Chapter 3091: 90%
"After taking the potion, Xu Huo's evolution rate increased to 90%. The improvement was not significant, so it did not attract much attention."
"However, his prolonged stay in the underground passage caught the attention of an Alton Corporation employee. One player notified his companions and set up an ambush not far from the exit, equipping himself with multiple small bombs."
"Xu Huo killed this player and left the underground passage before the company's players could reinforce."
"Coincidentally, shortly after he left, Ding Xiang, Yi Lan, and Bai Bo entered the mining area from two adjacent passages and were subsequently trapped in the middle by Alton Corporation personnel."
"Ding Xiang publicly revealed her identity as a member of the Inspection Department, but this did not make the Alton Corporation people back off; instead, it provoked even fiercer attacks."
"Xu Huo had not gone far and provided some assistance when the three were faltering. After escaping the underground, Bai Bo called for friends and headed to the spire in the city center."
"The company remotely killed several players and shut down the spire. The players attacked in turns, broke through the outer barrier, and entered, only to find that this was not an exit but the Alton Corporation's control center."
"Yi Lan stole control permissions and used the company's equipped weapons to kill company members. This drew the attention of the company's upper management. The points of nine players, including her, suddenly dropped to zero, and they were killed by high temperatures."
"The loss of control over the control center triggered the preset program of Challenge Island. The periphery of Central City was sealed by hyperdimensional space power. Xu Huo took advantage of the chaos to sneak underground, planning to escape through an undersea passage."
"However, only after he swam out of the island did he discover that the area around the island was also sealed by hyperdimensional devices. At the same time, all the weapons above the island activated, indiscriminately killing the players on the island."
The pen wrote down what would happen in the next three hours on the paper. There were not many details, or rather, many details were not worth writing down—just a vague outline.
The content also matched Xu Huo's predictions. Without openly declaring war against the Alton Corporation, the most ideal method was to escape from under the sea.
The problem lay in the hyperdimensional seals around the central area and the island's periphery. The hyperdimensional device in the central area was likely nearby, so he could try to find it and shut it down. As for the sea blockade, the device was probably outside the seal range, making it difficult to access.
However, the only advantage was that the hyperdimensional seal was not always active. It would only open when the chaos on the island reached a certain level to prevent players from escaping.
The vast majority of people on the island were challenge players from outside. Company employees were, after all, a minority. No matter what happened on the island, even if the secrets of Challenge Island were leaked, as long as the island was sealed, nothing could flow out. The company did not even need to send reinforcements. Even if the island was completely destroyed, their losses would not be significant. Moreover, the island was covered by chaotic space, making complete destruction unrealistic.
Unfortunately, the "script" did not cover the situation after players with enough points entered the spire. It was likely that some people could indeed leave alive, but the price of leaving alive was probably another contract full of traps.
Since the scenario depicted in the "script" did not meet his expectations, he would have to find another way.
Xu Huo leaned against the passage and pushed the potion into his arm.
Like the previous potion, there was no intense reaction after injection—it felt smooth and natural. As his evolution rate broke through 90%, he clearly felt his mind lighten.
His previous contemplation and repeated experiments with the mental defense line had also put considerable pressure on him. Moreover, the use of mental power had to consider brain evolution. The degree of brain evolution determined the upper limit of mental evolution. If both progress bars were pushed to the limit, they would naturally constrain each other. But if the brain evolution was higher, leaving more leeway, then manipulating mental power would feel much easier.
Xu Huo was now in this state. It felt like a breakthrough from some kind of shackle or constraint—a rapid advancement that could even be described as a complete transformation.
Manipulating space power, he moved near the passage exit. He did not encounter any other players, meaning the company player who had discovered him and reported his whereabouts had not yet arrived.
Coming out from underground, he searched nearby for Ding Xiang and the others.
Ding Xiang and Yi Lan were undoubtedly members of the Inspection Department. As for Bai Bo, the white-haired man, although he was not traveling with the other two, he had a different purpose for landing on the island. Their actions would definitely trigger the island's defense program, so he needed to stop them in advance.
Xu Huo first found Bai Bo. The man was maintaining a moderate distance from several other players while searching nearby, apparently looking for the entrance to the underground passage.
Keeping a safe distance, Xu Huo called out to him and asked directly, "Are you looking for the mining shaft?"
Bai Bo's expression shifted. "Did you find it?"
Xu Huo did not answer but instead said, "Company players occasionally enter the mining shaft. You might run into them if you go in."
"Isn't the mining shaft already decommissioned?" Bai Bo probed cautiously.
"Being decommissioned and having people come and go are not mutually exclusive," Xu Huo said. "Whatever your purpose, going underground is not a wise move."
Bai Bo stared at him. "You know my purpose?"
Xu Huo's gaze shifted slightly. He opened his spiritual realm and, on the other side, stopped Ding Xiang and Yi Lan.
Bai Bo faced this overwhelming pressure, his expression changing. "Who exactly are you?"
"We'll talk when everyone is here," Xu Huo said.
Before long, Ding Xiang and Yi Lan also approached under his "persuasion." They stopped on another building, looking at Xu Huo with complicated expressions. "What do you want?"
Xu Huo still did not answer the question but instead asked, "Do you know the situation inside the spire?"
The three exchanged glances. Bai Bo was the most straightforward. "Before landing on the island, I bought inside information from a company contact. The spire is the last arena match for players on the island. During the match, if any audience member takes a liking to a player, they can offer an employment contract through the company."
"However, given the situation in Zone 025, you know what kind of employment contract that is. In the end, it's definitely a debt that can never be repaid. Two of my friends died this way. I couldn't find out where they went before they died or who they worked for, so I had to take the risk and come to the island."
Exploring the underground passage was just a side venture. After all, there had been so many rumors about the Perfect Potion and Primordial Stone—what if?
"You want to investigate the guests of Challenge Island?" Ding Xiang found it somewhat surprising.
Bai Bo glanced at her. "Once the contract is signed, the person is sent who knows where."
Meaning he did not intend to see the process through to the end.
With Ding Xiang asking that, her purpose was clear. They not only wanted to investigate the inner workings of Challenge Island but also wanted to find out about the "audience."
"Do you have a way to steal control of the island's terminal without triggering the defense program?"