Chapter 2236: I Prefer to Clear Instances Alone
A few minutes of beautiful talk about love led the young woman to pay a considerable fee for the fortune-telling. Once the seat was vacated, Xu Huo walked over. "Can't you change your lines? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten for saying the same thing every time?"
Tu Xiaoxiao snorted coldly. "You can underestimate my eloquence, but you can't underestimate my fortune-telling. Since I said it, it must be what I divined. As a local of Platinum Eye, is it strange for her to meet her true love here?"
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow slightly. "I'm not from Platinum Eye. How about you do a reading for me?"
"No need. Someone as petty as you can't find a partner. Even if you did, they'd definitely abandon you!" Tu Xiaoxiao said directly.
"I'm just looking for a friend. No need for personal attacks." Xu Huo smiled. "I've tried contacting Yan Jiayu several times recently, but she hasn't replied. Do you know where she's been lately?"
Tu Xiaoxiao had already recognized Xu Huo. At his words, her expression shifted from aloof to serious. "I haven't been able to reach her for a while either. A month ago, we went to a random instance together. Afterward, she said she wanted to go home and visit her master."
The last time Xu Huo saw Yan Jiayu was at Rose Castle, but that was nearly two months ago. He regularly exchanged messages with players he knew. Aside from those who were permanently unreachable, most others replied with a certain regularity—usually only out of contact for a few days each month, either busy in instances or recovering from injuries. Yan Jiayu was the fastest and most diligent responder. Even if she was in an instance, as long as she wasn't tied up, she'd find a moment to reply if he needed her.
Recently, there had been no response at all.
"Maybe she entered some sealed instance," Tu Xiaoxiao said after thinking. "She likes weird and unusual instances. Sometimes she actively seeks out random instances to play in. Losing contact is normal."
"More than a month is never normal," Xu Huo said. "Do you know what instance she entered last?"
"It seemed like a random instance," Tu Xiaoxiao recalled carefully. "At the time, she told me she'd found an interesting amusement park instance but hadn't decided whether to go in. After that, she never contacted me again... She might really be trapped in a random instance."
"But it shouldn't be a big problem." Tu Xiaoxiao occasionally made plans with Yan Jiayu to enter instances together and knew her style well. "A random instance definitely can't trap her. At worst, she'll come out and enter a high-risk instance. She's been through two high-risk instances already."
This was the first Xu Huo had heard of it. Evolution in District 014 had only started less than two years ago, yet she'd already entered two high-risk instances. That meant she'd missed ticket instances at least twice non-consecutively, likely also trapped in random instances.
Under these circumstances, her player level could still rise quickly, meaning she entered at least two ticket instances per month, not counting the random ones she joined for fun. Her schedule was extremely packed.
"If I get in touch with her, I'll definitely tell her you were looking for her." Tu Xiaoxiao paused, then pressed, "It's nothing urgent, is it?"
"She'll reply to me when she gets out of the instance." Xu Huo waved his hand. "Just knowing where she is is enough."
"Then let me know if you hear anything," Tu Xiaoxiao said quickly.
Xu Huo didn't say much more and left Two-Fifths Avenue.
Afterward, he returned to Old Lady Lu's residence, briefly explained things to Xiao Yuan and Tan Qi, and then prepared to leave Platinum Eye to enter an instance.
The "Stolen Declaration" instance had failed, and he'd wasted over twenty days in the Goddess District and District 008. He needed to enter an instance to fulfill this month's requirement.
After saying goodbye, Xu Huo placed two "Angel's Fangs" near Platinum Eye before boarding the train with the Painting Woman.
This time, he selected a ticket from those he'd already obtained. The arrival station was known to trigger only one instance, and the guide for this instance was fairly complete on Under Dimension. So on the train, he bought several sets of instance guides for reference.
This instance had only one clearance requirement: kill a certain number of criminals. The number was flexibly given by the instance upon triggering it after leaving the station. It was said that everyone's number was different, but the main requirement was the same.
Several instance guides mentioned that the number of criminals killed affected the player's range of activity. Before reaching the clearance number, the more criminals a player killed, the larger the area they could move within the district. Players were generally not allowed to enter unlocked areas.
Despite such a strict requirement, none of the guides mentioned whether forcibly entering unlocked areas was possible or what penalties existed for doing so.
It was unclear whether this was deliberately overlooked or simply unimportant.
Another key point was the definition of a criminal. Here, criminals had to be those identified and publicly listed by law enforcement agencies. There might be many criminals, but killing those not on the wanted list didn't count toward the clearance number.
Of course, not all wanted individuals had blood on their hands. Robbery, theft, economic crimes, and official bribery all made the wanted list. The district's policy toward such people was kill on sight.
The guides also mentioned that since many criminals were stranded players, they might be hard to find even if wanted. Therefore, during the hunt, one had to be fast, accurate, and ruthless. Many players had been forced to fail clearance and become stranded due to an insufficient number of wanted criminals.
"During the hunt for criminals, clearance players might also become criminals. Does the 'criminal' status conflict with clearance?"
Overall, this seemed like a competition-type instance where players were each other's prey, with few strict rules.
None of the guides covered every detail; the specifics would depend on the instance's requirements.
"Brother, can I sit across from you?" A female player walked over, her smile gentle.
"Go ahead." Xu Huo glanced up.
She seemed inclined to chat, her tone warm and friendly without being overly familiar. In a few words, she revealed the station she was heading to, as if looking for a partner.
"Sorry, I prefer to clear instances alone." Xu Huo refused her and moved to another seat.
The woman didn't seem annoyed. She quickly struck up a conversation with a newly boarded player. This time, she changed tactics—flattery mixed with feigned weakness, claiming that friends used to guide her through instances but now couldn't, and that her instance deadline was approaching. Terrified of going solo, she wanted to rely on a strong player.
The newcomer was a bearded man. He seemed to enjoy the woman's flattery, repeatedly touching her arm and leg during their conversation. When she didn't refuse, he generously offered to take her along, with the simple condition that she become his lover during the instance.
They conversed as if no one else was around, with no moral qualms, quickly reaching an agreement.
"What instance are you heading to?" the bearded man asked only after another grope.
The woman gently stroked his arm. "One-Third City." (Chapter End)