Chapter 3078: Planet Approaching
Although they had agreed to meet up again after half a day, they still kept their distance, at least beyond the perception range of the white-haired man and his group.
The Wasteland Zone was difficult to navigate. They had no communication tools, no maps to speak of—only a simple signal device that required them to enter a certain range before it could respond to another.
Under these circumstances, splitting up made it easy to get separated, and forming an alliance was naturally out of the question.
Of course, this was under normal circumstances.
Before leaving, the white-haired man gave Xu Huo a deep look. He had witnessed Xu Huo's strength. Without props or instruments, being able to detect movement several hundred meters away was already impressive for others, but Spatial Evolution was different. Given Xu Huo's level of evolution, his perception range should be enormous.
The white-haired man couldn't find him, but Xu Huo could find them.
They could still help each other—it just depended on whether Xu Huo was willing.
Xu Huo gave him a subtle nod.
The appearance of the armed team was a significant blow to Wood and the others. Having their personal panels sealed, losing their props and most of their instruments, they had come to the island to fight for a new way out. Now, this setback made them realize that even if they managed to cross the Wasteland Zone, what awaited them was definitely not a new beginning. For a moment, they all felt disheartened.
"Don't lose heart, everyone," Loving Orange said to comfort them. "When the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself out. Maybe things will get better once we leave the Wasteland Zone."
The others weren't so optimistic. They really couldn't think of any reason why Challenge Island would go easy on them. Fighting their way through the Wasteland Zone with great difficulty would only add a bit of spectacle. After the show, no one would likely care about their lives.
"Since we're here and can't leave anyway, kill one and break even, kill two and make a profit," Two-Headed said, taking it in stride. "Since Challenge Island is stepping in personally, let's make them bleed a little. What fun is it just watching from the shore? With so many of us players, are we really afraid of their few people?"
"Maybe the audience would rather see players fight them instead."
"Most of the players who came to the island were forced into it. What's the point of watching a bunch of desperadoes slaughter each other? With new players stepping in, who knows what tricks they'll pull? I actually like watching people trip up when they least expect it."
"Hehehe!"
The others smiled at his offbeat remarks. They said that, but if the well-fed, well-equipped organizers actually stepped into the arena, they might as well forget about crossing zones and just wait to die.
"Is there another area ahead of the Wasteland Zone?" Xu Huo suddenly asked. "That should be the center of the island. I wonder what's inside."
Navi thought for a moment. "Maybe it's where the organizers gather."
"Since the armed team's instruments are also mediocre, they probably have to follow the island's rules too. They'd need points to cross zones, or they might focus on just one area and not move between multiple zones."
"The island is full of players, and there are barriers between zones. Supplies can't be transported in real-time. Some essential equipment might be stored in one place, and the island's center is the safest spot."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's head to the island's center and take a few swings at them to vent!" Two-Headed immediately said.
"Maybe the first instrument the armed team unlocked when they came to the island was a pistol," Wolf Fang said. "As for the supply points they mentioned, they might actually exist."
The Wasteland Zone was too vast. Not having props or instruments was one thing, but going without food and water was impossible. To put it bluntly, if you couldn't even run into another person, you couldn't even survive by eating people. What entertainment would there be in starving players to death or having them fight a hunger-weakened match?
This speculation perked the players up a bit. They had been traveling for days and might soon encounter a supply point.
The group regained some confidence and hurried on as dusk fell.
But this time, they didn't quickly fall into darkness and blizzards. After the sunlight disappeared, a glowing red planet hung in the sky.
"That's Rabbit Eye Star," Loving Orange said, looking at the bright red disc. "This star is very far from Zone 025. It only appears for three days every twenty years. It's so bright it can light up the night like daytime."
That was true enough. The Wasteland Zone wasn't particularly bright, but they could see things clearly—somewhat like a full moon night in summer in Zone 014.
"Does Rabbit Eye Star have any special significance?" Xu Huo asked.
"It's just a very ordinary planet, uninhabitable. But a red ore produced on this planet is very valuable. It looks somewhat like the eyes of a mutated rabbit and changes color under special conditions. I've heard that nobles in Zone 025 and some other zones like to use it as decoration," Loving Orange said. "I'm not sure if it has any other uses. It might just be some trend in high society, which is why its value has skyrocketed."
"The last time Rabbit Eye Star appeared was only seven years ago," she continued. "This means we're not only in Chaos Space but might also be far from Zone 025."
They had come here via a space ship, so crossing space wasn't unusual. But they hadn't thought they'd be too far from Zone 025, since Challenge Island was a project hosted by Zone 025. Now, however, it seemed otherwise.
"Could you be mistaken? There might be a similar star," Old Duan said. If they were in a zone where all game channels were completely cut off, even if they left the island, they wouldn't be able to get away.
If Challenge Island just wanted them dead, they could still fight their way out. But if it was a zone without instances, escaping would only leave them as savages here.
Two-Headed, at least, could find joy in misery. "If that's the case, we might as well retire here. There's food and drink, and we can even keep pets. I've raised snakes before, but never fish. I'll go catch a big one and keep it in a pen."
Just as they were talking, the wind around them suddenly stopped.
Everyone immediately became alert, looking ahead. They saw the round star in the sky moving toward them!
What was happening!
Just a moment ago, Rabbit Eye Star had looked only the size of a fist. In the blink of an eye, it became as big as a human head, and it was getting closer!
"No way, Rabbit Eye Star should be pretty big, right? If it crashes down, the whole zone would be finished!" Two-Headed jumped up.
"It doesn't have to crash down—just getting close would be enough to finish us!" Loving Orange frowned. "Could it be an illusion?"
Challenge Island was here. A planet couldn't really be colliding with them. Even in Chaos Space, that wouldn't happen, or the island wouldn't have existed for so long. But the sight was terrifying. In the span of a few sentences, the red planet already looked like a giant backdrop pressed against the horizon.
Under these circumstances, Xu Huo and the others could also see the conditions on Rabbit Eye Star.
It wasn't a dead, silent planet. On the contrary, it was full of volcanic activity, with magma flowing everywhere, forming dark red or black scars on the surface. These scars, due to the timing of their flow, had solidified into distinct layers, covering the entire surface of the planet.