Chapter 2706: A Blessing in Disguise
Although Yan Ping and the others didn't understand what she meant by a certain state of balance, that didn't stop them from feeling envious. Though they were somewhat famous among Bounty Hunters and considered experienced, they were actually players who had no choice but to withdraw from Instance Dungeon upgrades and take this path instead.
Some players endured until B-grade or A-grade, saved up enough capital to find a district to retire in. Even if such people quit the game, it wouldn't be a problem. Others, unwilling to give up their player identity, would choose some simpler or already well-strategized Instance Dungeons to run—simply put, they were just coasting along. However, such Instance Dungeons had little profit, and they couldn't get many good items after clearing them, so they had to increase their income from other avenues.
Bounty Hunters indeed risked their lives to make a living, but there was still a difference between them and true players. And to be honest, if they had enough talent, they would rather challenge themselves in Instance Dungeons. After all, even outside the Instance Dungeons, they were still risking their lives for money.
"Talent, opportunity—truly enviable." The Short-Haired Female Player looked at Xu Huo, who was still lying down. "When will he wake up? We came here for the bones, not to protect outsiders."
"Delaying two days is nothing," Pu Yu said. "I can pay you an extra fee."
Well, the employer was generous, so they had nothing more to say.
"Thank you," Yan Jiayu said. "We can pay you back later."
"It's a small matter." Pu Yu didn't mind, his gaze lingering slightly on Xu Huo. "I enjoy making friends, especially talented ones."
Night fell, and Yan Ping and the others began taking turns to rest, rotating shifts to stand guard outside the Location Item.
Xu Huo was watched over by Yan Jiayu. His hand rested on a low stool, relatively stable when not touching anything. Meanwhile, apart from his fingers, there were no fluctuations of Space Power elsewhere on his body. However, his two legs and one arm were tied to wooden sticks—injuries from when he fell into the underground forest earlier. They weren't serious wounds, just requiring some time to heal.
The night was relatively calm, but no one slept soundly. They would doze off for a while and then wake up again. Yan Ping and the Short-Haired Female Player had just returned from their shift change when they saw a short, shadowy figure standing beside Xu Huo. Their expressions changed drastically, and they immediately activated their Jamming Device.
That black, shadow-like short figure glanced at them before collapsing onto the ground and vanishing instantly.
Pu Yu and the others also got up and gathered around to ask what had happened.
"I don't know if it was Spiritual Interference," Yan Ping said, suspecting he might have had a hallucination. "I saw a child's figure standing next to him."
The Short-Haired Female Player nodded.
Pu Yu looked at Yan Jiayu. "Did you notice anything?"
Yan Jiayu's kangaroo head shook. "Was it a hallucination or an actual attack?"
"After the Jammer was activated, the figure disappeared." Yan Ping's expression was grave. "Looks like we can't sleep tonight."
"Didn't any of you notice anything?"
The others all shook their heads, including the three Bounty Hunter members who had just come back from standing guard outside.
"Better to be cautious," Pu Yu said. "Keep the device running."
The large equipment they carried with them was the anti-interference device, and it had a wide range. Without it, they wouldn't dare to walk through the forest at all.
Yan Jiayu probably knew what that figure was, but she didn't say much. Since Xu Huo's childhood figure had appeared, it meant he was recovering. And this was an ultra-high-energy district, where Spiritual Energy was pervasive. Explaining it wouldn't put the others at ease; instead, it would only add more variables.
She simply pretended not to know.
Pu Yu insisted on waiting until Xu Huo recovered before continuing onward. So on the second and third days, they all stayed cooped up in the Location Item. There were a few instances of Mutant Plant activity in between, but they were small-scale, just normal plant movements—nothing dangerous.
Yan Jiayu was more worried about the Box Carrier catching up. Li Chun hadn't escaped from the Circus City either, and she didn't know how things were going.
Fortunately, there was no movement around them during those two days. If the Box Carrier had really caught up, it wouldn't have been this peaceful.
Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, Xu Huo opened his eyes. He moved his hand, intending to remove the wooden sticks tied to him.
"Don't move!" Yan Jiayu quickly stopped him. "Your fingers have mutated! Whoever you poke will disappear!"
Xu Huo turned his head to look and naturally understood what had happened to his fingers. The palm strike he had taken from the Box Carrier wasn't actually that severe—his childhood personality had shared part of the burden. And it had hit him right in the heart. Although the Water Cube had been knocked out immediately, the Space Power released by the Water Cube had still protected his heart.
However, after the balance between the Water Cube and the Hyperdimensional Space Power threads was broken, neither could reattach to his heart, yet neither could leave his body either. So they had ultimately transferred to his index finger.
Unlike when they were on his heart—where he couldn't sense them or dared to touch them—he could now clearly feel that Hyperdimensional Space Power, and he had even grasped a bit of the Water Cube's operating pattern.
The reason he had been unconscious for these past few days was because the Water Cube and the Hyperdimensional Space Power had been continuously impacting his body. At this moment, he finally experienced that miraculous feeling of Nie Xuan's Space Evolution.
Normally, coming into contact with Hyperdimensional Space Power would mean certain death, especially since this power was penetrating through his body. But the Water Cube had effectively restrained it, not only saving him again but also giving him, as a blessing in disguise, the opportunity to borrow the Hyperdimensional Space Power.
That's right, Xu Huo felt that he could now trigger the Hyperdimensional Space Power by controlling Space Power. Moreover, the Water Cube and the Hyperdimensional Space Power had once again reached a balance, remaining in a static state when not triggered—similar to when they were on his heart, but far less dangerous and troublesome.
"Really have to thank him," Xu Huo said expressionlessly as he moved his fingers.
Yan Jiayu watched in amazement. "Hey, you can control it freely now."
Xu Huo calmed his mind and turned to look at her. "How much time do you have left?"
"Probably just these few days," Yan Jiayu said. "How's your body recovering? If you're okay, I need to come out of the item. Otherwise, I won't have time to recover."
Xu Huo's bones hadn't fully healed yet, but now that he was awake, he could use a Robot to get around. Yan Jiayu was about to enter a high-risk Random Instance and couldn't afford to waste any more time.
He paused slightly and looked at Pu Yu. "We meet again."
Pu Yu was slightly surprised and didn't recognize him.
That made sense. The last time they met on the train and at C09-001, he had used a fake face. After entering the Circus City, all his items had failed, and his disguise had naturally worn off as well.
"We met at Teacher Jing Shi's residence, and also ran into each other twice on the train."