Chapter 2303: A Feasible Proposal
"Shi Sanjiu." The man gave his name and background, then added, "I heard you came out of the second game, so I came specifically to find you. I think we might have met in the game."
"Xu Zhi," Xu Huo nodded. "I won the second game."
Shi Sanjiu's eyes lit up. "I knew I hadn't found the wrong person. I've asked around, and very few people come out of the second game alive. Since we both won the second game and just got out not long ago, we have plenty of time to prepare."
"Prepare?" Xu Huo looked surprised. "You're still planning to enter the third game?"
Shi Sanjiu said helplessly, "I've figured it out. Running away definitely won't work. It's better to have some awareness and prepare early."
He turned toward the city center. "I'm guessing you're thinking of breaking through from here—interfering with the game or even destroying it. Honestly, the chances of that are very slim."
"Have you been inside?" Xu Huo asked.
"How could I?" Shi Sanjiu patted his backpack. "I just happen to be carrying some suitable equipment."
"Do you have time now? Let's talk about the third game."
Xu Huo was willing to listen.
They moved to a nearby shop. Shi Sanjiu took out his own tools and brewed tea for everyone. "Try it. It's a specialty from my hometown. The fragrance lingers in your mouth long after you drink it."
He took a sip himself and sighed with satisfaction. "I could go hungry without eating, but I can't go without this tea."
Zhu Xiaojin glanced at him. "You're quite particular."
Shi Sanjiu set down his cup with elegant poise. "Sorry, it's a habit I've had since childhood. Feel free to do as you like. Customs vary from place to place."
His smile was gentle and refined, but Zhu Xiaojin wasn't buying it. She pushed her cup a little farther away.
Shi Sanjiu didn't mind. He smiled at Xu Huo and Mi Qiaonan. "Give it a try."
Zhu Xiaojin and Mi Qiaonan didn't trust him. Only Xu Huo took a sip. "The flavor is excellent. Is this a mutated plant?"
"Humans evolve, animals evolve, and plants evolve too. Ordinary tea doesn't have much effect, but this one is specially cultivated. Its effects are similar to the evolution agents ordinary people take—though not as potent, it's milder. Some people with weaker constitutions use it as a substitute for evolution agents in their daily lives," Shi Sanjiu explained. "After all, everyone knows that evolution agents have their flaws."
"Are there still people with weak constitutions in a B-level wormhole point?" Zhu Xiaojin interjected. "I thought B-level wormhole points were second only to A-level ones and had already completed several generations of physical enhancement."
"That's hard to say. The end of evolution isn't necessarily the strongest, and genetic mutations are unpredictable," Shi Sanjiu said. "In my hometown, we don't do genetic screening or genetic editing."
This was quite surprising. After all, most technologically advanced districts dabbled in such things to some extent. Compared to moral and legal constraints, having stronger players in a short time was far more practical.
"Evolution is a natural selection process. Those who are chosen each have their own advantages—something genetic editing can never achieve," Shi Sanjiu said lightly. "Besides, this has been proven by facts."
Proven by facts?
It was hard not to associate that with the extinction of certain new districts.
"Those things don't have much to do with us." Shi Sanjiu brought the topic back. "Let's get back to the One-Third Game."
"The content of the first game had some empirical evidence. I think it was related to space power."
"As for the second game, though there's no trace of it at all, I used time power heavily before I came out, so this one is related to time power."
"One-Third Game. The remaining game might involve both time and space."
"The worst-case scenario could be a place like the city center."
Xu Huo didn't comment. Instead, he asked, "You come from a high-level wormhole point. Haven't you seen equipment like this before?"
"Not only have I never seen it, I dare say even ordinary A-level wormhole points might not have this thing," Shi Sanjiu said with certainty.
"Could this be the core of the Dimensional Rift Game?" Zhu Xiaojin suddenly chimed in, getting quite excited. "I've long heard that games can self-evolve. Maybe it's evolved to the point where even the original creators can't control it anymore, so it appeared here and automatically deleted the relevant information on Under Dimension!"
The three at the table, as well as Old Cai and the others eavesdropping nearby, all fell silent.
"While bold speculation is allowed, this is way too bold," Mi Qiaonan complained.
"Isn't it possible?" Zhu Xiaojin looked at Shi Sanjiu.
"Absolutely not." Shi Sanjiu was categorical. "It's an open secret that the core of the Dimensional Rift is in districts that tickets can't reach."
Anyone who understood the rules of ticket use and the situation of A-level wormhole points could basically guess that.
Zhu Xiaojin retorted, "Couldn't it be artificial intelligence rebelling against humans? Logically speaking, a game system capable of operating across dimensions should have long been able to self-update and self-evolve!"
"The game was created by humans. While unforeseen and uncontrollable situations might arise during operation, it probably hasn't reached the point of an AI counterattack," Xu Huo paused, then added, "Otherwise, the face on the White Note should have been replaced by a machine."
Zhu Xiaojin opened her mouth but found herself unable to refute.
That actually made a lot of sense.
The little digression ended with a laugh. Shi Sanjiu brought the conversation back to the third game.
"Discussing how the One-Third Game came about is pointless now. What matters is how to deal with the third game."
"If it's similar to the situation in the city center, even Super Players would find it hard to escape easily. I think the best approach is to find as many time-space evolvers in Buliucheng as possible and regroup quickly after entering the game."
"That's the only way to have even a small chance of survival."
"Buliucheng is a B-level instance. No matter how many evolvers there are, it's probably hard to win the game," Xu Huo said. "Why not try to clear it?"
"The number of people I need to clear it is too large." Shi Sanjiu set down his cup calmly. "There's absolutely no way I can gather that many people in a short time on my own. Stealing someone else's hard work isn't my style, so I have to find another way."
It felt like he was insinuating something.
"Could it be that even if you wanted to steal, you wouldn't be able to?" Zhu Xiaojin looked at him sincerely.
Shi Sanjiu laughed again. "A person needs to save face. Saying it too bluntly takes all the fun out of it."
"Do you have a way to leave the game?" Xu Huo caught his implication.
"I have an idea, but whether it works depends on the cooperation partner." Shi Sanjiu turned serious. "If the third game follows the same pattern as the city center, it will definitely be another chaotic but more stable space. The spatial gaps that appear there will be our opportunity."