Chapter 625: A Discussion on Mental-Type Instances
Zheng Liang's figure paused slightly, then he slammed the door and left.
Xu Huo picked up the phone on the table at this moment, flipping through the fantasies about Xu Zhi generated from Zheng Liang's memories. Then he loosened his grip, and the phone turned into smoke and disappeared.
At that time, he sensed someone entering Building Two, so he stood up and opened a door within the room, appearing directly in the corridor outside the Pathogen Sample Library.
Two players were sneaking past the security guards to reach this floor. They had just passed a pathology room and opened a locked "No Entry" door to get through the first checkpoint.
Xu Huo noticed that the tool they used to unlock the door was an item. With a thought, he added an experimental sample room in the corridor behind the door on both sides, placing two xenomorphs conjured from player fantasies inside.
"Bang! Bang!"
Just as the two walked past, the door was slammed by the xenomorphs. One of the female players was startled, instinctively drawing the short knife from her waist and assuming a combat stance.
The other male player glanced at the dented door and said calmly, "Don't worry, they can't get out. Remember what I told you?"
The female player nodded. "As long as we use the instance properly, false reality can become a reality that works in our favor."
"That's right. Not just verbally, but you have to keep telling yourself in your mind too. Even if there are xenomorphs inside, they absolutely cannot break through the lab door, otherwise this hospital wouldn't be able to keep running." The male player continued walking forward as he spoke. "This is turning disadvantage into advantage."
"A lot of things in this hospital are actually fake. You can tell from the difference between day and night. With such intense fighting at night, how could there be no trace during the day? This is one of the characteristics of mental instances." The male player added, "Things conjured by players' fantasies can become real, but only to a limited extent. Plus, since the players have lost their abilities, the damage they can cause to the building is minimal. Although the contrast between day and night can drive people insane, from another perspective, it precisely proves that this isn't reality."
"Brother, I'm worried that if it takes too long, I still won't be able to withstand the instance's power," the female player said. "Even though the items I took out can still be used, I can't open my personal panel anymore."
"I've looked at the hospital floor plan. The sample library is just ahead. Just grab any sample," the male player comforted her.
The female player had another doubt. "But how do we know which samples are real and which are fake?"
The male player clearly had no specific criteria for judging this, so he simply said, "Then just take everything. We're bound to hit one eventually."
Xu Huo walked out from the adjacent corridor, and the two siblings immediately jumped three meters back, watching him warily. "Who are you!"
Xu Huo looked them over. "You're players too?"
The siblings exchanged a glance. The brother said, "Besides players, who else would come here?"
Xu Huo nodded slightly. "You two seem to be in good shape. You're still clear-headed."
"You're here looking for samples too, right?" the brother said. "Let's keep out of each other's way. You find yours, we'll find ours."
Xu Huo indicated that was fine, then added, "But there's only one sample library on this floor. You wouldn't be so domineering as to make me find another place, would you? I almost ended up in a lab when I came up. It's dangerous everywhere here, and I don't want to change locations."
His words weren't harsh, but his attitude was firm. In short, he wasn't going to give up this spot.
The sister then said, "The sample library must be pretty big. We'll each take what we need and not interfere with each other."
Xu Huo glanced out the window. "It's going to get dark again soon. I don't want to stay here long. How about we make it quick?"
The siblings were surprised and looked outside. Wasn't it still before noon!
But in reality, the sunlight outside was already slanting westward.
"Anything can happen in an instance. Let's hurry," the sister said.
So the three of them wasted no more time and headed straight for the sample library.
However, the sample library was sealed by a reinforced door with a new type of electronic lock. The male player's item was completely useless.
"Let me try." Xu Huo took out the "Crimson Sword" and cut a square hole in the door with a few strokes.
Seeing him produce an item out of thin air, both siblings were stunned. The sister blurted out, "How are you completely unaffected by the instance?"
Xu Huo put away the sword and walked in first, saying, "I've been to a mental-type instance before. I know a few tricks."
The siblings' looks toward him immediately changed. The sister gave her brother a signal, and the brother came over to cozy up to Xu Huo while rummaging through the samples. "Actually, I've been to one before too. Mental-type instances are neither hard nor easy—it all depends on whether you can keep your mental state steady. I thought I was pretty calm, but I still ended up having my personal panel shut down under the instance's influence. Bro, how did you manage it?"
Xu Huo gave him a knowing smile. The brother quickly added, "We're all players here, I get it, I get it. I won't ask for your experience for free. I'll pay for it. How about a hundred thousand white notes?"
"You can't even open your personal panel. How are you going to pay?" Xu Huo had already glanced through all the cabinets and said disappointedly, "They're all empty. Looks like we need to check the next floor."
"Since the instance mentioned there would be samples, there must be some," the male player said, patting him on the shoulder and handing him a business card. "I'm not a dishonest person. I work here. You can come find me anytime."
"Divine Wind Express?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "Serving players exclusively?"
"We handle the transport of items, potions, and special goods," the male player said. "Divine Wind is my in-game ID. I'm A Yi, and this is my sister A Ying. The company is a partnership we started. Our main clients are, of course, players."
A Yi smiled and said, "In the future, Zone 014 will definitely fully merge with the game. Players will become part of daily life, just like express delivery now. High-value items can also be shipped. This business will take off sooner or later."
"Very forward-thinking," Xu Huo praised. Although it sounded like a fantasy now, as players developed, legal and reasonable transportation channels would inevitably emerge. It was just unknown whether those channels would be above ground or underground.
Above ground would require support from the Special Defense Department, while underground would demand that the player teams responsible for transport have high levels of confidentiality and capability. He knew that in Zone 011, there were specialized "couriers," but they weren't organized—they were dedicated individuals with specific roles determined by their player traits.
There were quite a few players engaged in this kind of work.
"So you don't have to worry about me not paying," A Yi said generously, handing him the item tucked at his waist. "If you're not comfortable, you can use this as collateral."
"Let's be friends." Xu Huo accepted the business card but pushed the item back. "Actually, the principle isn't that hard. For an instance to affect a person, it has to go through a certain medium. If you can use items to block that medium as much as possible, you can minimize the influence."
"That's my method. You don't seem like other players sinking into illusions either. Are you also using items?"
(Chapter End)