Chapter 418: Devil's Island
The procurement officer quickly delivered the items. Xu Huo inspected them, paid, and then asked the woman in the black swimsuit where he could buy firearms on the island.
The woman in the black swimsuit smiled slightly. "Why would anyone buy or sell guns on Sayre Coast? Besides, under normal circumstances, firearms aren't allowed to be brought into instances. It's useless to buy them anyway."
"Just asking casually." Xu Huo said casually, then put the items into his luggage compartment and left the shop.
"Why didn't you buy any ore testing tools?" On the way to Iris Hotel, Chu Yuan said, "If the instance completion rating isn't high, you won't get much money anyway. Since you're here, you might as well get some ore to sell."
"Don't you have some?" Xu Huo said. "We're stuck together for four days anyway. Helping each other out is only right."
Not to mention whether there would be ore for players to pick up in the instance, even if there were, after multiple instance runs, not much good stuff would be left in the area. It was the same as items naturally born in instances—first come, first served.
"I'm not a stingy person. I can share the ore with you, but don't hold me back at critical moments." Chu Yuan looked him up and down. "You don't look like much, but you spend pretty lavishly. Family's got money, huh?"
"It's not my choice to be tied to you with this item. I'm taking risks too, so before we enter the instance, we need to agree—no infighting. Neither of us benefits if the other dies."
Xu Huo nodded in agreement. "Since we're already bound together, why don't we cooperate? Do you have any other companions?"
"A lone wolf!" Chu Yuan said proudly. "From the moment I entered the game, I've relied on my own abilities. I've always come through with close calls. Stick with me, and you won't go wrong!"
Xu Huo glanced at the restaurant behind him. Players inside were fighting. One player smashed through the glass door without a sound and flew out!
"Watch out!" He quickly stepped aside and yanked the rope, pulling Chu Yuan.
Chu Yuan was standing right in front of the shop. The tug made him just barely miss the flying player, but the short blade in the player's hand instantly slashed his sleeve.
"My prop coat!" Chu Yuan shouted, charging over and grabbing the man, then punching him in the face. But the rope's lack of elasticity was tied to Xu Huo on the other end. Xu Huo didn't move, so Chu Yuan's range of motion was limited. The punch only barely grazed the man's face.
Seeing him hindered, the flying player backhanded him across the face. But the slap didn't faze Chu Yuan; instead, the attacker screamed and stumbled back.
Chu Yuan touched the mask covered in spikes on his face. "You're not the first to try hitting my face. Try it again if you dare!"
The short-blade player's hand was covered in blood. He glared at Chu Yuan hatefully, then quickly turned and disappeared into the crowd.
"Coward!" The tall female player who had thrown the short-blade player out stepped outside, coolly raising her chin at Chu Yuan. "That prop of yours is interesting. Let's get to know each other. My name is Miao Yu."
"Chu Yuan." Chu Yuan gave his name and asked, "What did that guy do to you?"
"An idiot trying to take advantage of a waitress," Miao Yu said. "I taught him a lesson."
The two chatted easily, and soon learned that the other was also staying at Iris Hotel. They decided to head back together.
"What's this?" Miao Yu pointed at Xu Huo.
"This is my little brother." Chu Yuan patted Xu Huo's shoulder, instantly downgrading him from partner to lackey. "We accidentally got stuck with this prop."
"Do you know any way to nullify a prop?" Xu Huo took the chance to ask.
Miao Yu rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Probably not. I've only heard of time-space props repelling each other and failing. Never heard of ordinary props doing that. But you could try destroying the prop. Breaking one or two high-level props isn't that hard."
Xu Huo had already tried the Crimson Sword and the pocket-sized cutter he'd brought from Zone 011 on the train.
"Can fire burn it off?"
Chu Yuan sighed. "Can't burn it off."
"Try mine." Miao Yu took out a crescent-shaped curved blade and cut at the rope. After a moment, she said, "Not even a mark left. This prop of yours is good. Even a B-grade prop can't do anything to it."
Chu Yuan's face twitched. "Too bad it's not a very practical prop."
"Don't say that," Miao Yu said. "It's still good for making traps. But you're going into an instance tomorrow, so you definitely can't use it this time."
"That's fine." Xu Huo pressed Chu Yuan's shoulder. "We're all going into the same instance."
"Right, right." Chu Yuan nodded repeatedly.
After arriving at the hotel, the three separated. After a night's rest, they took a fast boat to Deep Blue Laboratory early the next morning.
There were dozens of other people on the same boat, getting off at different stops. Deep Blue Laboratory was one of the farther destinations.
"Deep Blue Laboratory is an abandoned experimental site located at the heart of Deep Blue Island. The island's terrain is complex, with many poisonous animals. After the lab was abandoned, the place fell into disuse. Tourists don't usually come here; only players land on the island."
The crew member explained information about Deep Blue Laboratory and even brought out a map. "This is a map of the island brought out by staff before the abandonment. But after so many years, it might not be accurate."
The players heading to Deep Blue Laboratory all took photos. A man pushed past Chu Yuan and Xu Huo to the front and said loudly, "I heard Deep Blue Island is also called Devil's Island, right?"
This man was the one who had clashed with Chu Yuan yesterday. His name was He Chunsheng. Coincidentally, both he and Miao Yu were going to Deep Blue Laboratory.
"That's right. This island was originally called Deep Blue Island because the plants on it excrete a unique pigment that dyes the surrounding seawater a highly saturated blue, forming a ring around the island. Hence the name Deep Blue Island."
"However, after Deep Blue Laboratory was abandoned, some passing ships would see a skull-like image in the thunderclouds during storms, and strange roaring sounds could be heard from the island." A middle-aged man, referred to as "Dr. Deng" by others on the boat, explained on their behalf. "Later, specialized researchers studied it. The reason for the skull clouds is that a crevice on the island happens to be shaped like a skull. Strong winds rising straight from the ground fissure blow the clouds into that shape."
He knew quite a bit about Deep Blue Island. "As for the roaring sounds, some are wind, some are animal noises from the island. They just sound a bit terrifying. Compared to that, you should be more worried about the wild animals on the island. The bacteria and toxins they carry are dangerous even for Evolvers."
"Aside from the clouds and sounds, there's no factual evidence for anything else. Everything else is just rumor."
"What rumors?" Chu Yuan scanned the people around him and lowered his voice to ask Xu Huo.
"Didn't you check the news online yesterday?" Xu Huo glanced at him. "There are rumors that Deep Blue Island is haunted."