Chapter 2846: Giving You a Kick
"I wonder what the real background of this research institute is. It looks like all the information you found is fake," Sparrow said to Wang Xin. "District 033 isn't as strictly law-abiding as they claim."
Wang Xin fell silent, not because he thought she was wrong, but because he couldn't understand why this research institute had been left vacant for so long before the instance was born.
"Maybe something went wrong here a long time ago," Yue Yan'er said. "Some instances aren't born overnight. They might go through a long period before finally forming. Perhaps the district government detected the power fluctuations early and left it vacant."
Wang Xin fell silent again. District 033 had already established relatively complete instance generation laws. Generally speaking, the district wouldn't interfere with relatively stable power fluctuations, since the district also needed new instances. But the power fluctuations at Hexin Research Institute were as chaotic as twisted hemp. This kind of instability was problematic. If it couldn't generate an instance in the end and instead became a spatial rift, what was the district planning to do?
Clearly, he had considerable trust in the District 033 government.
"Let's get back to the instance," Sparrow said again. "Since the instance boss is playing the role of an inspector, we should be safe tonight. There are others out there taking the heat. I don't believe it can kill everyone in one night."
She looked at Xu Huo. "Want to try the finger cover?"
The other two also turned their heads.
Xu Huo was tempted, but he first placed the "Cube Space" against the wall. In fact, he didn't even need the finger cover. With the instrument's assistance, he could manipulate spatial power to touch the barrier on the wall, just not make it disappear completely.
There was no need to keep trying. He curled his index finger and tapped the area where the spatial power was relatively concentrated.
Then a second tap, a third.
With each tap, the spatial power he condensed had to go a step further, until he reached his limit—the super spatial body belt.
And with each tap, the spatial power on the wall vibrated. Though invisible to the naked eye, the wall barrier rippled like waves until, on the third tap, a narrow portal appeared on the wall.
Spatial power tore open the metal wall, and from the gap, it hooked out a fingernail—a human fingernail.
Seeing the perfectly preserved nail, Sparrow and the other two brightened. This could only mean the nail had turned into an item!
Xu Huo grasped the nail, and the game panel popped up.
[Nail of Despair: This is a nail pulled from the finger of a woman who suffered torment. She used all her strength to hide the nail in the wall crevice, hoping that one day it would testify to Hexin Research Institute's crime of experimenting on living humans. Unfortunately, she did not live to walk out of the institute.]
[Single-Use Item: Anyone struck by the Nail of Despair will lose all desire for half a minute—except the desire for life.]
"It's a single-use item," Xu Huo said to the other three, then looked specifically at Sparrow. "The finger cover was given by you. Logically, this item should be yours."
Sparrow smiled. "I only gave you the finger cover to protect myself. Besides, even if I had the finger cover, I couldn't open the spatial wall. The item you found is naturally yours. I definitely don't want it."
She said this while looking at the other two.
"Since we're a team and acting together, items found should be shared," Wang Xin said. "But this lady is right. Only you could find this item, so we won't split it for now."
"If you find another item next time, we'll discuss it then."
Yue Yan'er had no objection. Single-use items could sometimes be surprisingly effective, but they were gone after use—not worth fighting over.
Sparrow wore a smile on her face, her gaze lightly sweeping over the two before shifting to Xu Huo. But she didn't expect him to be looking at her too. Their eyes met abruptly, and her smile stiffened for a moment before she turned away as if nothing had happened.
Xu Huo didn't rest. When he opened the spatial portal earlier, he felt it should be connected to another space—he just didn't know if it was the next room or some other space.
Time passed slowly. Aside from the footsteps earlier, there was no sound from outside. The overly quiet environment, combined with the players' inability to talk freely, inevitably felt oppressive.
Xu Huo leaned against the wall, trying to deconstruct the spatial barrier. If items could be hidden in the interlayer, then potions could be too—it was just troublesome to find them. Of course, the finger cover came at the right time, saving him a lot of effort.
After confirming the position, he communicated with the other three and prepared for a second attempt.
The three thought he had found another item and immediately gathered around. But this time, when the portal opened, the metal wall behind it directly disappeared, replaced by a human face!
To be precise, it was a person. This time, the finger cover had connected to another space. As soon as the spatial portal opened, someone leaned in. Seeing that wrinkled, gaunt face, Xu Huo didn't hesitate—he raised his foot and kicked the person trying to squeeze through flying.
The spatial portal flickered and vanished, and the short old man naturally couldn't get through.
"It's that old bastard. He's still alive," Sparrow said irritably. "We run into him everywhere. What bad luck."
"Do you have a grudge against him?" Wang Xin had been hoping to ask about the situation outside.
"No grudge. I just find him annoying," Xu Huo said flatly.
Wang Xin had no choice but to let it go. The man had already been kicked out anyway.
"Was that connected to the outside or another space?" Yue Yan'er asked. "That old man came with Sparrow, so he's probably still in another space."
That should be the case, but Xu Huo didn't plan to try again.
The places where spatial portals could be opened had complex spatial power, and there were many such spots in the instance venue. So he couldn't be sure every use of the finger cover would open a portal.
There was no point in trying other places in the small compartment now, unless the state of the spatial barrier changed.
They thought they'd have to wait until dawn, but unexpectedly, after midnight, they could hear sounds from outside again, and their perception range had recovered somewhat.
The four exchanged glances. Yue Yan'er tried to grab the door handle and gave it a gentle twist—the door actually opened!
From the sounds coming from other places, it was clear that others were also trying to open their doors, but no one had come out yet.
After another ten minutes, players began to emerge.
More unfamiliar faces.
Xu Huo watched a player coming out of a room on the fourth basement level. The player left a scratch mark in front of his own door, then went to the door of a nearby small compartment and made another scratch.
But not long after he left, two more players came out of the same room—members of the Hundred Forest Society.
They noticed the new scratch marks on the door. "Someone's marking?"
"Marking what?" the other said. "Which rooms are the small compartments?"