Chapter 2077: Only Players Disappear
After saying this, the sunny young man got up again and walked toward the back kitchen, but when he opened the door, the boss, who had gone in and came back out, happened to be coming out. He pushed the young man back while saying, "Don't be in such a hurry, the food won't be served that fast..."
The sunny young man grabbed the door frame and looked inside, then didn't let the boss push him out again. Instead, he asked coldly, "Where's that female player?"
The boss said nonchalantly, "You mean the girl who went in just now? She left."
The sunny young man's face darkened. "You say she left just like that? She was still here a moment ago."
The boss looked at him strangely. "You're players. When you come and go, can we stop you?"
The sunny young man was furious and returned to the shop, saying to the other players who were eating, "Stop eating, all of you! This is a shady business!"
Before the boss could explain, one of the players said, "You just got here. Haven't you heard the rumors about Cockscomb Flower City?"
Like Xu Huo and the others, the sunny young man had indeed just arrived, and he had been randomly teleported here by a prop.
That player took another bite of chicken. "This place has had a random instance that swallows people for a very long time. The instance's opening time and location are not fixed. It moves around the city swallowing people in, and it only swallows players."
"So that woman suddenly disappearing could mean she left on her own, or she was teleported into the instance."
Seeing how seriously he spoke, the sunny young man said half-doubtfully, "Since you know that, why are you still staying here?"
That player looked up and smiled. "I came here specifically for this instance."
The sunny young man still couldn't trust him, so he searched for information about the random instance on his Message Collection Terminal.
Cockscomb Flower City did indeed have such a random instance, and it had existed for a very long time. The difference from other random instances was that ordinary people couldn't enter the instance's entrance, and it had no fixed activation conditions. Apart from the time and place the player had just mentioned, no other patterns had been summarized—this was knowledge gained by local players at the cost of their lives.
Besides the two Cockscomb Flower Cities, there were about five other cities within the range of this random instance's activity. Because of this, these cities couldn't retain players. Local players had long since fled, but precisely because of this, players from other zones dared not stay long, which instead made these cities good places for ordinary people to live. Whether it was to take care of their families or out of nostalgia for their hometowns, those players who had left would still send some material support, which was the fundamental reason life in Cockscomb Flower City wasn't too bad.
"Is it really an instance?" the sunny young man remained skeptical. "If it's an instance, the local players who went in should have notified their companions outside, right? At least someone should have explained what this instance is really like by now, shouldn't they?"
As he spoke, he looked over at Xu Huo and the Painting Woman beside him, as if seeking agreement. However, the next second, he vanished from where he stood, as if he had never existed.
"See? Now you believe it." The player who had explained took a slow sip of his soup.
The boss was unfazed by this and called out to the kitchen, "The guest who ordered vegetarian dishes is gone. No need to make it."
But the person in the kitchen shouted back, "It's already done! If you didn't want it, why didn't you say so earlier!"
The boss thought for a moment, went into the kitchen, and quickly came out again, placing the finished vegetarian dish on each table. "It's my treat, my treat. Everyone, don't be shy."
"Boss, why don't you sit down and join us?" Xu Huo invited.
The shop owner was a very straightforward person. Without much thought, he agreed and even brought out some liquor. "This is good stuff I brewed myself. I usually don't bring it out for guests, but today you're in luck."
He filled two glasses. Before Xu Huo could pick up his cup, the boss downed his own in one gulp, his face and neck turning red as he let out a breath, then urged Xu Huo to try it.
Xu Huo took a small sip, forced it down, and said, "It smells fragrant, but it's very harsh going down."
The boss laughed heartily and began to talk about the origin of his liquor. He said it was about ten years ago when many mutated plants suddenly grew near Cockscomb Flower City. Although most were non-toxic, they grew too fast and became a nuisance. Coincidentally, the overall environment was bad at the time, and many crops had died, so people started using those mutated plants as food, which actually saved their lives.
Xu Huo wanted to ask about the random instance, so he inquired when it had first started.
The boss's high spirits dampened a little. He poured himself another glass of liquor. "On the first day of summer, thirty-five years ago. That day happened to be my birthday, and also the birthday of my neighbor, an old man. Our families were close, and his grandson had even prepared a gift for me. Such a good kid. During the birthday feast, he suddenly disappeared. The soup bowl and spoon all crashed to the ground."
"Ordinary people don't understand players entering the game. They only know that some instances come and go without warning. Everyone thought he had entered an instance. His traveling companions also said he had gone into an instance and told the old man not to worry."
"Only later did we find out that after he left, there was no word from him. He was the ninth such case."
"After that, many players disappeared without a single message coming back. They're probably dead by now."
The boss took a drink, half-closing his eyes, slightly drunk. "Dying in the game is common. People gradually accepted it. People like me, with no real skills, are still alive and well, while the players have all gone."
"You outsiders don't know how dangerous it is. If you have nothing to do, just take a look around and leave. It's not worth suddenly ending up in an instance like those two just now."
"Thank you, boss." Xu Huo said again, "I've been to many districts, but I've never experienced an instance like this."
"I've heard the game world is incredibly vast. Even players haven't been everywhere. It's normal to encounter things you've never seen before." The boss laughed again. "Better to live in ignorance than to go die."
Xu Huo smiled slightly and raised his glass to toast him.
After a few drinks together, the boss was already slumped over the table. The cook from the back carried him away. Although Xu Huo wasn't drunk, his head felt a bit swollen. He drank a dose of antidote and left the small shop with the Painting Woman.
A few steps ahead was the shop owner's residence. On the door hung a sign with an arrow that read, "This Restaurant's Food is Delicious." A little further on, a small courtyard was also occupied. An old man was doing some handicrafts there. At his feet lay an iron chain, and at the other end of the chain was a haggard-looking woman. The woman had been sitting on the ground, but when she saw Xu Huo and the Painting Woman passing by, she immediately rushed forward, holding up a photo and shouting wildly, "Have you seen my son? Have you seen my son? My son!"
She was held back by the chain and couldn't get close to the gate, but she still struggled to hold up a family photo, frantically pointing at the young man behind the old man. "My son! My son!"
(Chapter End)