Chapter 2627: Warmhearted on the Ancient Path
There are not only Outer Zone Players leaving through this checkpoint, but quite a few local Players as well, plus the Execution Team members in charge of the gate. These people are sharp-eared and sharp-eyed; no matter how quietly others speak, it’s impossible to escape everyone’s notice—let alone when the Players involved in the discussion aren’t restraining themselves at all.
"We’re giving you face as a guest, don’t be so ungrateful!" A Player sitting nearby said coldly, "The affairs of Yongta Country aren’t yours to comment on!"
The joking Player lounged back in his seat, propping his head up with one hand as he looked at the other with leisurely interest. "What’s wrong? We come all the way to your crappy place and we’re not even allowed to say a couple of sentences? I said it. So what exactly can you do about it?"
Several chairs in a row were kicked over; a few local Players stood up in unison, surrounding them with ferocious hostility.
"Oh? You really want to fight?" The few Players who’d spoken earlier all turned around. From the way they were standing, it was obvious that if the local Players dared to throw a punch, they absolutely wouldn’t just sit back and watch.
The Advanced Players moving around Yunguan City are mostly Rank-B and Rank-C, and the Execution Team is the same. Of course, this doesn’t represent the city’s ultimate combat power; just looking at the instruments they’re using to seal off the city, it’s clear there should be some strong Players here. But for the moment, those people aren’t gathered here, so judging purely by Player Level, the group facing off against the Outer Zone Players is clearly weaker.
The Execution Team noticed the commotion. After hearing the situation from the people nearby, a small captain with a tattoo on his face walked over. He pressed the local Players back down and said to those few Outer Zone Players, "Yunguan City isn’t afraid of troublemakers. No matter how arrogant you are in other districts, it’d be best to behave yourselves here."
The few Outer Zone Players didn’t take him seriously; they even looked eager to make a move.
However, the next moment, a gaze thrown from far away cut them off. Several hundred meters away, on top of a high-rise, a woman in a trench coat had appeared at some point. The wide collar, pushed by the airflow, almost covered most of her face—but that didn’t stop others from seeing her eyes.
The woman’s left eye was clearly fake. The artificial eyeball was crudely made, and even the color of the iris didn’t match her remaining real eye. Yet on that face, split by such a harsh contrast, there was a sharp, chilling killing intent.
This was a Rank-A Player.
The Outer Zone Players immediately settled down and silently walked out of the rest area; it was their turn at the checkpoint.
Once those few left under the local Players’ watchful gazes, Xu Huo also walked out of the rest area and went up to the local resident who’d been holding his place in line, taking his spot.
He could feel the woman’s gaze lingering on him for quite a while, but until he left Yunguan City, she did nothing more. Without any further delay once he was out, he headed straight to Expedition Canyon using a Spatial Teleportation Device.
The location on the map wasn’t accurate; the place he landed was a stretch of rarely visited forest.
The Girl in the painting, who’d been stuck against the inside of his clothes, knocked on his back again.
"Come out," Xu Huo said.
The Girl in the painting slid out from the hem of his clothes. Once she touched the ground, she quickly expanded, changing from a sheet of paper into a living person with striking features.
It was obvious that staying in his clothes had been boring. She took the backpack Xu Huo handed her and started pulling out all the specialty goods from Yunguan City to inspect them one by one.
"The Collection of Information Terminal said there’s a big river near Expedition Canyon. Though it’s polluted and not suitable for habitation, the moisture in the air is abundant. Once the surrounding forest adapted to the environment, it grew extremely lush."
Xu Huo observed how the forest was growing and chose a direction.
The Girl in the painting slung the backpack over her shoulders and followed behind him, taking out the Communicator as she asked, "Where are we going to do the instance?"
"Don’t know yet." Judging by the situation in the district, this is most likely a time-and-location-unrestricted open instance. With overlapping areas, the possibilities are many.
They hadn’t gone far before Xu Huo stopped, because he could feel the forest saturated with dense Spatial Power. Once bitten by a snake, you’re wary of ropes for ten years—he didn’t rush ahead. Instead, he sent a robot forward to scout the way.
The robot passed through the forest, walked a hundred meters or so, then came back, returning with some data. "Detected a Level D energy field. No toxic gas, no barrier, no impact on mechanical instruments of any kind."
Level D energy fields are how instruments categorize the strength of forces within special areas; they can only roughly distinguish the power level at the site. If the field is determined to be a stable Level D, it means the Spatial Power here is relatively thin and might just be a naturally formed special zone.
This whole area is full of places like this. Xu Huo was about to open up the Spiritual World and pass straight through, but suddenly someone walked out of the trees. The man was covered in cobwebs and stared at him in surprise. "Didn’t think I’d run into anyone out here."
Seeing the man carrying a fairly large basket full of Mutant Plants, Xu Huo asked, "Is there a path through this forest? Is Expedition Canyon up ahead?"
The man sat down where he was, taking off his shoes and shaking out the dirt as he spoke. "If you mean Expedition Canyon, then you’re headed the wrong way. The canyon is to your right-front; you won’t reach it by going straight."
"But what are you going to Expedition Canyon for? The area nearby’s already contaminated with toxins and pathogens. Ordinary people don’t go near the place."
"Plus, a spatial isolation zone’s formed here," he pointed toward the direction Xu Huo had come from, "and it’s easy to get lost once you go in."
The man had an ordinary face, but his complexion was rosy and his eyes were bright; he looked full of vigor. He was also kindly and straightforward—not only did he carefully answer Xu Huo’s questions, he also pointed out where dangerous Mutant Plants were and what Level of Protective Suit and protective mask he’d need at minimum to deal with the pollutants.
"You’re not a Player?" Xu Huo asked curiously. "Aren’t you afraid of the danger coming here alone?"
The man smiled. "My family needs some medicinal herbs. They don’t grow elsewhere, so I can only come here to look for them."
"Don’t be fooled by how these Mutant Plants look like poisonous weeds. If you use them properly, they can save lives too."
"This forest is just easy to get lost in; it doesn’t really count as dangerous. As long as you’ve got proper protection, ordinary people can come in too."
Xu Huo looked at the two brightly colored mushrooms peeking out from under the basket. He didn’t recognize the other Mutant Plants, but these two mushrooms were called ’Spotted Dog’—just a small piece was enough to kill a person.
"You’re an Outer Zone Player, right?" The man hoisted the basket onto his back. "It’s already getting late, and it’s even easier to lose your way after dark. Why don’t you come stay at my place tonight? I’m coming back out to gather herbs tomorrow anyway—I can take you to Expedition Canyon on the way, save you from wandering around for nothing."
Xu Huo didn’t refuse. As he followed the man, he asked, "There are other people living nearby?"
"Plenty," the man said cheerfully. "Lots of folks can’t afford the temporary lodging fees, so they can only eke out a living outside. There aren’t many Mutant Animals around here, so it’s pretty safe."