Chapter 2532: No Cooperation Means a Beating
The difficulty of the spatial blockade barrier increased with the teaching difficulty, but Xu Huo had already completed the third lesson, so he quickly dug a hole in the space wall and crawled out with Qiu Xiangming one after the other.
"The air outside is really good." Returning to the previous city space, Xu Huo spoke as he prepared to move to the next location.
Qiu Xiangming walked behind him, somewhat surprised. "You still want to try again? Don't you need to rest for a while?"
Controlling spatial power for an extended period consumed a lot of physical strength and mental energy. Physical strength could barely be restored by drinking some potions, but mental energy wasn't so easy to recover. Moreover, this was happening during the learning process itself, which doubled the consumption... Was his mental energy really that good?
Xu Huo touched his chest. The wound had healed, but his internal organs still seemed to ache faintly.
"Have you seen the mini-boss of the metal city?" he asked.
"Have you?" Qiu Xiangming replied with a question instead of an answer.
"Not really. I was ambushed when I came out before," Xu Huo said. "If you don't have other companions specifically stationed here to kill players from other zones, then it should be the mini-boss."
Qiu Xiangming was also somewhat surprised. He knew the inside story. In other parts of the city, one would be attacked by metal, but the teaching building was different. Anyone who entered wouldn't be attacked, since they would be directly locked into another space. Moreover, players from Zone 001 who entered were also given preferential treatment—the mini-boss had shown some restraint. Could it be that the mini-boss didn't want players from other zones to take anything from this instance?
Was this the mini-boss's idea, or the intention of the deceased gentleman?
Xu Huo could tell at a glance that he was overthinking it. A Super Player might want this instance to remain permanently in Zone 001, but that mini-boss might not necessarily feel the same way. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been such a coincidence that he was kicked into the teaching building.
Having wasted another two days, Xu Huo contacted Bubble Bean while heading toward the next destination.
"No need to rush for time. Let's take it slow." Xu Huo decided to stroll leisurely along the street. "What a nice place. It wouldn't be bad if someone lived here."
Qiu Xiangming followed his gaze. It was a snack street. Although many places were dilapidated and covered in dust, looking at the photos crammed together, one could guess how prosperous and lively it had once been.
"Super instances are best kept hidden," he said. "After all, it's an instance. Once players come in, it's bound to be a world-shattering battle. How could ordinary people live here?"
"Hmm... So super instances don't open regularly?" Xu Huo said. "Or is the time span between openings relatively long?"
Qiu Xiangming didn't answer.
The footsteps of the two echoed on the street. As the wind surged, the hanging signs and the toppled street lamps nearby began to tremble. The creaking sounds gradually increased from few to many. Moments later, all the metal objects visible in the nearby blocks resonated!
Unrestricted by the Water Cube Barrier, Xu Huo quickly pulled up a passage in the air. His intention was to enter the next teaching building directly, but he didn't expect to overexert himself and run too far. He ended up five kilometers away, getting farther from the teaching building and much closer to the city center.
Unsurprisingly, countless metal arrows flew toward him, riddling the street he stood on and the nearby buildings with holes. That wasn't the end. All the surrounding metal objects moved, spinning and converging around him, directly forming a tornado!
Xu Huo was trapped in the center of the tornado. He could only move with the wind's direction to avoid being sliced into pieces. This tornado pulled him all the way to the vicinity of the teaching building, plowing through it before gradually subsiding.
Xu Huo stood in the battered teaching building. Well, the buildings destroyed outside were also wrecked in the teaching space.
Qiu Xiangming, who had directly arrived at the teaching building, had a very complicated expression. "Did you come in the same way last time?"
"Pretty much. I couldn't escape anyway." Xu Huo cleared a spot. "At least I didn't get beaten this time."
Qiu Xiangming was truly speechless. Did the instance mini-boss think so highly of him?
Xu Huo set up a simple bed for himself. After lying down, he said, "You people from Zone 001, and this instance, you're all pretty good at forcing people's hands."
Calling it "forcing people's hands" was being polite. Whether it was Warren or the mini-boss, they both acted with an attitude of "succeed or die trying." Since he was under someone else's roof, he would swallow this anger for now.
Hearing this, Qiu Xiangming thought he was being ungrateful. "Not everyone can earn the mini-boss's regard. Any person from Zone 001 would be so happy they couldn't sleep."
In other words, he should stop being ungrateful after getting a bargain.
Xu Huo snorted with a laugh and didn't pick up that thread.
After sleeping soundly, he got up the next morning. He first did a simple wash, then took out pots and pans he hadn't used in a long time, planning to cook a meal for himself.
Qiu Xiangming had been impatiently chewing on dry rations. Seeing him carrying a fat chicken, he couldn't help but say, "Eating something so greasy early in the morning?"
"I have plenty of time." Xu Huo chopped off the chicken's head with one swing, then dismembered the fat chicken and threw it into the pot. Once the pot boiled, he leisurely added seasonings.
The aroma of chicken soup quickly spread. To someone who hadn't had a proper meal in many days, it was undoubtedly very tempting. But at this moment, Qiu Xiangming completely ignored it. He stared intently at Xu Huo, wanting to see what other tricks he could pull.
The chicken soup simmered for a full hour. By the time Qiu Xiangming was about to grind his teeth to pieces, Xu Huo finally started ladling the soup. He even considerately asked, "Want a bowl?"
Qiu Xiangming initially wanted to refuse, but after thinking it over, he sat down and accepted the bowl. He said, "You can make your demands. There's no need to waste time. Either way, you want to clear the instance and leave."
Xu Huo remained calm. "You don't need to pin your hopes on me. I might not be able to get that item. After several consecutive lessons with such high intensity, if I don't rest, I definitely won't be able to hold out."
But his mental state clearly didn't show that.
However, Qiu Xiangming couldn't get angry. He could only go along with his words. Then he brought up letting Xu Huo state his terms. After all, if they got the item, they could leave this place to save people. If the intelligence was accurate, Xu Huo's potential was immeasurable. Zone 001's future needed a pillar.
"One person's ability is very limited. Even a Super Player is the same," Xu Huo said. "The fact that your Super Player didn't foresee his own death and didn't make arrangements in advance is enough to show that even Super Players can't control much. You think I can get the item? That's just your wishful thinking."
Qiu Xiangming stared at him. Although he didn't see any sign of bargaining in his expression, it made him even more aware that this person in front of him wouldn't be easily swayed by profit, nor was he someone who could be easily persuaded.
The roles of offense and defense had shifted. The initiative was now in his hands.