But none of that was the point.
The thoughts he had suppressed earlier now bubbled back up.
So far he had experienced three rebirths in this instance, and not once had he respawned at the very beginning like in the last instance.
Judging from the time points of these three returns, each time he went back it was to the moment when a decision had to be made.
So, to be more accurate, is his ability something like a rollback?
Or is it just that this instance is peculiar?
Xu Xi thought hard for a long while and realized these ideas could only remain conjectures.
With only two instances to reference, he could not draw a definite conclusion; he would need further testing.
Still... as he kept repeating to himself, it's best not to die if you can avoid it.
He recalled the last time he had been skewered into pieces by the strange old woman, and his body flinched in phantom pain.
Tch, dying really does hurt.
——
Maybe because the danger had passed, the torrential rain that had been pouring also stopped.
"This rain was definitely caused by that strange old woman," Li Kang muttered as he looked out at the foggy sky.
"No telling what we might run into next." Tan Xingyun stayed on high alert.
Having encountered grave mounds, eerie shadows, and the road-blocking strange old woman in succession, his nerves were already tightly wound.
He did not think the road ahead would suddenly calm down.
"Meet force with force, meet water with earth," Xu Xiuman offered a consoling remark.
Even though there might be one player in their team who was an obvious master, none of them would let their guard down because of that.
Relying on someone else to keep you alive was not a wise plan.
This instance clearly required cooperation, but there were always instances that didn't value teamwork; you couldn't expect others to carry you.
Not every instance had masters; not everyone would be willing to pull you through.
They ultimately had to depend on themselves.
"Please, please, I hope we reach that funeral parlor soon!" Li Kang clasped his hands together in a devout gesture.
No one replied, but every face showed they were thinking the same thing.
Xu Xi propped his elbow on the car window ledge, pressed his palm to his head, and fought to suppress the queasy dizziness. When he heard Li Kang, he too silently prayed they'd arrive quickly.
He really wanted to vomit!
[Three teammates are all worried about the road ahead, only Xu Xi looks carefree and utterly unconcerned]
[This guy really looks more and more extraordinary, I don't even know what those people who said his name didn't match the reality were shouting about]
[Can't stand someone being better than them, always someone up high liking to point fingers]
[There are plenty of amazing players, missing one won't matter]
[Oh, someone got flustered]
[There are many great players, but I've never seen one finish a solo instance in 2 minutes 48 seconds. If you don't believe it, find someone better and show me]
[I'm not arguing with you, just wait. So many veteran players wouldn't claim to be 100% sure they could clear an instance. You hype up this newcomer so much; when he falls I'll come back and see whether your words slap your face]
Tens of thousands of live stream comments covered the screen densely, some discussing, some arguing, some doubting, some defending. Mixed with spam and off-topic jokes, the chatroom was a chaotic mess.
Fortunately for Xu Xi inside the instance, it had no effect.
He was wondering whether this stretch of highway would ever smooth out a bit—surely it couldn't be bumpy the whole way—when he suddenly heard Beer-Bellied Uncle say in a low voice, "That death mouth really works."
Huh? What now?
He leaned forward to look and saw the highway ahead had vanished, replaced by a dense forest.
Even stranger, outside the trees stood a woman in a red dress, waving at them.
"...Such a familiar routine. Haven't we already been through this once? It's back again!" Li Kang widened his eyes, incredulous. "Could it be another toll-collector?"
[Lol, what a vivid phrase]
[Don't say it—wasn't that old woman basically a toll collector?]
[That's easy, just keep using paper money to shoo them off. Don't they still have some on them?]
[I don't think the same trick would show up twice. This red dress woman probably won't be as easy as the old woman]
[With Xu Xi here, it should be fine]
[Be rational, don't hyper-mythologize him—he's still a newcomer]
As the chatroom raised another round of debate, Xu Xiuman expressed a view similar to some of the comments.
"...The instance shouldn't kindly repeat the same trap twice. If it did, we could just repeat the same actions and easily avoid danger."
Before being chosen by the God Hunt game, she had often watched various live streams. Though instances varied in style, based on her observation, none repeated the exact same routine.
"It's a bit abnormal," Tan Xingyun said, slowing the car. He feared the red-dressed woman might, like that old woman, leap into the road without warning. "So what, go around or stop?"
He asked and, unobtrusively, glanced at the young man in the left rear seat through the rearview mirror.
Unfortunately, the young man appeared indifferent, refusing to join their discussion.
Left with no choice, Tan Xingyun turned to the other two, "What do you think?"
Xu Xiuman pressed her lips together and, after a moment, said with some reluctance, "I don't think we can just keep going."
She pointed toward the forest, indicating they should look: "See, we can't get through at all."
Because of her reminder, Xu Xi finally noticed the white mist inside the woods, identical to the fog along the sides of the road. Even as they approached, the path inside remained unclear. If they drove in, they would one hundred percent get lost in the forest.
He hadn't noticed Tan Xingyun's glance; silently he admired how keenly the denim skirt woman observed things and thought he should learn from her.
"The old woman brought a downpour, and now this red dress woman brings a forest. What, do these weird beings come with scenic backgrounds?" Li Kang, feeling much bolder now that someone in their car might be a master, blurted loud.
"It looks like we have to stop. Everyone get ready." Tan Xingyun slowed the vehicle again until it came to a halt in front of the woman in the red dress.
She seemed surprised a car would actually stop for her, and looked very delighted.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to block you. I'm rushing to a wedding banquet but the taxi driver refused to go any further and left me here. Could you give me a ride?"