Chapter 2627: Warmhearted and Helpful
It wasn't just the outer zone players who wanted to leave the checkpoint; there were also many local players, plus the execution squad members responsible for the checkpoint. These people had sharp ears and eyes, and even if they spoke in the lowest voices, they couldn't avoid everyone's ears, let alone the fact that the players involved in the discussion showed no restraint at all.
"I'm treating you as a guest, so don't be ungrateful!" a player sitting nearby said coldly. "The affairs of our Eternal Tower Nation are none of your business!"
The teasing player leaned back in his seat, propping his head up with one hand as he leisurely looked at the other. "Oh? We can't even say a few words in your crappy place? I said what I said—what are you going to do about it?"
Several chairs were kicked over in succession as a few local players stood up in unison, surrounding them with a menacing aura.
"Oh? You really want to fight?" The players who had spoken earlier turned around one after another, their stance clear: if the local players dared to make a move, they wouldn't stand idly by.
The advanced players moving around Cloud Pass City were mainly B-grade and C-grade, including the execution squad. Of course, this didn't represent the city's ultimate combat power. Just from the instruments they used to seal off the city, it was clear there were some powerful players here. However, these individuals weren't concentrated in this area at the moment, so the players facing off were clearly weaker in terms of player level compared to the outer zone players.
The execution squad noticed the commotion. After learning the details from those nearby, a squad leader with a tattooed face walked over. He pressed down on the local players and said to the outer zone players, "Cloud Pass City isn't afraid of troublemakers. No matter how arrogant you are in other districts, you'd better behave yourselves here."
The outer zone players were unimpressed, even looking eager to throw down.
But then, a gaze from afar interrupted them. On a tall building several hundred meters away, a woman in a trench coat had appeared at some point. The wide collar of her coat fluttered in the airflow, nearly covering most of her face, but that didn't stop others from seeing her eyes.
The woman's left eye was clearly a fake, crudely made, and even the color of the pupil didn't match her remaining eye. Yet this face, full of dissonance, exuded a chilling killing intent.
She was an A-grade player.
The outer zone players all quieted down. Silently, they walked out of the rest area, as their turn at the checkpoint had come.
Under the watchful eyes of the local players, they left. Xu Huo also stepped out of the rest area and approached the local who had been holding his place in line, taking over.
He could feel the woman's gaze lingering on him for quite a while, but until he walked out of Cloud Pass City, she made no further moves. Without lingering, he used a space teleportation item to head straight for Expedition Canyon.
The location on the map was inaccurate, so he landed in a sparsely populated forest.
The Painting Woman, still stuck to the inside of his clothes, tapped on his back again.
"Come out," Xu Huo said.
The Painting Woman slid out from under his clothes. Upon landing, she rapidly expanded, transforming from a piece of drawing paper into a strikingly beautiful living person.
Staying inside his clothes was clearly boring. She took the backpack Xu Huo handed her and pulled out the specialties from Cloud Pass City, examining them one by one.
"The message collection terminal says there's a big river near Expedition Canyon. Although it's polluted and unsuitable for living, the moisture is abundant, and the surrounding forests have grown very lush after adapting to the environment."
Xu Huo observed the growth of the forest and chose a direction.
The Painting Woman shouldered her backpack and followed behind him, pulling out a communicator to ask, "Where are we going to do the instance?"
"I don't know yet," Xu Huo said. Given the district's situation, this was most likely an open instance with no time or location restrictions. With overlapping venues, there were many possibilities.
He hadn't walked far before he stopped, sensing dense spatial power filling the forest. Once bitten, twice shy—he didn't rush forward recklessly but sent a robot ahead to scout.
The robot passed through the forest, went about a hundred meters ahead, then returned, bringing back some relevant data: "Detected a D-grade energy field. No toxic gas, no barrier. No effect on machinery or instruments."
A D-grade energy field was a rough classification of the power level in a special venue. If it was judged as stable D-grade, it meant the spatial power here was relatively thin, possibly just a natural special venue.
This entire area was like that. Xu Huo was about to open his spiritual realm and pass through directly when a person suddenly emerged from the forest. Covered in cobwebs, the person looked at him in surprise. "Didn't expect to run into anyone here!"
Xu Huo noticed he was carrying a large basket filled with various mutant plants and asked, "Is there a path through this forest? Is Expedition Canyon ahead?"
The other person sat down on the spot, taking off his shoes and shaking out the dirt as he said, "If you're heading to Expedition Canyon, you're going the wrong way. The canyon is to your right front; going straight won't get you there."
"But why are you going to Expedition Canyon? That area is already contaminated by toxins and bacteria. Most people don't go near it."
"Plus, a space isolation zone has formed here," he pointed in the direction he'd come from. "People who go in easily get lost."
The man had an ordinary face, but his complexion was ruddy and his eyes were bright, full of vitality. He was also warmhearted and helpful, not only answering Xu Huo's questions in detail but also warning him about dangerous mutant plants and advising him on what grade of protective suit and mask to wear to deal with the pollutants.
"You're not a player?" Xu Huo asked curiously. "Aren't you afraid of the danger coming here alone?"
The man smiled. "My family needs some medicinal herbs. They're not available anywhere else, so I have to come here to find them."
"Don't let these mutant plants fool you—they look like poisonous weeds, but if used properly, they can save lives."
"This forest is just easy to get lost in; it's not that dangerous. With proper protection, even ordinary people can come in."
Xu Huo glanced at the two brightly colored mushrooms sticking out from under the basket. He didn't recognize the other mutant plants, but these two mushrooms were called "Spotted Dogs"—a small piece could kill a person.
"You're an outer zone player, right?" The man shouldered his basket. "It's getting late now. It's easier to get lost in the dark. Why don't you stay at my place for the night? I'll be coming back to gather herbs tomorrow anyway, and I can take you to Expedition Canyon on the way, so you don't waste your time."
Xu Huo didn't refuse. Following him, he asked, "Are there people living nearby?"
"Plenty," the man said cheerfully. "A lot of people can't afford the lodging fees, so they have to make a living out here. There aren't many mutant animals around here, so it's very safe."