Chapter 505: The Use of the Instance Authorization Letter
"Either way, it's death—might as well fight!" A short-haired female player quickly stepped forward, replacing Xu Huo and the others to press the expansion mode.
Though the ship was rocking, the main axis remained unbreakable. The fourth floor, fifth floor, and the third floor above them began to slowly rotate and expand.
Lu Yun was right. The originally frenzied giant octopus was rampaging aimlessly across the sea, and whether or not it targeted the expanding floors, collisions were inevitable. In no time, the fifth floor had a third of it sheared off. Worse, it hit something unknown, causing the floor to explode—and the blast severed one of the tentacles!
This was like setting off firecrackers in a hornet's nest. After the explosion, a mutated giant octopus rose from beneath the sea.
It wasn't just that its size defied normal octopus proportions. The mutated giant octopus's body resembled a polluted floating island, covered in pus-filled blisters of varying colors. Some blisters were constantly bursting, releasing pungent liquids that in turn nourished various mutant creatures clinging to it.
This mutated giant octopus reared up, spewing mucus at the ship while trying to coil its tentacles around the hull.
For a ship hundreds of meters long, a single octopus couldn't shake it—but what if there were more?
As if summoned, one mutated giant octopus after another surfaced, swimming toward the ship. Countless floating islands crowded in, with innumerable tentacles thrashing against the gray sky and filthy sea—a full-blown magical nightmare!
"Mr. Matt, your ship is in danger," a long-haired aristocrat said casually, wine glass in hand.
"Small matter," Captain Matt replied. Instead of sniping the approaching giant octopuses or even interfering with the rotating floors, he simply snapped his fingers. Clusters of white objects floated up around the ship. Upon closer inspection, these things could still writhe, but they quickly perished under the giant octopuses' attacks. However, as they died, streams of colorful liquid spread across the sea like a layer of grease.
Soon, the giant octopuses nearest the ship gradually lost strength, and within moments, they flipped over on the water.
"Electric jellyfish. The venom from a single one is enough to kill any aquatic life in an entire lake." Matt watched with satisfaction as the giant octopuses died one after another. "When traveling at sea, they're the most convenient way to deal with mutant species. Plus, their venom has a numbing effect with no side effects."
Several high-level players laughed in varying tones, unconcerned by the chaos inside or outside the ship. The long-haired aristocrat asked, "Where did this Butterfly Lady come from? She's fixated on the Eerie Sound Knights—do they have a grudge?"
Duke Tal, still lurking on the eighth floor, quickly stepped forward to explain the Butterfly Lady's background.
"A New Wheel Cult follower trying to buy weapons?" The long-haired aristocrat paused. "I've been in the instance too long. How did the New Wheel Cult develop in Zone 011?"
"Just a small-scale thing." Vinson Maney picked up the conversation. "But the New Wheel Cult isn't bad—it suits Zone 011 quite well."
The long-haired aristocrat set down his glass and tapped the table. "Zone 011 doesn't need religion. The aristocracy is the faith of the entire district."
Vinson Maney, along with Ran Ying standing nearby and another aristocratic woman, all turned their gazes toward him.
At that moment, the freckled aristocrat sitting beside the long-haired one said, "Though I look down on Evolved Humans, they do have some use. These people are both stupid and disobedient—introducing religion is one way to handle them."
The long-haired aristocrat glanced at him, then swept his gaze over the others present, finally landing on Captain Matt. "What do you think?"
"My work focus isn't on Zone 011, so I'd rather not get involved in these matters." Matt smiled with the unique charm of a mature man, deftly dodging the hot potato.
The long-haired aristocrat tapped his finger on the table. "Who led the introduction of the New Wheel Cult? Vinson Maney, I'm asking about the person behind it. Rongxin Group doesn't have that kind of boldness. There must be an aristocrat backing this."
"Ashis, why be so serious? It's just a religion." The freckled aristocrat grinned. "If you don't like it, just give the Regulatory Bureau a heads-up later."
"Not a bad idea." Behind them, a curly-haired aristocrat leaned back against his chair, casually unbuttoning his coat, showing no regard for Vinson Maney and the others. He added, "I'm still more interested in this Butterfly Lady."
The long-haired aristocrat, Ashis Werner, seemed to have his attention diverted. He crossed his fingers on his knees, watching the battle below. "This woman is an A-rank player. Judging by the energy weapons she's carrying, she's not here for the batch of firearms the Eerie Sound Knights are delivering."
"The firearms we purchased are last year's updated version from Platinum Eye. Her gear, though temporarily assembled, uses the latest energy cells—older versions wouldn't have this power."
"Also, she's not a Cannibal Player. The Butterfly Lady identity is questionable."
"I'd say she has a grudge against the Eerie Sound Knights." The curly-haired aristocrat laughed. "Coming all the way to Zone 011—could she be from Platinum Eye?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present simultaneously glanced at Bai Kou. Ashis Werner said, "If she's from Platinum Eye, she can't be allowed to leave alive."
"Don't worry. The ship is equipped with a space-time gap jammer. Without a ticket, even if she has a wormhole teleporter, she won't get away." Matt smiled, but as soon as he finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed, and he instinctively looked up at the sky above.
*
Third floor of the ship.
The players who had successfully activated the expansion mode without capsizing were resting. The course had been adjusted, but the ship was moving fast, and they dared not go outside, so they could only hide here and hold out as long as possible.
Currently, about thirty players were gathered inside and outside the main control room. Most wore white bracelets, with only a few black bracelets, and those were isolated to one side.
Xu Huo and the others were among them.
The fact that Captain Matt hadn't used any props to control the ship but had simply released some mutant species to kill all the giant octopuses was both hard to accept and deeply despairing for the crowd.
The reality was clear: the aristocratic players could kill them with ease.
After sitting idly for a while, Xu Huo lit a cigarette and walked out of the main control room. He came to an empty corridor, stared out the window for a moment, then stamped out the half-smoked cigarette. He took out the Instance Authorization Letter he had obtained in Flower City and wrote on it:
"Seventeenth Hospital."
"1. Receive at least one psychological treatment."
"2. Kill one doctor."
"3. Find the hospital's main entrance."
"Passerby A; D556688."
As he wrote the last number, the authorization letter emitted a faint glow. A few seconds later, the text refreshed:
"Congratulations, player Passerby A, you have become the holder of the 'Seventeenth Hospital' random instance. Your instance name and tasks have passed the game review."
(End of chapter)