Chapter 2623: War
The other party seemed somewhat surprised and nodded slightly at him.
Xu Huo hadn't expected her to leave District 001 so quickly. After all, she had gone there for Temporal Evolution, and such a short time likely wouldn't yield any results.
He hadn't gained much either.
This trip had originally been made with the hope of solving the Water Cube problem. Of course, he had also prepared himself for the possibility of no results before coming, but he truly hadn't anticipated breaking the Water Cube. Moreover, during the Night Tour Instance, he had lost quite a few instruments, most of which had been taken away by the head-sheath roots and vanished, with no hope of recovery.
However, it wasn't entirely without progress. At least he now knew where to look for new opportunities. Additionally, his conversation with Jing Shi and his contact with Cong Shi gave him a glimpse of time from another person's perspective, broadening his horizons.
Naturally, the most rewarding investment was Old Sir Xi. This Artificer, capable of crafting top-tier items, was experienced and of good character—a suitable candidate for long-term cooperation.
If nothing unexpected happened, his goal for this trip should have been to use the ticket to the Chaotic Time-Space to solve the Water Cube issue. But now that he couldn't use his Space Power, he couldn't take the risk, so he had to head to the next Instance first.
Xu Huo's destination this time was a B-level Wormhole Point. Before choosing the ticket, he had checked the situation in the corresponding district. It was a district with a tense situation. The District Government didn't fully control the entire district. After years of contention, three relatively large countries had emerged within the district. These three countries occupied a significant portion of the district's territory. Although they engaged in trade and communication with each other, friction occurred from time to time, so war broke out almost every year in certain parts of the district.
However, this was a multi-Instance district, which was much better than a district with only a single Instance in terms of Instance conditions.
After the train traveled for another two days, Xu Huo finally arrived at District 039. The train didn't stop at the station but directly teleported him off the train. As soon as his feet touched the ground, a grenade flew towards him, accompanied by dense gunfire. The grenade exploded at his feet, making the already potholed station floor even more dilapidated.
Just as the Item barrier blocked the impact of the explosion, several thin cutting lines flew in from the station entrance. A female player, wearing a black face veil and with colored markings painted on her forehead, stood there, clasping her hands together. Another layer of cutting lines swept in from both sides, not only slicing through some flying Items in the air but also taking a few heads along the way.
This station was in the middle of a battle.
More than a dozen players were hiding inside the station, engaged in intense firefight with the female player at the entrance using cutting lines and the twenty or so players lurking nearby or farther away. Apart from various types of thermal weapons, Items and instruments were also commonly seen.
"Bang!" Xu Huo tilted his head to avoid another flying small bomb. Just as he was about to head out, the female player using the lines suddenly flashed towards him. She brought her hands together to form a triangle shape, and two walls of cutting lines appeared on his left and right, crossing and closing in on him at a very fast speed.
Whether she had mistaken him for someone else or was doing it on purpose, Xu Huo had no intention of getting involved in a district war. He dodged the female player's several attacks and used the Spiritual Gate to exit the station directly.
But what he didn't expect was that as soon as he left the station, he hadn't even walked a few hundred meters before being blocked by a Space Barrier. Immediately, two players attacked him from close range on the left and right, while two other players provided long-range support. Two visible attack Items and two invisible forces struck from above and from the ground respectively.
Xu Huo turned around, slightly raised his hand, and pressed down. The gravity released by the Bone Ring pinned the approaching people and Items mid-air, while the auto-defense instruments also blocked the two Items that had been sneaking up from underground.
"Slap!" One of the Items exploded on the ground, splashing purple-black liquid onto his short boots. It was probably some special chemical agent, instantly melting several holes in the shoe surface, and it seemed to be poisonous as well.
The defense barrier clinging tightly to his skin blocked the dripping venom. Xu Huo shook his foot, took out the Item "Rain from the Sky," and superimposed the special Item "Halo of Justice." The originally clear weather at the station suddenly turned into a torrential downpour. The raindrops, which themselves possessed Space Power, had their lethality doubled under the enhancement of the special Item. Space Ray Blades—this was an attack that required high-level Items to defend against. In such a dense state, it could not only easily take down the Items and weapons moving in the air but also forced the players lurking outside the station to stop their actions.
The two players who had been suppressed nearby by the gravity also retreated immediately. Because of this heavy rain, both inside and outside the station seemed to have calmed down.
Players emerged from the shadows both inside and outside the station. Their gazes were all focused on Xu Huo, but they didn't try to approach or talk to him. They just waited quietly.
Xu Huo ignored these people and gradually moved away from the station.
The heavy rain slowly moved with him as he left, eventually sparing the already battered station area. The people inside and outside the station became alert again, refocusing their attention on their opponents.
There were more people outside the station, and they were armed with more weapons. Including the female player who used the cutting lines, at least two-thirds were experienced veterans. This could be seen from how they had the players tightly surrounded inside the station.
More than half of the players inside the station were injured. The heavy rain had bought them a brief moment to catch their breath, but it hadn't completely eliminated the crisis. Several players hiding behind cover exchanged hand signals, their expressions grim.
Their ammunition and instruments were almost depleted. If it came down to a contest of Items and physical strength, they wouldn't last long.
After a moment, one burly man whose scalp had been partially sliced off checked the time and said to his companions, "It's about time. Withdraw in pairs!"
But a player hiding elsewhere said, "Hold on a little longer!"
No one mentioned why, but it was clear that none of those present wanted to leave. After exchanging glances, their eyes gradually became resolute—they were ready to die!
There was no movement inside, but there was plenty outside. First, a player arrived from a distance to join them, reporting that the Political and Legal Conference had been attacked and demanding their immediate return for reinforcement.
The signal was jammed near the station. The captain in charge of this execution squad sneered and refused the companion's request. "When multiple key political figures are kidnapped and attacked simultaneously, the Political and Legal Committee should have known it was a diversion. Our mission is to eliminate these anti-government alliance members. Nothing else matters!"
Ignoring the companion who had come to request reinforcements, he gestured to the two players near the entrance. The atmosphere tensed up again, and a bloody battle seemed imminent. But then, the heavy rain that had just dispersed suddenly poured down again, and the man holding an umbrella reappeared at the station entrance.