# Chapter 264: Reasonably Utilizing Game Rules
Without any hesitation, he delivered another sword strike. The semi-transparent sword energy barrier instantly contracted to the width of a neck when it encountered the Thread Control Player. This strike should have hit its target, but unexpectedly, the opponent once again turned into a floating afterimage, reappearing to his left front!
Xu Huo paused: Is this a trait?
At that moment, the tattooed man squatting in the tree let out a laugh and said to the Thread Control Player, "I'll leave this side to you, I'm going after that little girl!"
With that, he headed toward Yan Jiayu's direction, while the player who had previously ambushed Xu Huo produced a game console-like remote control from his hand. As he manipulated it, the vines in the forest slithered like snakes!
Xu Huo was wary of the small hats they might be hiding on their persons and didn't dare go all out. These players were the same, so the vines only attacked areas of his body that were exposed and visible. Therefore, after felling two large trees to block the vines, he quickly swung another sword strike at the remote control player.
But the vines formed a barrier first, blocking the sword energy. The remote control player watched him from a distance and said, "Your sword can only hit whatever is closest to you. It counts as a long-range combat item, but its flaw is too great—far less practical than my item!"
As his words fell, the vines surged like waves!
Xu Huo wasn't surprised that the item's usage had been seen through so quickly. In actual combat, the more times an item was used, the easier its weaknesses were exposed.
He grabbed the strings and flew up to the net strung with small hats, intending to use the trap set by the Thread Control Player to secure a space for himself to move. But at that moment, the net beneath his feet began to close in from all sides, wrapping around him like a fishnet!
His gaze darkened slightly. He raised the strings with two fingers, pulling them higher, and flew out just before the net closed. Placing the Fairy Tale Book on a tree cluster, he leaped down from midair, stepped on the vines, and charged toward the Thread Control Player, slashing out a sword strike in midair!
The Thread Control Player once again turned into a floating afterimage, but this time Xu Huo didn't stop. Instead, he accelerated his slashing speed, striking three times in succession. When the opponent transformed into a floating afterimage for the fourth time and vanished into thin air, Xu Huo intercepted him three meters to the left, thrusting his sword into the air!
The Thread Control Player, who had just escaped from under the sword energy, was pierced through the throat with a face full of shock.
Whether it was an item or a trait, the ability to escape attacks with ease was very powerful and also highly deceptive, giving the illusion that it couldn't be killed. However, after just a few more attempts, it became clear that the Thread Control Player's direction and distance of transfer followed a pattern—he could only move in four directions: forward, backward, left, and right, and only within a distance of three meters.
Watching the person before him take their last breath, Xu Huo withdrew his sword and flicked off the blood. He then gathered the net in the forest, crumpled it into a ball along with the small hats attached, and hurled it at the remote control player, who had just regained consciousness from the Fairy Tale Book's mental attack.
Seeing his companion killed, the remote control player dodged the net ball and tried to call for help from the tattooed man. But at that moment, the Flying Rope Player was struck by Yan Jiayu and flew straight toward him. The two collided and crashed into a nearby tree. The tree shook violently, causing the Fairy Tale Book placed on the tree cluster to fall. It flipped open at their feet, and a massive amount of blood surged out from within the book!
At the same time, Xu Huo, who had been delayed by the vines, had already cut down a trail of debris and reached them from behind!
Seeing the situation was dire, the remote control player quickly raised a vine barrier to block both sides.
By the time Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu, who had returned from the opposite side, broke through the barrier one after another, there was no one to be seen inside.
"The tattooed one ran too." Yan Jiayu said. "Should we chase?"
Xu Huo glanced at the three different directions where the bushes were still rustling, put away his long sword, and said, "Forget it. Even if we catch up, we might not be able to kill them."
Yan Jiayu looked somewhat angry. "It's all because of those hats. We don't know if they have small hats hidden under their clothes, so fighting feels so restrained."
Xu Huo picked up the Fairy Tale Book and patted it clean. "It's a double-edged sword. Since we have hats, they don't dare go all out either. I think their initial goal was to capture you."
Yan Jiayu was puzzled. "Capture me? To steal our small hats? Doesn't the hat only transfer if it's voluntary?"
"They wanted to see how many hats you have." Tang Xiao said from a distant tree. "If it's few, they could directly use the rules to kill you and eliminate the excess hats on themselves."
"Like that female player just now." Yan Jiayu understood. "They wanted to find someone to crush the hats. That way, they could get rid of their extras and also exchange for the small hats I got from the Mirror Tent."
"These people are really wicked!"
Tang Xiao jumped down from the tree, carefully stepping around the small hats scattered on the ground as he walked toward them, and added, "So new players are easy targets."
"But you don't need to worry too much. This method is very risky. If you accidentally damage a hat, you'll lose your own life too."
Xu Huo looked at him. "Why are you still following us?"
Tang Xiao smiled. "I said earlier, I want to find someone to cooperate with."
"What benefits do we get from cooperating with you?" Xu Huo asked directly.
Tang Xiao didn't mind. "I've been here longer, so I definitely know more about the instance than you do. At least I can remind you not to take detours."
"Besides, you should know that whether it's a single-person ticket or a multi-person ticket, the numbers are fixed. So even if you take me to the game points, I won't be counted in the headcount."
"My proposal is this: I'll tell you information related to the instance. If you can clear it, you tell me the method."
"Sounds good, but as you said, staying in the instance long enough lets you understand the rules. We don't necessarily need to bring you along." Xu Huo stared at him. "This isn't equivalent to the method of passing the game points."
Tang Xiao laughed at this. "I still have many companions. Working together, we've actually figured out most of the game methods at the game points. We're just missing the key step."
"The last Q&A game location?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly. We mobilized more people just to find all five questions. I can guarantee I'm not lying to you." Tang Xiao took out a red mask and said, "This is an item that verifies truthfulness. The bead in the middle moving upward means truth, moving downward means falsehood."
To show sincerity, he first said, "Tang Xiao is not my real name."
The bead stuck in the middle groove slowly slid upward.
"Let me try too." Yan Jiayu was very interested. She leaned toward the mask and said, "Candy is sweet."
The bead turned in the middle and moved upward.
"That's fun." Yan Jiayu laughed and called for Xu Huo to try.
"I am a woman." Xu Huo said to the mask.
Two seconds later, the bead slowly began to climb upward.
Tang Xiao and Yan Jiayu both froze. The former was stunned and quickly checked the item, while the latter kept a shocked expression as she turned her head. "You're actually a woman!"
Xu Huo looked at her expressionlessly.
(Chapter End)