Chapter 2957: The Gamble
They were trying to escape!
Realizing this, Nie Xuan immediately used a prop to teleport himself over, but before he could get close, he was swept away by Jin Feixue's strings. As he was sent flying, he saw the space passage forming, the two of them about to leave calmly.
Having caused a huge scene in Zone 014 and killed so many of his companions, they thought they could just shake off their sleeves and leave?!
Jin Feixue indeed intended to leave.
Having lost one companion and one hyperdimensional device without managing to kill Xu Huo, the advantage was gone. The only option now was to retreat.
Scanning the devastated city, Jin Feixue's gaze darkened slightly as he concealed the icy killing intent in his eyes. But just as he lifted his foot to step into the teleportation passage, paper scraps flew in from who knows where, rustling as they blocked the passage entrance. In an instant, those paper scraps split into countless strands of paper shreds, surging like a paper dragon toward him and Bai Tiaoyi!
The strings gathered in front, rapidly flipping and shredding the flying paper as Jin Feixue said, "Don't mind it. Leave immediately."
But the moment the words left his mouth, the light of the teleportation passage ahead suddenly vanished. Accompanied by the thumping sounds of several instruments hitting the ground, he spun around sharply and saw Xu Huo standing unharmed in front of a collapsed building in the distance, his hand pressed against a broken wall only about a meter high.
With just one glance, Jin Feixue understood the cause and effect. His face turned cold. "It seems luck is not on my side."
The cross-wormhole point teleportation passage used a set of ten decentralized instruments. Two of them would scrape across the ground as the passage formed. Such a tiny gap had given the Life Core the opportunity to destroy the instruments.
Only then did Xu Huo have the chance to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. He had been injured by the pulsation of the cross-shaped instrument, but fortunately, he had managed to throw the instrument into the dark space before the explosion's shockwave arrived. Glancing at the last waterfall of magma that had been cut off mid-fall due to the spatial rift, he said, "You thought well—if you couldn't win, destroy the instruments. But you were just a step too late."
"Not a step too late," Jin Feixue said. "You were too cautious. I thought that after dodging the hyperdimensional device's attack, you would choose to store the instrument in your luggage compartment."
After all, that was the normal operation. Who could see a hyperdimensional device and not be tempted?
"A hyperdimensional device you, Jin Feixue, brought out—how would I dare?" Xu Huo said calmly. "Tampering with other props is still within controllable range, but a hyperdimensional device? Who can control that?"
"Originally, locking down your time evolution should have won me this battle. I didn't expect you to have game items," Jin Feixue sighed slightly. "I miscalculated."
"How could that be?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "Placing the hyperdimensional device on a companion who never showed himself, using yourself as the front-line bait, and challenging a Temporal Super Evolver alone—that kind of boldness must come from the confidence of infallible planning."
"Originally, I thought you might have multiple hyperdimensional devices. I never expected that when the whale was locked by the game item, its first thought wasn't to escape, but to transmit the device back to you..."
"I've dealt with more than half of the members of the Eerie Sound Knights. Your friendship is truly touching."
The flat, straightforward words sounded especially sarcastic in this environment. Dealt with? Half of the Eerie Sound Knights had died by his hands!
Bai Tiaoyi's killing intent surged, but Jin Feixue raised a hand to block him. Glancing at the paper shreds stuck to the ground nearby, he said, "I didn't expect you to be the one who obtained that last super prop. So many players came to Zone 014, and you managed to toy with them all."
"You only remember leaving empty-handed, not how many people you killed in Zone 014?" Xu Huo also glanced at the paper shreds quivering on the ground, his tone flat. "Hatred from two years ago, settled two years later—it's very late."
He paused deliberately, scrutinizing Jin Feixue. "The teleportation passage is gone, and you're trapped in an instance. You're not planning to hide in a container prop and let your remaining companion send you to safety, are you?"
"Blood debts must be paid in blood. That's only natural." Jin Feixue looked at Bai Tiaoyi beside him. "You go."
"Captain!" Bai Tiaoyi refused to leave. He lowered his voice. "Forget about everything else now. Let me send you away first!"
Jin Feixue shook his head slightly. "I'll avenge Shengnan and the others, then I'll return."
Bai Tiaoyi's eyes turned red. "I'm staying too!"
"No need," Jin Feixue said. "If I can take revenge, I'll come back unscathed. If not, you can avenge me in the future."
"Why bother arguing?" Nie Xuan, holding his broken arm, watched him coldly. "Dying here together counts as reuniting with your friends."
The air currents around Jin Feixue surged. As his golden hair flew wildly, Bai Tiaoyi vanished from his side. His eyes, cold as ice, fixed on Xu Huo. "Now guess again—do I have a second hyperdimensional device on me?"
When the space teleportation passage opened, was he truly trying to leave, or was he using the pretense of leaving to lure Xu Huo into using his time power and then turn it back on him?
This was a dangerous gamble. Xu Huo was gambling, and so was Jin Feixue.
Xu Huo was betting on whether Jin Feixue had a hyperdimensional device on him, while Jin Feixue was betting on whether Xu Huo dared to trigger accelerated time!
Space tangents began to churn over the city once more. The two locked eyes, anger and hatred converging into a determination to settle the score once and for all!
When their two figures shot across the sky like gale-force winds and collided amidst the storm of spatial power, the shattering of defense barriers and the rapid flashing of attack props nearly obscured their forms. Amidst the shifting light and shadow, their silhouettes emerged from the thick fog. The shadows changed rapidly, seemingly evenly matched, but soon, in the flickering light, one shadow suddenly appeared behind the other!
The shadow's long hair flew in a coil. The one standing behind was unmistakably Jin Feixue!
Nie Xuan, nearby, and the military and Special Defense Department players in the distance felt their hearts leap into their throats. They couldn't help but shout, "Watch out!"
High above, Xu Huo's defense props and instruments seemed nearly exhausted. Apart from the spatial barrier—which Jin Feixue deemed fragile—there was no other protection. The two were so close, and the back of Xu Huo's neck was exposed right before Jin Feixue's eyes. But to avoid the game item, Jin Feixue didn't make direct contact with Xu Huo. As he struck at Xu Huo's neck, a dagger appeared in his hand!
In truth, Xu Huo's defense props and instruments were indeed nearly depleted. But with spatial power and spiritual power, Jin Feixue's sneak attack props and long-range assassination props were somewhat lacking. They couldn't guarantee a one-hit kill, so he chose the shortest dagger.
But in that instant, a tiny, sharp piece of paper scraped across his eyeball. As he instinctively blinked, he saw Xu Huo remove his glove and raise his hand to catch the dagger coming from the left—or rather, to block it. His index finger pressed against the dagger. The razor-sharp blade caused no damage to that finger, which looked like nothing but bone. The next second, the dagger, along with the hand holding it, melted like ice and snow, vanishing into thin air.