Chapter 2990: Group Dinner
The few players from the Enforcement Department paused, their faces involuntarily showing a hint of relief. They were different from Wei Mang and the others. Although Xu Huo's face might have changed, his deeds were well known within the Enforcement Department. A person this strong, even if the instance had imitated his shadow, couldn't truly be as powerful as him. Perhaps that was why the shadow hadn't attacked him earlier.
"Mr. Xu," the Enforcement Department player introduced himself. "My name is Yang Zhao. Just call me Xiao Yang."
Xu Huo interrupted the other three. "Don't reveal your names."
It took them a moment to realize that since the instance reflection was imitating living people, saying their names might add another piece to this imitation puzzle.
"Were there others dragged into the reflection world before this?" Xu Huo pointed to the spot on the ground where the Wang family employee had disappeared.
Xiao Yang said, "The first person to go missing during the group dinner was a chef, female, forty-two years old."
Xu Huo nodded. "I saw her outside. Her internal organs were hollowed out. She floated up from the lake."
Ignoring the collapse of the other employees present, Wei Mang quickly asked, "Was Xiao Hui not where you just came in either?"
"I only encountered Wang Chengren outside," Xu Huo said. "Have you all been together since you came in?"
Xiao Yang and the others shook their heads. They had been separated from the start and only suddenly gathered in this space when the reflection people called them for dinner. This was Xu Huo's first time participating in the group dinner, but it was their second.
Before the first dinner, the three ticket players didn't know the situation, but Wei Mang, the four Enforcement Department members, and the Wang family employees were basically scattered across different spaces. At first, most of them wandered around the estate alone, occasionally seeing figures in reflective surfaces—they initially thought those were other trapped people, but now it seemed that might not have been true—until shadows came to call them.
This was similar to Xu Huo's experience.
Xu Huo questioned the Wang family employees again. Only two of them had encountered others, but they were too timid. With the estate's numerous woods, lake views, and rockeries, even when they saw someone, they didn't dare approach, preferring to hide. Half of them had been hiding in familiar places before being called out.
"Has no one seen Miss Wang?"
Everyone shook their heads. When the instance appeared, they had no idea what was happening. They were working normally when suddenly the people around them vanished. After searching and finding no one, they realized they might have entered an instance.
Thanks to the government's timely public education, ordinary people could make basic judgments in special situations.
"Only Miss Wang wasn't invited to dinner?" One of the ticket players stepped forward to chat, politely nodding at Xu Huo.
"Wang Chengren isn't here either," Wei Mang added.
"There might not be just one dining place," Xiao Yang said. "Before the instance expanded, there should have been over a dozen garden restoration workers elsewhere on the estate. They're not here either."
They hadn't mentioned this before.
With Xu Huo present, the Enforcement Department had no reason to hide anything. Barring unforeseen circumstances, even if they couldn't clear the instance, they could be taken out by Xu Huo.
"Sometimes the personal panel works, sometimes it doesn't," Xiao Yang said. "I suspect we've been unknowingly walking through different spaces within the instance. Some spaces can connect to the game, some can't. It's a matter of luck."
Because they didn't know where they were walking, when alone, they had to spend more energy watching their surroundings and couldn't constantly check the personal panel.
And this space was as unstable as floating clouds. Even staying in the same place for a long time didn't guarantee the personal panel would remain accessible.
With items failing from time to time, the only things they could rely on were the instruments they carried.
Xu Huo's personal panel was also unresponsive now. "Since we've gathered together, we'll move as one from now on."
They couldn't rule out sudden disappearances like Wang Chengren's, but with more people, the reflection people's behavior patterns and the instance's rules would be easier to figure out.
"Has there been a case of two identical reflections appearing at the same time?" Xu Huo thought for a moment and asked.
"Not yet," Xiao Yang said. "But these shadows have strong learning abilities. You appeared once before, and we didn't suspect anything. It was Mr. Wei who sensed something was off."
To avoid trouble, they stopped calling each other by name.
After understanding the situation, Xu Huo didn't plan to waste time in the dining room. He said to everyone, "I'm going out to search for people. There are two options now: one, you all follow me; two, we split into two groups. There are quite a few of us, so even split, each group would have about ten people, relatively safe, and more conducive to covering the instance area."
What could the Enforcement Department say? They would firmly follow Xu Huo. Wei Mang naturally didn't want to act alone either. Compared to the outer zone players, the Wang family employees trusted the Enforcement Department more.
That left the three outer zone players. They really wanted to act alone, but with the situation unclear and unable to trust each other, they could only agree to follow the group.
"Since you're all willing to move with me, then listen to my orders. If you notice anything wrong, try to stay calm and speak up. Don't make a fuss." As Xu Huo spoke, his gaze shifted to the other three. "Don't do anything unnecessary."
The three players each showed displeasure but remained silent.
Xu Huo didn't care whether they followed instructions. He walked out of the dining room first.
Outside the dining room, it was the same as before—not a single person in sight, everything eerily quiet. Green corridors, red pavilions, blue water, black trees. The light seemed even dimmer than before.
"Is it my imagination, or does this place feel more terrifying than before?" Xiao Yang couldn't help saying.
"Woo!" At that moment, an employee covered her mouth and let out a low cry, pointing at the nearby lake. In the rippling water, several face-like clumps floated to the surface.
"Those are water plants," Wei Mang said. "Mutant species. The Wang estate cleared them once before. I didn't expect so many to still be in this lake."
Xiao Yang knew the situation. "The Special Defense Department sent people to check earlier. These water plants aren't threatening. They weren't eradicated. During the day, they even look a bit cute..."
Who knew they'd be so creepy at night.
The estate was the same. During the day, it was a scenic spot with a beautiful environment. Once dark, it was like a haunted house.
"Maybe after the instance appeared, the estate's magnetic field changed," said the outer zone player Sutton. "Humans can naturally perceive environmental changes. Players are even more sensitive."
"There's someone ahead!" Wei Mang suddenly stopped, pointing at the rockery diagonally ahead.
Everyone looked up and saw a shadow quickly disappear behind the rockery. It appeared for only a moment in both their perception and vision, but the figure looked somewhat familiar.
"It seems like Miss Wang," an employee said. "She was wearing a jade hairpin today. Only she wears one here."
Wei Mang restrained himself from chasing after it to see clearly, instead turning his gaze to Xu Huo.
Xu Huo's perception was stronger than others. Opening his spiritual realm, he could observe the area around the rockery from all angles without blind spots. He didn't go over but said, "No need to chase the shadow. Focus on the reflections around us."
If the reflections were that easy to deal with, the instance's clearance task wouldn't be to kill them. It was highly possible that the shadows would grow stronger as they imitated living people. The fact that they could hide using reflective surfaces was already troublesome enough. If everyone had more than one shadow, it would be exponentially harder.
Energy couldn't keep up. I can only grind for a while, then rest for a while. (╥╯^╰╥) Please bear with me!