Chapter 545: The True Meaning of the Game
"You flatter me," Xu Huo denied. "I just want to plant my flag on the opposite wall."
Zhuo Wangsun was silent for two seconds before analyzing, "Isn't the risk too great? Once we enter the Cleanup Zone, Clown City will most likely not allow us to return, and even getting close to the Protective Wall might be difficult. Besides, the terrain ahead is probably very dangerous, and we might encounter a Xenomorph tide. Just to raise a rating, this is too reckless."
"Fortune favors the bold," Xu Huo said.
Zhuo Wangsun had no retort. He slowly slowed his pace, falling a few steps behind, but then caught up again. "I'll go with you. Consider it broadening my horizons."
"Welcome," Xu Huo said with a smile, expressing his delight.
Zhuo Wangsun stared at his face, feeling a bit awkward.
They didn't need to kill for money. From now on, their main focus was traveling. When they encountered Xenomorphs or people from Clown City, they mostly avoided them, only fighting when there was no other choice.
Their speed wasn't slow, but this jungle was more complex than the previous one, practically a small hill. Some areas couldn't be crossed directly, so they had to take detours.
"These mists contain trace toxins," Zhuo Wangsun said, using his item to measure the fog in the woods while they rested. "The situation is similar to what we had on the other side."
That was also reassuring. If both sides were sending mostly ordinary people, then the difficulty within the Cleanup Zone should be balanced.
This way, reaching the opposite Clown City wouldn't be too difficult.
Xu Huo scanned the grassy area around them. "There are especially many fungi here. The ground is covered with mycelium."
Zhuo Wangsun saw it too and was about to check it with his item when Xu Huo stopped him. "Careful, it might be poisonous."
At that, Zhuo Wangsun didn't dare touch it. He hesitated and said, "This white mycelium is as common as spiderwebs. It can't be highly toxic, can it? Otherwise, there should be many people poisoned to death."
Xu Huo had a strong impression of the words "Clown City" and "fungi." A diary found in the Little Pink Red Building Instance had mentioned these two terms, even using the phrase "underground world" to describe the fungi, indicating that a vast quantity and area of fungi grew beneath Clown City.
If there were mycelium capable of generating defensive abilities, it wouldn't be strange for there to be poisonous ones.
However, he wasn't sure if the diary referred to the current Clown City or the one before the Cleanup Zone was formed. If it was the latter, there might be an underground world composed of fungi beneath the Cleanup Zone.
"Just in case," he said. "We've been able to move so smoothly thanks to the Holographic Projection not classifying us as Xenomorphs. It would be troublesome if we rashly touched something and turned into one."
Zhuo Wangsun pushed aside the thick grass behind him, revealing a large patch of white fungi with a noticeable gap at the edge. He chuckled. "Looks like someone already tested it for us. Someone must have picked and eaten some..."
Before he could finish, Xu Huo grabbed him by the neck and yanked him back. His head ducked, and a person crashed down right in front of him, landing squarely in the patch of white mushrooms, sending up a spray of debris. However, the person quickly scrambled up after hitting the ground and charged forward without looking back!
Such panic meant they were fleeing. At that moment, Xu Huo also heard a rumbling sound in the distance. He turned around and saw a large area of the jungle undulating, trees shaking along with it!
"Xenomorph tide!"
Xu Huo and Zhuo Wangsun ran without a second thought. As they ran, they kept looking back. Soon, they could clearly see the Xenomorphs—they were genuine Xenomorphs, their bodies already showing some animalistic features. They were faster, stronger, and had no trouble jumping and climbing!
Watching the Xenomorph swarm charge through, even breaking giant trees in their path, Xu Huo didn't hide in a Shelter. He used his trait to increase his speed, leaving Zhuo Wangsun behind as he caught up to the player ahead.
That person was seriously injured; otherwise, they wouldn't have hit the ground so hard when they fell. Their speed was also slowing down.
Ahead was a large slope with no suitable place to hide. Xu Huo turned back and gestured to Zhuo Wangsun, then threw the "Hurt Others, Not Yourself" with a metal block attached to one end.
Zhuo Wangsun picked it up and ran to the side, wrapping one end of the thin cord around a tree trunk.
Xu Huo did the same on his end, wrapping it around several trees in succession before turning the "Hurt Others, Not Yourself" into a sharp blade. Then he jumped onto a tree.
The charging Xenomorphs couldn't stop their momentum, or perhaps they didn't have that concept. As they passed through the item, they were neatly sliced in half—wave after wave of Xenomorphs fell before the thin blade. But it didn't last long, as the tree trunks were also cut through from the strain. The thin blade was then knocked away, and the running Xenomorphs, pulling at each other with their bodies, ended up killing many more. It was only when the item hit the ground and reverted to a thin rope that this self-inflicted slaughter finally stopped.
Xu Huo killed a few Xenomorphs that jumped up in mid-air, then used the string attached to the "Hurt Others, Not Yourself" to retrieve the item.
His position was too conspicuous. Many Xenomorphs stopped and leaped towards the tree, causing it to wobble dangerously. He made a quick slash with his sword, then, taking advantage of the falling tree, used the momentum to leap ahead of the Xenomorph swarm—because of the previous incident, a concave arc had formed in the middle of the tide that had been advancing almost in unison.
Zhuo Wangsun and the injured player were right in front of this arc. Although they weren't being chased from behind, the Xenomorphs on both sides were closing in.
Suddenly, a Xenomorph leaped from the side towards the injured player. Zhuo Wangsun, without hesitation, slashed at it with his blade. Though he didn't kill it, he allowed the player to escape danger. Unfortunately for him, he was unlucky enough to be knocked over by the falling Xenomorph. Just as he was about to be grabbed by the ones behind him, a long whip flew out from the injured player's hand, wrapped around him, and the two of them shot out from the ground like cannonballs!
It was an item effect. The two of them escaped the Xenomorphs' encirclement in an instant, but getting up was easier than getting down. As they crashed through branches and leaves and began to fall, they were still over ten meters above the ground!
Zhuo Wangsun, inexperienced, was falling headfirst. Luckily, Xu Huo caught him with the kite string, halting him in mid-air. The injured player also stopped, not hitting the ground directly, but was pulled back a short distance by the kite string.
The string could only support two people, but the kite string lightened Zhuo Wangsun's weight, making it just enough for the three of them.
However, the string's movement speed and range were limited. They still had to run. After landing, Xu Huo said, "There's a gully ahead. Let's hide there!"
His original plan was to place the "No. 101 Shelter" in the gully, making it less likely to be overrun by the Xenomorph swarm. But unexpectedly, when the three of them jumped down the slope, they found a spacious cave.
They immediately ducked inside. Xu Huo set up the "Door of Severed Ties," which perfectly blocked the entrance. Peeking through the gap on the side, he saw the Xenomorphs that had jumped into the gully continue running without stopping. Only then did he turn back and nod to the other two.
Zhuo Wangsun and the injured player silently put away their shields. The former asked, "Shared hardship makes friends. My name is Zhuo Wangsun. What's yours?"