Chapter 2174: Suspected Mental-Type Instance
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "I'm not a player, I'm a non-player."
"Non-player?" Xu Huo looked at him.
The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I'm a non-player. I was just passing by and saw you standing here, so I came over to ask."
Xu Huo didn't say anything, just stared at him.
The middle-aged man felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively took a step back, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Wait." Xu Huo called out to him.
The middle-aged man's body stiffened, and he turned around with a forced smile, "Is there something else?"
"Since you're a non-player, how did you get here?" Xu Huo asked.
"This... I live nearby," the middle-aged man said.
Xu Huo looked around. This was a wilderness area, with no villages for miles around. He said, "Where do you live?"
The middle-aged man pointed to the distance, "Over there, there's a village."
Xu Huo followed the direction he pointed and saw only a vast expanse of wilderness. "How far is it?"
"About a few miles," the middle-aged man said.
"Take me to see," Xu Huo said.
The middle-aged man's face changed slightly, "This... it's not convenient right now. I still have things to do at home. How about another day?"
"Don't worry, I'll go with you," Xu Huo said, taking a step forward.
The middle-aged man immediately turned and ran, but before he could take two steps, he was grabbed by the collar by Xu Huo.
"Let me go! Let me go!" The middle-aged man struggled frantically, "I'm really a non-player! I didn't lie to you!"
Xu Huo ignored him and dragged him forward.
The middle-aged man shouted, "Help! Someone's robbing! Help!"
Xu Huo frowned and slapped him, "Shut up."
The middle-aged man's mouth was bleeding from the slap, and he finally quieted down.
Xu Huo dragged him for about ten minutes before seeing a small village ahead. The village was not big, with only a dozen or so houses, all made of mud and stone, looking very crude.
"Is this your village?" Xu Huo asked.
The middle-aged man nodded weakly, "Yes."
Xu Huo let him go, "Take me in for a look."
The middle-aged man had no choice but to lead the way into the village.
As soon as they entered the village, Xu Huo felt something was off. The village was too quiet, without any human presence, and the doors of the houses were tightly shut.
"Where are the people?" Xu Huo asked.
"They... they all went out to work," the middle-aged man said.
"Working?" Xu Huo looked at him, "Working where?"
"Just... working in the fields," the middle-aged man said.
Xu Huo glanced at the barren land around and sneered, "What can you grow in this kind of land?"
The middle-aged man's face turned pale, and he couldn't speak.
Xu Huo walked straight to a house and kicked the door open.
Inside the house, several people were huddled together, trembling. When they saw Xu Huo, they immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, "Spare us! Spare us! We didn't mean to lie to you!"
Xu Huo looked at them coldly, "Who sent you?"
"No one sent us, we... we did it ourselves," one of them said.
"Doing it yourselves?" Xu Huo said, "Doing what yourselves?"
"We... we wanted to rob you," the man said.
"Rob me?" Xu Huo laughed, "With just you?"
The man said, "We saw you were alone, so we thought..."
Xu Huo interrupted him, "You think I'm easy to bully?"
"No, no, we wouldn't dare," the man quickly said.
Xu Huo looked around the room. The furnishings inside were simple, with nothing of value. He asked, "Are you all non-players?"
"Yes, yes, we're all non-players," the man said.
"How did you get here?" Xu Huo asked.
"We... we were brought here," the man said.
"Brought by whom?" Xu Huo pressed.
"By... by a player," the man said.
"What player?" Xu Huo asked.
The man shook his head, "We don't know. He wore a mask, and we couldn't see his face."
"What did he bring you here for?" Xu Huo asked.
"He said... he said to let us stay here and wait for the prey to come," the man said.
"Prey?" Xu Huo's eyes turned cold, "You mean me?"
The man didn't dare to answer, just lowered his head.
Xu Huo snorted coldly, "Where is that player now?"
"He... he left," the man said.
"Left?" Xu Huo said, "When did he leave?"
"Just... just now," the man said.
Xu Huo's gaze swept over them, "You're lying."
The man's body trembled, "We're not lying! He really left!"
Xu Huo suddenly turned around and looked outside the door.
Outside the door, a figure stood silently, wearing a mask, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.
Xu Huo narrowed his eyes, "You are the one who brought them here?"
The masked man didn't speak, just stared at Xu Huo.
Xu Huo felt a strong mental fluctuation from the masked man, and his heart tightened, "Mental Super Evolver?"
The masked man finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "You're quite sharp."
Xu Huo took a step back, keeping his distance, "What do you want?"
The masked man said, "I want you to come with me."
"Where to?" Xu Huo asked.
"You'll know when you get there," the masked man said.
Xu Huo shook his head, "I'm not going."
"That's not up to you," the masked man said, raising his hand.
A powerful mental force instantly enveloped Xu Huo, trying to invade his mind.
Xu Huo's expression changed, and he quickly activated his mental defense, barely blocking the attack.
The masked man was slightly surprised, "You have mental defense?"
Xu Huo didn't answer, just stared at him warily.
The masked man sneered, "But that's not enough."
As he spoke, his mental attack intensified.
Xu Huo felt a sharp pain in his head, as if countless needles were piercing his brain. He gritted his teeth and held on, but the opponent's mental power was too strong, and he was gradually losing ground.
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared beside Xu Huo, reaching out to grab his shoulder.
Xu Huo was startled and wanted to dodge, but found his body couldn't move.
"Don't move," a familiar voice sounded.
Xu Huo turned his head and saw a woman in a black cloak standing beside him. It was the Short-Haired Female Player.
"You're here?" Xu Huo was surprised.
The Short-Haired Female Player nodded, then looked at the masked man, "He's mine."
The masked man's eyes flickered, "Who are you?"
The Short-Haired Female Player didn't answer, just raised her hand.
A powerful energy wave erupted from her hand, instantly shattering the masked man's mental attack.
The masked man's expression changed drastically, and he turned to run.
But the Short-Haired Female Player was faster, appearing in front of him in an instant, grabbing his neck.
"Spare me..." the masked man begged.
The Short-Haired Female Player ignored him and squeezed hard.
With a crack, the masked man's neck was broken, and his body went limp.
The Short-Haired Female Player threw his body aside, then turned to Xu Huo, "Are you okay?"
Xu Huo shook his head, "I'm fine."
The Short-Haired Female Player said, "This is a suspected mental-type instance. Be careful."
Xu Huo was stunned, "Mental-type instance?"
The Short-Haired Female Player nodded, "Yes, I sensed a strong mental fluctuation here, so I came to check."
Xu Huo frowned, "Then these people..."
"They're all puppets controlled by mental power," the Short-Haired Female Player said.
Xu Huo looked at the people in the house, who were now lying on the ground, unconscious.
"They've lost their mental will and are basically useless," the Short-Haired Female Player said.
Xu Huo took a deep breath, "Thank you for saving me."
The Short-Haired Female Player shook her head, "No need to thank me. We're all players; we should help each other."
Xu Huo nodded, "What should we do now?"
The Short-Haired Female Player said, "First, find the core of this instance and destroy it."
"Core?" Xu Huo asked.
"Yes, every instance has a core. Destroying it will end the instance," the Short-Haired Female Player said.
Xu Huo thought for a moment, "Where is the core?"
The Short-Haired Female Player looked into the distance, "I sense it's over there."
Xu Huo followed her gaze and saw a black tower standing in the distance.
"That tower?" Xu Huo asked.
The Short-Haired Female Player nodded, "Let's go."
The two of them headed toward the black tower.