"Why?" Su Qiong asked softly, "Because my level is too low. Do you think the red-named NPC will kill me?"
A denied, "I just think you shouldn't go."
Su Jing is difficult to understand.
For no reason, why can't I follow them to the place of rebirth?
He is the guiding NPC in the novice area, which contains places that Su Jian has not explored.
As a matter of duty, Su Jian naturally has to follow the players and trigger hidden conditions for them.
"My mission is not completed. I must guide them out of the novice area." Su Qiong hesitated for a few seconds and said to A, "If you..."
"I'll go with you," A interrupted him, "I still owe you three favors."
Su Jian:?
Why did A bring up the favor again for no reason?
Besides, he had already told me his name.
A: "Anyway, I'll go with you."
"Oh, okay."
Thirty minutes later, most of the players in the novice area had gathered and were ready to go to the final rebirth.
There is a reason why they chose to believe Qi Yi's words.
Before Yu Qimiao let Qi Yi reveal the clue, he used props to trade with the big guild.
Although the system items he holds are forced to buy and sell, they are in line with the overall tone of "IF" and are fair.
The system recognized Yu Qi Miao's transaction, which meant that the clues provided by Qi Yi had exchangeable value.
There are only twenty hours left before the novice zone is dismantled.
Players who have played similar games can more or less guess that it is time to form a team to fight the boss.
Although everyone is still unclear about what type of boss the novice area is, they are also unclear about what Qi Yi means by "sacrifice".
However, according to the experience provided by veteran players, the strategies for defeating bosses are all the same, consisting of nothing more than tactics + coordination.
In the novice area dungeon, the highest-level boss currently known can reach level 30 or above.
Judging from common sense, the boss's level should be higher than the dungeon NPC, which is far higher than level 30.
Among the players in the novice zone, ERROR, the highest level, was only in his twenties. Furthermore, he hadn't left the dungeon yet, so he couldn't participate in this battle.
In the "IF" game world, a one-level difference in level means a huge disparity in real combat power.
In terms of strength alone, the players may be far inferior to the big boss, but they have the advantage of numbers, so the players are optimistic about this team battle.
——Their optimism did not last long.
The players who survived in the survival base followed Qi Yi for a long time, only to find that the surrounding environment was becoming more and more desolate.
At first, the sound of the wind could still be heard, but then even that faded away, leaving nothingness as far as the eye could see. It was as if anyone who fell behind would be swallowed up by the boundless nothingness.
The surroundings were filled with a suffocating feeling that prevented them from even chatting with each other or relaxing.
After walking in the direction of the red line for about half a century, the players finally heard the sound.
The sound coming from afar was very faint and ethereal, and it did not make them feel at ease at all.
Players realized that it was not a sound that belonged to humans, or even to the human world.
"Otherwise, let's go back."
"Yeah, who knows what's ahead? What if the Circle Master isn't there?"
"Even if the Circle Master is there, there are already so many people. A few of us won't be enough, right?"
The leader, Yu Qisui, turned his head, glanced at them, and said calmly, "If you want to leave, you can."
"Tsk." Shi Yuntian made a sound of disgust.
In such a gloomy environment, Lu Shufan still kept smiling and kindly reminded everyone, "The premise is that you can turn back."
The player who backed out looked back and saw only a vast gray void.
Without Qi Yi's guidance, they couldn't move forward in the void. They could only follow the other players and continue to move towards the direction of the strange sound, bravely taking steps.
The players walked a long way like zombies.
The sound in their ears gradually became louder, sounding like something being gnawed, making their scalps numb.
Suddenly, a sharp-eyed player in the crowd raised his head and pointed upwards, "Look, what is that!"
When the other players heard the sound, they all raised their heads and looked upwards, vaguely seeing three silhouettes towering into the clouds.
"Trees?" Yu Qi Miao tried to focus his eyes and could vaguely see the three tall and strong pillars, with the tops blocking out the sun and clouds, much like the crowns of trees.
"Fish will grow big, they look like trees to me."
"Why are there trees in this deserted place? And three of them?"
Su Jian floated up and saw three huge trees in the distance, and some fragments flashed through his mind.
——Three trees, I always feel inexplicably familiar with them.
"The dungeon boss we're going to fight isn't going to be a few trees, right?"
"No," Qiyi denied, but didn't offer any further explanation. She simply said, "Sister told me that once you get here, you'll understand what 'it' is."
One player was unhappy, "We've already come this far, why are you still keeping us in suspense?"
The little girl looked at him and said slowly, "Sister said that if I told you in advance, you would definitely not go over there."
The little girl, who only had half her life left, had a strange look that came from another world, which made the other players feel cold.
"Hiss." Gasps came one after another from the crowd.
"Are you plotting against us?"
"Everything I said is true." Qi Yi looked ahead and repeated, "You'll know when you go over there."
Just let them get there.
In Qi Yi's heart, a voice became clearer and clearer.
——Sister, I’m here to save you.
When things developed to this point, the smart players had already realized that they were being tricked by the little girl.
But they were already close to the outline of the towering tree and had no way to turn back, so they could only bite the bullet and continue forward.
A powerful attraction came from the front, as if calling this group of players.
The road ahead became very smooth and the speed of progress increased significantly.
Soon, the players were close to the giant trees, clearly seeing their massive canopies that covered the entire novice area, their bare, drooping branches, and—
White fruits emerging from the trunk of the giant tree!
Compared to the towering trees, the white fruit is barely small in size.
But if you take it out alone, it is as big as a human heart.
The tree trunk is densely packed with white berries, so numerous that it's hard to count them. But if players look closely, they'll find that the berries breathe and move.
Some fruits contain a bright red object.
The object struggled desperately, trying to break free from the white fruit.
No matter how hard you try, the result is just in vain.
Yu Qimiao had good eyesight. He stared at the white fruit that was close to him for a long time and suddenly discovered -
There was actually a person wrapped inside the white fruit!
The person swallowed by the ginkgo nuts has a head and limbs, but is like an unformed baby, trapped inside the peel.
Some players are still struggling, while some have given up resistance and are sitting quietly inside.
Yu Qi Miao: "I guess they might be players who failed to clear the level."
Qiyi replied, "Yes. My sister told me that players who fail or die in the dungeon will be teleported here and then eaten by the ginkgo nuts. Even if players have skills and weapons, they can't break through the peel."
"Since we can't break it from the inside, let's break it from the outside!" The player next to him was full of confidence. He picked up his weapon and rushed forward. He ran to the bottom of the big tree and stabbed the white fruit with force.
'Puff.'
A cut was made on the ginkgo nut.
"It works! Come on, cut all the fruits and stop..." Before the player could finish his words, he felt a sharp pain.
Under the horrified gaze of the players behind him, he saw his weapon being devoured and most of one of his hands being eaten.
The player quickly pulled his hand out, leaving only half a bone.
As he swallowed the ginkgo nut, the hole in his mouth squirmed twice, like smacking its lips.
"Ah——!" The player raised half of his hand and screamed in pain.
"We can't deal with him, where is Su Jian?" Yu Qi Miao searched for Su Jian in the crowd, wanting to ask Marshmallow if he had any clues.
Su Jing stayed quietly at the end of the crowd.
He has been hovering here for quite a while.
The ginkgo nuts, giant trees, and drooping branches in front of him were all very familiar to Su Jing.
He even knew that there was a coffin in the middle of the giant tree, where he was born.
Why did it turn out like this?
Before leaving, Su Jing asked the subsystem what the purpose of this place was.
The question was beyond the authority of the subsystem to answer, so Su Jian was certain that this place must have a special purpose, like creating a system NPC, or generating a bug.
But Su Jing never expected that this place was actually used to imprison players who failed the game, forcing them all to enter the white fruit and live a life worse than death in the long despair.
"Su Qi." Yu Qi Miao called out to Su Qi from a distance, "Do you have any clues?"
"...No." Su Jing replied in a soft and light voice.
Yu Qi Miao: "Okay, when we go in later, stay away. You are a white-named NPC, and if you encounter a red-named NPC inside, your situation will become very dangerous."
Lu Shufan: "Don't be afraid, little one, President Shi has you covered."
Shi Yuntian: "Wait, why me again?"
Lu Shufan: "Don't you want to protect Xiao Dim Sum?"
Shi Yuntian: "...whatever you say is what it is."
Su Jian didn't say anything, the CPU in his brain was about to burn out.
A came up to him and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "You shouldn't have come."
"Why?" Su Qiong's tone was full of confusion. "A, do you know anything?"
A slowly spoke, "...Actually, when I left copy 2, I got a hidden clue related to the circle."
The clue was given by Mr. S, and it only contained half a sentence: Let Su Jian stay in the dungeon...
The second half of the sentence was blurred and A did not hear it clearly.
However, based on the first half, A has roughly inferred it.
Su Jian is related to the circle, and is probably related to the circle leader of the novice area, or in other words—
Therefore, when other players explore the circle, A does not want Su Jing to follow.
"Come here quickly! There seems to be something hidden between these three trees!"
"Are you the leader of the novice area? Come on, everyone, come on!"
"Kill the Circle Master and we'll be able to clear the level!"
"Wait, there's nothing in there except a coffin?"
"Strange, could it be that the ring leader knew we were coming to kill him and left early?"
Shi Yuntian drew his heavy blade, "I'm going to hunt him down!"
Yu Qi Miao: "Don't be impulsive, the circle leader is very powerful, let's act together."
Lu Shufan: "I'll be responsible for finishing off the enemy and not giving him a chance to come back to life."
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