Chapter 242: The Effect of the Accident-Prone Constitution
In the Headchopper Instance, Xu Huo had encountered a stranded player performing a hanging act, who revealed a piece of information: after three months of missing instances, a player would be forcibly teleported by the game into a high-risk random instance, with a limit of three times. The more instances missed, the more dangerous the random instance became.
However, players weren't guaranteed to get tickets in every instance. Ticket scarcity was the norm. Being able to complete two low-level instances within a year was, to some extent, a way for the game to give players a fallback, since tickets of the same level weren't always easy to snatch. But with luck, downgrading to a lower level was still feasible.
Still, this was only a buffer measure. Participating in low-level instances not only yielded poor props but could also lead to severe penalties. So those who charged into low-level instances intending to harvest player lives and props would only end up losing more than they gained.
But Xu Huo didn't think the game cared too much about the life or death of players in a particular instance. The game could allow a new game zone to become a breeding ground; a few dozen players weren't worth noticing. Therefore, the focus of penalties should be on the degree of damage high-level players caused to the instance venue and rules. Otherwise, during the Super Item incident, there wouldn't have been high-level players from other zones using instances to enter Zone 014.
The highest penalty was becoming a wanted criminal. Being wanted wasn't just about being unable to get tickets. As with the "V. Vanshaw's Tools" he had obtained, a wanted criminal would inevitably be hunted by various game factions. Since they were wanted, the game would certainly have reward measures for killing them.
Aside from the already used "Block Fairy Tale City Station" and "Hundred People Art Museum," Xu Huo still had one E-level ticket, "Clown City Station." Additionally, he had "Garden Castle Station," "Play-Doh Station," "Deep Blue Laboratory," and the "Si Fang Palace Station" obtained from Block Fairy Tale City. Including this time's "Playing Card Maze" and the C-level "Heaven City Station," he had a total of seven tickets in hand.
One E-level, four D-level, one C-level, all located at the E27 wormhole point, but belonging to different districts.
Xu Huo decided not to look closely at the remaining various potions and the various meal vouchers given as level-up rewards. He closed his personal panel and left the blank space.
After coming out, he found himself in a pitch-black alley. Looking up, he met several wide-eyed stares. Before he could say anything, the other party shouted first: "It's a player! We can't let him tell anyone about us! Kill him!"
After yelling, they charged forward and attacked directly.
Xu Huo figured this must be the effect of his new trait, "Accident-Prone Constitution." Otherwise, he wouldn't have stumbled upon a kidnapping scene the moment he came out.
He kicked the first person charging at him and backhanded another. However, this person, after taking his slap, remained steady in place. A glass bottle materialized in his hand, and he unscrewed the cap and splashed its contents at Xu Huo!
A ruby-red gleam flashed in the alley. A beam of sword light swept across. The glass bottle, along with the hand holding it, fell to the ground. The spilled liquid gave off a strong stench, corroding the ground with a hissing sound.
"Ah!!!" The man whose hand was severed screamed in agony, kneeling. The other three, seeing this, dared not approach further. The shortest one at the back leaped onto the wall to flee, but it was also a matter of one sword strike. He rolled down from mid-air, split in two.
"Boss!" The remaining two went weak at the knees and knelt. "We're not players! Don't kill us!"
A sound came from the suitcase in the corner. Xu Huo glanced at the one-armed man kneeling nearby. "So becoming a player means doing kidnapping and extortion?"
Another companion, whose bones had been broken by the kick, lay nearby in a strange posture. The one-armed man swallowed his saliva. "The one in the suitcase is a cannibal player. He eats people! He deserves to die! Someone wanted to buy him. What's wrong with me making some extra cash?"
Xu Huo made no comment. He put away the Crimson Sword and looked towards the alley entrance. "Someone's coming to take over. You can talk to them."
As his words faded, light footsteps blocked both ends of the alley. Fully armed special affairs personnel raised their guns, aiming into the alley. "Everyone, freeze!"
Seeing the situation in the alley through night vision, one armed personnel made a hand signal to the side, and then three men in suits walked over.
Xu Huo recognized the one in front and smiled. "What a coincidence, running into your Special Affairs Bureau on a job. Hope I didn't interfere."
Nie Xuan, dressed neatly in a suit, looked relaxed. "I should thank you for the help. I can wrap up the operation as soon as I come out."
With a wave of his hand, his team members entered the alley to clean up the mess.
"Now it's not just ordinary people; even players aren't safe. Some have gone mad." Nie Xuan sighed, then extended an invitation: "It's still early. Want to grab a drink?"
"Is anyone still open at this hour?" Xu Huo asked, walking out of the alley.
"Don't underestimate our Special Defense Department... The Special Affairs Bureau has been renamed. It's now on par with several key national departments. The full name is Zone 014A External Special Defense Department, abbreviated as Special Defense Department." Nie Xuan added, then continued, "Once the order came down, all cities strengthened their armed deployments. Returning to normal life shouldn't be a problem."
The two drove to a bustling area of Ting City. Sure enough, many shops were still open at this hour. The patrol cars parked nearby gave ordinary people the confidence to go out, so there was a considerable flow of people.
They found a bar and sat down. Nie Xuan ordered a drink for Xu Huo and a glass of water for himself. "I have to undergo checks soon, so I can't drink. Consider this me keeping you company."
He clinked glasses directly.
Xu Huo took a sip and gestured with his chin towards Nie Xuan's feet. "Because of this?"
Nie Xuan lifted his right foot and tapped it on the ground, but it made a metallic sound. "I got injured in Hai City. If it weren't for a special metal I found in the game, I probably wouldn't have been able to save the leg."
"What kind of prop was that powerful?" Xu Huo asked.
Nie Xuan shook his head. "Who knows."
After a pause, he added, "If it weren't for the fact that players from other zones were also fighting among themselves, the losses this time might have been even heavier."
Hearing the dejection in his tone, Xu Huo said, "It's all a matter of circumstance. But looking at the outcome, it's still passable."
"That's true." Nie Xuan said, "It's much better than other places."
He turned to look at Xu Huo. "I heard Team Leader Wu say that he had your family moved to a safe residential area."
Xu Huo hadn't checked his messages since returning.
"There's something I'm curious about." Nie Xuan asked, "The conditions the nation can offer you are the most generous. Even without your consent, they still provide key protection for your family. But I can tell you don't intend to join the Special Defense Department. What's the reason?"
Xu Huo swirled his glass. The amber liquid rolled to the rim and then back down without a single drop spilling. He smiled at the man in front of him. "If you didn't already know, you wouldn't be asking."