Chapter 387: The Strange Part
A flicker of surprise flashed across the other person's face, but in the next second, they slid backward across the sand surface, retracting their lasso while shouting a phrase at Xu Huo: "Desert Fish!"
He didn't pull out any props, and Xu Huo guessed this was a trait ability. However, since they were now face to face, under the effect of "Seeing is Believing," the opponent's trait didn't activate.
Gripping the Umbrella of Justice tightly, the Desert Windmill in his hand instantly transformed into the Crimson Sword. The sword aura extended into a thin cutting plane and swept toward the opponent!
Even though they were separated by more than ten meters, the opponent still had reaction time even if Xu Huo moved quickly. When he drew the sword, that player instantly sank into the sand, while the sweeping sword aura sliced the transport vehicle cleanly in half from the middle.
Standing on the ground wasn't safe, so Xu Huo grabbed the Violin String and rose into the air, then looked back toward the station.
Rain and sand-manipulating traits were mutually counteractive. Sand was also continuously falling from the glass walls of the station. Shi Youzhi and the others had already entered the station. The protective barrier from the box that the earlier team member had opened inside the station was already shattered. Three people were frozen in place, covered in a layer of frost, unable to move, while the station was crawling with giant Sand Gold Scorpions. These scorpions weren't just attacking the repair instruments; they were also trapping Shi Youzhi and the others.
"Didn't they say that thing doesn't actively attack people?" Wan Tingfang, standing not far away in a wooden barrel, floated over from the sand. She glanced at his umbrella and said, "Your props are pretty impressive. It just happens to counter the opponent's trait, but you need to be careful."
Of the three transport vehicles, one had been stolen, one had been cut in half, and now Shi Youzhi and the others were trapped in the station. The remaining vehicle outside was slowly sinking into the sand.
Xu Huo adjusted his direction and swung his sword, cutting the last transport vehicle in half.
The moment the vehicle split open, the sand immediately stopped shifting, and then fell into dead silence.
He stared intently at the sand surface, watching as a number "6" emerged from a spot on the left side of a sand dune. At the same time, a "9" appeared from the right side, farther away.
The Friend Value would score based on how much attention others paid to him. A value of 9 meant the other person wanted to kill him.
Seeing that one was heading for Wan Tingfang and the other had already entered the attack range of the Crimson Sword, Xu Huo pulled out his pen. The power of Trait Writing began to take effect. The movement of the "6" stopped, but the "9" didn't. Since he couldn't see the opponent's form, he had to strike first.
The sword aura carved a five-meter-long trench into the sand surface. Then, from the spot that was hit, something like a piece of tinfoil flipped up. Someone rolled out from inside, but it wasn't the sand-manipulating player with the broken arm from earlier.
Xu Huo's brow furrowed. He was about to move forward when a metal net suddenly appeared five or six meters above the sand surface. He stepped back, and the net plunged into the sand like a diving fish, then quickly retracted like a fishing net, scooping up the two players hidden in the sand.
That net was Wan Tingfang's props. She was standing in the wooden barrel, pulling the net back, but the two players inside clearly had no intention of surrendering. As they were dragged together, they both disappeared from the net one after another.
"Seven down to three." Wan Tingfang retrieved her props. "This round is stable. Captain Shi and the others should have no problem dealing with the remaining four."
The sand-manipulating player had already left the station, but the remaining four players still hadn't shown themselves. These people must have been hiding in the desert using that player's trait ability. Now that the sand player was gone, they should have revealed themselves.
Xu Huo vaguely felt something was off, but at that moment, a dull thud came from the station. Under the protection of Shi Youzhi and the others, one of the operating repair instruments toppled over. The cone-shaped object on top of the instrument cracked open, and the liquid inside flowed through the pipes connected to the instrument, injecting into it. Like a tungsten filament bulb that had been used too long, the silver instrument turned black from the inside, visibly self-destructing.
At this point, Shi Youzhi had no choice but to abandon repairing the tracks. He shut down the other two repair instruments, lifted them into the air, and coordinated with his team to evacuate the station.
The track repair instruments had an automatic flight function. The black water spread across the desert, forming a path leading straight to the distant city. Two giant bubbles also protected the machines. Leaving a few people behind to cover the retreat, Shi Youzhi and the others exited the station.
Without needing to be told, Xu Huo and Wan Tingfang naturally followed the retreat. Along the way, Sand Gold Scorpions kept lunging at them, but their density and aggression were far less than inside the station. Shi Youzhi and the others could handle them easily. It was She Ping and the Ai family members, who were covering the rear, who had to put in some effort to withdraw.
The closer they got to the city, the fewer Sand Gold Scorpions were around. Once he was sure they were safe, She Ping said, "These Sand Gold Scorpions were being controlled by someone. That's why they ignored our instruments. Those damn bastards are just causing trouble for nothing. Even if they stole the repair instruments, they wouldn't be able to use them. They're just making things difficult for us."
The other team members didn't look too happy either. Not only had one instrument been destroyed, but when it self-destructed, it had also damaged part of the tracks. It would take even longer to repair them later.
"Can't we just use props to seal off this area?" Wan Tingfang asked in confusion. "There should be props that can do that, right?"
"The Orbital Supply Department's area of responsibility is limited to the trains and stations. Areas outside the stations are not under our jurisdiction," Ai Jia explained. "Under normal circumstances, base staff cannot use space props to seal off areas outside the stations."
That meant they couldn't seal off the area beforehand, nor could they concentrate firepower afterward. The matter had to be handed over to the 011 District Government.
Usually, it would be handled by the Enforcement Department.
"This station is going to be idle for a long time again."
"Who's going to handle the handover with the Enforcement Department?" She Ping asked.
The other team members all wore expressions of polite refusal. It was Shi Youzhi who said, "I'll take care of this. First, call for a vehicle to send the repair instruments back."
He went to contact someone using his communicator, while the others rested nearby.
Xu Huo privately asked Wan Tingfang, "Is the relationship between the Enforcement Department and the base not very good?"
"I haven't been here long either. I only know that some high-ranking officials in the 011 District Government have friction with the base," Wan Tingfang lowered her voice and said. "Take today's attack, for example. Logically, those people wouldn't dare to show their faces and certainly wouldn't stay here. But according to 011 District Government regulations, after an attack occurs, it must be reported to the government immediately. The Enforcement Department will come to handle it, and then the second opening time will be announced."
"The relationship isn't good, you know what I mean."
If the relationship was bad, the Enforcement Department might drag their feet. No one knew how long it would take before the base could make a second repair attempt.
Xu Huo nodded slightly after listening, but still felt something was off. The players who came to rob today didn't seem very strong, and they were well-prepared, striking and then running. They did manage to steal one transport vehicle, but compared to the initial phase, the later part, where they only drove some Sand Gold Scorpions to target the repair instruments, seemed a bit anticlimactic.