Chapter 1858: Nobody Move
"But Dr. Joyce's experiment succeeded," Xu Huo added immediately. "The child was found."
A flicker of mockery crossed the player's face, but he didn't deny the statement. Instead, he said, "Something that doesn't even look human—what's the point of raising it?"
"Didn't you see the child's limbs? She's completely different from those immature xenomorphs in the desert."
"Since you followed the Sand Sea Safe Zone people here, you should know that Instance 010 has produced a dungeon related to a newborn. The newborn is real, and she's the only hope for Zone 010." Xu Huo elaborated.
The other player didn't believe him. He dropped the line "Dr. Joyce will only bring disaster to Zone 010" and fled, while several nearby Sand Sea Safe Zone players quickly moved to block Xu Huo and Deng Xiahei.
"Should we chase him?" Deng Xiahei asked.
"Not much point anymore." Xu Huo was somewhat disappointed. Judging by that player's reaction, even if a newborn named "Melissa" truly existed, he wasn't aware of it. It seemed that in the understanding of all CK12 Safe Zone players, Dr. Joyce's experiment had already failed, which was why they had abandoned the laboratory without hesitation.
As for Dr. Joyce's death, there might have been other reasons behind it, to the point that CK12 players couldn't be certain whether any "newborns" had been born after they left the safe zone.
Of course, this could also be due to the dungeon "Wandering Melissa"—perhaps someone had already leaked the contents of the Black faction's dungeon, which was why that player harbored such intense disgust.
After blocking the cannibal player's attack, Xu Huo returned to the main battlefield. Just as he arrived, he saw a Sand Sea player charging out from some ruins, carrying a bundle in his hands.
"Fall back!" The bundle carrier shouted to his companions, his face barely containing his excitement and joy. The other Sand Sea players fighting against Zone 010 players actually withdrew from the battle immediately.
"Don't let them leave the safe zone!" Liao Xiaoyi charged to the front first.
Dozens of players engaged in a large-scale chase. To avoid harming the child, Liao Xiaoyi's side dared not use overly powerful items and even had to protect the player carrying the child. After several failed attempts to snatch the child back, the group split into two—one group intercepted the other players, while the other focused on surrounding the bundle carrier.
"Turnabout is fair play!" A player from the Polar Safe Zone tore off half his sleeve and threw it out. Under the effect of his trait, the half-sleeve flew straight toward the Sand Sea player, along with the bundle in the Sand Sea player's hands.
The bundle arced through the air and landed in the hands of another Zone 010 player ahead. The moment he caught it, his expression changed, and he immediately threw the bundle away!
"Boom!" A massive explosion followed by a shockwave shook the entire city, instantly drawing everyone's attention. All they saw was Liao Xiaoyi and other players retreating from the smoke and dust, wounded. The next second, several of them had their throats slit without any warning.
Nearby players rushed to their aid, blocking the Sand Sea players who had pretended to retreat only to launch a counterattack.
At the same time, several more players crept up to Xu Huo. They had clearly scouted the situation in advance, knowing the newborn was on him, and they went straight for lethal moves.
After several exchanges, Xu Huo was forced to retreat step by step under the siege. Reluctantly, he had to hand the "newborn" over to Deng Xiahei, who had just shaken off his pursuers.
"This time it's real!" Someone spotted the limbs of the Little Pink Hat under the cloth, and instantly everyone's attention shifted.
Deng Xiahei saw it too. After catching the child, he looked up to see over a dozen players charging at him. He cursed and turned to run.
Among those chasing him, some wanted to kill the child, while others wanted to protect it. The two sides were evenly matched, giving Deng Xiahei some breathing room. Even so, he was struggling. Finally, after dodging a near-miss that would have broken his leg, his hand slipped, and he threw the Little Pink Hat away.
"Damn it!" He immediately jumped down after it, but before he could reach it, other players' items pulled him back into the air. At the same time, over a dozen more players plunged toward the ground like dumplings being dropped into a pot, watching helplessly as the child was snatched from the side by a streak of pink.
"After them!" The players quickly turned around, but the pink-haired figure was too fast—they couldn't catch up for the moment.
While Zone 010 players and Sand Sea players remained locked in combat, several factions chased the pink-haired figure to the tallest building in the city. Right in front of everyone, the pink-haired person grabbed the Little Pink Hat by the back of the neck, lifted her up, and said with a smile, "Don't come any closer, or I'll snap her neck."
The Little Pink Hat obediently let her limbs go limp.
This threat could stop the Zone 010 players, but it couldn't stop those specifically targeting the newborn's death. So, as soon as the pink-haired person spoke, the Zone 010 players immediately set up a defense barrier around the building to block the other players.
Everyone was clustered together, making it easier to see from the outside. Xu Huo quickly spotted two more outer zone players trying to charge in. He pulled them into a more distant building. Just as he was about to act, the injured one immediately called out:
"Nobody move! Declare your faction first!"
The three of them stared at each other. Finally, the weaker one spoke first, "White faction. My goal is to protect the newborn."
The other two's gazes turned to Xu Huo, since he was a C-grade player.
"Black faction," Xu Huo said.
The remaining player's eyes darted between him and the injured player before settling on the latter. He smiled faintly. "Sorry, but I'm also Black faction."
The injured player's expression visibly filled with despair. But the next second, Xu Huo turned to ask, "Are you really Black faction?"
That player wasn't stupid. He had been inexplicably moved to this location, and only three people were present. The injured player wouldn't be seeking his own death, so the only one left was the other person present.
When their eyes met, the man swung both arms, and countless blades flew out from behind him, surrounding Xu Huo from all directions.
These blades weren't very powerful—they only broke through two layers of Space Ray barriers. The attacker's main goal was to create a distraction and launch a sneak attack from another angle. But when he teleported behind Xu Huo, his body was forced to tilt sideways by an automatic reaction from his item, and a black stream pierced through his right arm.
The player was startled. He quickly shook off the black liquid-like materialized object and retreated, but Xu Huo was waiting for him behind. "Holder's Demise" struck the back of his neck this time—clearly blocked by a protective item. But luck wasn't on his side. The protective item seemed to fail midway. Although the black metal bead didn't pierce through his neck, it still hit his bone. With a "crack," the man went limp and collapsed to the ground.