Chapter 871: High-Speed Surgery Observation
The player was startled by Xu Huo's speed, but he had come prepared, so he wasn't immediately pushed away by "Same-Sex Repulsion." As the "Cabin Door Opening" prompt sounded, he pulled out a camera and aimed it at Xu Huo. "Cheese!"
As everyone knew, you couldn't move while having your picture taken. Unfortunately, this item failed to delay Xu Huo, because a barrier made of compressed air had already formed between them.
The effectiveness of an item was affected by distance, time, and obstacles. This camera happened to fail. In an instant, Xu Huo had already entered the cabin. As he left, he used "Standardized Weightlessness" on the player.
The player uncontrollably floated off the ground. Just then, the cabin door closed and reopened. The female player was not as gentle as Xu Huo. She took out something like a powder puff and patted it. White powder instantly covered the surrounding few meters. The man inevitably inhaled some and immediately began spitting blood.
By the time the cabin sent Xu Huo to the ground, the Friendship Garden Square's big screen was just playing the footage of his return. The female player was already gone, and the male player, covered in a layer of white ash, was pouring potion into his mouth. He was coughing and spitting, but it seemed he wouldn't die.
"Congratulations to Guest No. 313! He is the second person today to complete the task and return!" the host announced loudly, while golden sparkling special effects appeared around him.
Xu Huo looked around and saw that Player No. 91, who had been catching the golden-backed lizard, had also returned, but his teammate was gone.
"Old Yu, you're really something!" Xiao Xianglin walked over enthusiastically. "I don't think anyone else has had it as easy as you!"
"Just lucky. The task I drew wasn't difficult." Xu Huo nodded to Player No. 64.
The other nodded back.
At that moment, another cabin emerged from the ground. Out came You Si. The host announced him as the third guest to complete the task and return, completely skipping over the female player who had returned before him.
The female player walked over. "Thanks for stopping that bastard earlier. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have returned so smoothly. The host didn't mention me, so I guess the show has ruled me out. There's no hope for passing. Good luck!"
Xu Huo, however, said, "Not necessarily. The people the show selects to finally settle in the Sea World might not be the same as what the instance requires."
The female player, who had been feeling dejected, suddenly showed surprise. "That's right! Just because the show's judges fail me doesn't mean I can't clear the instance!"
"I don't think it's that easy," Xiao Xianglin said. "I'm not trying to discourage you, but I think the instance requirements are definitely higher than this show's."
"True," the female player laughed. "But it's no big deal. At worst, I fail the instance. At least I won't have to hold back in the next round. Good luck to you both."
She said her goodbyes and left.
Xiao Xianglin then lowered his voice and asked Xu Huo, "Any ideas about 'pure friendship'?"
Xu Huo shook his head. "What about you?"
"I've been thinking about it, but I'm not sure if I'm right," Xiao Xianglin said modestly. "First, you can't kill anyone. 'Good for you, good for me' made it clear from the start. Killing a 'friend' is a no-go. Even if you're not expelled during the task, you'll definitely fail in the final scoring."
"Second, I think it's easier to gain the friendship of ordinary people than players. It's much more convenient to complete tasks with them than to cooperate with players. Even if most people have average character, you're bound to run into one or two reliable ones, right?"
"That makes sense," Xu Huo agreed. "But I wonder what level is considered 'pure friendship.'"
"Since we have no other leads, we'll just have to try it out," Xiao Xianglin said.
Another group walked up to the big screen. Among them was Shaka.
The person opposite him was also a player. He said across the screen, "Bro, those tasks look pretty tough. How about we both pick the yellow ball and complete the task together? We can use an item to keep an eye on things and press at the same time."
As he spoke, a full-length mirror flew out of his hand and landed beside the big screen. To show sincerity, he stood in front of the yellow ball first.
Shaka tilted his head. In the last three seconds of the countdown, they both touched the projection balls simultaneously. But when the results were announced, Shaka had the yellow ball, while the other player had a black ball!
"What's going on!" the bronze-skinned player, Pu Donghai, immediately shouted. "Is there a mistake!"
"The show's instruments don't make mistakes," the host said with a smile. "Player No. 29 chose the black ball."
"You rigged it!" Pu Donghai glared at Player No. 29. The other player just smiled nonchalantly, waving his hand over the projection balls, causing their colors to change. "You can't blame me. I have a bit of a problem with my eyes."
Shaka walked over and patted Pu Donghai on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I can come back alive."
Pu Donghai was furious. "Even if you pick the black ball next round, the two of you will still be randomly matched. If it's you again, you'll have to do two black ball tasks in a row."
The difficulty of a player's black ball task was not something ordinary people could compare to. The last player who took a black ball task was thrown directly into a mating snake pit and didn't last half a minute before dying.
"Then I guess I'm just unlucky," Shaka said calmly. He turned to Player No. 29. "Friend, see you later."
"Threatening me? Come out alive first," Player No. 29 sneered.
"Oh dear, our Guest No. 351 has drawn the task of 'Surgery Observation,'" the host exclaimed with exaggerated shock. He said to the audience, "Friendly reminder, friends with weak psychological fortitude, please don't force yourselves to watch. If you must, it's best to prepare a vomit bag in advance."
Shaka was teleported away by the cabin, and a projection of an operating table appeared.
It was already prepared. A fully wrapped doctor stood nearby with his hands hovering in the air. The so-called "surgery observation" didn't actually mean the participant watched the surgery; they were the one lying on the operating table!
Shaka lay on the operating table with his eyes closed, seemingly unconscious. His hands, feet, and neck were each secured by a palm-wide metal ring.
"What's going on... They knocked him out and sent him in?!" Pu Donghai below was both angry and anxious, frantically trying to pry open the floor. But before he could get anywhere, the doctor in the projection announced the start of the surgery.
However, Shaka on the operating table didn't seem to have completely lost consciousness. The doctor noticed his eyelids twitching and added, "Increase the anesthetic dosage."
The anesthesiologist picked up a wrist-thick syringe. Just as he was about to inject it into Shaka's arm, he suddenly paused. "How about we pray for the patient? Pray that this surgery goes smoothly."
The other doctors had no objections. They clasped their hands and began praying with extreme solemnity.
At that moment, the person on the operating table opened his eyes. At the same time, invisible blades seemed to fly through the air. The heads of all the medical staff standing around were severed.
Shaka, who had been sent away by the cabin, returned to the square in less than five minutes.