Chapter 2721: An Old Acquaintance
The Golden-Eyed Player had previously invited Xu Huo to do an instance, mentioning that a certain B-rank instance contained a lost item belonging to a Super Player, suspected to be a Super Item. Now that he was here, he was definitely looking for something.
However, the specifics were still in doubt, since the instances in this district had already upgraded. What it was like before, and what the Dimension Below had revealed, no one had disclosed.
The Golden-Eyed Player had actually seen Xu Huo’s true face before, but his current state prevented him from thinking clearly, nor could he probe why Xu Huo’s words carried a hint of testing. He simply gave an honest, instinctive response.
“So you really are here to find something.” Xu Huo chuckled. “What are you looking for? Maybe I can help. We can split it half and half when we find it—you won’t lose out.”
The Golden-Eyed Player wasn’t stupid. He stared at Xu Huo for a long moment before saying, “You can actually stay clear-headed? Where are we now? What does the surroundings look like?”
“We just passed through the underground ruins. Didn’t you see the local residents?” Xu Huo asked.
The Golden-Eyed Player paused, still uncertain whether Xu Huo was truly clear-headed. “The people here were either dead or fled when the district mutated. How could anyone still be living underground? Besides, the entire district is filled with high mental energy. What kind of person could live here long-term? What you saw was an illusion!”
Xu Huo nodded slightly. “I think so too, but we really are still in the underground passages. Do you know how these passages were formed?”
The Golden-Eyed Player hesitated before saying, “They should have been dug out by mutated plants. The original ground was buried underground long ago, and it’s not strange for underground plants to grow and bore holes everywhere.”
“That makes sense.” Xu Huo rubbed his chin and asked again, “How do we get out?”
“I only know about the Tiankeng. I’m not sure about other places,” the Golden-Eyed Player said. “Can you find the direction to the Tiankeng?”
Xu Huo could, but he didn’t say so. “I’ve been affected too. After coming down from the Tiankeng, I can’t tell what’s real and what’s fake anymore. I’ll have to search slowly… Can you still hold on?”
What else could the Golden-Eyed Player do? He didn’t dare go back to sleep in the box. After discussing with another still-conscious companion, they decided to take turns, leaving only one person outside to avoid everyone falling victim.
Without asking for his opinion, Xu Huo randomly pointed at a passage and led the way in.
Before long, they found traces of Yan Jiayu. She had been tangled up by mutated plants and tied to a stone wall. Her protective suit was damaged in many places, and she had fallen into a coma.
The mental energy interference device was no longer very effective, so Xu Huo expanded his own spiritual realm a bit, held back the district’s mental energy, then detoxified her and waited a while before waking her up.
Yan Jiayu was a bit dazed. “Wasn’t I eaten by a snake?”
“Fake,” Xu Huo said. “The underground ruins don’t exist.”
He briefly explained that from the moment they saw the so-called outer-zone players, everything they had encountered afterward came from their own imagination—or perhaps the imagination of other players from before. Everyone’s experiences were constantly being patched up afterward. That was why they first noticed the photo was wrong, then discovered the locals had poor eyesight, entered the warehouse with suspicion, but actually found the relics. Even Xu Huo’s suggestion to have someone lead them out of the Tiankeng—normally, the other party should have advised them to exit from above the ruins, not just go along with his words.
“I knew something was off,” Yan Jiayu said. “No matter how I tried, I couldn’t break through the snake’s stomach. I got so tired I just fell asleep.”
Of course, she hadn’t really fallen asleep. Under the mental interference, her brain had become too exhausted and gradually gave out, leading to a coma.
She didn’t ask how Xu Huo had woken her up. She got up, changed into a new protective suit, and spotted the Golden-Eyed Player dragging a box. “Who’s he?”
“Picked him up on the way,” Xu Huo said. “He’s also looking for something.”
“What about the others?” Yan Jiayu looked around. “Weren’t there strong A-rank players? Did they fall for it too?”
That couldn’t be confirmed, so they had to search first.
Compared to their ease, the Golden-Eyed Player’s steps grew heavier. Maintaining his sanity alone consumed a lot of energy, forcing him to let down his guard. So when Xu Huo asked, “Is there a Super Item here?” he blurted out in a daze, “Yes…”
Before he could finish the word, he was jolted awake. Looking at the two across from him, even through their helmets, he could sense from their aura—they were very interested.
Since things had come to this, the Golden-Eyed Player had to negotiate with Xu Huo. “I can tell you what I know, but if we find something, we split it half and half. How we divide it can be discussed later. Also, you need to help us. If this keeps up, before we find anything, me and my companion won’t be able to hold on.”
“That’s possible, but my coverage area isn’t large. That box of yours can’t fit in,” Xu Huo said.
The Golden-Eyed Player didn’t believe him, but he had no choice.
After they tentatively reached an agreement, the group found a place to rest.
Since he wouldn’t spill the truth, Xu Huo wasn’t about to expand his spiritual realm, so the Golden-Eyed Player had to speak first.
“I got a tip from a player family. They said a severely injured Super Player once came to this district. Based on the district’s mutation, that Super Player likely died here. If he’s dead, his belongings would be left here too. This is the only chance I know of to possibly get a Super Item. No matter how risky, I had to try.”
The Golden-Eyed Player briefly explained the cause and effect. “The biggest mutation in the entire district is the excessively high mental energy. The influence of a Super Item can’t be ruled out. So the stronger the mental energy, the more likely we’ll find something good.”
Xu Huo didn’t comment but asked, “Any leads?”
“Anyway, head toward the area with the highest mental energy. The energy here is higher than anywhere else, which says enough. Even if it’s not a Super Item, it could be a unique Primordial Stone born from the district’s evolution.” The Golden-Eyed Player was confident in his judgment. “No matter which one we find, we can live comfortably for the rest of our lives.”
The fluctuations in mental energy were indeed strange, but Xu Huo was most concerned about these underground passages. If the giant snake was an illusion from mental interference, then these solid passages proved there was a species underground capable of splitting mountains and rocks. If it was a mutated plant like the Goddess Vine, then it was basically a wasted trip.
Moreover, they hadn’t encountered any real danger so far. If they did run into something like the Goddess Vine in such a narrow underground environment, they would be at a disadvantage.
“Do you know anything about what made these holes?”
“I know what you mean,” the Golden-Eyed Player said. “But as you’ve seen, many parts of the passages have plants growing. It’s likely these passages were formed a long time ago, and those plants are thriving. Whatever dug these underground tunnels probably won’t show up easily.”
“If we’re unlucky enough to run into it, I’ll just have to accept my fate.”
Xu Huo thought of something else. “How long have you been here?”
The Golden-Eyed Player forced a smile. “After I leave here, I’ll have to find a way to shed my player identity.”
Xu Huo didn’t ask further. He slightly expanded his spiritual realm, bringing the Golden-Eyed Player into it.
The pressure on the Golden-Eyed Player lightened, and he relaxed considerably. He then took out a pyramid-shaped instrument. “This is a direction finder. It only points to the area with the highest and most concentrated energy in this district…”
Before he could finish, the suspended pyramid suddenly spun rapidly and pointed straight at Xu Huo!