Chapter 2335: Everyone Has Their Own Strengths
There must be players in the game who achieve high ratings every time they clear an instance. On the five-thousand-person leaderboard for the entire E-level wormhole point, Xu Huo should have been eliminated by now.
"Although the Special Defense Department hasn't said it outright, anyone familiar with Ting City should know it's Brother Xu," Liu Jia said. "Officially, they can't say anything, but they're definitely quietly spreading the word."
Tan Yang and Huang Junjie exchanged a glance. Even without the Special Defense Department, the player organization members present today wouldn't keep their mouths shut either. And this kind of news spreads best as a mysterious rumor to achieve maximum effect.
From now on, players entering Ting City would think twice before acting, wondering if they'd end up on the wanted list.
Xu Huo didn't object. Achieving the goal at the smallest cost was naturally the best outcome.
After finishing the matters at hand, Xu Huo needed to find a suitable place near Ting City to release the "Time Tower."
The Painting Woman was busy playing with her new friends and wouldn't be traveling with them for now. So in the afternoon, Xu Huo and the others set off toward the nearest mountain forest area outside Ting City.
"The surrounding forests should all be under Special Defense Department surveillance," Liu Jia said from the back seat. "It's best to inform the Special Defense Department first and have them pull their people out."
"Are there any special evolution resources near Ting City?" Xu Huo asked.
"Not really," Liu Jia answered honestly. "Ting City and the nearby cities aren't wealthy and have no resources. It's just that Ting City is being given special attention now, so the surrounding infrastructure has been built up."
"At least the Special Defense Department is decent about that," Yuan Yao said. "They didn't wait for Brother Xu to spend his own money to come back and renovate the city."
Liu Jia didn't comment on that but continued, "To avoid conflict, it's better to contact them in advance."
Xu Huo nodded. "Then give Team Leader Wu a call."
After contacting Team Leader Wu, Xu Huo and the others settled on a forested area. The trees there were dense, blocking out the sky and the sun, providing good cover from outside observation.
Time-space type items interfered with each other, so space-blocking items were inconvenient to use. The "Time Tower" was too large—taking it out would directly expose their target. Every bit of cover helped.
"When do we start?" Yuan Yao had found a valley as requested and couldn't wait to come back and ask.
"We need to wait. Now isn't the right time." Xu Huo checked the time. The "Time Tower" could only be used after nine o'clock at night. "I also called a few people to see if they can make it in time."
Waiting a bit was no problem. Everyone said it was fine. Since they had nothing to do and plenty of space, Yuan Yao decided to demonstrate his newly developed trait.
His original profession was a programmer. Probably because he wasn't good at combat, his trait evolution had taken a different direction. His recently acquired trait, "Sudden Darkness," lived up to its name—it could make people's vision go black. The attack range was considerable, covering all targets within five hundred meters of him who were staring at computers, communicators, or other terminals. This trait could blind people for five seconds.
"This trait is incredibly useful," Yuan Yao said. "To maximize its effect, I even bought a super-large projection terminal at my own expense, ensuring that anyone within five hundred meters of me goes blind at the same time!"
Liu Jia stared blankly, blinking a few seconds before rubbing her eyes forcefully. "That's indeed impressive. If someone who relies on their eyes suddenly goes blind, they'll definitely panic."
"That's nothing," Yuan Yao waved his hand modestly. "Traits come in many types. Ones like mine that require a medium have limited upgrade potential. Traits that can be activated by just saying a word or a phrase, or used directly, have more potential. The more you upgrade them, the stronger they get—wider range and fewer restrictions."
"I remember you evolved night vision very early on, right? Do you have any traits in that area?"
Liu Jia nodded. "I'm a White Player, so I have an advantage in trait development. One of my commonly used traits is somewhat similar to Brother Yuan's."
"It's hard to describe. Let me demonstrate."
She closed her eyes. "Advance in the darkness."
As the words fell, the vision of Xu Huo and the others went completely black—not just their eyes couldn't see, but their senses were also restricted. It felt as if the darkness had become a tangible substance, and they were immersed in it, with everything they perceived dulled. Meanwhile, Liu Jia, who was within it, remained unaffected.
Blocking a hand reaching toward him, Xu Huo silently pointed at Yuan Yao.
Liu Jia pursed her lips in a smile, then walked toward Yuan Yao. Just as the trait's effect was about to fade, she suddenly leaned close to his face.
Yuan Yao was so startled he nearly fell backward. After recovering, he said, "I have the smallest courage (danzi). Don't pick on me! Go pick on Brother Xu!"
Liu Jia laughed. "My trait is probably similar to Mental Evolution. It can interfere with people's senses and judgment. It has some compulsiveness (qiangzhixing), but since it's not true Mental Evolution, and Brother Xu is a strong Mental Evolver, I can't affect him."
Yuan Yao pretended to sigh dramatically. "I bear too much."
Then it was Zhou Ning's turn.
Zhou Ning's trait had improved significantly. Her original trait, "Aged Medusa," had now upgraded to "Middle-Aged Medusa." Originally, it only used potions to stimulate hair growth for interference effects. But after the trait upgrade, her hair had also undergone special evolution. It could grow wildly and flexibly when the trait was activated. Additionally, using her trait could cause hallucinations, making people see her hair as a head full of snakes. This hallucination effect was now much stronger.
When she activated her trait, her wildly flying hair turned into countless red-eyed giant pythons, nearly covering the entire forest. Only then did the group truly witness the power of "Medusa."
"It's hair, right…" Yuan Yao couldn't help reaching out to touch the giant snake. But the next second, his hair wrapped around him, lifting him into the air. He tumbled continuously before being rolled into a hair cocoon.
"…Help!" He instinctively looked toward Zhou Ning, but all he saw were red lantern-like eyes everywhere. He couldn't even tell where Zhou Ning was, so he had to change his tune and beg for mercy.
Zhou Ning set him down. As her hair retracted, Xu Huo noticed that her pupils had taken on a different color. He asked, "Have your eyes changed?"
"It started along with the hair mutation. For now, it doesn't have much use—it just makes it easier to distinguish living things."
"It should be related to my trait. Sometimes when the hair grows too much, I accidentally get trapped inside myself."
As she spoke, her hair continued to shorten, creating a somewhat eerie scene.
Yuan Yao was covered in tiny scratches. As he applied medicine to himself, he said, "Your trait is on a completely different track from ours. If you ever stop being a player, you could still go be a boss in an instance. Using it just to clear instances and kill people is a waste of talent."