When they both returned, someone whispered, "They didn’t clear the level, see? What help could ordinary people possibly provide?"
"Are you alright?" Xu Huo asked Xiaoxiao, who lay on the ground coughing. She lifted her pale face and said, "I’m so sorry, I couldn’t help you... that’s right, a person like me with no abilities, how could I possibly be of any help?"
Xu Huo handed her a towel. "Friendship is equal, regardless of a person’s strength or weakness."
Xiaoxiao slowly got up and took the towel.
Unexpectedly, fireworks effects appeared just above the square, and two names slowly enlarged from within the fireworks. The host enthusiastically threw flowers and said, "Congratulations to Mr. Yucong and Miss Liu Xiaoxiao for obtaining genuine friendship!"
The realism brought by advanced technology transcends ordinary effects. When the host announced their successful friendship, Sea World enveloped them in a 360-degree realistic wrap, like a promotional video. At each location change, people would warmly greet them, as if they were already residents of Sea World.
Those who wished to stay in Sea World were naturally filled with envy, but Xu Huo wasn’t planning to stay, and Liu Xiaoxiao didn’t seem particularly pleased either.
"Did you clear the level?" You Si raised his chin at Xu Huo.
Xu Huo slightly nodded and added, "Clearing the level wasn’t as difficult as I thought."
This time, his evaluation had surpassed an S-rank rating, entirely because Liu Xiaoxiao, a weak ordinary person, was willing to sacrifice herself to rescue a player far stronger than herself. Even though she knew she couldn’t change the situation that even the players couldn’t handle, she still did it.
Therefore, a normal level clearance shouldn’t be so difficult, at least not to the extent of sacrificing one’s life for another.
Xu Huo had a feeling that someone else would soon clear the level. His gaze swept across the square, passing over Gan Yi and No. 18, and settled on the person who had ambushed him the previous night.
With a step, he crossed the space and appeared behind him. His hands interlocked and he quickly twisted the man’s neck.
The body fell to the ground, and Xu Huo then turned to look at Gan Yi.
With his speed, it would take less than a second to reach them. So, as he turned his head, Gan Yi and Zhuang Mengtian took out their props. The former pushed out a human-sized storage cabinet, and the latter supported a half-human high clock, forcefully turning the hands until it struck nine o’clock, and the clock chimed!
Despite the size of the clock, an overwhelming sound instantly permeated through the plaza. Although the sound was deafening, many people felt dazed, and several ordinary people just fell asleep on the ground.
Xu Huo stood still, not moving. Across from him, Zhuang Mengtian wasn’t sure if the prop had worked and was observing when Gan Yi took the opportunity to reach behind him—his right hand, which had two fingers reattached, having been broken just moments ago.
But this time, Xu Huo didn’t hold back. As he turned around, his sword flashed, cleanly severing Gan Yi’s hand. In an instant, Xu Huo moved behind the two, tearing through their spatial shield made by their prop and grabbed Gan Yi’s shoulder.
Some small range spatial artifacts, such as those changing the state around them to block attacks or create protective shields, were still just altering spatial conditions. Normally, it’s hard to break through such props, but Xu Huo, having undergone a Super Evolution of spatial power, found Gan Yi’s lesser spatial artifact no match. So when their artifacts collided, Gan Yi’s prop naturally failed. Still, resigned to his fate, he simply sacrificed an arm to forcibly slip away.
Of course, the prop played its role, but Gan Yi’s left arm got dislocated, and in that gap, Xu Huo appeared beside him again.
At such close quarters, speed was everything. Gan Yi used five different props in rapid succession to forcibly create distance between them.
Xu Huo was first forcibly moved three meters away, then the floor beneath him transformed into continuously moving stairs that forced him to walk in place. Next, a fabric sack dropped from above, and hearing "Please dodge" from the opposite side, he unconsciously turned away, back facing Gan Yi as he walked.
As he turned around, not just Gan Yi and Zhuang Mengtian were closing in, but so was No. 27 from nearby.
Feeling these people closing in, Xu Huo activated "Truth Above All," rendering props and attacks ineffective for three seconds. He turned to face them head-on, enhancing his speed with spatial power. As he passed by them, he slashed Zhuang Mengtian’s neck and grabbed No. 27 by the throat, smashing him onto Gan Yi and pinning both directly against the plaza’s wall.
"Bang!" A massive collision sounded throughout the plaza; the metallic wall behind echoed the impact. No. 27 was somewhat okay, but Gan Yi, embedded in a dent in the wall, had his bones cracking loudly!
The three seconds hadn’t passed yet, but Xu Huo, without blinking, threw No. 27 away and with one sword impaled Gan Yi into the wall.
Looking at the screaming victim, Xu Huo walked over and lightly tapped the sword handle with his foot, causing the victim’s face to contort as the blade of the Eye of the Deceased sank almost entirely into the wall behind him.
"Cough!" Gan Yi spat blood, glaring at the man in front of him.
"The sword went through your right shoulder. If you’re heartless enough, you can cut off your shoulder to push the sword out," Xu Huo said expressionlessly.
Gan Yi stayed silent but glanced in No. 27’s direction; however, Xu Huo shattered his hope, "He can’t even save himself, don’t expect him to help you."
Having been thrown out, No. 27 had only minor injuries. Unfortunately, the real issue wasn’t the injuries but that the moment Xu Huo had grabbed him, bacteria had infiltrated through the wounds on his skin, entering his system much faster than mere skin contact. As he got up, his neck darkened, leaving him grasping his throat, desperately coughing up black mucus.
He now ignored Xu Huo completely, frantically gulping down Antitoxin.
Two dead and two injured, the battle appeared heart-stoppingly intense, yet it lasted less than half a minute. At that moment, Xu Huo merely smiled at the others and said, "Continue."
The host and spectators outside the ring clearly saw this scene. Whether they were thrilled by the scene of combat and killing or exceptionally tolerant towards someone who might become a city-mate, no one interfered with Xu Huo. After his words, the host also said with a smile, "Sea World welcomes strong friends."
The tri-color competition could proceed. No. 18, quite wary, actively teamed up with others.
From a distance, You Si gave Xu Huo a thumbs up, saying, "Awesome!"
Sha Jia sadly shook her head, covering the dead bodies with a white cloth while taking their props.
Only then did Xu Huo turn back to Gan Yi and said, "Do you know why you’re not dead yet?"