Chapter 2283: Free Entry and Exit from Buliucheng
Not to mention Zhu Xiaojin and the others fighting in a chaotic mess within the real and fake illusions, unable to distinguish friend from foe, Xu Huo in Building 5 truly felt the sensation of time power steadily enveloping him.
It wasn’t that space was split into two; he could appear before the “participants” without any obstacles, but if he wanted to avoid others, it was also easy. Because the time power connected here accelerated his movement speed, making him seem no different from those around him, yet in reality, he could accomplish much more in the same period. The state he presented to the “participants” was as if he had become a ghost—perhaps they could detect him, but it was difficult to capture him.
The effect of the item ensured the parallel operation of two types of time power, allowing people to move freely within them. It wasn’t like a time freeze item or a Super Evolver introducing time power, which would cause someone caught between two time powers to crash, as if frozen.
Of course, as the holder, he couldn’t act entirely as he pleased. As the behind-the-scenes director, he could choose to intervene in the film or simply observe. The parallel time zones were fixed only at two locations: Building 5 and Building 7—naturally, because the item’s effect was confined to this residential area. If placed elsewhere, it would likely be two adjacent activity points.
Moreover, the item did not restrict the holder from switching between these two time powers.
In other words, this special item granted the holder immense authority. The holder could even mingle among the participants to steer events toward the outcome they desired.
Of course, this wasn’t particularly necessary for Xu Huo. For him, the item’s sealing effect far outweighed its other uses, because the item could be retrieved at any time, whereas a random instance could only be closed once the instance ended. Although it imposed strong restrictions on players, it also heavily restricted the instance holder, making it inconvenient.
“What are you doing here?” the Painting Woman found him.
“Can you feel the time power here?” Xu Huo asked.
The Painting Woman didn’t understand at all. She fiddled with her communicator for a moment and said, “I don’t know. I just found you here and came over.”
The two parallel time powers didn’t have an obvious time difference, so it wasn’t strange that the Painting Woman could detect him.
Xu Huo had already familiarized himself with the item’s usage. “Let’s go. We’re about to leave.”
When he put away the item, he also moved to Zhu Xiaojin and the others, bringing the isolated Tang Yu along. As soon as he stood still, Zhu Xiaojin charged at him with his item raised. “Still pulling this trick!”
Xu Huo raised a space barrier to block him. “Enough. The horror movie is over.”
Zhu Xiaojin looked at the bright sky outside. “It’s over?”
He then asked uncertainly, “Is this real or an illusion?”
Old Cai, Tang Yu, and the female player all looked pale. What had just happened—real and fake mixed together—had nearly driven them crazy. One second they were sure something was real, and the next it suddenly flipped into a lie. They couldn’t trust anyone’s identity, and they weren’t even sure if they themselves were real…
The same item, in different hands, made such a huge difference.
“Without him, could you have escaped my item’s effect?” the female player tried to save face.
Given the previous situation, without Xu Huo’s proficiency in space power accompanying them, Old Cai and the others would still have been scattered. It’s just that the substitutes might not have appeared so quickly, and they would have had time to find the holder’s hiding spot… But at least it wouldn’t have been as baffling as when Xu Huo controlled the item.
“How do we deal with this person?” Zhu Xiaojin asked.
“Take her back as a wanted criminal.” Xu Huo gestured for the female player to hand over all her items. Then, using a removal item, he stripped away her disguise. Seeing her true face, he raised an eyebrow. “It’s you.”
“You know me?” The female player had no impression of Xu Huo at all—not in appearance, but in strength. Anyone who encountered such a Super Evolver wouldn’t forget them.
“We met once on the train.” Xu Huo smiled. “The player traveling with you should be dead by now.”
“You’ve mistaken me for someone else,” the female player denied.
Xu Huo didn’t press her. He simply said, “Did you know about the One-Third City instance beforehand and specifically choose to kill here, or did you stumble into this place by chance?”
“Lying to me is useless. Telling the truth will also benefit your safety.”
Zhu Xiaojin pulled out a potion, ready to give her an injection.
Only then did the female player admit that she had indeed come specifically for the One-Third instance.
She was originally a player from this district. Other players knew about Buliucheng’s situation and dared not come, but she discovered that the One-Third Game still adhered to instance rules. After testing, she confirmed it was safe here. Killing wouldn’t be interfered with by other players, nor would she worry about retaliation. Sometimes, she could even pick up free items. So, whenever she was short on money or heading home, she would find a few unlucky victims.
“You actually managed to exploit a bug in the One-Third Game?” Old Cai was very interested. “How did you do it?”
“Enter another instance first,” the female player said. “Enter an instance in an unenclosed area, but don’t complete it.”
“That’s one way. If an instance isn’t over, a player won’t be pulled into another instance.” Zhu Xiaojin rubbed his chin. “But how can you be sure you won’t enter the One-Third Game?”
“Because I can leave Buliucheng.” The female player’s words carried a hint of subtle pride.
Due to the existence of the “unlocked area,” players who entered One-Third City couldn’t leave. The moment they stepped out of the city, they might be sucked into the One-Third Game—a fact verified by many players.
“Killing doesn’t trigger the game either?” Xu Huo asked.
“No,” the female player said firmly.
“Using another instance to offset the One-Third Game works?” Tang Yu pondered. “It can’t be that simple. If so, Buliucheng should be packed with local players.”
“Are you lying?” The Painting Woman stared at the female player.
“What benefit would I get from lying to you about this?” the female player said. “If you don’t believe me, try it yourselves.”
Tang Yu had a point. The One-Third Game must be very difficult to avoid. If entering another instance in advance could prevent it, such a good hunting ground as Buliucheng would have long been occupied by district players, and it wouldn’t still be an unmanaged place.
Someone must have tried the same method but failed.
“Come on.” Xu Huo took out a recorder. “Tell me when you first entered Buliucheng, how long you stayed each time, and what you did.”
“You’re instance players. What’s the point of understanding this now?” The female player lacked patience.
Xu Huo said calmly, “Of course there’s a point. If you can truly avoid the game completely, you’d make a good pathfinder. After all, none of us can go to the city center.” (End of Chapter)