Xu Xi opened his eyes to find his surroundings had changed, and knew he had entered the second instance.
Compared to worrying about the second instance, he felt more relieved.
He had honestly been too bored in the player space.
After realizing the stairs extended endlessly on both sides, he had given up on continuing to walk.
It was meaningless and tiring.
With no entertainment, no need to eat, and no sleepiness to make him rest, he had been so bored he even started counting the stone steps.
Fortunately, just when he couldn't stand the emptiness and was about to choose to enter the next instance early, the familiar white light enveloped him.
Xu Xi curiously looked around his surroundings.
He seemed to be in a desolate wilderness, the sky as dark and thick as if ink had been splashed across it, without a trace of starlight. Thick fog permeated the area, and upon closer inspection, it seemed like something was churning within the mist.
The extremely oppressive environment made Xu Xi feel goosebumps rise on his arms, and his heart grew even more uneasy.
However, aside from him, there were three other people participating in this instance.
One was a middle-aged man with a beer belly, one was a young guy wearing glasses and a white T-shirt, and the last was a young woman in a denim skirt.
While Xu Xi was observing them, the three were also observing each other.
Finally, the middle-aged man spoke first to introduce himself: "Hello everyone, I'm Tan Xingyun, and this is my second instance."
With the first person breaking the ice, the remaining people smoothly followed suit in order.
The white T-shirt guy was second. He nervously pushed his glasses up his nose bridge and said quite awkwardly: "I-I'm Li Kang, this is also my second instance."
The denim skirt woman was third: "I'm Xu Xiuman, also my second instance."
Last in line, Xu Xi also copied the template of the previous three: "I'm Xu Xi, second instance."
It seemed everyone was participating in an instance for the second time, they all thought simultaneously.
[Holy crap, is this that Xu Xi who cleared a solo instance in 2 minutes and 48 seconds?!]
[How dare you upstairs directly call his name? No respect for the expert! (dog head)]
[Everyone move aside! Let me be the first to lick!!]
[This instance's environment is so creepy]
[Came here after hearing the reputation, hope this guy isn't just relying on luck]
[What kind of luck lets you clear an instance in under three minutes, don't be ridiculous]
[How is luck not a kind of strength? At least I don't have that kind of luck - even when drawing cards I hit the pity system]
[LMAO, never seen any double or triple SSRs]
[We're getting off topic, since everyone is arguing endlessly, let's make a bet on whether this newcomer is a real expert or just relying on luck]
[I bet a pack of spicy strips, my Xu God's strength cannot be questioned!]
[Already deifying him? Then I bet a pack of sunflower seeds, if this guy really relies on skill then I'll... eat a pack of sunflower seeds]
[...]
Because Ji Yang's edited video had exploded in popularity and reached trending, causing widespread sensation online, if not the entire country knowing about it, at least netizens who followed the God Hunt game daily had noticed Xu Xi.
Therefore, after Xu Xi started streaming, most netizens either found their way to the live stream themselves or squeezed in through recommendation links from friends, family, or streamers.
It could be said that the number of viewers in Xu Xi's live stream had reached an unprecedented peak, with activity levels comparable to - and even surpassing - those of highly famous veteran players on the regular rankings.
After all, everyone understood the significance of 2 minutes and 48 seconds! They were very curious whether the newcomer who could clear an instance in under three minutes was relying on skill or simply luck.
After following Xu Xi, Ji Yang had been constantly paying attention to Xu Xi's account. Normally, a player's instance interval was about 7 days, but he didn't know if this newcomer would choose to enter an instance early, so he carried his phone with him even while eating, using the bathroom, and even showering, afraid he might miss the other's streaming notification.
As soon as Xu Xi started streaming, he eagerly clicked in.
He naturally noticed the live stream comments debate too. Although he didn't participate in it, it was precisely because he had the same curiosity that he was particularly looking forward to this instance's arrival.
Hope I can really witness the birth of a miracle. Ji Yang thought to himself.
Xu Xi had no idea that his first instance had caused such a big impact. He had simply been too lazy to repeatedly search for clues and had thus omitted unnecessary steps, never expecting that this would mislead the people in the real world.
"Everyone has introduced themselves, next let's all check if we have anything on us that might indicate our identities." The speaker was Tan Xingyun, his tone very amiable, so even though these were somewhat commanding words, the other three didn't find them unpleasant.
Xu Xi gave him a thoughtful look. Now that he thought about it, in the last instance he had never considered checking if he had any clues on him from start to finish.
I'm indeed still too green. It seems I need to learn more from these experiences.
[That look was meaningful]
[Someone else took the lead in setting the rhythm, must be upset]
[Not really, earlier everyone was silent, this uncle only stepped up to lead because others weren't speaking]
[Very obvious, this guy is deliberately pretending, he doesn't want to be the leader]
The four searched themselves and eventually only found a small amount of paper currency in their pants pockets.
"This... there's nothing but paper money, what's the use of this paper money?" Li Kang spoke softly.
Xu Xi carefully examined the stack of banknotes in his hand. The design wasn't any he remembered, and judging by the denominations and quantity, it was probably around a thousand.
Just then, Xu Xiuman suddenly pointed in a direction and raised her voice to alert everyone: "Look quickly, there's a car over there!"
The other three looked in the direction she pointed and indeed saw a patch of ground ahead not covered by the white fog, with a black car parked on it.
As everyone approached, the black car's full appearance gradually revealed itself.
"Why doesn't this car have any logos?" Li Kang scratched his head. "It doesn't even have a license plate."
"Only the road ahead is free of white fog here. We probably need to drive this car along this road, right?" Xu Xiuman uncertainly voiced her guess.
"I think so too." Tan Xingyun first affirmed Xu Xiuman's guess, then changed tack and volunteered: "How about I drive? I usually drive a taxi, so my skills are fairly proficient."
Li Kang and Xu Xiuman had no objections, as neither could guarantee their own driving skills.
Xu Xi hadn't spoken again after his introduction, and at this moment merely nodded along.
[I see these three discussing quite actively, why isn't Xu Xi participating at all?]
[Maybe the expert has his own considerations?]
[Perhaps he wants to keep up the act]
[Don't get your hopes up too high, he doesn't seem particularly special to me]
[Acting? More like purely incompetent]
[No matter what you say, as long as the 2 minute 48 second record stands, my 800-meter thick filter won't shatter!]
As for Xu Xi not wanting to speak, he didn't have that many reasons - he was just habitually lowering his presence and maintaining a low profile.