Chapter 1917: Adapting Well
"You can only blame yourself for not upgrading step by step and insisting on challenging high-difficulty instances." Bai Kou said with a hint of schadenfreude.
"I didn't deliberately skip C to do B-rank instances just to level up; it just so happened that the number of instances I cleared was enough for the upgrade." Xu Huo said. "I'm also a bit surprised I upgraded so fast this time."
Many players would stay at D-rank or C-rank for several years or even a decade.
Bai Kou leaned on the experimental table, tilting her head to look at him. "So your clearance ratings are this high."
"Since we can't find the potion and the evolution rate can't be raised in the short term, let's just buy protective suits." She said. "Some protective suits have the effect of hiding body data. As long as you're careful during combat, there won't be major issues. Others will just think you're not good at fighting."
"Any recommendations?" Xu Huo asked.
"Go find them yourself." Bai Kou withdrew her gaze and encrypted his data. "Does the Platinum Eye really have items you can't buy?"
Hearing this, Xu Huo reflexively asked, "Can super items be bought?"
"Are you doing this on purpose?" Bai Kou threw the data transfer terminal with the copied information at him.
Xu Huo raised his hand to catch it and said with a smile, "I'm asking sincerely."
Bai Kou snorted lightly. "Even if someone sells them, you'd have to dare to buy them."
At this point, Xu Huo asked about the people sent over from Zone 017.
Back then, when Zone 017 was attacked because of the super item and the entire zone was wiped out, he had borrowed some container items to send a few people out. Compared to the entire Zone 017, the number wasn't large, but it was still considerable. It wasn't easy to properly settle these people, especially since he had likely brushed past the holder of the super item at the time.
"A less developed district." Bai Kou said. "That place is quite short on people, and most of the population migrated from other districts. The original residents don't have a strong sense of xenophobia."
Everyone there was an outsider.
Xu Huo asked her for a detailed address.
Bai Kou gave him a meaningful look. "Still have unfinished business?"
Xu Huo played dumb. "Just expecting gratitude in return."
They dropped the topic for now, and he opened the video about the evolved xenomorphs he had obtained in Zone 017 for her to watch.
The video's perspective was clearly taken secretly. The main subjects were some oddly shaped evolved animals, but in reality, some of them had already surpassed the scope of ordinary xenomorphs. Especially the final "intelligent xenomorph"—when it opened its eyes, it even brought mental pressure to the viewer.
"Be careful with the last part." He warned Bai Kou, and she quickly covered her eyes when the "intelligent xenomorph" opened its eyes at the end of the video, then closed the video interface.
"The thing embedded in the xenomorph's eyeball should be a mental interference ore." Bai Kou said. "This kind of interference power that specifically attacks the human brain can be preserved through the recording medium, causing discomfort to those who watch it."
"The place looks like a secret laboratory. Where did you get this video?"
"Someone sent it to me from Under Dimension." Xu Huo said. "After that, the account didn't reply to my messages anymore."
"This human-like 'intelligent xenomorph' appeared in Zone 017. It should be that someone took advantage of the chaos in Zone 017 to use that district for an experiment."
Bai Kou wasn't surprised. "You suspect Stellar Pharmaceuticals."
"In the game, no one is more capable of this than Stellar Pharmaceuticals. So, you want to cause trouble for Stellar Pharmaceuticals?"
"That's not it." Xu Huo closed his personal panel. "This kind of laboratory might be hidden in districts that tickets can't reach. I want to try to see if I can get there through this route."
Bai Kou immediately understood his meaning. She thought for a moment before saying, "It's possible, but the difficulty lies in entering the district. Districts that are excluded and serve a covert role probably have defenses no less than those in A-rank wormhole point districts. Even if you get in, there's very little you can do unless you have a legitimate identity."
"Legitimate identity?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "Gray player?"
"Even the staff trained by the game government might not be able to enter a no-ticket district, let alone a gray player?" Bai Kou said. "You'd need a channel through Yongxing Hotel or hold game authority, something like the identity of a wormhole point administrator."
"Those who had privileges from the very beginning of the game, like Star Group and Yongxing Hotel, should be the game's investors. On the surface, the game is controlled by the game government, but in reality, the game government was also established by the game developers. The role Star Group plays in this is self-evident."
"The Dimensional Fissure has been running until now; it probably isn't entirely under the developers' control either." Xu Huo said.
Bai Kou didn't refute, because she had living examples around her that perfectly confirmed this statement. She even thought the game might have developed a loophole.
"The idea isn't bad, but no one knows where the game's carrier is placed, let alone exploring blind spots that no one has touched." She paused before continuing, "As the game has developed, perhaps the game itself is no longer what we conventionally think it is. Besides, this is a dimensional game. The game developers could easily place the game's carrier in a space that no player can reach."
Then she looked at Xu Huo again. "You want to cut off the water at its source; I'm afraid you're thinking a bit too early."
"I'll take my time looking. Maybe I'll run into it one day." Xu Huo said calmly.
Bai Kou chuckled softly and didn't continue this topic. Instead, she said, "I'll lend you this laboratory. The data connection has been shut down. You can adapt to your evolved state. You can leave first if you want; I'm returning to Mechanical Castle at three in the afternoon."
"I'll wait and go with you." Xu Huo said casually.
The laboratory door opened and closed, and soon only he was left in the room.
First, he checked the laboratory's construction materials, then began attempting to open the spiritual realm in a 60% state and tried to control space-time powers.
Although raising the evolution rate didn't expand the control range of super evolution powers, it did lighten his burden to some extent. His super evolution speed was relatively fast, and the evolution rate couldn't keep up, putting a heavy strain on his body and even lowering his upper limit to a certain degree. After increasing it by 10 percentage points, he could clearly feel that the same operations were much easier.
After two activations, the P4S potion injection had adapted well, and there were no signs of side effects for now. So after some simple attempts, Xu Huo began trying to control the time ray again.
When he had tried to control the ray yesterday, Bai Kou had stopped him. Of course, he understood the risk of assimilating himself with the time ray, but this was also a path. Perhaps he could balance both.
What he needed to do now was expand the controllable range of the time ray while ensuring he wouldn't be affected by it.