Chapter 290: Hostage

Cheng Shuili's gaze fell on Moyu Miji, she let out a light laugh and replied, "Hostage."

Moyu Miji, hearing that, froze. "So I'm the hostage, huh! This person even calls themselves a teammate! The Moyu bond! Now look, I won't even fake it any longer, sob sob."

They didn't know what expression to make, so they opened the chat window to mask their awkwardness.

That glance actually made them discover some astonishing news; they had only scanned casually, but once they realized what they saw, their pupils instantly dilated.

"Out... outside... the acid rain outside suddenly intensified a lot!"

Moyu Miji's expression turned terrified; one can't blame them for overreacting, the description in the group was truly horrifying.

Raincoats sizzled, raindrops gained weight, bearing a cataclysmic aura; even ordinary metal weapons in hand were corroded with tiny holes, rendering them useless.

This...

Those people were already desperate; they guessed this must be the first peak mentioned, but it arrived so fast and so fierce that they had no time to react!

Moyu Miji's voice trembled as they recounted everything; they're not that stupid—when their eyes met the calm gazes of a few people in the dim light, they finally caught on.

"You... you already knew?"

As Moyu Miji asked that, their gaze swept over the shadowed faces of the few, and in that instant they even felt those people were scarier than the acid rain outside.

Those people truly saved their life.

Moyu Miji felt conflicted, and for a moment didn't know how to treat them.

"You... you exactly..." Which person are they, anyway?

Moyu Miji's voice was hoarse, wanting to ask but not daring to ask fully.

Cheng Shuili had even less intention to answer.

The number of people in the group chat created by Fengyun Tianxia kept dwindling, and since few entered the Instance to begin with, each one was extremely precious.

Cheng Shuili still hadn't figured out their purpose for entering the hell‑level Instance, but rather than act to rescue them, she preferred not to understand their motive.

Whether they can survive... still depends on Fengyun Tianxia's own strength.

The underground shelter was somewhat quiet; Qi Wan Yi held a flashlight and examined the wall, where the plaster had swelled from dampness and crumbled off with a rustle when touched.

Apart from that, the entire shelter was empty, devoid of any items.

Calling it a shelter is a stretch; "basement" would be more appropriate.

Cheng Shuili chose a clean spot and stood by the wall, holding Night Hunt.

Ailin's gaze occasionally fell on the long sword Cheng Shuili held, and after studying it a few times, she looked elsewhere.

This Lao Da, being Number One, naturally possessed an extraordinary weapon.

Ailin admitted she was a bit envious, but more curious, with a faint hope to see it for herself; however, she always held Cheng Shuili in respect, so she felt too shy to speak up.

She tried to control herself, shifting her gaze away from Night Hunt, unaware that Cheng Shuili had taken it all in.

Cheng Shuili generously handed Night Hunt over.

The gesture was a bit abrupt, but she was Lao Da, and the others couldn't say anything.

Ailin accepted it with a delighted smile, examined it carefully, then, satisfied, returned it.

Qi Wan Yi watched their interaction and asked curiously, "What did you see?"

Ailin shook her head, "Gained some insight."

Still rather polite.

Cheng Shuili shook her head, mustered her spirit again, and looked at Moyu Miji: "Has Fengyun Tianxia all died?"

What kind of question is that?

Moyu Miji's whole back tensed up.

This person seems normal, but actually doesn't care about others' lives at all, right?

He muttered to himself, but if Cheng Shuili heard that, she'd surely retort, "Then... what does it matter to her whether those people are alive or dead?"

Moyu Miji quickly reported the latest situation: "They found the shelter, but because events unfolded so urgently, they lost half their numbers; now only three remain."

Cheng Shuili nodded, "Fengyun Tianxia still alive?"

Moyu Miji couldn't grasp why they asked that, but after a quick mental run, decided to answer honestly: "They're still alive, and the remaining two seem to be his close confidants; earlier a teammate said the three of them were together."

Oh... I see.

Cheng Shuili felt a bit disappointed.

Ever since she heard the ID "Fengyun Tianxia" in the Instance, she felt that guy was coming after her.

The feeling came abruptly yet clearly.

Like being locked onto by something.

Cheng Shuili shook her head; in such a massive Instance, there must be more than just their two teams, and the other teams that haven't reported anything yet, she has no idea what's happening with them.

She stood up and positioned herself at the stairwell entrance.

According to Cheng Shuili's attributes, standing here she could clearly discern the volume of the rain outside.

Until the rain's sound noticeably lessened, the group finally emerged from the underground shelter.

The Instance had, besides a survival task, a material‑gathering task: one person accounted for ten markers, and with five of them they needed to locate a full fifty.

Hiding things won't make them come to you on their own.

However...

Cheng Shuili still hasn't figured out where the teamwork in this team‑Instance truly manifests.

Among the five of them, any...

Can't say that; at the start of gathering information, having many people was indeed useful.

Especially with Ginger Candy, the Euro Emperor, who spawned at the edge of the map at the start, the advantage was obvious.

But if we talk about cooperation...

Cheng Shuili frowned; she couldn't shake the feeling that this Instance's cooperation was less among team members and more between teams.

Just like the crucial information found in Fengyun Tianxia, if you don't know that information, the acid rain will definitely catch Cheng Shuili and her group off guard.

Cheng Shuili Qing Qing glanced at the Moyu Miji, having this guy around is enough... even if he is a hostage, he is still a good hostage we can cooperate with.

That's enough.

Several people returned to the control room; after the acid rain, although the wall structure hadn't changed much, the map on the wall here had clearly faded considerably.

This is definitely bad news.

This shows that the acid rain is definitely destroying the information in the Instance; the information that Cheng Shuili and her group have discovered has been backed up, so it doesn't matter if it's destroyed.

But what about those that haven't been discovered?

After being exposed to the acid rain, can they still be discovered?

Cheng Shuili frowned, feeling that the system had dug some kind of trap waiting for them to jump into.

Adding to that is a faint, ever-present feeling of being watched, an uneasy sensation...