Chapter 3061: Reorganizing the Team
Before they had rested long, two players came looking for them. One of them, 439, said, "Interested in teaming up with us to cross zones?"
Xu Huo looked at them. "When are you planning to cross? The timing might not be right."
439 replied, "If you're interested, come to the Toy House."
The two left after saying that.
"Should we go?" Ding Xiang looked at Xu Huo. "I'm worried about being used as cannon fodder."
"They might know more about Challenge Island," Xu Huo said. "We still don't know the cross-zone conditions for Little Bear City. Rather than testing it ourselves, it's better to sound out others."
The kill intensity in the Bear Hug Zone was clearly higher than in the Fang Snake Zone, making it riskier to cross the red line.
Old Duan and Yilan had no objections either. After a brief discussion, they headed to the Toy House that 439 had mentioned.
There were quite a few players inside and outside the Toy House. When Xu Huo and the others arrived, they even spotted Old Gao and Scarface.
Old Gao gave them a slight nod. Xu Huo's group didn't say anything and followed 439 into the Toy House.
Inside the Toy House were five players, led by an elderly white-haired man. His exposed arms showed clear signs of muscle atrophy, though his movements were still normal.
"Sit down." He pointed to the seats beside him, his gaze sweeping over Xu Huo and Yilan. "You two are both Super Evolvers. We have a Spatial Evolver on our side, but we're short on Mental Evolvers."
Yilan raised an eyebrow. "You mean you're only inviting me to join you?"
The white-haired man nodded. "You, and possibly him."
He was referring to Xu Huo.
Yilan remained silent. Xu Huo didn't speak either. Old Duan and Ding Xiang's expressions were grim.
After a pause, the white-haired man continued, "We already have fifteen players on our side, each carefully selected. I understand the bond you've formed supporting each other, but being on Challenge Island is gambling with your life. One wrong step and you could die. Bringing along companions who might drag you down is just speeding up your death."
"The Wasteland Zone isn't like the Fang Snake Zone or Bear Hug Zone. The space inside is chaotic. You could get lost at any moment. Everyone carries limited food. If you can't cross zones quickly, even family might turn against each other, let alone a team formed halfway like yours."
"Think it over carefully."
The white-haired man's group's main target was Yilan, likely valuing her advantage of interfering with other players during the arena matches. As for Xu Huo, whose Spatial Evolution wasn't particularly strong and was only suited for small-scale combat, they didn't lack such members—he was expendable. As for Old Duan and Ding Xiang, they were completely beneath their notice.
Yilan was the last to join Xu Huo's team, but she still left the Toy House to discuss the matter with them.
Ding Xiang was somewhat angry. "Why bother with such hypocrisy!"
Yilan's expression was calm. "I think it's safer to go with them. We have two Super Evolvers. Maybe we can negotiate terms."
"They won't agree." Old Gao approached at that moment, looking at them. "Their team already has two Spatial Super Evolvers with considerable combat power. You're a Mental Evolver, but not particularly strong. Two carrying two isn't possible, and one carrying three—you can't manage that."
"I didn't expect you to have arrived at Little Bear City early," Ding Xiang said. "How did that white-haired guy gather so many players?"
"Because he's strong enough," Old Gao said succinctly. "Players don't have long to stay in Little Bear City. It's impossible to accumulate enough points to exchange for supplies before entering the Wasteland Zone. I think you'd better agree. Once you join, they can help you quickly raise your points to 1000 and stock up on enough supplies in a short time."
Helping accumulate points essentially meant lending out instruments to ensure they won every challenge. Even the worst players entering Little Bear City would have at least a hundred or two hundred points. Even if Challenge Island deducted half, reaching 1000 would be easy.
"How long can players stay in Little Bear City?" Xu Huo asked.
Old Gao shook his head slightly. "Sorry, I can't tell you that."
Old Gao's presence, along with Scarface and the white-haired man's companions, was watching.
"If our strength isn't enough, I have nothing to say." Old Duan said to Xu Huo and Yilan, "I hope we meet again."
With things as they were, Ding Xiang had no choice but to accept.
Xu Huo thought for a moment and said to Yilan, "Since I'm expendable in the team, if danger comes, I'll likely be the first pushed out. I won't go."
Yilan was slightly surprised but understood. If the white-haired man's team was all very strong, the weakest would probably just be cannon fodder for scouting.
She nodded to the three and turned back into the Toy House.
Before Xu Huo and the others had gone far, Yilan caught up to tell them that the maximum stay in Little Bear City was fifteen days, counting from the first entry. However, if a player's points exceeded 1000 three times, then after the third time, regardless of how long they'd been there, they had to enter the Wasteland Zone within 12 hours.
Additionally, total points should preferably not exceed 2000. They hadn't encountered it themselves, but anything below 2000 was absolutely safe.
"Thanks." Xu Huo nodded toward the Toy House.
After moving away from the Toy House, Ding Xiang said, "Now there are only three of us. Should we leave the city?"
"If the Toy House doesn't want you, you can come to our side!" A loud voice with a laugh came from the second floor of a nearby building.
They turned to see a player leaning on the railing of a shopping store's second floor, grinning mockingly.
Xu Huo and Ding Xiang weren't unfamiliar with the people upstairs. They had been intercepted by this group before in the Bear Hug Zone. Unlike other players who killed for points, these people seemed to kill for amusement, so their points were also high. Several of them were Cannibal Players.
The three didn't respond and walked away.
The people upstairs weren't genuinely inviting them either. They snorted and withdrew their gazes.
Most of Xu Huo's points had been used to exchange for supplies. They still had fourteen days left. Xu Huo could manage, but the risk for Ding Xiang and Old Duan to challenge players in the city was too high. So returning to the Bear Hug Zone was the wisest choice.
Xu Huo was intent on finding a few new partners. So in the following time, he didn't rest but focused on seeking out lone players or groups of two or three.
Two groups did approach them.
One was a trio: Wood, Wolf Fang, and Navi. They had seen Xu Huo's arena match at the gate and were probably looking for reliable companions.
The other was a duo: Loving Orange and Double Head.
"I once raised a mutant snake with two heads that grew perfectly fine. I was hoping it would grow a third, but one night, the two heads got tangled together and strangled themselves to death," Double Head said with a grin.