# Chapter 307: Evolution Aftereffects
[Player Passerby A, please note that this newly generated instance is about to leave E27-014 District.]
A sudden prompt sounded in his ears. Xu Huo rolled up the Instance Authorization and looked back at Xu Zhi and the others standing behind him. He nodded slightly to them before opening a door in front.
When his consciousness returned, he found himself on Yan Jiayu's back. She was carrying him while standing at the entrance of the building, her legs coiled with power, as if ready to dash out at any moment.
The moment Xu Huo opened his eyes, Yan Jiayu sensed it. She quickly said, "This place is about to disappear. We need to get out now!"
The mist surrounding the building had become very thin, and from a distance, they could see the tall buildings of Flower City. The two didn't waste any time and ran at top speed toward the area outside the fog.
Team Leader Liao from the Flower City Special Defense Department branch, along with his subordinates and Team Leader Wu who had rushed over, were all now stationed outside the fog blockade.
Because Xu Huo hadn't woken up for so long, Yan Jiayu refused to leave. Sima Xiao'er and the others had no choice but to first carry out the unconscious players, but even after getting them out, they still hadn't woken up.
"According to Xu Huo, that place is a spiritual contamination zone. Once your mind gets trapped inside, it's hard to escape. He brought all of us out," Sima Xiao'er explained the situation to Team Leaders Liao and Wu. Actually, he only had a partial understanding himself, but compared to the others, he had touched upon a bit more of the truth. "But the few who were unconscious were caught by monsters while trying to escape and couldn't get out."
"Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe once they come out of that building, they'll gradually recover." Team Leader Wu patted his shoulder. Just as he was speaking, Xiao Gao, who had been lying on a stretcher behind them, suddenly sat up.
"What did I tell you?" Team Leader Wu said with a smile on his face.
Sima Xiao'er quickly ran over. "How did you wake up? Did you see Xu Huo in the hospital?"
Xiao Gao nodded. "Xu Huo pulled me out. I was in a daze, and then suddenly I opened my eyes and was clear-headed."
Sima Xiao'er turned back to look at the fog zone, his expression tense. "The fog is almost gone. Why aren't they out yet? Team Leader, I'm going in to find them!"
After Sima Xiao'er and the others had disappeared into the fog last night, Team Leader Wu had already prepared himself for the possibility of losing this group. Having more than a third of them come out alive was a blessing in disguise. He didn't want to see any more players sacrificed, but Xu Huo's value was undeniable, especially since he had saved so many people this time. Frustrating as it was, they still had to rescue him.
He immediately communicated with Team Leader Liao, asking him to send players in.
Team Leader Liao had already prepared his people. "I have a few players whose instance time limits are approaching. I'll have them go in to rescue people. If anything unexpected happens, they can escape into the instances."
Team Leader Wu naturally had no objections. Just as the players were about to enter the fog zone, two figures suddenly leaped over the high wall. Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu were moving too fast and couldn't stop in time, crashing into the two players in front of them. The two male players were knocked to the ground, while Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu—one grabbing onto a string, the other executing a side flip—both landed steadily on the ground.
"What a coincidence." Xu Huo greeted Team Leader Wu with a lukewarm tone.
Team Leader Wu's face twitched. His mouth moved a couple of times, but he swallowed his words back.
"The fog has dispersed, and the building is gone too." Yan Jiayu pointed at the space now only covered by a thin layer of mist. "The welfare home is still there."
"What happened?" The welfare home security guard stumbled out weakly. Seeing that the people in front were Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu, he quickly said, "I haven't done anything wrong. At worst, I'll quit!"
Xu Huo couldn't care less about him. He said to Team Leader Wu, "The rats in the Flower City sewers have mutated. There are bones in the well pipe next to the welfare home. It should be the missing director."
"I'm the person in charge of Flower City." Team Leader Liao stepped forward first to shake hands with Xu Huo, his face full of smiles. "I've heard of Mr. Xu for a long time. I never thought our first meeting would bring me such a big gift. I wonder if you and Miss Yan have time to stay for a meal, so I can fulfill my duties as host."
"Do you have any signature dishes?" Yan Jiayu asked. "Flower City has several famous dishes. I've been squatting on random instances for the past few days and haven't had time to try them."
Team Leader Liao naturally agreed wholeheartedly, even saying he would invite the best chef.
"Great!" Yan Jiayu was full of energy. She turned to ask Xu Huo, "Are you going?"
Xu Huo glanced at her. "I need to rest."
Although it had only been a short day, his energy had been significantly depleted.
"No problem." Team Leader Liao picked up the conversation. "I'll arrange accommodation right away."
With that, he signaled his subordinates to make the call and smiled warmly at Team Leader Wu. "Old Wu, how about I arrange for your people too?"
"No need." Team Leader Wu's expression turned cold. "We're heading back to Ting City immediately."
"Farewell, then." Team Leader Liao invited Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu into the car and left with his people.
"Team Leader, are we really going back to Ting City now?" Sima Xiao'er walked over and asked. "Going back like this, it'll be hard to write the report."
Team Leader Wu shot him a glare. "Do you think I don't know that?"
The incident had started in Ting City but was resolved in Flower City. Flower City had suffered no losses, while the Ting City branch had lost so many people without accomplishing anything. If he couldn't even figure out the cause and effect, how was he supposed to report back?
Most importantly, he needed to understand the reason behind this fog's appearance. This was clearly a new form of game invasion different from instances, and its patterns had to be grasped.
"You go. Follow them and see where they're staying." Team Leader Wu sent an inconspicuous technical team member to tail them. Then he complained, "That Xu Huo kid is too ungrateful. He's lived in Ting City for almost ten years, and this is how he treats me..."
"Team Leader, have you forgotten? You went to negotiate with him just a few days ago. If I were him, I wouldn't give you face either," Sima Xiao'er chimed in.
"Get lost!"
Xu Huo had no particular grudge against Team Leader Wu. It was just that getting involved with him would lead to a whole bunch of follow-up issues—too much trouble.
Rubbing his throbbing temples, he closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. But gradually, his headache worsened, becoming increasingly unbearable.
Gritting his teeth and enduring for a while, he couldn't help but punch the car door. Team Leader Liao, sitting in front, was startled. But Xu Huo didn't look at him; instead, he raised his eyes to stare at the driver's eyes in the rearview mirror.
The driver was a player. When he met Xu Huo's gaze, his hands suddenly slipped, and the car swerved sharply toward the roadside.
"Stop the car!" Team Leader Liao shouted. The driver snapped out of it and quickly slammed on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt by the roadside, throwing everyone inside forward.
"How are you driving! A straight road and you zone out!" Team Leader Liao, still shaken, turned back to look at Xu Huo. "Are you injured?"
Xu Huo had braced his foot against the back of the front seat and wasn't affected, but his condition was clearly abnormal. The veins on his forehead were bulging, his temples visibly pulsing rapidly, and his face was flushed bright red.
Yan Jiayu pulled out her phone and opened an audio file. "This is a sutra my master recites. Calm your mind first."
"We need to get to the hospital immediately!" Team Leader Liao quickly told the driver to move.
(Refresh if there's any repeated text. ^_^)
(Chapter End)