The Painting Woman sneakily tried to pat his shoulder, but at that moment Xu Huo turned around and stared at her.
The Painting Woman sheepishly withdrew her hand, pulled out her phone and quickly typed, "I'm here for the part-time job."
Xu Huo didn't look at the helicopter circling in the sky. He took out Shelter 101 and gestured for the Painting Woman to follow him inside.
Only after closing the door did he take out the Nüwa Stone, then retrieve the mycelium he had previously planted in a nutrient tube, allowing the root ends of the mycelium to touch the stone's surface.
The King Fungus's mycelium grew quickly on the Nüwa Stone, constantly sprouting new branches, and soon formed a white frost-like network across the stone's surface.
He placed the Nüwa Stone together with the mycelium into the "Robber's Treasure Box," then said to the Painting Woman, "Take this box deep into the depression. If you find any items down there, place the box next to them and open it just a crack to let the mycelium spread out."
"Of course, it would be even better if you could bring the items back. But if you can't retrieve them, it doesn't matter—just let the mycelium spread underwater."
The Painting Woman was no longer what she used to be; she was long past being an item person with only a partial understanding of language. She nodded and typed on her phone, "Can I make an excessive request?"
"If you know it's excessive, then don't make it." Xu Huo's face was cold, his heart colder, and he cut her off without a moment's hesitation.
The Painting Woman looked at him pitifully. "Could you at least listen before refusing?"
"Go ahead."
"I want this stone too..."
"No." Xu Huo refused her. "You're here to work. A worker can't haggle with the boss. The compensation I'm offering isn't low either—you need to have some professional ethics."
The Painting Woman pouted. From her expression, her desire for the Nüwa Stone wasn't as strong as her craving for the Gentleman of Light medal.
As a sentient item that had gained intelligence, the Painting Woman certainly wouldn't be as stubbornly principled as Mr. Dong. Before she arrived, Xu Huo had hesitated about whether to entrust the Nüwa Stone to her. But for now, he had no better way to quickly reverse the situation caused by the black rain, and having the Painting Woman handle this matter was the fastest option.
Still, it seemed fine for now.
"But if more medals come up in the future, I can prioritize giving them to you," he offered as a supplementary condition.
Only then did the Painting Woman look a bit happier. With one hand carrying the box and the other holding up her phone, she typed, "If I bring back items, does that count as exceeding my mission requirements?"
"It counts. And there'll be a bonus!"
The Painting Woman made a cheering gesture. Her form once again turned into a paper-thin sheet, wrapping around the item box as she flew out. She even knew to avoid crowded areas, deliberately circling halfway around before plunging into the water like a dart!
The box smashed a large splash across the water's surface, drawing the attention of both the players on the opposite shore and the helicopter above. Code Name B emerged from the trees and had just reached the edge of the depression when he suddenly spotted a pitch-black human figure standing beside a tree nearby!
"Bang! Bang!" Two gunshots rang out. The human figure vanished with a somewhat sluggish movement.
B's expression shifted sharply. He immediately turned and changed positions, but at that moment, several snakes lunged at him from different directions—his concealment item could hide his form, but it was essentially just a piece of clothing, not completely sealed. Suddenly faced with so many venomous snakes, he instinctively leaped upward, only to look up and see a bunch of colorful snakes crashing down toward his face!
"Two-point exchange!" B clapped his hands mid-air, his form abruptly teleporting five meters away. He then hurled a miniature bomb toward a certain direction in the forest!
Amid the explosions and the crashing sounds of falling trees, a man of below-average height ran out from behind a tree. With a whistle in his mouth, he blew and pointed at Code Name B. "Good kitties who obey are the best kitties!"
B's expression changed drastically—not because of the slightly embarrassing proclamation, but because he sensed something approaching him from all sides. He raised a defensive item to block, but the thing nimbly stepped onto the item, leaped onto his head, and scratched him hard!
"Miaow!" The fierce cry of a wild cat echoed through the night. Code Name B fired continuously, killing several wild cats before noticing that the cats, snakes, and various small animals scurrying through the grass were multiplying. He accelerated and burst out of the encirclement, charging straight toward the whistle-blowing player.
This whistle-blowing player was none other than Zeng Tai, the one who had bickered with Wang Chaoqing earlier. He pulled off the earring on his earlobe and threw it. "Dinner's ready!"
That earring was shaped like a miniature cat bowl—undoubtedly an item. As the earring flew out, every cat in the vicinity went wild, howling as they pounced toward B.
Code Name B fired continuously and used several more items, but against the agile animals, the results were poor. Even as he fought, a hedgehog somehow flew onto his face, its quills sticking right into his protective face shield.
"Simple Prison!" Zeng Tai threw out a pair of handcuffs.
B instinctively dodged to the side, but somehow stepped on and pulled off his own concealment cloak. The moment the cloak was torn off, several wild cats clawed at him from behind, directly tearing open his protective suit!
"Damn it!" He cursed, quickly pulling out a new protective cloak and throwing it on. But when he tried to retrieve his item cloak, it was pinned under the handcuffs, impossible to pull free.
At the same time, Zeng Tai opened fire, and Code Name B had no choice but to abandon the item and hide behind a tree.
The two fought fiercely in the forest. With the assistance of the small animals, Zeng Tai initially had the upper hand. But as the items' effects wore off and the animals were no longer under his control, B gradually seized the initiative.
"Shit, this foreign devil is too hard to deal with!" Zeng Tai called for help from his other companions.
Code Name B clearly had more than one concealment item to hide his form. He repeatedly concealed himself and ambushed Zeng Tai. In just a few minutes, not only had he breached Zeng Tai's protective suit, but he had also left several knife wounds on his body, each one blackening.
"The taste of Mutant toxin—you'll experience it soon enough." B looked at him smugly. "By then, I won't even need to kill you. The companions rushing to your aid will clean house first."
"I don't understand bird language!" Zeng Tai was hot-tempered. He grabbed a watermelon knife and started hacking wildly in the forest. "I'll chop down all the trees and see where you hide!"
The enraged Zeng Tai was no longer a threat. He didn't even notice that B had already moved away.
"Idiot." B glanced back at Zeng Tai, who was swinging his blade wildly. He pulled out a cylindrical cloth item and slid it over his head, then stepped step by step into the depression.
The cloth item isolated him from the toxic water and mud in the depression. He walked straight toward the center of the depression, slowly sinking his body into the water below, where he placed a blue circular device that emitted a glow, then pressed it downward.
After a few seconds of waiting, the depression remained as calm as ever. Sensing something was wrong, B reached out to feel for the device but found his body involuntarily tipping forward. All the items on him vanished, and beneath his feet appeared the familiar white spiral staircase from before!
He had just grabbed the green "Emergency Exit" in his hand when both his arms were severed. He turned his head and saw countless pairs of large scissors constantly opening and closing on the wall, which was getting closer and closer!
