Chapter 2874: Not So Easy to Talk To Anymore
The Hundred Forest Society was down to just two people, and they were no match for Xu Huo. They knew this was an ultimatum.
Xu Huo had completely lost patience. He directly opened his spiritual realm, enveloping the two in "Mirror Space," then sealed them into a container item.
After clearing that layer of space, he entered another layer and also placed the purple-haired man and Shen Ling'er into container items.
Next, he found Xiong Xiaoxin and the bearded man.
Without any unnecessary words, he simply informed them, "Tomorrow, everyone else goes into my container items."
The bearded man had no objections, but Xiong Xiaoxin's expression shifted slightly. "The Hundred Forest Society people..."
"Four are dead." Xu Huo's gaze turned to another Hundred Forest Society member in Xiong Xiaoxin's group. "Counting you, there are three left."
The middle-aged man's face changed. "What happened?"
Xu Huo wasn't there to explain anything to anyone. He was only there to tell them his decision.
After giving his instructions, he opened a small side room and walked in.
As the door closed, the remaining people's expressions soured.
As fellow A-rank players, Xu Huo's actions were practically stepping on everyone else's faces. The Hundred Forest Society was down to three people, two of whom were in Xu Huo's hands, and Wang Xin and the others hadn't been released either.
But Xiong Xiaoxin's side had plenty of people. The Hundred Forest Society middle-aged man said, "Miss Xiong has the backing of the Holy Sword Society. Are you just going to let this slide?"
"There are still quite a few of you left. Aren't you worried that once you're put into a container item, you'll never come out alive?"
Xiong Xiaoxin was certainly dissatisfied with Xu Huo's attitude, and she also suspected his motives. Handing over her life to someone else like that—how could that be possible!
But she didn't respond to the middle-aged man's provocation. She only said, "We'll talk about it tomorrow."
Fortunately, the latter half of the night was relatively peaceful. Everyone stayed awake until dawn, and as soon as six o'clock hit, they immediately walked out of the small side room.
Xiong Xiaoxin took the initiative to approach Xu Huo and ask about the previous night's situation.
Xu Huo was much calmer now. He said, "The clearance method should be feasible. After the instance boss appeared, it didn't actively attack us. The bearded man escaped and released his companions, and only then did the instance boss start killing."
If that was the case, then there was no need for too many people to act as distractions at night.
He let Shen Ling'er and Wang Xin and the others out to get some air. As for the two from the Hundred Forest Society, they could stay put.
"The Hundred Forest Society people don't have very good mental fortitude," Xiong Xiaoxin said with a slight smile. "I can guarantee that I absolutely won't release anyone. When the time comes, I'll place the container item separately. If I die, I'll have to trouble you to take the others out."
Xu Huo spun the puzzle ball and said flatly, "Let's try again tonight."
"It would be best to split into two more groups," the sparrow said at that moment. "What if the setup has changed and we can't replicate last night's environment?"
"If that's the case, I can wait another night." Xu Huo looked at Xiong Xiaoxin. "But if the clearance is interrupted again due to unforeseen circumstances, I won't be as easy to talk to as I am today."
Cong Lei was also frustrated. "If the Hundred Forest Society hadn't messed up yesterday, maybe we'd all be sitting outside right now. Why would we still be worrying for a whole day?"
Yesterday might have been a good opportunity to clear the instance. Although they could still try the same method, who knew if the situation would change tonight?
There was still one Hundred Forest Society member left outside. He was blamed but didn't dare to speak up. He just kept his head down, not knowing what he was thinking.
He still had two life-saving items on him. Xu Huo made him hand them over and then locked him in a container item.
"The Hundred Forest Society people... hold grudges," Yue Yan'er said. She didn't quite understand why Xu Huo didn't just kill the remaining ones. He had already killed so many of them; a few more wouldn't make a difference.
The others present caught her implication. Shen Ling'er said, "It's fine to be hostile and kill each other in the game. But these few remaining people have been behaving themselves and haven't made a move. There's no need to exterminate them completely."
A major problem after player evolution was the disregard for life. Many super players and wanted criminals repeatedly committed major crimes simply because they no longer saw ordinary people as human and no longer considered human life as a bottom line.
"These aren't innocent people anyway. Why bother with so many scruples?" Yue Yan'er sneered. "They're only behaving because they're weak. Wait until they get out, and you'll see their true attitude."
Xiong Xiaoxin glanced at Xu Huo and also said, "If they die in the instance, the Hundred Forest Society is less likely to seek revenge."
After all, plenty of players died in instances. If someone didn't come back, others would get used to it. But if the remaining few returned with information about their enemy, the situation would be different. Logically, the other Hundred Forest Society players would seek revenge.
Xu Huo toyed with the puzzle ball, ignoring the discussion.
Soon, the arguing group stopped talking. They first cleaned up the research institute, ate something, and then began to rest.
Xu Huo sat alone for a while before finding a spot to lie down and rest.
He slept until the afternoon, only to see two more players walk through the research institute's main door.
"What's going on?" Xiong Xiaoxin immediately stepped forward. "Are you local zone players or outer zone players?"
The local zone players had already suspended sending people into the instance. If these were ticket players from other zones... hadn't they asked about the situation before entering? This was an open-field instance, and a closed one at that. They could have easily chosen another instance.
The two looked at Xiong Xiaoxin with wary eyes, not intending to answer her question at all. They immediately split up and headed toward the research institute building.
Xiong Xiaoxin raised her hand, and her companions immediately blocked the two. Once they were back in the courtyard, she gave a fake smile and said, "Not even willing to say a word. Aren't you two being a bit too disrespectful?"
The remaining group had already reached an agreement, waiting to test whether they could clear the instance today. If new players kept coming in, when would they ever get a chance to clear it?
"Besides you, are there any others who came in?" Cong Lei asked.
"We just came from another district and don't know much about the situation." Seeing that everyone present had formed an alliance, the two newcomers didn't stubbornly resist. Instead, they explained the situation outside. "There are a few local zone players guarding near the research institute. We heard it was a new instance, so we came in to try our luck."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. At least it meant the district wasn't planning to send more people in. A few newcomers could be handled, but if there were too many, it would be hard to control.
"What a coincidence, you ended up in this space." Xiong Xiaoxin stepped closer and said, "We're about to clear the instance, so we'll take you along."
The two didn't understand what she meant until they saw someone among her companions pull out a Spider Lock. Their expressions immediately changed.
The instance area was only so big. Without a spatial portal, the two would be caught sooner or later. Xiong Xiaoxin and her group were indeed not weak, and it didn't take much effort.
After subduing the two with the Spider Lock, they were put into container items.
"While the spatial portal can still be opened, check the other spaces," Xu Huo said after they finished. "Move together."