Chapter 2707: Stripping the Item
Pu Yu understood immediately upon hearing this, then couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I told you fate is strange. You weren't willing to help run this errand before, but here you are after all."
Xu Huo also smiled. "Since we're friends, helping each other is only right."
Pu Yu caught his meaning. "Miss Yan will likely be in great danger when she separates from the item. I've brought quite a few defensive items and instruments. Even if we run into a top-tier A-rank player, it should be enough to hold them off for a while."
Xu Huo had exactly that in mind and didn't hesitate to accept on Yan Jiayu's behalf. He immediately contacted Xin Rong and Nie Xuan to borrow equipment, and also asked Bai Kou if she had a Non-Game Area Simulator. This was to guard against the possibility that Yan Jiayu might be thrown into a high-risk random instance right after emerging from the item.
Bai Kou readily lent him the instrument, though it was a consumable item that could only last for twenty-four hours.
"Twenty-four hours is enough," Yan Jiayu said. "Recovering about half my strength shouldn't be a problem."
Since the Location Item was inconvenient to use, Pu Yu set up a venue using instruments instead, with robots helping to protect the area and activate the simulation device.
Xu Huo and the others waited in the Location Item across from them, prepared for any unexpected situations.
Although Yan Jiayu had already explained the process of removing the item, no one expected the scene to be so brutal. The kangaroo suit had practically grown into her flesh. Tearing off any part meant ripping away skin and meat together. The process was not only painful but also prolonged. She couldn't tear it off quickly, but she had to remove more before the torn parts could grow back, requiring repeated tearing.
A large amount of blood had already soaked the ground beneath her feet. Only after she had completely freed her arms did she tremblingly inject herself with a dose of medicine, then continued removing the rest.
Yan Ping and the others grimaced at the sight. They couldn't hold out long before looking away, then turned to watch Xu Huo, who was sitting to the side with his eyes closed, resting.
Seeing that he didn't seem particularly concerned, the others found places to rest as well.
Xu Huo was replaying his encounter with the Box Carrier in his mind.
The exchange had lasted only about three seconds. During that time, he had died twice, consumed two uses of "Three Seconds of Life" and several life-saving items like "Holder's Demise," and all the passive-trigger instruments he'd obtained from the previous 001 District had been destroyed. In the end, the Box Carrier had even followed him to the teleportation passage. It wouldn't have been difficult for him to pursue, but he had held back at the last moment, merely watching coldly as Xu Huo fell into the spatial passage.
This was likely related to Hyperdimensional Space Power. Perhaps the Box Carrier had dealt with this level of spatial power before and knew its dangers, which was why he didn't give chase.
Or maybe he thought Xu Huo couldn't survive the situation and saw no need to pursue.
Whatever the reason, it allowed Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu to escape. There was no need to dwell on the specifics.
However, this encounter had given him a glimpse of some of the Box Carrier's killing moves.
He didn't seem to have undergone Space Evolution, but that black canopy that appeared for an instant not only had suction power but also seemed to suppress spatial power. The spatial instrument he had just used failed because of it.
In the previous 017 District Super Item incident, the Box Carrier had used this same black power when fighting Lawrence Li. It was a force capable of contending with Super Evolver-level Space Evolution, certainly not to be underestimated. It was just hard to imagine it had evolved from a trait.
Moreover, during their exchanges, Xu Huo had noticed a rise in temperature. That should have been the method the Box Carrier used to vaporize people in 017 District. It just hadn't taken immediate effect because of the defensive instruments and items Xu Huo was wearing.
Truly the Box Carrier—never showing mercy when killing.
He reported the information about the Box Carrier and the instance to the Isle Nation Government, informing them of Dai He's death and advising them not to attempt entering that forest again.
Not long after, Ji Qingcheng replied to his message. All the players he had stationed near the forest were dead, and the puppets under surveillance had suddenly disappeared without a trace. It was unclear whether the instance had vanished.
Xu Huo hesitated briefly but still advised him to arrange for people to escape to other districts as soon as possible.
The Box Carrier was mentally unstable. No one knew if he would implicate the entire district just because someone had escaped from his instance. Additionally, the Painting Woman and Da Mao were still in the Circus City. The situation ahead was hard to predict.
Ji Qingcheng didn't reply again. Xu Huo searched for information about District 039 on the Under Dimension platform. Fortunately, players who had entered this district occasionally spoke up, and things seemed relatively calm for now.
After several doses of self-healing medicine, Xu Huo's body recovered quickly. While sorting through his own items, he also checked the items and instruments sent by Xin Rong and Nie Xuan.
Most of what Nie Xuan provided were high-level items and instruments of decent quality. Xin Rong contributed mostly energy weapons, with fewer instruments. Of course, considering that items might be unusable in high-risk random instances, Xu Huo borrowed a few more.
He also took out his "Time Ring" and "Fate's String," along with several spatial instruments with lethal capabilities.
Yan Jiayu excelled in combat. Many of Xu Huo's items weren't suitable for her, but the two time items could provide good auxiliary effects.
Three hours passed before Yan Jiayu finally completely removed the kangaroo suit from her body. She was covered in blood, lying weakly on the ground. Even with robots, an automated medical surgery table, and a tool kit working nonstop to help her recover, she was still severely injured. Her facial skin and scalp had been torn off, leaving her a bloody mess.
Only then did Xu Huo put on protective gear and walk in. "Can you hold on?"
"Barely..." Yan Jiayu's voice was faint. "I just can't look at kangaroos the same way anymore..."
Xu Huo chuckled and injected her with a newly purchased medicine. "Get some good sleep first."
Yan Jiayu's nearly translucent eyelids drooped, and she fell asleep half-awake.
Xu Huo watched her for a moment. As expected of her—even with injuries this severe, her body's automatic repair wasn't slow. He could visibly see her blood vessels and muscle fibers constantly repairing and regenerating. For any other player, without sufficient equipment support, they wouldn't have lasted until the item was completely removed.
"That's really something," Yan Ping remarked with emotion when Xu Huo returned to the Location Item. "An ordinary person in her state would probably have died long ago."
"She has a good constitution," Xu Huo replied lightly.
The others fell silent. To directly tear an item off one's own body—that was truly fierce. And this one—just a couple of days ago, nearly all his bones were broken, and now he could walk... Both of them were freaks!
"Eat something." Pu Yu handed him a tray. "From the looks of it, we should be able to set off tomorrow."