Chapter 2677: Enter the Same Way You Leave
"Welcome to the Box Carrier's Joyful Circus City!"
"Welcome to the Box Carrier's Joyful Circus City!"
"Welcome to the Box Carrier's Joyful Circus City!"
...
The decorative little animals in front of the shops on both sides of the street began to move one by one, all shouting this phrase from their mouths, as if it were both a threat and a reminder.
Dai He led the five players from the Isle Nation Government over to join Xu Huo, while the six people from the Eternal Tower side chose a higher vantage point, some squatting and some standing, occupying a visual advantage. They were both observing their surroundings and keeping Xu Huo and his group in their sights.
Low-level wormhole points were places where the Box Carrier was more active, but that didn't mean the Box Carrier only operated at low-level wormhole points. Compared to those low-key Super Players, his frequency of appearance could be called a "model worker." Every appearance was inevitably accompanied by bloodshed, making him a name that made people tremble just hearing it, let alone the fact that this place was highly likely to be his Super Instance!
"It's over, it's over!" Qi Cong couldn't help but shiver. "We've entered a Super Instance! And it's the Box Carrier's Super Instance! I heard he likes to turn people into puppets! We're dead for sure!"
"Shut up!" Xu Huo interrupted him sternly. "The Instance hasn't been triggered, and this place is cut off from the game. Even if it is a Super Instance, the Box Carrier might not be here."
Seeing the puppet people around them looking over again, he quickly said, "Let's find another place to talk."
The group imitated the other pedestrians on the street and walked forward, but stopping anywhere here was too conspicuous. Once they stopped, a puppet person would actively approach them, either to sell something or to ask if they needed help.
The people in the Circus City used special paper currency, so they had to avoid the sales puppet people several times, pretending to be tourists asking others for directions.
Since their identities hadn't been discovered, the people around them were quite friendly. But through close contact, they also realized that there were indeed real people among these puppets. Some of them bought fake food but didn't eat it directly; instead, they carried it with them. Moreover, they had quite a few props hanging on them, obviously collected deliberately.
"Those puppet costumes must be Container Items, right?" Dai He chose to type on the communicator. "Two kids just pulled at my clothes. I estimate that just wrapping myself in cloth won't last long."
But who would dare to wear a puppet costume? Putting it on might turn them into part of the puppet.
"The Instance hasn't started yet, so it shouldn't be that bad!" Qi Cong shakily raised his communicator. "But why can these puppet people still move?"
They didn't know the exact situation of this Instance. If the people wearing puppet costumes were all props, or the costumes themselves were props, normally, when disconnected from the game, these props should stop working. But they were still moving normally. It couldn't be that so many props were like the Painting Woman or Mr. Dong, could it?
"Maybe it's because there are real people inside the puppets." Xu Huo's voice was very soft, but it still attracted the attention of two puppet people a few meters away, who walked over.
Everyone present was ready to flee at any moment, but at that moment, a frog puppet jumped out from the side, handed over a few bills, and wanted to buy the small snacks they were holding.
The puppet person beamed and handed over the items, then turned and went back to their original position, waving happily at Xu Huo and the others.
It wasn't just these two. Looking around, they found that every puppet person who met their gaze smiled back at them.
This attitude was completely different from before.
Unable to figure out what was going on, they saw the frog puppet walk over, pull a large stack of bills from the pouch in front of its belly, and hand them to Xu Huo.
Qi Cong was about to raise the stick hidden in his clothes, but he saw Xu Huo directly reach out and take the money, asking, "Are you okay?"
This sentence didn't attract the attention of the surrounding pedestrians. They followed their own paths, talking to themselves, as if they had unanimously ignored Xu Huo and the others.
The Painting Woman, wearing the frog puppet costume, shook her head, then pointed excitedly not far away, indicating that there were many more such puppet costumes over there.
Although they didn't dare to wear them, Xu Huo and the others still followed. It was a small storage warehouse behind a toy store. No one was guarding it. The Painting Woman easily slipped in, then took out another frog costume, wanting Xu Huo to put it on.
Xu Huo reached out and removed her headpiece, saying, "This might be a prop. The reason it hasn't taken effect yet is probably because the Instance hasn't started, or the Box Carrier isn't here. It can't be worn for a long time."
This made Qi Cong and the others, who were somewhat tempted, give up the idea. Although the puppet costume might not be a prop right now, when the Box Carrier would appear was completely unpredictable. If they got trapped in the costume and turned into a puppet person, that would be truly disastrous.
"What do we do now?" Qi Cong couldn't help asking. "I haven't even figured out how we got into this Instance!"
"It's most likely related to that battle puppet." Dai He said, "Those puppets were undoubtedly released by the Box Carrier. This Instance has been placed here for such a long time without being discovered, so there must be battle puppets as a backup."
"Those puppets were probably also released by the Box Carrier. I just don't know his purpose for stationing himself in Zone 039."
Dai He looked worried. They had disappeared near the forest. The Isle Nation Government would certainly understand what was going on, but rescue was secondary. He was more worried about the entire district.
"Since we were brought in by the battle puppet, the way out can only be found through it." Xu Huo said, "The Instance hasn't started, which means this is just a special space. The channel the battle puppet used to enter and exit is one we can also use."
"Alternatively, we can find Yan Jiayu." He turned to Qi Cong. "Can your trait still work?"
Qi Cong showed half a face uglier than crying. "How can I use a trait when I'm disconnected?"
Xu Huo was just testing the waters, since they had just seen someone who could still use their abilities even with their Personal Panel blocked.
"Then let's try another way." He found some balloons from the warehouse, drew sunflower patterns on them, and handed them to Qi Cong. "Take these balloons. If Yan Jiayu is nearby, she will definitely recognize this mark."
Qi Cong was a bit confused. "Why am I the one holding them?"
"Right now, besides finding Yan Jiayu, we also need to find a way out," Xu Huo glanced at him. "Unless you want to fight the battle puppet."
Qi Cong quickly waved his hand and obediently stepped aside.
They didn't linger here. Taking the balloons, they returned to the street.
Although the balloons had marks drawn on them, fortunately, the people in the Circus City didn't pay attention. Instead, some children ran over and asked to buy them.
Xu Huo had just handed two balloons to them when the sound of fighting came from a distance. It was the group from the Eternal Tower.
"Let's go check it out." As they were about to leave, the puppet people on the street suddenly surrounded them. Most of them just stood a few meters away, but a few individuals with green light in their eyes lunged forward.