Chapter 659: Misfortune is a Blessing in Disguise
["Not only that, but all subsequent players who possessed this item died one after another—players dying in the game is normal, but this item could precisely control the player's death time to within three months, no more, no less. It's truly a miracle of items."]
Reading this, Xu Huo glanced at Team Leader Wu.
Team Leader Wu, who was drinking tea, understood immediately, "Don't let the poor usage conditions fool you, the effect is really good."
["However, since it can shuttle between any two points within a recognized nation, who would care that it can only be used twice?"]
A sentence that turned the tide.
Xu Huo continued to the second item.
["Similarity Detector: As an item, it is very sensitive to similar items. Therefore, any item within a two-hundred-meter radius, whether in the sky or underground, will have its quantity, grade, and location diligently displayed on the screen."]
From the description, it could determine the quantity and grade of items within a certain range, making it decent for enemy detection and pathfinding.
Next was the third item: ["Extreme Fatigue: Can only be used on one player at a time. When you say 'Are you tired?' to the target, they will immediately fall into a state of extreme fatigue for one minute, with attack power and reaction speed reduced by 30%. Those with weak willpower might even fall asleep on the spot. However, please note that its effect can be counteracted by stimulants."]
This one was far inferior to the first two, but in the heat of battle, stopping to take a stimulant wouldn't be easy.
["Important Call: An important call that must be answered. As long as you launch an attack, the opponent, no matter how busy, will have to free up a hand to answer the phone—after all, it might be their wife or mother calling."]
["Progress Bar Disappearance: Movies and TV shows have progress bars, so why shouldn't items and traits? Once used, it can randomly shorten the duration of traits or item effects imposed on the user by others by 10%."]
"Considering your fighting style, the Special Defense Department didn't choose offensive items but focused on weakening the opponent's abilities," Team Leader Wu said. "For ordinary players, straightforward combat items might be more practical, but for people like you and Nie Xuan, even a split second can be an opportunity to turn the tide."
In other words, only those who could use items creatively could truly bring out their potential.
And in close combat, unless there was a huge gap in grade, bladed weapons didn't make much difference.
"Thank you," Xu Huo said simply. "I'll accept these five items."
Team Leader Wu smiled slightly. "Take a look at the potions too. There might be a surprise."
The military-uniformed player took out the potions again. Among the various potions, two stood out. One was a Combustion Potion, which could be poured into fire to fuel it and make it difficult to extinguish. If simply poured onto an object, it would automatically ignite as long as there was fire within fifty meters.
The other was a Rapid Freezing Agent, which could freeze any object—including people and metal—in an extremely short time, though the specific effect depended on the dosage.
Looking at the rest, besides Evolution Agents and Self-Healing Agents, there were plenty of potions for enhancing stamina and physique, covering all aspects thoroughly.
Xu Huo thanked him again, and Team Leader Wu exchanged more pleasantries. The atmosphere between them seemed more relaxed than during the day. The former didn't mention Tong Tong's kidnapping, and the latter didn't bring up the sudden transformation of tons of reservoir water into antidote.
Both sides kept the peace, and Xu Huo saw Team Leader Wu off.
When he returned indoors, Gu Yu, Brother Liang, and the others all rushed out, a crowd of people eyeing the boxes with envy. Guan Zuhong drooled with admiration, "I never thought I'd live to see so many White Notes piled up like this."
"Forget White Notes, I've never even seen this many soft yuan," Wen Xuelin said, running her hands over the boxes. "Even through the boxes, I can smell the fragrance of money..."
"Get a grip!" Zheng Liang rolled his eyes. "Like you've never seen money before."
"A slum girl doesn't argue with a rich second generation," Wen Xuelin said, intoxicated.
Xu Huo opened one of the boxes and asked Gu Yu to give each person five hundred thousand. "A small token of appreciation. Please accept it."
"Brother Xu, you're too kind," Guan Zuhong wiped his mouth. "We didn't come out empty-handed on this trip either. It feels awkward taking money from you."
Even as he said that, he moved quickly.
Xu Huo smiled and added, "Also set aside shares for the friends who haven't returned yet. Give it to them when they come out of the instance or pass it on to their families."
Everyone was delighted. After all, five hundred thousand White Notes could buy a decent item, or if not used for items, purchasing Evolution Agents could ease their financial burden for a long time.
As everyone happily divided the money, the Painting Woman stood next to Gu Yu, watching eagerly.
She wasn't a player and couldn't carry too many White Notes on her. Xu Huo said, "I'll keep your share for you. You can collect it from me later."
The Painting Woman smiled and nodded, staying there to help Gu Yu.
"Buzz!" Xu Huo's phone vibrated. He took it out and saw a message from Zhou Ning. They had waited for Yan Jiayu, but she had come out of the random instance with serious injuries. Of the several Twin Serpent players who entered the instance with her, she had killed three, and one had escaped.
"Buzz!" The phone vibrated again. It was a photo from Yan Jiayu. She was lying in a hospital bed with one leg suspended, grinning and flashing a peace sign.
Xu Huo called her. When he asked about what happened, Yan Jiayu said, "I saw it as soon as I entered. They were targeting you. They must have cleared that instance before, so someone knew the way through. But I was wearing a mask at first, so they didn't recognize me."
"Were those gray-robed people strong?"
"Strong... just average, I guess..." Yan Jiayu hesitated slightly. "One was a bit stronger and escaped from the instance. The others, I didn't even use sixty percent of my strength on them."
Xu Huo was speechless: Then why are you injured?
Zhou Ning couldn't help laughing on the other end. "When she was about to clear the instance, she got angry seeing someone run away and started kicking things randomly. She happened to kick an item in the instance and broke her own leg."
"But I turned misfortune into a blessing!" Yan Jiayu defended herself. "This is what my master always said—misfortune is a blessing in disguise. If I hadn't broken my leg, how could I have picked up a C-grade item?"
She emphasized, "It's a very powerful item."
"I believe you," Xu Huo said with a laugh. "Anything that can break your leg must be no ordinary item."
"I knew you'd understand." Yan Jiayu was very gratified and changed the subject. "I've seen what happened in Jing City online. Once my leg heals, I want to go to Y Country for a spin. Want to go together?"
"That probably won't work," Xu Huo said. "I'm leaving tomorrow."