Highway Terror: Betting on Whether This Newcomer Is a Real Expert or Just Lucky

Xu Xi opened his eyes and saw that his surroundings had changed. He knew he had entered his second instance.

Rather than worrying about the second instance, he felt more relieved.

Staying in the player space had been so boring.

Once he realized that the stairs had no end in either direction, he gave up walking.

It was pointless and tiring.

There was no entertainment, and he didn't need to eat. He wasn't sleepy, either, and had been so bored that he'd even started counting the stone steps.

Luckily, just as he had nearly been unable to stand the emptiness and wanted to enter the next instance early, the familiar white light enveloped him.

Xu Xi looked around curiously.

He seemed to be in a desolate wilderness. The sky was as dark and thick as spilled ink, with not a single star in sight. Dense fog filled the surroundings, and when he looked closely, something seemed to be churning within it.

The oppressive surroundings gave Xu Xi goosebumps and set him on edge.

This time, however, three other people were taking part in the instance with him.

One was a middle-aged man with a beer belly, another was a young man wearing glasses and a white T-shirt, and the last was a young woman in a denim skirt.

As Xu Xi observed them, the three were also sizing one another up.

Finally, the middle-aged man spoke up first and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Tan Xingyun. This is my second instance."

Once the first person had spoken, the others followed in order without a hitch.

The young man in the white T-shirt went second. He awkwardly pushed up his glasses and said rather stiffly, "I-I'm Li Kang. This is my second instance too."

The woman in the denim skirt went third. "I'm Xu Xiuman. This is also my second instance."

When it was finally Xu Xi's turn, he followed the other three's example. "I'm Xu Xi. Second instance."

It seemed everyone was taking part in an instance for the second time, they all thought.

[Holy crap, is this the Xu Xi who speedran a solo instance in 2 minutes and 48 seconds?!]

[How dare the person above address him by name? Show some respect for the expert! (doge)]

[Out of my way! Let me be the first to lick his boots!!]

[The setting of this instance is so creepy.]

[I came because of his reputation. I hope he wasn't just lucky.]

[What kind of luck lets you clear an instance in under three minutes? Don't be ridiculous.]

[Why doesn't luck count as a kind of strength? At least I don't have that kind of luck. Whenever I pull a card, I always hit hard pity.]

[Lmao, I've never even pulled two or three golds at once.]

[We're getting off topic. Since everyone's arguing, let's make a bet on whether this newcomer is a real expert or just lucky.]

[I bet a pack of spicy strips. My God Xu's strength is beyond question!]

[Already making a god out of him? Then I'll bet a pack of sunflower seeds. If this guy really did it with his own strength, I'll... eat a pack of sunflower seeds.]

[...]

The video Ji Yang had edited had gone viral, made the trending searches, and caused a widespread sensation online. Not everyone in the country knew about Xu Xi, but at least the netizens who followed the God Hunt Game every day had taken notice of him.

So once Xu Xi started streaming, most viewers either found their own way to his livestream or poured in through links shared by friends, family, or streamers.

The number of viewers in Xu Xi's livestream had reached an unprecedented high, and its activity rivaled, even surpassed by quite a bit, that of the highly renowned veteran players who were regulars on the rankings.

After all, everyone understood how impressive 2 minutes and 48 seconds was! They were very curious whether the newcomer who had speedrun an instance in under three minutes had done it through strength or sheer luck.

After following Xu Xi, Ji Yang had kept an eye on his account. Normally, there were about seven days between a player's instances, but he didn't know whether this newcomer would choose to enter one early. So he took his phone everywhere, even when eating, using the bathroom, or showering, afraid he would miss the notification that Xu Xi had started streaming.

As soon as Xu Xi went live, he eagerly clicked in.

Naturally, he noticed the argument in the comments. Though he didn't join in, he was especially eager for this instance because he shared the same curiosity.

Hopefully I really can witness the birth of a miracle, Ji Yang thought.

Xu Xi had no idea his first instance had made such an impact. He had simply been too lazy to look for clues all over again, so he had skipped the unnecessary steps. He hadn't expected that doing so would mislead the people in the real world.

"Now that we've all introduced ourselves, let's check whether we have anything on us that might reveal our identities." Tan Xingyun spoke in an easygoing tone, and even though his words sounded like an order, the other three didn't find them off-putting.

Xu Xi gave him a thoughtful look. Come to think of it, throughout the previous instance, he had never thought to check whether he had any clues on him.

He really was too inexperienced. It seemed he would have to learn more from this kind of experience in the future.

[That look was meaningful.]

[Someone else took the lead before he could. He must be unhappy.]

[I don't think so. Everyone was quiet earlier, and the older guy only stepped up to lead because no one else was speaking.]

[Obviously, this guy is deliberately putting on an act. He doesn't want to be the leader.]

The four searched themselves and ultimately found only a small amount of cash in their pockets.

"This... there's nothing but cash. What's it for?" Li Kang asked quietly.

Xu Xi carefully examined the stack of bills in his hand. They weren't like any he remembered, and judging by their denominations and number, they added up to around a thousand yuan.

Just then, Xu Xiuman suddenly pointed in one direction and raised her voice to alert the others. "Look, there's a car over there!"

The other three looked where she was pointing and saw a clearing ahead that wasn't covered by the white fog. A black sedan was parked there.

As they approached, the black sedan gradually came fully into view.

"Why doesn't this car have a badge?" Li Kang scratched his head. "It doesn't even have a license plate."

"The road ahead is the only place here that isn't covered in white fog. Are we supposed to drive this car along it?" Xu Xiuman ventured uncertainly.

"I think so too." Tan Xingyun first agreed with Xu Xiuman's guess, then changed tack and volunteered, "How about I drive? I'm a taxi driver, so I'm fairly skilled."

Neither Li Kang nor Xu Xiuman objected. Neither of them could vouch for their own driving skills.

Xu Xi hadn't spoken since introducing himself, and now he simply nodded along.

[Those three are all actively discussing things. Why is Xu Xi the only one who never joins in?]

[Maybe the expert has his own considerations?]

[Maybe he wants to keep up the act to the end.]

[Don't expect too much. He doesn't look particularly special to me.]

[An act? More like he's just a total noob.]

[Say whatever you want. As long as that 2-minute-48-second record stands, my rose-colored filter for him is 800 meters thick and won't break!]

Xu Xi didn't have many reasons for not wanting to talk. He was simply in the habit of keeping his presence to a minimum and maintaining a low profile.