Chapter 136: Youmu Requests to Battle!
"So many people?"
Haruto's gaze swept through the crowd, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Previous instances had a dozen people at most, but this time, there were at least forty or fifty scattered about.
This wasn't necessarily good news. A larger player count usually correlated with a spike in the instance's difficulty, and by extension, its mortality rate.
"The surroundings are quite open, though. Not bad. I like it," Kaguya remarked, surveying the area with genuine interest. Compared to the cramped, single-building scenarios they'd faced before, she much preferred this kind of terrain, which offered a high degree of freedom.
"This is an escape-type instance," Yotsuya Miko suddenly spoke up, her expression a little complicated.
In truth, this information wasn't hard to find for anyone who bothered to carefully check the mission data. But then she remembered who she was with, and it all made sense. Given the personalities of Haruto and Kaguya, they were the types to focus only on interesting stories, fun scenarios, and powerful items. They wouldn't waste time actively studying the tedious details of the rules.
Of course, they also possessed the overwhelming confidence to justify such an approach.
Choosing her words carefully, she began to explain. "Instances are roughly divided into three types: puzzle-solving, survival, and escape. What we're in now is an escape instance."
"As the name suggests, the primary goal is to escape from danger. There are fewer puzzle elements. The core gameplay loop involves planning routes, collecting supplies, avoiding threats, and finally reaching the designated safe zone to clear the instance."
After listening to Miko's explanation, Haruto had a rough grasp of the situation. To put it simply, it was a race to see who could run the fastest.
Simple.
He couldn't imagine any team being faster than theirs.
Haruto closed his eyes, cupping his chin in a dramatic thinking pose for a moment before speaking. "Everyone, look here. I'll briefly formulate a plan."
The gazes of the other four immediately focused on him, their expressions attentive as they waited for his instructions.
"Xuelao, you have the strongest perception; you'll be responsible for the team's reconnaissance."
"Okay," Lin Xuelao answered concisely.
Haruto then turned his gaze to Yotsuya Miko. "Miko, how's your practice with that Qi Sword Control technique coming along?"
Yotsuya Miko shook her head slightly. "I'm still not very proficient. But if it's just compressing the sword's form so it doesn't shatter while enhancing its attack power, that's no problem at all."
Since the end of the second instance, she hadn't been idle for a moment, diligently practicing her swordsmanship according to Haruto's instructions. She hadn't even needed to find a teacher in the real world; on the player forums, many veteran swordsmen had already posted guides detailing the experience and methods they had summarized over the years. The content was authentic, and the price was unusually cheap.
"That's fine. That's more than enough," Haruto said with a wave of his hand. "Just go ahead and slash as much as you want. Treat this as practical training. As it happens, Youmu can guide you from the side, and if you run into something you really can't beat, she can back you up."
"Okay, I'll do my best." Yotsuya Miko nodded solemnly, then turned to Youmu. "Sister Youmu, I'll be relying on you, then."
"There's no need to be so polite," Youmu replied, waving her hands in a fluster. "Since it's Haruto-sama's request and you're a teammate now, I will naturally help. Also, you don't need to call me 'sister'."
Yotsuya Miko just smiled, showing no intention of changing her form of address. Although Youmu looked much younger than her, she knew very well that the people Haruto associated with were rarely human, and their age could never be judged by appearance. She hadn't seen Haruto's last livestream, but from the information shared in their group chat, she could roughly piece together what had happened.
In short, as long as it was someone Haruto brought along, calling them 'sister' could never be wrong.
"Youmu," Haruto continued, "you'll be responsible for dealing with any enemies that Miko can't handle."
"Understood." Youmu nodded seriously, her hand gripping the hilt of Roukanken as she stood alertly by Haruto's side.
Finally, Haruto's gaze fell upon Kaguya, but he remained silent for a long time.
Kaguya couldn't help but ask, "What about me? What am I supposed to do?"
Haruto still didn't answer. He just looked at Kaguya thoughtfully, then glanced at a derelict car not far away.
"Stop! Don't say it! I suddenly don't want to know anymore!" Kaguya immediately had a terrible premonition, but it was too late.
Haruto said it anyway. "Kaguya, you'll be responsible for pulling the car. You have incredible strength, after all. Later, we'll find some sturdy ropes or iron chains to tie to the car, and you can pull us along."
"Cough, cough, cough—!" A nearby player, who had been curiously leaning in to eavesdrop, suddenly choked on his own saliva.
Human-powered car pulling?
Relying on one person to pull a car all the way to the safe zone?
Are you serious?
This player had initially listened to their task assignments and thought he'd stumbled upon a team of experts, even planning to try and recruit them. Now, hearing this, he wasn't sure if they were experts, but they were definitely unhinged.
He silently backed away, turning to find other, saner players to cooperate with.
Faced with Haruto's wild idea, even Yotsuya Miko and Lin Xuelao, who were somewhat used to his antics, felt the corners of their mouths twitch uncontrollably.
Kaguya's eyes were filled with resentment, her glare seeming to ask, 'Do I look like the kind of sucker who would do that?'
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Haruto grumbled, feeling their subtle, judgmental stares. "You know how strong Kaguya is. I bet even if all four of us were sitting in the car, she could hold a drink in one hand, drag us with a rope in the other, and still probably send us and the car flying."
"But even so, I'm not a perpetual motion machine!" Kaguya retorted. "If I pull for several hours, I'll die of exhaustion!"
"It's fine. Aren't you a Person of Penglai? You can resurrect if you die—a pure, unadulterated perpetual motion machine," Haruto stated with the utmost seriousness. "It's a pity Mokou isn't here. Otherwise, we could have achieved dual-wheel drive."
The others felt their eyelids twitch violently. What in the world was 'dual-wheel drive'?
Kaguya's expression darkened. "I have a feeling that if that dead turkey heard you, she'd give you a Fire Punch on the spot."
The proposal was, naturally, met with Kaguya's strong and absolute rejection.
Haruto walked over to the car and confirmed it was locked without a key, so he sighed and gave up. They would have to set off on foot.
By now, most of the players had already split into different small groups. Haruto did a rough scan of the area.
The team on the left consisted of about seven or eight people. They were disciplined and already organizing their gear with practiced efficiency. The team on the right had about a dozen people, all gathered around a white-haired, middle-aged man who seemed to be their leader.
Most, however, were small groups of three to five like theirs. In the distance, a few scattered players kept to themselves, some hiding alone behind cover while others nervously tried to find people to team up with.
Haruto's eyes widened slightly; he saw a familiar figure in the crowd. If he wasn't mistaken, it was a teammate he had been matched with during the Mermaid Instance. The man had some decent luck back then and managed to survive along with him.
Just as Haruto was about to go over and say hello, the Death Game's notification chimed in his mind.
[Location: Zedong Abandoned Town]
[Mission: Survive the overwhelming insect swarm and reach the escape point.]
[Time Limit: Three days]
[Warning: In three days, Zedong Abandoned Town will be struck by a nuclear bomb.]
"A nuclear bomb?!" someone in the crowd cried out in horror.
The term was all too familiar to modern people; it was the most terrifying weapon of destruction known to man. Perhaps some top-tier players, like those rumored Destined Players, could stand fearlessly against ghosts and ghouls. But facing a nuclear bomb… forget tanking it, just being grazed by the blast would likely turn them to ash.
However, Haruto's focus wasn't on the nuclear bomb at that moment. He stared at the words "insect swarm," and a strong, unsettling feeling welled up in his heart.
Rustle… rustle, rustle…
Suddenly, a strange sound echoed from the surrounding buildings—the skittering of countless tiny legs crawling over surfaces.
A bug crawled out from a shattered window, followed by another, and then another.
The creatures were the size of a grown man's fist. Their carapaces were pitch-black and disturbingly shiny. But the most terrifying part was that each bug's back bore a distorted, fleshy human face. Their features were blurred, and their mouths were stretched open in silent, unnatural screams.
More and more of the Human-faced Beetles appeared… and more, and more, until they formed a chittering, crawling tide.
"It's an insect swarm!"
"Run! Don't just stand there, run!"
"Move! To the left! There are no bugs on the left!"
Everyone present sensed the imminent danger. They shouted to their teammates and immediately broke into a desperate sprint.
Youmu's eyes sharpened, her right hand instantly pressing against the hilt of her sword. "Haruto-sama, step back!"
She took a step forward, a sharp sword aura faintly coalescing around her body as she prepared to draw her blade and charge into the fray.
As if he had anticipated this, Haruto reacted in a flash. Alarmed, he lunged forward, grabbed her firmly by the waist, and dragged her back.
Youmu was held suspended in his arms, her legs still kicking in the air a few times as if running on a phantom treadmill. "Haruto-sama, let me go! I can cut them all down!"
"Cut what fuzzy balls?! Run!" Haruto didn't dare let go for a second. He bolted, terrified that Youmu would dive headfirst into that disgusting mess.
It wasn't that he thought Youmu couldn't win. It was just that these bugs were too repulsive. Putting aside how utterly disgusting they were, there were just so many of them. Hadn't he seen Kaguya already slip away, leaving nothing but a faint afterimage?
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