Why haven't I finished Chapter 132, "The Survivor" yet?
"Huh?"
Although the man didn't understand why the other party suddenly wanted his phone, he still hastily fished it out of his pocket and handed it over.
"Here, do you need to look something up? Feel free to use it however you want, as long as it helps!"
Xu Xi indicated, "Unlock it."
"Oh, right." The man quickly unlocked the screen.
Taking the phone, Xu Xi glanced at the screen.
He didn't recognize the characters on it, but he could somehow understand their meaning.
He also had no interest in prying into others' privacy. He found the dialer and punched in a string of numbers buried deep in his memory.
It didn't connect.
Xu Xi's expression remained unchanged.
This was expected, so he wasn't exactly disappointed.
He had dialed the number for the Anomaly Management Bureau from the third instance.
But clearly, God Hunt wasn't going to let him take such a shortcut.
However.
Although the call didn't go through, it didn't show as a non-existent number. Did this mean... the instances were actually connected?
Xu Xi felt he had stumbled upon something rather significant.
Yet, the very next second, he reeled in his wandering thoughts.
This wasn't something he should be pondering right now.
So what if they were connected? It offered zero help for his current predicament.
"Which is the most popular live-streaming platform?"
Xu Xi asked the man.
The man was taken aback by the sudden question and replied instinctively, "Starsea?"
Xu Xi hadn't heard of it, but that didn't matter.
"Do you have the app on your phone? Do you have an account?"
The man was somewhat bewildered. "Yes, this one."
He obediently pointed to one of the apps.
"I have an account. Sometimes when I perform blessings, I'll start a live stream. You never know, it might bring in the next client."
The man shook his head, deciding he would delete this account as soon as he got back.
Cut all ties!
Xu Xi nodded and didn't press further.
After familiarizing himself with the live-streaming process under the man's guidance, he stood up.
The man also hurriedly stood up. He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to ask Xu Xi what exactly he planned to do. But seeing the other's calm, expressionless, and yet indisputable demeanor, he swallowed his words and asked dryly, "Do you really have a way?"
The young man before him still didn't answer, merely saying, "I'm borrowing your phone."
With that, he turned and left.
The man reached out his hand. "Hey—"
Watching the young man's receding back, he sighed. He could only choose to pin his hopes on this mysterious East Asian youth.
Meanwhile, Xu Xi, who had successfully obtained the phone, felt somewhat complicated.
He hadn't given the man any promises.
He did have a method, but this method was only to allow the players like them to clear the instance.
As for the other party and the production team, who were NPCs, their fate in this instance was perhaps already sealed.
This borrowed phone would also never return to its owner's hands.
*
When Xu Xi returned to the front of the camp, he was greeted by the overt and covert scrutiny and probing gazes of the other players.
Winifred was the first to put on a natural smile, speaking in a relaxed tone, "Yo, buddy, you finished your business? You were gone quite a while."
His words, both explicit and implicit, carried a clear tone of probing.
Xu Xi let out an "Oh" and uttered two words, "Constipation."
Uh.
The blunt and crude reply froze Winifred's smile on his face, leaving him momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Saha snorted coldly and turned his head away.
Buriman's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. This Hua Nation player, even his brush-offs were so... unique.
The live stream, however, was exceptionally lively.
[What is this Hua Nation player doing? I don't get it. (ip White Elephant Nation)]
[He actually went to find that shaman, and just to get his phone? (ip Coffee Nation)]
[Powerful spirit? How does he know that? (ip Bear Nation)]
[Probably just using the instance's backstory. (ip Windmill Nation)]
[So what? What's the use of that phone? An item? (ip Kimchi Nation)]
[Constipation, my ass. So even masters get constipated? (dog head) (ip Hua Nation)]
[Master Xu Xi, I finally know your secret! If you don't tell me how you speed-ran the instance, I'll make sure everyone knows your secret! (ip Hua Nation)]
[Xu Xi: Thanks, it's already known worldwide. (ip Hua Nation)]
[By the way, did anyone notice the number string Master Xu Xi dialed? (ip Hua Nation)]
[I know. That's the contact number for some organization from Master Xu Xi's third instance, called the Anomaly Management Bureau or something. I even tried calling it myself. The result is obvious. (ip Hua Nation)]
[Damn, brave soul. (ip Hua Nation)]
The international netizens, who were originally extremely puzzled by the Hua Nation player's actions, finally couldn't help but voice their opinions when they saw the Hua Nation live stream comments. Not only were they not worried about their own contestant's safety or curious about his actions, they were even discussing unrelated matters.
[Why don't the Hua Nation people care about their contestant? (ip Rice Nation)]
[Because they are confident to the point of arrogance, thinking that just because that Hua Nation player speed-ran one instance, he can easily clear all instances. (ip Prettyland)]
[That's impossible. No player can do that. (ip Hans Nation)]
[Blind certainty and expectations are not advisable. I hope the Hua Nation people understand this. (ip Romantique)]
Meanwhile, at Hua Nation's Central Television at this moment.
Jiang Jin spoke hesitantly, "Did contestant Xu Xi dial that number earlier to test something?"
Hua Nation's research into God Hunt had never ceased.
Where those bizarre and fantastical instances truly came from remained a topic of debate.
But the most widely circulated hypothesis was that those instances were actually worlds that had been devoured by God Hunt.
Everyone who had watched his streams knew what number Xu Xi had dialed.
The fact that he could dial it meant that within this mixed-team competition instance, the number genuinely existed.
If the number existed, then the Anomaly Management Bureau naturally existed too.
In other words, the two instances were interconnected.
As for whether the timelines were consistent, that remained to be verified.
Lin Miao nodded. "Unfortunately, restricted by the instance rules, that call never connected."
[If it could connect, wouldn't that be overpowered? The first thing I'd do upon entering an instance is call for help.]
[That's why it's restricted. Do you think God Hunt would be so kind as to let you exploit such a loophole?]
[So those instances are actually complete worlds, right? We are their past, they are our future.]
[Don't say that. Even though I shout all day about wanting the world to end, not like this. Having to work as an NPC for that damn God Hunt even after death??]
[Why is no one discussing what Master Xu Xi plans to do with that phone?]
[Because we've racked our brains and still can't figure it out.]
At that moment, Yao Han happened to ask, "Why did contestant Xu Xi specifically go to get that shaman's phone?"
The other three fell silent.
Luo Zongyun spread his hands, saying jokingly, "Professor Lin Miao and I would also very much like to know."
*
Inside the instance.
On the other side, the slovenly man who noticed the situation here immediately walked over.
He first looked at Xu Xi. "You finally came back, kid."
Then he clapped his hands. "Alright, since everyone's here now, let's go in. Don't waste any more time."
