After that, Xu Huo elaborated a bit more about his experiences in the ruins, leaving out the "stone statues in the spatial cracks" and a bit of what he discovered in the latter half, but he told the military the rest almost completely.

The situation inside the ruins was already very clear. Without super instruments or props like the Water Cube Barrier for protection, it’s simply impossible to survive inside.

Additionally, entering and exiting is a major problem. In a stable folded space, almost no one can walk out from within. However, when a new space is born or spaces merge, it might form an unstable passage to the outside, and this passage is not safe either and requires protection.

Xu Huo being squeezed out by the space is considered quite lucky.

Shangguan Jing knew he was holding back, but knowing the situation inside the folded space was already a major step forward. After recording the data, he got up to leave.

Jiang Qiao also left following that, leaving only Nie Xuan behind.

"Having stayed inside for such a long time, did you gain anything else?" Nie Xuan said, "I actually hope you can clear this instance."

"You think too highly of me." Xu Huo said with a smile, "The level of this instance won’t be low. Compared to the Instance Authorization Document, I estimate it will have its own holder when the time comes; I just don’t know if it will move up from underwater."

Nie Xuan had seen the Water Cube Barrier and knew that Xu Huo relied on the Water Cube to navigate through the ruins. Not to mention Zone 014 now, even some divisions that had entered the game earlier might not manage to bring such advanced props and instruments to engage with force.

"It seems we can only put this aside for now." He said with some regret.

"This is perhaps a relatively good outcome," Xu Huo replied, "It means we can save some effort."

Nie Xuan said nothing and inquired when he planned to return.

"I’ll leave in a bit." Xu Huo originally came just to join the commotion and gained quite a bit; since Nie Xuan had no way to resolve the Water Cube issue, he saw no reason to stay.

"Alright, once I’m done with my work, if you haven’t left yet, let’s meet again." Nie Xuan said before opening the door and leaving.

Xu Huo took the towel off his shoulder, used a Spatial Teleportation Device, and returned directly to Ting City.

"You came back so quickly!" The Girl in the painting stood up from the sofa when she saw him and moved close to him, sniffing, "You smell strongly of fish, did you eat fish?"

"I took a bath in the lake," Xu Huo said, "Why, do you want to eat fish?"

The Girl in the painting nodded and picked up her phone to order takeout for herself.

"I won’t need any, just had a meal." Xu Huo said as he walked toward the bathroom.

Hot water poured from the showerhead, and he stood under the flow, recalling the things he glimpsed when forced out by spatial power, couldn’t help but frown.

He emerged from the grave clusters. The narrow passage squeezed out by the folded space happened to go through there, and because of the spatial blockage, he didn’t sense any danger before entering—but at that moment he passed by, he indeed felt someone watching him.

Unfortunately, the time was too brief, and he didn’t have the capacity to grasp the source of that gaze. It didn’t seem like some large animal... could the instance boss already have been born?

However, the anomaly at the grave clusters exceeded the danger level of other areas in the ruins, making no further exploration beneficial to anyone.

"Knock knock!" The door was tapped twice, and the next second, the Girl in the painting poked her head in, smiling, "You have a visitor."

Xu Huo turned his head to stare at her, "Close the door."

The Girl in the painting pouted, withdrawing her head, but the communicator stubbornly extended in, playing sound, "Not like I haven’t seen it before!"

The response she got was the sound of the door closing heavily.

A few minutes later, Xu Huo changed into clean clothes and went out.

Zhou Ning and Liu Jia had come.

Liu Jia, now working for the Special Defense Department, with determined brows showing a heroic spirit, immediately stood up to greet him when she saw him, "Brother Xu."

"Xu Huo." Zhou Ning, who used to know many friends, now mostly acted alone as they gradually perished in the game.

"How come you two came together?" Xu Huo poured them some water.

"Ran into each other by chance," Zhou Ning, wearing a mask, said, "Heard you were back, so I came over specifically."

Liu Jia also nodded, "I haven’t thanked you for the props and potions you gave us before; they were a huge help."

Xu Huo said those were minor things, but the two still reciprocated, giving him some special items and rare potions.

Xu Huo accepted them and then inquired about someone else.

"Is Professor Han still alive?"

Liu Jia paused, quite surprised he would suddenly mention Professor Han, "I suspected Professor Han became a secret experimental subject for the Special Defense Department. Although I never stopped looking for him, the information I got was always ambiguous, leaving me unsure if he was alive or already deceased."

"I happen to think that someone recently emerging in the military looks a lot like him." Xu Huo passed Captain Ming’s photo to her, "Professor Han is named Han Ming, isn’t he?"

Liu Jia nodded, examining the photo for a moment before saying, "It’s hard to tell just from a photo; the eyes look different. Professor Han was a good person, while Captain Ming... I’ve heard he’s a ruthless schemer."

"People can change; it’s not unusual." Zhou Ning interjected, "You’ve never stopped looking for him, teacher-student bonds exist, and if you find him, he’s not likely to deny his identity."

Hearing this, Liu Jia hesitated, then managed a bitter smile under their gazes, "I’ve been in the game so long, I’m not as naive as before, always chasing an answer. If Professor Han doesn’t want me to know his identity, digging deeper would be tactless."

"It’s not that serious." Zhou Ning patted her shoulder, "I actually envy you for having someone to care about."

Liu Jia grasped her hand, "We’re all part of the Sunflower Squad, I care about you too."

Among this group who knew each other from the start of the game, only Zhou Ning had experienced the most upheaval.

Unable to resist touching her face, she forced a smile, saying nothing further.

"You came at a good time," Xu Huo said then, "I plan to stay in Zone 014 for a few days. If you’re free, you can stay too. I brought back a Time-related Item; we can try using it to assist in a Secondary Evolution."

This news somewhat excited the two, and Liu Jia’s attention was immediately drawn, inquiring what Time-related Item it was.

The "Time Tower" is a bit big, so it’s inconvenient to take out within the city, so Xu Huo decided to change locations the next day.

The two stayed the night, had a late-night snack with the Girl in the painting, and then went upstairs to play around.

Xu Huo, on the other hand, didn’t sleep the entire night, staying downstairs all through the night.