Xu Xi turned around to examine the small hidden room concealed within the cellar.
The High-Ponytailed Woman also walked to the other side to explore.
The floor was littered with various miscellaneous tools that were difficult to understand, and rows upon rows of bottles and jars on the shelves held unknown contents.
This should be the young man's experimental base, right?
Could those bottles and jars contain something that could counter the Evolved Creature?
Could it be that they needed to eliminate that Evolved Creature to clear this instance?
Xu Xi prepared to give it a try, but didn't hold out much hope.
After all, if there really was something that could counter the First-Generation Creature or the Evolved Creature, the young man shouldn't have left it behind, nor would he have fallen victim to his own creation and been killed by the powder he made.
It was entirely possible that after all that research, all he'd produced was an "advanced version of the candle (powder form)."
Just then, the High-Ponytailed Woman, who was carefully searching, called out softly, "There's a new clue on the table over here!"
Xu Xi, who had just been about to examine those bottles and jars, immediately changed direction.
At the very back was a single-person desk. The High-Ponytailed Woman stood beside it, holding a notebook in her hand.
"I found this on the table. The contents inside..."
Seeing her look of uncertainty about how to describe it, Xu Xi, feeling somewhat curious, took it from her.
The more he read, the stranger his expression became.
Although the records were quite cryptic, he vaguely discerned that this notebook documented transaction information related to organ trafficking.
This kind of record abruptly stopped towards the end. The latest page contained a passage of hastily scrawled handwriting.
'Didn't they say the Anomaly Management Bureau was established?'
'1*****, I've dialed it so many times, it's always busy.'
'No idea how many of the hotel's residents have been replaced by those things.'
'No, I have to get out of here. Those things are getting more and more brazen. It's just a shame about such a well-hidden transaction location.'
'■■■■■■■■'
The last line was a chaotic, disordered scribble, completely illegible.
The High-Ponytailed Woman speculated in a low voice, "This notebook probably belonged to the hotel owner. He likely met a bad end in the end; otherwise, he wouldn't have left this evidence of his crimes behind if he had left."
"To think this was a shady establishment. The sister of Room 202 resident Yang Wu probably fell victim to him."
"The hotel owner seems to have been a middleman, specifically connecting buyers and sellers. Occasionally, when he encountered an easy target like Yang Wu's sister, he couldn't resist taking action himself."
"Although we still haven't figured out exactly what those things are, this mentions the Anomaly Management Bureau and a contact number. Could that be the key to clearing this instance?"
Even the originally taciturn High-Ponytailed Woman found herself talking more when with Xu Xi.
Xu Xi agreed with these conjectures of the High-Ponytailed Woman.
Compared to the absurd idea of the two of them overestimating their abilities and trying to eliminate the Evolved Creature as a way to clear the instance, he felt calling the Anomaly Management Bureau was a much more reliable approach.
But—
He remembered the phone seemed to be on the Refined Man's person?
The High-Ponytailed Woman clearly thought of this too, her face instantly turning grim.
Xu Xi's gaze shifted back to the rows of bottles and jars on the nearby shelves.
He strode over, casually picked up one bottle, and, to the High-Ponytailed Woman's astonishment, walked to the iron grate and forcefully threw it into the cellar.
The shattered bottle immediately released a cloud of powder.
The Evolved Creature was drawn towards it.
But Xu Xi could tell the powder's attraction was limited; it probably wouldn't hold its attention for long.
It was likely a failed product the young man had created.
"Keep throwing these bottles towards that spot later. I'll go get the phone."
With his reload ability, Xu Xi felt no fear at all about facing the situation of being in the same room as the Evolved Creature.
But in the High-Ponytailed Woman's view, this was an extremely dangerous undertaking.
She hesitated, wanting to say maybe she should go instead, since she had a protective item.
The necklace could only be used three times. She had already used it once, leaving two uses remaining, which should be enough for trial and error.
But Xu Xi didn't give her a chance to speak. After throwing another bottle of powder outside, he grabbed the rope and started pulling the iron grate upward.
The High-Ponytailed Woman hurriedly went to help. Together, they raised the grate to a height just sufficient for someone to roll out from underneath.
Just before Xu Xi prepared to go out, the High-Ponytailed Woman stopped him.
"Wear this necklace. It can block two attacks for you. Combined, it can also immobilize the Evolved Creature for 10 seconds."
"Thank you." Xu Xi thought for a moment, then reached out and accepted it.
Although he could reload, it only passively returned him to a certain point before his death.
If the powder stopped working on the Evolved Creature, no matter how many times he reloaded, he wouldn't be able to successfully retrieve the phone.
But with this item, he gained an extra 10 seconds.
The High-Ponytailed Woman shook her head.
She wasn't just helping him; she was helping herself too.
If the young man died, she alone would be trapped here with no way out.
After Xu Xi went out, the High-Ponytailed Woman periodically threw a bottle of powder to attract the Evolved Creature's attention.
She didn't throw them all out at once because she didn't know if any of the bottles and jars contained something that might have a stimulating effect on the Evolved Creature. If she threw too many and caused an unexpected change, that would be disastrous.
She maintained this interval, throwing a bottle just before the Evolved Creature lost interest, sustaining its attention.
Under the High-Ponytailed Woman's precise timing, Xu Xi smoothly retrieved the phone from the Refined Man's body and successfully returned to the hidden room.
After lowering the iron grate again, Xu Xi returned the necklace to the High-Ponytailed Woman. The two then dialed the contact number written in the notebook.
After two beeps, the call connected almost immediately, with none of the busy signal issues mentioned in the notebook.
"This is the National Anomaly Management Bureau center. What problem have you encountered?"
A gentle female voice sounded from the other end of the line.
"We are a group of hikers. Today..." The High-Ponytailed Woman clearly and concisely recounted the players' experiences, finally earnestly requesting rescue from the other party.
The female voice on the phone clearly became serious.
"Understood. We have located your position. The nearest rescue team to you should arrive in approximately two hours. Please protect yourselves and keep your phone line open!"
After hanging up, the High-Ponytailed Woman's expression relaxed considerably.
Hope also rose in Xu Xi's heart.
After an unknown amount of time, a team dressed head-to-toe in airtight protective suits, holding guns, appeared before Xu Xi and the others.
Amidst the continuous sound of gunfire, the Evolved Creature was riddled with holes. After a pool of green liquid spread on the floor, it slumped limply to the ground.
"Anomaly Management Bureau Team 129, rescue successful. Two survivors, four victims. Awaiting instructions."
As these words were spoken, a white light appeared beneath the players' feet.
Instance cleared.
——
Simultaneously.
In Ji Yang's live stream.