Chapter 2427: Current Count 38
The night passed very peacefully, with no one calling out to them in the middle of the night as the old woman had mentioned.
Early the next morning, Xu Huo and the others finished breakfast and were about to leave, but unexpectedly, the path leading outward was suddenly covered by thick fog. Nothing could be seen beyond two or three meters. In such conditions, walking into it would be like being blind.
"Why don't you stay for a few days?" the old woman suggested. "Wait until the fog clears a bit before leaving."
Xu Huo put on a worried expression. "How long will this fog last?"
"At best, two or three days; at worst, maybe half a month," the old woman said with equal concern. "When the fog is thick, hunting is difficult, and finding wild vegetables is hard too. Fortunately, we still have some supplies at home."
She then looked at Xu Huo again. "I'll go ask the neighbors for some food."
Since they couldn't stay for free, Xu Huo not only paid but also volunteered to go along and help carry things.
To his surprise, the residents here did grow vegetables. Many of the plants in the forest were edible, and because they grew quickly, they weren't short on vegetables. The trouble was with meat—there were only small animals in the woods that were hard to catch. Still, every household had some dried meat stored.
Buying wasn't easy, but the old woman managed to borrow a few strips.
After visiting several houses, they gathered enough rations for a few days. On the way back, two people suddenly rushed out of the thick fog. As they met, their props flew out of their hands, heading straight for Xu Huo and the old woman!
The old woman wasn't quick enough to react and didn't even realize the danger was approaching. Xu Huo, however, leaned forward to shield her and used a C-grade defense item to block the attack.
The protective barrier was easily shattered, and Xu Huo was thrown back by the force. He stumbled several steps and slammed into a tree behind him as the barrier completely broke, but he wasn't injured.
"Wait! They're people!" Two daggers that could track enemies stopped right in front of his eyes, hovered for a moment, and then withdrew.
The two players who had rushed out quickly approached. After recognizing the old woman's attire and scrutinizing Xu Huo, they breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly explained the situation.
They had been walking in the forest for two days, feeling as if a shadow had been following them the entire time. But every time they attacked, they found it was just trees or vines. Their vision was limited, their senses were restricted, and they had to stay on constant alert, getting startled from time to time. After two days, they were completely exhausted.
Unexpectedly, the fog had thickened suddenly in the middle of the night. Taking just two more steps made it impossible to see clearly. The two of them slept and went to the bathroom back-to-back, afraid that if they got separated, they would never find each other again. Even if they called out, they didn't dare to respond easily.
"Just now, a third person appeared in the woods," said the man who introduced himself as "Yin Yin Yin Yang Master." "At first, I used a prop to test it, and there was no reaction. I thought it was another hallucination, but this time, someone actually called out to us."
"Called out to you?" Xu Huo hesitated and looked at the old woman. "Could it be the 'Hidden Friend'?"
The old woman didn't want to dwell on the topic and urged him to hurry back.
The two players naturally followed, asking as they walked, "Friend, are you here for the instance too? Haven't we run into you before?"
"As for the figures, I've encountered them, but similar to your situation, they were just shadows of plants and trees." Xu Huo paused and said, "I'm not an instance player. I'm just traveling... The 'Hidden Friend' actually has an instance? What level is it?"
"Yin Yang Master" and his companion "Bubble Bean" exchanged glances, both somewhat skeptical. However, they didn't say it outright and instead asked if they could stay at the old woman's house, offering to provide enough food.
"My house can't accommodate any more people," the old woman said, telling them to ask other households. In the end, the two chose the house closest to the old woman's. They paid money and offered food, and while the other household wasn't overjoyed to welcome them, they didn't refuse either.
Before parting, Xu Huo rationally analyzed the shouting they had heard. "Maybe it's another player from the same instance. With such thick fog, it's normal for players to team up."
In an ordinary instance, that would be reasonable. But this instance had already made it clear to every player that only one person could clear it. Teaming up? Wouldn't that just make them a perfect target for the "Hidden Friend"? If a group stayed together, who would know which one had become the "Hidden Friend"?
"What you said makes sense. Although that figure was chasing us, it didn't attack us," Bubble Bean nodded.
"That probably isn't your real name, is it?" The old woman had already entered the house, but Xu Huo asked one more question. "What does 'Bubble Bean' look like?"
The player nicknamed "Bubble Bean" answered him with a puzzled expression. "It's a type of bean plant, only about three inches tall. Its fruit is round, and when stepped on, it bursts with a crackling sound and spits out bubbles."
Xu Huo nodded, took the items, and went inside.
Yin Yang Master and Bubble Bean exchanged looks, then also entered their wooden house and closed the door.
This instance had 39 players. Counting Xu Huo, there were only four so far. Considering what the old woman said about the residents of this forest being scattered, some players had probably found their way to other settlements.
The first half of those two's story was likely true—they had indeed seen figures, just like Xu Huo and the Painting Woman had yesterday. But the second half was false. Someone had indeed been chasing them, but it wasn't a ghostly figure—it was a player, and that person had stopped when they engaged in combat, not getting any closer.
The instance's clearance count was 1, but there was a time limit. This meant that even if players failed to clear it, they could still leave this district. With life and death not being so urgent, it made sense for players to team up.
Was this to prepare for "finding a friend"?
He wondered if any of them was playing the role of the "Hidden Friend."
Survival instincts had taught the people living here to remain silent by habit. In such foggy weather, every household spoke in very low voices. In the silence, any unusual sound was especially noticeable.
Xu Huo was stacking firewood behind the wooden house when he heard someone calling his name.
"Old Xu..." The voice came faintly from the depths of the thick fog. He looked up briefly, ignored it, picked up the firewood, and walked back. As he rounded the side of the house, the two players from next door opened their window. Their faces were blurry, but their voices were clear. "Did you hear that?"
Xu Huo stopped, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Hear what?"
Bubble Bean, who had spoken, let out a dry laugh. "Nothing."
Xu Huo returned to the house as usual.
It was obvious that the two who had come over and the one hiding in the forest were together. He had just told them his surname was Xu, and immediately the third person came calling his name.
Xu Huo considered whether to go out and check, but suddenly noticed that the person in the forest had changed direction and was moving farther away. He frowned slightly but ultimately didn't follow.
If that player was playing the role of the "Hidden Friend," following would play right into their hands. Whether the process was voluntary or forced, it would still fulfill the instance's requirement.
He initially thought this person would come back quickly after failing once, but two hours passed with no movement around the wooden house. Then, the current count on the instance introduction panel jumped to 38.