Chapter 2633: Please
Xu Huo glanced at the deformed metal skeleton ahead, then met the wary, warning gaze of the players. He stopped without hesitation and gestured with a "please" motion.
There were four players in total chasing the combat puppet. Two had already reached the skeleton. For safety, both wore protective suits and had activated defensive items. However, the moment they touched the skeleton, the instrument device in the puppet's heart emitted a sharp, rapid warning sound and then exploded!
The small device unleashed an unexpectedly immense force, directly blasting through the multiple layers of protection on those two players. A small amount of black liquid splashed out with the explosion and stuck to their bodies. A violent poison spread instantly, and the two screamed in agony. Even frantically drinking antidotes couldn't slow the toxin's spread. Within a few breaths, their bodies turned pitch black and they collapsed to the ground.
They were already dead. The remaining two players stood farther away, and their protective suits managed to block the toxic droplets, causing no adverse effects. But they were badly shaken. After repeated checks, they finally relaxed, only to look at their companions—the two corpses had been disfigured beyond recognition by the toxin's erosion.
"These toxins will spread," Gao Ming said, observing the surroundings. "Fire should work, but we'll need to cover it while burning to avoid contaminating the woods."
The game had simple tools for handling such situations, but dealing with complex chemical substances usually required more manpower and better equipment. As for the toxin in the puppet's heart, it was likely locally sourced—a mutated bacterial toxin that could be dealt with by burning.
Seeing that he intended to cover the skeleton and the contaminated ground together for burning, the two local players stepped forward to stop him again. "We need to take the metal skeleton."
Xu Huo stared at them and once again gestured with a "please" motion.
His easygoing attitude made the two hesitate. One of them paused, then asked menacingly, "Did you know the puppet was rigged?"
"How would I know?" Xu Huo sneered. "I just think you guys have a problem with your brains. A combat puppet equipped with so many instruments—why wouldn't it have other traps buried in it? Who's as brave as you?"
In truth, the two who died had been cautious enough, layering multiple defenses. But they had forgotten about the previous explosions. Energy bombs in the game could be made very compact, and the device in the heart was not small, so it could naturally hold more energy.
"Stop wasting words with him. Take him back—maybe he knows something about these combat puppets!" the other said to his companion.
"Think carefully. If I go with you, this matter will not end peacefully," Xu Huo said calmly. "After all, I just arrived near the canyon, and this combat puppet came straight for me. If I'm not mistaken, you were the ones fighting it. Could it be that you're putting on a show, using this puppet to kill outer zone players?"
He looked at the two, waiting for an answer.
The two players couldn't decide immediately. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but they were considering whether they could succeed.
"Let's burn the ground first," Gao Ming said. "If the wind picks up, these toxins could spread who knows how far."
Xu Huo ignored the two again. He covered the ground with a space barrier, then tossed in a burning agent. Flames quickly engulfed the metal skeleton and the two corpses.
The multi-layered space defense barrier released one layer at a time at intervals, ensuring the burning agent had sufficient conditions for complete combustion.
The two players didn't leave, waiting to retrieve their companions' remains and the metal skeleton.
"Are there many puppets like this?" Xu Huo asked the two. "Given the situation in Zone 039, such well-made combat puppets shouldn't appear."
The two didn't refute this. They only said, "Two have appeared in the Eternal Tower Nation."
During the wait, several more local players arrived. Though their expressions were grim, they didn't cause trouble for Xu Huo, a passerby.
When the burning was mostly done, Xu Huo closed the space barrier and stepped forward to examine the metal skeleton, now discolored by the fire.
There were no special marks on the skeleton, nor any serial numbers indicating mass production.
"We need to take all of this," one of the later-arriving players stepped forward to negotiate with him.
Xu Huo didn't stop them. Without markings, it was hard to trace the origin of the combat puppet based solely on the metal material and craftsmanship.
"These puppets seem to have a marking function," the player said as they were leaving, turning back to warn him. "They occasionally chase a particular player relentlessly."
"Thank you," Xu Huo nodded.
Watching the group disappear into the distance, he turned back to speak with Gao Ming. "Doctor Gao, you're from the Isle Nation. Can you tell me about the situation there?"
Doctor Gao was a warm-hearted person and naturally didn't refuse. Xu Huo also offered to help him pick the mutated plants, so the three of them set off toward areas Gao Ming rarely ventured into. Along the way, he explained the situation in the Isle Nation in detail.
Like Zone 039, the Isle Nation had been in constant conflict since entering the game. Initially, some powerful players took over the country, squeezing ordinary people to the maximum, causing a population exodus. Naturally, the players born there fought back, leading to frequent small-scale wars within the country.
In such an environment, living in cities was worse than living in the wilderness for ordinary people, so many fled outward, and many died.
About twenty years ago, a group of local players successfully killed most of the strongmen under the previous Grand Archon, taking over the entire country. That was also the most chaotic time in the Isle Nation. Gao Ming had already moved around many places by then.
But the emergence of a new regime didn't stabilize the country. The Isle Nation was a faith-first nation, where every ruler had to successfully inherit the national treasure to be legitimate—but for a fractured country, faith was useless. However, when someone wanted to seize power, "legitimacy" was a good excuse.
The previous Grand Archon had disappeared with the national treasure. The new Grand Archon was strong, but not strong enough, so many others wanted to become the Grand Archon, plunging the country into a new round of competition.
It was then that Gao Ming truly lost hope in the nation. He had overestimated human nature and underestimated power.
He planned to leave the Isle Nation with his wife when they encountered a large-scale player war. He was lucky and wasn't injured, but his wife was badly hurt. Though she was saved, her health deteriorated. After leaving the Isle Nation, they wandered everywhere, meeting people along the way—both ordinary people and players.
But most of those wandering in the wilderness were ordinary people. Isle Nation residents spontaneously banded together, seeking a new habitat. However, just as they crossed the border, war broke out between the Isle Nation and the Moon Horn Duchy. Almost everyone traveling with them died. The few survivors were taken as hostages to the front lines, and Gao Ming was among them.