Chapter 761: Not One Less
The temporary companion died tragically, and that player slammed on the brakes on the rooftop, turning around without a second word to flee. Xu Huo glanced over but didn’t intend to pursue, only to find that the man hadn’t run far before stopping again.
The next second, people appeared in twos and threes from both sides of the street, surrounding Xu Huo in an encirclement.
Leaving easily was out of the question.
Xu Huo slowly raised a black umbrella.
Rain began to fall from the sky.
On the other side, Teacher Pan’s group, except for Old Eagle and Lin Zhenhuai, had no intention of leaving Museum City just yet. They had only left the hotel and were now resting in a shop.
“How was the Mirror Hotel actually cracked?” Sun Bo was still confused. “I only know we switched spaces twice, and then suddenly we were outside.”
Teacher Pan and the others were in a similar state, but they had prepared in advance, splitting up to keep an eye on Xiao Ling and Xu Huo’s group. Unexpectedly, there was an extra bonus.
“What kind of potion is this?” Peng Fengnian looked at the green syringe in Teacher Pan’s hand. “It looks like an enhanced version of an Evolution Agent.”
Evolution Agents came in many colors. The blue Evolution Agent initially given to players by the game was the most basic version. The more instances completed, the better the quality of potions obtained later. Potions of the same tier were divided into basic, enhanced, and super-enhanced versions. Besides the officially announced potions, different pharmaceutical companies also produced targeted Evolution Agents. Overall, the effects of these agents were roughly similar.
“The more Evolution Agents you use, the weaker the effect. My evolution rate is slowing down,” Sun Bo said. “This agent was found by Yu Huo in the hotel. It was hidden so securely, it must be some special potion. Let’s take it back and see if it can be mass-produced.”
“It looks like an ordinary enhanced potion to me.” Peng Fengnian paused, then said, “Teacher Pan, I don’t understand why we’re doing this. I’ve dealt with Yu Huo before. He’s a very capable player, even destroyed a Random Instance. A player like that is a talent in any game district. Even if we don’t build a good relationship with him, it’s best not to offend him. It’s not worth it for a single potion.”
Teacher Pan was observing the potion with a magnifying glass-like item, not sparing him a glance, and only said, “Old Zheng chased him all the way to the Corpse Hotel. Do you think this can end the way you described? Once he gets out, the first person he’ll kill is Old Zheng. As allies, we won’t escape either. Rather than leaving a hidden threat, it’s better to strike first.”
Peng Fengnian’s expression darkened. He had been excluded by Teacher Pan’s group from the start. Their discussion was merely using his mouth to placate Xu Huo.
“Don’t be naive,” Gao Xiaoyue said. “You only met him by chance and don’t know his background. If you dare to trust him, and we’ve been in the Mirror Hotel for days, weakened, what would happen if he struck first?”
Peng Fengnian fell silent. After a moment, he said, “Indeed, I can’t let you all take this risk for me. I just think this feels a bit like burning the bridge after crossing the river.”
“It’s already settled. Regret is useless.” Sun Bo drained the water in his hand. “In the game, if you’re not ruthless, you won’t survive long.”
Peng Fengnian twitched the corner of his mouth and changed the subject. “There are no items in the hotel. Where do we look next?”
“We can’t leave the instance just yet.” Teacher Pan looked up at this point. “Although we didn’t get the item, we’ve gained something. Old Zheng and the other two will deal with that player and then go out to report first. Once the value of Museum City is proven, the higher-ups will naturally send more players.”
“Right now, all the families are busy entering instances to grab items,” Gao Xiaoyue said. “Probably no one cares about this D-grade instance. I saw that the ones who ran in were all useless rookies. Besides, the situation in this instance is strange. I doubt many players are willing to come. Since we’re halfway through, rather than letting others reap the benefits, we should do it ourselves.”
This was from the team’s interest standpoint, but Teacher Pan smiled and said, “Based on the known information, we’ve done everything we can. Blindly searching is just a waste of time. What we need to do now is recover our strength and reduce the threats in the instance.”
These words silenced the others present, but Teacher Pan clearly didn’t consider their opinions and continued studying the potion.
After a while, Sun Bo looked out at the light rain through the window and said, “I wonder if Old Zheng managed to take He Xue out.”
*
The rain wasn’t heavy, only making a faint sound on the umbrella. The ground was wet, and upon closer inspection, a liquid could be seen flowing, but it didn’t reflect light—it was thick and slow, moving along the uneven surface.
A pair of leather boots stepped through the liquid, stopping in front of the black umbrella lying diagonally on the ground. Then a hand picked up the umbrella, and a white handkerchief wiped the handle before being tossed away. As it fluttered, dark red traces could be seen on it.
A few onlookers remained in the distance, but Xu Huo paid them no mind. Holding the umbrella, he left the street littered with bodies.
He didn’t head straight for the main gate of Museum City. Instead, he confirmed nearby that Old Eagle and Lin Zhenhuai hadn’t left, then turned back into the city. Donning his Invisibility Cloak, he gripped a scanner and moved swiftly between buildings. Finally, at a shop between the Wax Museum and the Decapitation Cemetery, he found Teacher Pan’s group.
Night was the time when Museum City came alive. Xu Huo saw mannequins running everywhere, skeletons letting loose, and several wax figures lingering nearby.
Estimating the distance between the shops, he chose an alley slightly to the left of center. First, he tied the “Hurt Others, Not Self” item to the already loose photo string inside the shop, then led the other end of the line to the door. He scattered some sticky stickers casually near the window and splashed some diluted venom around the interior of the shop.
After this simple setup, he returned to the entrance and placed the Counting Grids in the alley and the opposite store.
Finished, he smeared some mucus on the main street and used a few small stones to lure over those seemingly dim-witted wax figures. Two got stuck on the ground, their limbs twisting stiffly.
Seeing they wouldn’t break free anytime soon, Xu Huo turned and circled behind Teacher Pan’s group. Landing silently in the alley, he used the “Crimson Sword” to slice this row of small shops in half!
The sword energy’s cutting surface expanded and vanished. The next second, Teacher Pan and the others leaped out of the shop one after another, avoiding the open main street and bounding up and down between the rows of stores.
Xu Huo swiftly closed in behind them. The Crimson Sword and the Water Blade Gun took turns, blocking Gao Xiaoyue and Sun Bo twice when they tried to split off. The attacks, now near, now far, prevented Sun Bo and the others from using their items effectively. As they scurried, Teacher Pan suddenly came to his senses: “Split up…!”
Before he could finish, Xu Huo shouted, “Poisonous rain falling from the sky!”
(Chapter End)