlessly forever."
Xu Huo didn't consult Deng Xiahei or the others. After a brief hesitation, he made the final decision.
And so, a group of twelve began to act together.
Xu Huo still did as before, refusing to travel quickly. He wasted time in the desert until nightfall before barely reaching an area where mutant groups frequently appeared.
He hadn't encountered a single mutant or venomous insect all day, likely because the area was often frequented by mutant groups, making it hard for ordinary mutated animals to survive.
With twelve people total, the RV was no longer sufficient. When it was time to rest for the night, Xu Huo brought out the "Snowflake Grand Hotel" and symbolically charged each person a small amount of White Notes before letting them in.
Although the others had never seen such a fine item, they didn't say anything. Only Gao Dawei openly expressed his envy. "Such a luxurious location item! Are all the facilities inside usable?"
Xu Huo wore a faintly smug expression, as if looking down on Gao Dawei's lack of worldliness. "You can stay on the lower few floors. There's electricity and water. You can even take a bath."
"Also, there's chilled wine and fruit in the fridge. Go get them out."
Gao Dawei rushed into the dining room, pulled open the luxury refrigerator in the corner, and shouted excitedly, "Brother Xu, can I get some fresh meat and seafood? They're still fresh!"
Xu Huo waved his hand, signaling him to take whatever he wanted.
Brother Wu and his group had been trapped in Zone 010 for a while. The overall environment was bad, and even if they had money, it was hard to buy so many ingredients, let alone various seasonings and cooking utensils. When they smelled the food, their cold faces softened, and they happily went over to help.
"With such good stuff, you should have brought it out earlier," Juan Er said, pouring himself some fruit wine, taking a deep sniff, and savoring it. "This is what life should be."
Xu Huo turned to look at the black coat group. "You don't have any dietary restrictions, do you?"