Chapter 46 - Probing the Depths

“…it’s very likely he’s a random player; not sure if his mission is the same as ours, or if we should be wary of him making a move on us…”

Hiding in the bushes, Peng Fengnian was keeping an eye on the activity near the factory when he suddenly realized that Xu Huo, who had just been in sight, had vanished.

Shocked, his pupils trembled, and before he could get up, a sharp force gripped his throat and lifted him off the ground!

“That paper cell phone of yours looks pretty good.

Mind if I borrow it?”

As Peng Fengnian gazed at the young man who had walked up to him, with his face turning red and disbelieving, he blurted out, “When did you notice me!”

“Earlier than you think,” Xu Huo crossed his arms and looked at him.

“If I were you, my first concern would be whether I am friend or foe.”

Staring at him intensely, Peng Fengnian’s hand, which was gripping “Omnipresent Strings,” suddenly reached out in Xu Huo’s direction and grabbed at the air; suddenly, dozens of darts appeared out of nowhere, shooting at him from all directions!

Xu Huo turned and caught three darts on his left, moving swiftly and neatly to dodge the others.

Noting the green liquid on the tips of the darts, he raised an eyebrow.

Just as he was about to speak, Peng Fengnian suddenly yanked his head back, managing to escape on his own—meanwhile, the usually flexible strings turned rigid and fixed like a hoop for two seconds before responding to Xu Huo’s control.

While he was retracting the strings and stepping back to avoid Peng Fengnian’s dart assault, and as the distance between them grew, Xu Huo suddenly increased his speed and charged straight at Peng Fengnian!

Startled, Peng Fengnian retracted the darts that could only chase at Xu Huo’s heels and instead pulled out a bottle of liquid and poured it on the ground.

The red liquid spread across the ground on its own, radiating a distance of three feet in an instant; Xu Huo slipped and tumbled toward the ground.

Peng Fengnian seized the opportunity to bring out a pitch-black stone to smash down on Xu Huo’s head!

At that moment, “Omnipresent Strings” passed under Xu Huo’s armpit, pulling him forcefully to the side.

He stood up in response, grabbed the strings through his clothes, and his body soared into the air!

However, the black stone followed him, moving from the front to the back, relentlessly aiming for the back of his head!

With a kick in mid-air, Xu Huo sent it flying, then turned around and tripped Peng Fengnian, who was running away, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Peng Fengnian landed in the liquid he had spilled, his limbs as slippery as if oiled, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get up.

Catching the darts that were shot at him, Xu Huo stood by and watched him for a few minutes, until Peng Fengnian tired from his floundering.

“What the hell do you want?

If you’re going to kill me, just do it!” Unable to get up, Peng Fengnian lay flat on the ground.

“Middle-aged men are prone to anger and baldness,” Xu Huo returned the darts to him.

“I’m a random player, alone and at a disadvantage.

I’d like to discuss a cooperation with you.”

Peng Fengnian stuck out his neck, “Your attitude doesn’t look very cooperative.”

“Testing the waters is always right, plus you were surveilling me,” Xu Huo tilted his chin up.

“Want me to give you a hand?”

“No need!” Peng Fengnian immediately replied: “The potion effect will wear off in two more minutes.”

Xu Huo smiled, “Then I’ll wait.” He went to pick up the black stone.

When he returned, Peng Fengnian had just managed to stand up.

Brushing the grass off himself with undiminished bravado, he demanded, “You’ll have to prove you’re a random player.

What’s your mission?”

“Precious items, piglets, labor.” Xu Huo replied concisely.

Peng Fengnian breathed a sigh of relief, “Our missions are the same.”

“But that paper cell phone is my prop.

If you want it by force, it’ll be a fight to the death!”

“If I just wanted to snatch the prop, I could have killed you just now,” Xu Huo softened his tone and said pleasantly, “I am very sincere.”

“Your combat strength is not up to par, so you’re hiding here commanding alone to avoid dragging the team down.

But your companions have already entered the factory, and the three tasks involving the Skinning Artisan aren’t so easy to complete, even stealing the collection, right?”

“We all want to get out alive, our goals don’t conflict.”

That was true, Peng Fengnian hesitated a bit before saying, “Have you thought of a way?”

Xu Huo didn’t deny it, “It’s a bit risky.”

Peng Fengnian’s expression turned grave, “The survival rate for the Skinning Artisan’s copy is almost zero, even Rank-C Players would have trouble getting through easily, not to mention this time we’re all Level D Players.

It’s normal for the mission to be difficult, which is why we need to be clever.”

“We don’t plan to throw our lives away for this copy.”

So they were Level D Players.

Xu Huo nodded, “Hiding on the outside, you can’t be clever.”

Peng Fengnian’s face flushed with indignation, as if to defend his honor, he raised his voice, “My trait is better suited for this, it’s more advantageous for us.”

“Every copy involves risk, how can you possibly clear it without taking risks?” Xu Huo gave him a glance, “Did you investigate the Skinning Artisan before coming here?

How much do you know about him?”

“A stand city has several copies, and only those who come out of a copy alive know which ones there are.

There’s little information that gets out, and it’s hard to distinguish the true from the false, especially regarding the copy’s boss.”

“I spent fifty thousand White Notes just to buy one certain piece of information, that is, the Skinning Artisan’s Skinning Knife cannot be used during the day.”

Seeing Xu Huo looking at him, Peng Fengnian explained, “This piece of information is known to the other five players as well, and since your mission is the same as ours, it doesn’t hurt to tell you.”

“It’s said that with the knife in hand, the Skinning Artisan can dissect someone alive along the muscle grain without leaving a trace, and he can even skin someone completely while they’re still breathing.

If his knife can’t be used during the day, our actions are much safer by comparison.”

Normally, everyone would think it’s better to move under the cover of night, since the Skinning Artisan is active in the factory during the day, time is scarce, and opportunities not so great, but this is a death trap.

The danger posed by the Skinning Artisan with his Skinning Knife doubles, and once caught, the outcome is imaginable.

“Do you really have a plan?” Peng Fengnian pursued, to be honest, he still didn’t have a good countermeasure after hearing the news Tang Pei had relayed.

Xu Huo stroked his chin thoughtfully, not answering his question but instead extending his hand, “Lend me your phone.”

Peng Fengnian clenched his teeth, “First, return the prop.”

Xu Huo handed him the black stone specialized for hitting the back of the head, and Peng Fengnian took it before pulling out a paper phone, “This phone can only contact the paired paper phone, and you can’t text with it, you have to put it to your ear to communicate.”

Xu Huo weighed the paper phone shaped like a keypad phone, light and seemingly weightless.

“Any distance limit?”

“None,” Peng Fengnian said, “As long as it’s the paired phone, no matter where you are, even if not in the same station or the same space, you can talk, but only for talking.”

He mentioned the same space, so does the game train really travel through different times and spaces?

Xu Huo didn’t pursue the detail and tried the phone by his ear, a beeping sound came from inside, and after a few seconds, the call connected, the female player immediately asked upon answering, “Peng Fengnian?”

He laughed, “Happens not to be.”