Chapter 2708: A-Class Survival Instance Venue
Yan Jiayu indeed recovered quickly. Although the process of tearing apart the props was brutal, after resting for a while, she at least looked somewhat human again.
During the meal, Xu Huo learned about the basic situation of this mobile zone.
Apart from the pervasive spiritual energy, many of the mutated plants here had hallucinogenic effects, likely related to the growing environment. Many mutated plants seemed specifically designed to target animal brains.
For instance, the spore storm that Pu Yu and the others had encountered earlier was a storm area formed by spores released by fungi. These spores could take root anywhere—soil, plants, animal fur, or corpses. If a living person accidentally inhaled them, their chest cavity would quickly fill with fungi, making the hallucinogenic effects a relatively minor side effect.
Mechanical suits could defend against spore storms, but certain fungi could release a liquid that chemically reacted with metal, thereby damaging the suits.
"However, this type of fungus is very rare. We haven't encountered it before," Yan Ping said.
Xu Huo finished reviewing the investigation materials Pu Yu had provided and formed a rough impression of this zone. "There's no clear pattern to the mutated plants' activity. The level of danger depends on how many players enter this zone."
The mobile zone's position was constantly changing. To pinpoint its exact location, one had to obtain the most recent ticket. In other words, even if someone was heading for this zone, the ticket they held might correspond to a different zone. Conversely, someone holding a ticket for another zone might find their final destination changed to this mobile zone due to its sudden appearance.
"Did you enter through tickets?" Xu Huo asked Pu Yu.
"The three of us did," Pu Yu admitted without hiding it. "We confirmed the location before bringing Yan Ping in."
"With all kinds of advanced instruments at an A-class wormhole point, couldn't you directly locate this zone? Why take the risky approach of using tickets?" Xu Huo pressed further.
Pu Yu smiled faintly. "The mobile zone's position is unstable and hard to capture precisely. Opening a passage from the outside with instruments might not succeed. You could be unlucky—the moment you confirm the location, it shifts somewhere else the next second."
"But once inside, it's much easier to locate other zones."
Xu Huo made no comment. "What are your thoughts on finding the remains?"
"Your aunt probably didn't enter here without reason. Whether by accident or intentionally, since she died here, the place where she fell must be particularly dangerous. Do you have any clues?"
"It's hard to say if there are clues. We'll need to confirm once we reach the location," Pu Yu said. "Don't worry. Since I came personally, I won't engage in meaningless risks. If it truly seems hopeless, I'll choose to give up."
"Your compensation will still be paid." She then looked at Yan Ping and the others.
Yan Ping and the others said nothing. They had decided before coming—given the high price, they were well aware of the risks.
"Have you encountered any other players who entered through tickets in the past few days?" Xu Huo asked again. "What was the content of the ticket instance?"
"A survival instance. You have to survive for a certain amount of time to leave," Pu Yu said. "As for other players, we haven't run into any. I'm just not sure if the sudden forest surges we experienced were caused by other players entering."
"Show me the data you've collected." Xu Huo turned to Yan Ping.
Yan Ping glanced at Pu Yu, and only after she nodded did he hand over the instrument.
A projection screen appeared in front of them. Xu Huo quickly flipped through all the records related to the zone's environment since Pu Yu and the others had entered.
From the spiritual energy value monitoring every half hour, to the identification of plant species and energy value records after mutated plant attacks, to the terrain changes caused by mutated plants and the subsequent species replacement, he deduced the more active species nearby.
Additionally, there were sample tests of fungi, mutated plants, and various insects—most carried some toxins. The juices, pollen, or sounds released by common mutated plants were mainly hallucinogenic, with fewer potent poisons. Fungi reproduced rapidly and were hard to kill, also with fewer strong toxins. The highest toxicity levels were found in various insects. When threatened with death, they would launch lethal attacks. Relying on their numbers, if a person was stung, it was rarely just one or two wounds. Once the dosage increased, even with antidotes, the chance of survival was very slim.
"Is there anything else?" Xu Huo asked.
Yan Ping was stumped. "What else do you want?"
"I mean, are there any other hidden dangers you haven't encountered yet?" Xu Huo said. "In the three days you've been traveling, the things you've faced aren't too dangerous—the type that can be defended against with adequate preparation. Since this is a super-high-energy zone, the crisis should be more than this."
A mix of emotions flashed across Yan Ping and the others' faces—some sarcasm, some anger.
"You're amazing. None of this seems like a crisis to you," the short-haired woman said sarcastically. "Too bad we're not strong enough. We even lost a few companions."
"It seems you don't have any more." Xu Huo turned his gaze to Pu Yu. "You should know more."
"For an A-class survival instance, if you find a place to hole up and have enough equipment, you can usually tough it out. How is that an A-class instance? Besides, survival instances are usually more dangerous than regular ones."
Pu Yu was silent for two seconds before saying, "You're indeed very sharp."
"This zone was still a B-class instance a month ago. It only recently upgraded to A-class."
"Before the upgrade, this zone had a zone surge every half month. Basically, all the mutated plants in the entire zone would awaken. Mutated plants hundreds or even thousands of meters underground might all surface, almost like a tsunami. And this situation would last for more than three days."
Now that the instance had upgraded to A-class, the situation would only be more dangerous.
Yan Ping crushed the water cup in his hand. He said angrily, "You concealed the zone's situation!"
Pu Yu looked at him coldly. "Before coming, I said this was a high-energy zone. After entering, although the values changed slightly, they only slightly exceeded the upper limit of the class. You understood this when you signed the contract—the lower and upper limits could mean the absolute upper limit. If there were really no danger, why would I hire bounty hunters?"
This was the strange part. Pu Yu came from an A-class wormhole point, claiming she was looking for her aunt's remains to return and compete for an inheritance. Yet she had very few people with her. She used primordial stones as decorations and had so many instruments. How could she have no players protecting her? It was impossible for her family elders to just let her go alone.
So she had come secretly, willing to take risks. That "inheritance" must be so generous that ordinary people couldn't imagine it.