Chapter 2556: The String of Fate
The man remained silent, but his silence did not earn him any disregard. The female player stared at him intently, as if ready to strike at any moment.
Xu Huo felt that the direction of his trait evolution might be a bit off. At the very least, he rarely encountered players in the game who inspired such hatred in others.
Fortunately, the next train arrived.
All three parties assumed they wouldn't see the other two again, yet they ended up meeting in the same car once more.
The three stood facing each other in the middle of the car, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
"Sis, let me be clear first—we didn't know each other before this," the Gecko Man quickly said, stepping aside to offer the woman a seat. "Please, have a seat."
There were quite a few players in the car. The woman seemed to have moved past her resentment. With a pleasant expression, she said, "I'm not an unreasonable person. When I'm not angry, I'm easy to get along with. My surname is Zhong. You can call me Sister Zhong. You look about the same age as my younger brother. What's your name?"
The Gecko Man instinctively sat down across from her and started chatting. "Oh, you have a younger brother? I have an older sister too. My name is Shi Potian. My sister gave me that name, hoping I'd amount to something. My parents died early, so my sister raised me. No wonder I feel so close to you! Is your brother still alive? What does he do?"
"He died years ago." Sister Zhong said with a smile, "That beast was in cahoots with the bastard. He took money to tip off that scumbag and even encouraged him to beat me to death, hoping to make a fortune. So, on a fine, sunny day, I cut out his tongue, broke his hands and feet, and let my parents take good care of him."
"I planned to visit him once a month, but he died of illness in just half a year."
"What a shame."
The conversation hit a dead end. Shi Potian's smile turned awkward. "That's... that's..."
"And your sister? How is she doing?"
"My sister had a tough time before, but now that I'm a player and can earn good money, she's a bit more relaxed." Shi Potian couldn't gauge her mindset and didn't dare say his sister was doing well.
"As it should be. Your parents raised you well, so you take care of them. Your sister raised you, so you repay her." Sister Zhong nodded, then suddenly turned to Xu Huo. "Do you have a sister?"
Xu Huo had just set down his ordered meal. He looked back. "If I said I didn't have a sister, would you next ask if I have parents?"
Sister Zhong shook her head. "Everyone has parents. Are you married?"
"No." Xu Huo picked up his bowl.
"Good, not getting married." Sister Zhong then looked at Shi Potian. "What about you?"
Shi Potian hesitated. "I'm not married either."
Sister Zhong's face suddenly darkened. "You're lying! Full of lies! Mediators really are all no good!"
"Hold on, hold on!" Shi Potian quickly said, "I'm not lying. I was about to get married, but someone stole the bride on the wedding day. We hadn't even registered yet!"
The car fell silent. Everyone turned to stare at him.
Shi Potian's face twitched, and he silently lowered his head.
Sister Zhong looked at him sympathetically. "Did you get revenge?"
Shi Potian lowered his head even further. "I couldn't beat him. Every time I made a move, my fiancée said she'd die with him..."
"Pfft!" Someone laughed, and soon everyone joined in.
"What's so funny?" Sister Zhong comforted him. "It just means you're a good person. Your fiancée has no shame!"
"Actually, that's not it either," Shi Potian said slowly. "She never really liked me. My family was worried I'd die in the game without carrying on the family line, so they found someone I liked... used some methods... there was a misunderstanding..."
A passing player patted him on the shoulder. "Weakling. So what if she didn't like you? If you want her, kill her whole family and take her. At least you'd have your fun, right?"
Shi Potian looked up and pushed the man's hand away. "I'm not that kind of person."
The man scoffed and walked off. The rest of the car stopped paying attention to the soap opera. Only Sister Zhong smiled and said, "Young men like you are rare these days. There will be someone better for you later."
The two had been ready to kill each other moments ago, but now they were getting along quite well.
Xu Huo finished his meal and went to the restroom at the back to release the Painting Woman. Then he checked his instance rewards.
[Congratulations to player Passerby A for successfully clearing the "Journey of the Cat Whisker Fruit" instance and perfectly completing the side quest "Noble Character," saving dozens of lives from the Wan Clan. As a result, you have received an SS rating in this instance. In addition to the personal and team rewards for this instance, you will also receive a special gift from the game.]
[Since you have forfeited the team reward, your final settlement for this instance consists only of the personal reward and the game's special gift. Would you like to view them now?]
Xu Huo selected "Yes."
To leave the Super Instance area immediately upon exiting, he had to give up the team reward. His trail had been exposed, and the fact that the other party hadn't blocked the exit was his opportunity—an opportunity that could change in an instant. He couldn't gamble on that probability, so he chose to leave immediately after exiting.
Blue-eyed individuals were not uncommon in the game, and he had seen many. The other party hadn't blocked the manor, and he wasn't sure if it was intentional leniency. But when they met, he had a faint feeling that the other party had been waiting specifically, likely already knowing he was a Triple Trait Evolver. Letting him go like this—perhaps the channel to the Super Instance area was also destroyed by them. The disappearance of Time Power could completely cover up the fact that he had been there and used Triple Trait Evolution.
It seemed they were more friend than foe.
Regardless, he had escaped this time by luck. He hoped there would be a chance to meet again.
Setting that aside for now, he continued to check his instance rewards.
First were the A-grade items.
[Melding with Space: A cloak that grants invisibility. Unlike ordinary invisibility cloaks, it allows the user to vanish into space for one minute, undetectable by instruments or Super Evolution powers, achieving true formless invisibility. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
[Note: This item works best when the user remains still.]
[Dreamlike False Teeth: A high-control item that can be used in conjunction with Spiritual Power. It allows the user to indiscriminately control any player (excluding Super Players) to execute their commands for a limited time of ten seconds. Cooldown: 48 hours.]
[Note: The simpler the command, the easier it is to achieve.]
[String of Fate: A time item that can freeze a target in place. Due to its unique construction, the String of Fate can only be affected by space-time items of the same or higher grade. Limited time: ten seconds. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
Three A-grade items, each tailored to Xu Huo's Super Evolution powers. They all came with high usage restrictions, but stricter conditions meant better effects.