Chapter 2583: Instance Forbidden Zone and Sudden Upgrade
Xu Huo did not mention the Cultural Street instance, only saying that he needed to discuss some matters regarding books with Jing Shi and that it would be more convenient to stay here.
The You sisters did not ask further questions and, under the butler's arrangement, settled into the guest rooms.
Perhaps because the earlier topic had been unpleasant, Jing Shi did not leave the study all afternoon. As dusk was just beginning to fall, she suddenly hurried downstairs and called for the butler to prepare the car. She needed to go to the Enforcement Department.
"What happened?" Xu Huo asked with concern.
Jing Shi spoke uneasily, "Xiao Chuan has gone missing. The two players following him couldn't find him, and the Enforcement Department has already been notified."
Xu Huo offered to go with her, to see if there was any way he could help.
Jing Shi couldn't afford to worry about that and nodded in agreement. Besides them, the butler also called over two B-rank players. Only after the aircraft entered the bustling city center did they realize that many areas of the city were experiencing problems. Although the Cultural Street held nightly roaming activities almost every day, most of the city's residents still followed a schedule of rising early and sleeping early, trying to stay indoors after dark. But for some unknown reason, certain streets or residential areas had suddenly seen crowds gathering.
"It should be that Cultural Street instance," You Zhi said, having already learned some details through her friends. "The instance grounds of the Cultural Street instance cover at least this entire city. There have already been no fewer than ten locations where people wearing ghost masks have appeared, indiscriminately killing others. The killers currently under control are all ordinary people. It seems that putting on the mask causes them to lose their sanity, and it's very difficult to wake them up."
"The local government's official announcement has also come out," You Xin added. "This instance not only drags ordinary people into it, but some places have also developed Instance Forbidden Zones."
"Instance Forbidden Zone?" Xu Huo spoke up. "Is that a special term from District 001?"
"More or less," You Xin said. "Some spatial-type instances contain unique locations. These places are generally areas forcibly controlled by the instance, and specific conditions must be met to escape them."
"Different districts have different names for such places. Our district calls them Instance Forbidden Zones. Even players who have cleared the instance should try not to fall into these zones."
"The local government has released the number of missing persons. The count isn't high, but it's very likely they've entered the Forbidden Zone..."
She paused there because Jing Shi's grandson had also suddenly disappeared.
"Instance Forbidden Zone," in Xu Huo's view, this should be termed "folded space" or "overlapping space." After the Seventeenth Hospital's upgrade, besides the spatial crevices where the stone statues pulled people in, there was also a space overlapping within the hospital that did not interfere with the original hospital. However, the Seventeenth Hospital was a mental-type instance. Overlapping people in the same space without interference could be achieved through mental power. The appearance of folded space in this new upgrade was likely due to the dual influence of the stone statues and the location item. In a mental instance, such folded space would increase the difficulty. It remained to be seen what the situation was with the overlapping space in this Cultural Street instance.
The player piloting the aircraft took a wide detour around a brightly lit building ahead. "The government has issued an emergency notice. Yangming Building has been confirmed as an Instance Forbidden Zone."
Jing Shi's face immediately changed color. "Xiao Chuan went to Yangming Building!"
"The instance has only just begun; the situation should still be manageable. Let's first inquire with the Enforcement Department before confirming a rescue plan," the player in front said.
Xu Huo looked down at the streets below. People were constantly streaming out of Yangming Building, and the roads were clogged with people. Many had already grown impatient waiting to leave through teleportation stations. Those with item devices used them; those without simply piloted aircraft directly out of the city from above—these were the quickest to react. Although District 001's economy was decent, it hadn't reached the point where everyone owned an aircraft. The city's automated aircraft had also been requisitioned by the government, which had begun evacuating people from various parts of the city.
"The situation has actually reached the point of needing to evacuate citizens," You Zhi said with a grim face. "Wasn't the Cultural Street a fixed instance? How did it bloom across the entire city?"
At that moment, everyone's communicator buzzed. It was a notification sent by the local government via the Message Collection Terminal. The "Night Roam," confirmed as a B-rank fixed instance 33 hours ago, had suddenly upgraded 5 hours ago and was now officially classified as A-rank.
Besides the rank, the local government had already sent players holding tickets into the new A-rank instance and had publicly released the instance background and clearance requirements, calling for suggestions on how to clear it.
For high-rank instances, especially those above B-rank, the instance range could span several cities or even an entire district. Therefore, many high-rank instance grounds in the same district overlapped. Players from different instances could interact within the same grounds without interfering with each other. Most instances of this type also did not drag ordinary people into them.
However, instances with "Instance Forbidden Zones" were different. They essentially possessed the effects of random instances. In specific locations, whether ordinary people or non-instance players, anyone could be dragged in. Furthermore, besides the "Instance Forbidden Zone" range, random instances could still appear elsewhere. The citizens now fleeing might not be able to completely avoid the random instances within the city. As time passed, it was highly likely that a large number of ordinary citizens would fall into random instances.
The player protecting Jing Shi suggested sending her away first, but Jing Shi insisted on going to the Enforcement Department. She even proposed that the accompanying players leave first. "You all know the difficulty of an A-rank instance. This instance probably covers more than just one city. You are players; it's easy for you to escape. There's no need to risk your lives. This isn't your duty. Once I reach the Enforcement Department, the Enforcement Team will naturally arrange for Xiao Chuan's rescue. The higher-level government should also dispatch A-rank players for support."
A suddenly upgraded A-rank instance, also featuring overlapping space—the district government would certainly take it seriously. At a time like this, experienced high-rank players should be brought in for rescue and clearance to minimize losses.
However, the two players accompanying Jing Shi did not agree and insisted on going with her.
Xu Huo terminated his contract with the You sisters in advance, telling them to go to a safe place.
The You sisters were one C-rank and one B-rank. They had long purchased clearance guides to make a living, only venturing into familiar, safe instances. A suddenly upgraded A-rank instance like this was far too difficult for them.
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Xu." You Xin apologized as she refunded the money, then used a teleportation item with You Zhi to leave the vehicle directly.
Jing Shi also wanted to persuade Xu Huo to leave, but Xu Huo refused. "Perhaps there is a way I can help. With the entire city evacuating, the Enforcement Department is probably short on manpower."