Chapter 3138: The Moving Photographs
Under the horrified gaze of Upstairs, Xu Huo grabbed the half-human-tall sculpture and casually tossed it toward a vase at the corridor’s corner!
Upstairs had no idea what he was doing, but even using his toes, he knew it couldn’t be anything good. Yet what could he do? Not only did he have no chance to stop it, but in the next second, he was helplessly dragged along by Xu Huo as they charged forward, plunging into a vortex that suddenly appeared in front of the vase, sucked in along with the statue!
“What the hell are you—” Upstairs blurted out a curse, but before he could finish, his head was slammed directly into the statue ahead, coming face-to-face with its grotesque, monstrous visage. Caught completely off guard, he felt a sharp pain across his face, as if even his soul were being sucked out in an instant, only to be yanked back by the scruff of his neck.
Xu Huo looked at his blood-smeared face and said perfunctorily, “Ran too fast, couldn’t stop in time. Wipe it off.”
As he spoke, he casually grabbed a tablecloth from the side and tossed it onto Upstairs’ face.
Upstairs’ murderous intent surged. He snatched the torn cloth off his face and was about to lash out when he suddenly realized they had changed locations.
They were now standing in a dining room they had never encountered before. Though the walls were still adorned with strange statues, the tables, chairs, and utensils showed signs of use—one plate even held fresh food, which was somewhat uplifting.
“Other players,” Upstairs said, momentarily forgetting to settle scores with Xu Huo. He quickly approached the table to examine the plate, as if intending to pick it up for a closer look. But just then, three players appeared at the dining room’s exit. The one in front was a young man, who feigned disbelief and said, “So someone really does pick up my leftovers!”
A vein bulged on Upstairs’ forehead, and his eyes turned icy as he stared at the trio.
When young scions of player families traveled, they always made sure to flaunt their status, wearing family crests or other ornaments. These three all sported identical leaf-shaped brooches. At first glance, they seemed ordinary, but upon closer inspection, the leaves resembled eyes, and if you stared long enough, they gave the illusion of coming alive.
Xu Huo glanced briefly before shifting his focus back to the young man. After mocking Upstairs, the youth showed no awareness of having made an enemy—or perhaps he knew but simply didn’t care. He continued, “Don’t be shy, go ahead and eat. It’s just garbage anyway.”
“Young people are arrogant. Maybe no one taught you that trouble comes from the mouth,” Upstairs said, his gaze dark. His face… well, it was hard to read much expression anymore. He stood still, but the shadows on the dining room floor began to tremble violently—yes, this new space had light, and with light came shadows.
Not just his shadow, but even the room’s decorations, and even Xu Huo’s shadow, could no longer stay put on the ground.
“Mental evolution. Not bad, you’ve got some skill,” the young man said, unfazed. He merely flicked the ring on his finger, and a burst of powerful energy erupted, instantly suppressing Upstairs’ mental attack and triggering the automatic defense of his own device.
Beside him, Xu Huo’s defense barrier also rose, but the young man paid him no mind, instead eyeing Upstairs with interest. “Again.”
Upstairs clenched his jaw. It was clear to him now: the other party was deliberately picking a fight, likely with murderous intent. And if it came to a real fight, it wouldn’t be an honorable one-on-one.
He quickly retreated toward Xu Huo. “Brother, we’re in the same boat now. If I die, you’ll be on your own!”
Only then did the young man turn his gaze to Xu Huo, deliberately sizing him up. “How about I include you too?”
He took a step forward, but the two who had been silently standing behind him simultaneously reached out and grabbed his shoulders to stop him.
Seeing their expressions, the young man understood. The impatient, provocative look on his face finally vanished, replaced by seriousness. “Everyone who enters here has a record.”
This was a warning to Xu Huo: if he dared to kill here, someone would come after him once they left.
Xu Huo smiled faintly. “I have no objection. I was getting a bit impatient looking for items anyway. Could use a punching bag.”
The young man’s gaze turned cold. Clearly, that had been his own plan—spending a long time in the instance with nothing to show for it, slinking out in disgrace would be embarrassing. So why not take it out on someone? Now Xu Huo was throwing it back at him, and it stung his pride.
“Let’s both back off,” said one of the men behind the young man, signaling for him to take another route while nodding apologetically to Xu Huo.
The two guarded the young man as they withdrew from the dining room. Once their presence was completely gone, Upstairs let out a quiet sigh of relief and turned back without any grudge. “Thanks to you, or we’d have had a nasty fight today.”
Xu Huo pointed at his face.
Upstairs laughed heartily. “Minor injury, minor injury. Heals in a few minutes.”
Xu Huo gave him a meaningful look, then glanced at the other exit. “Let’s go a different way. Avoid running into them again.”
In this space-switching instance, light had appeared, making the statues on the walls less terrifying. Upon closer inspection, they even exuded a sense of majesty and artistic beauty. The layout felt more homely and warm, with photos hanging in some places.
“Strange,” Upstairs said, finding it hard to believe. The Field family must have visited this place many times. How could Carmen’s personal belongings still be here?
Xu Huo also saw the photo. It seemed to be an item. If you stared at it long enough, the people in the photo would start moving. At first, it showed Carmen with some Field family members. As they shifted around, their faces changed to those of the young man from earlier, Xu Huo, Upstairs, and a few other strangers.
In the photo, they greeted each other like friends, standing warmly together facing the camera.
But if you looked longer, you’d notice that the unfamiliar faces, though maintaining their poses, had expressions of fear and urgency, as if they could see the people outside through the photo.
Upstairs’ expression darkened, and he silently stepped back two paces.
“Do you know them?” Xu Huo asked.
“One of them came in with me,” Upstairs said. “This might be a container item.”
Xu Huo looked away and then back. The photo had reverted to Carmen and the Field family, chatting warmly and busily arranging their positions.
They moved on, but after a while, they encountered another identical photo. This time, however, the people in it were strangers. Judging by their clothing and features, they were clearly from different zones. They didn’t look as harmonious standing together, and their gazes toward the outside were filled with resentment.