The "Survivor" Has Made It, Ordering Entities Around Now
At this point, the timeline within the Dungeon has reached the moment when the young man chose to leave the group and act alone.
"... Xu Xi's behavior is always quite unexpected," Jiang Jin said, his tone full of surprise, "But it doesn't seem to be without reason."
Lin Miao nodded. "If you've paid attention to his previous Dungeons, you can see that he's not the kind of person who's particularly persistent in going it alone."
"However, his extraordinary insight has drawn the players' attention to him. Staying in the group means his every move will be magnified and analyzed infinitely."
"Going it alone certainly brings more risks, but it also means that you don't have to constantly worry about other people's reactions or the potential group effects. You can use your abilities more freely to explore and verify things."
Upon hearing this, Yao Han appropriately expressed her concerns. "But in this way, Xu Xi also loses the risk-sharing from her teammates, especially in such a high-difficulty Dungeon. Once a misjudgment is made or an unexpected situation occurs, there may not even be a chance to make up for it."
Luo Zongyun gently replied, "You're right. Normally, I wouldn't recommend going alone either, but here we need to pay attention to Xu Xi's behavior—he's not just blindly wandering around."
"From the moment he entered the Camp, he was consciously gathering information, building models, and testing the boundaries of the rules for the Dungeon."
"Every step he takes, even seemingly casual strolls, carries a clear purpose, and traveling alone is the choice to maximize the advantage of this 'information warfare'."
"As for risks, every decision made in Dungeon carries risk. The key is whether the risks are manageable. Simply put, as long as the benefits outweigh the risks, it's fine."
[But I have a feeling that the expert just doesn't want to mentor anyone.]
[You weren't mistaken; that's exactly what these two meant, they're just more cultured and put it more elegantly.]
[Not fixated on solo travel = can lead a team, focused attention = can be discovered to be quite impressive, free exploration = but too lazy to lead, manageable risk = won't be implicated]
[I see, I get it now. So Xu Xi went solo to reduce the team's debuffs, hahaha]
[248: I'm safer on my own]
[Laughing so hard I'll get rich! That's the art of language!]
[Thank you, translator!]
Next, everyone's eyes were fixed on the big screen, following the young man as he searched for the so-called red Skull Symbol.
Like Winniever and other players, they were initially drawn to the three challenges that sounded more exciting, assuming that the red Skull Symbol was a secondary challenge that was completed incidentally during the main challenge, and wondered why the other players would choose to specifically seek out the symbol.
They can deduce the logic and basis behind a young person's actions and words, but they cannot see through the other person's true motives and purposes.
Unable to fathom the young man's thoughts and ideas, they could only stare intently at the figure moving alone through the dimly lit passage on the large screen, trying to piece together his thought process from his seemingly scattered and unrelated actions.
In fact, it's normal if you can't piece it together.
Because Xu Xi herself didn't know what he would do next.
He didn't care about having the ability to lead people but being too lazy to do so, or abandoning the team to avoid being implicated. He simply observed from a God's-eye view and concluded that those three challenges were nothing more than suicidal.
*
Inside the Dungeon.
Xu Xi was unaware that her aimless wandering was being interpreted in a way that held a deeper meaning by outsiders.
He had no idea where to find the red Skull Symbol.
He wandered around like a headless fly for a long time, repeatedly gripping and loosening his grip on the fruit knife in his pocket.
He really wanted to Rollback, grab the slovenly man by the collar, and ask him where he hid the symbol.
"Hold on," Xu Xi tried to convince herself.
He also had a conjecture that hadn't been verified.
If my guess is correct, he can do it even without a fruit knife.
After wandering around for a while, just as Xu Xi was about to decide to go directly to the Dungeon and wait for the rabbit to come to him, the familiar blue figure blocked his way once again.
"Retreat"
Xu Xi's slightly tense body unconsciously relaxed when she saw the blood-red characters appearing on the ground.
He raised an eyebrow and asked tentatively, "You want me to leave the Camp?"
The Blue Entity on the other side did not respond, which was obviously an admission.
"Why?"
Blue Entity remained silent, and the color of the word "retreat" on the ground became even more vivid.
Seeing this silent expulsion, Xu Xi thought for a moment and said, "If you can help me find that red Skull Symbol, I'll leave."
*
Livestream Room.
Many netizens gasped in shock upon seeing this scene.
I've seen monsters make demands of players, but I've never seen a player make demands of a monster.
[Are Huaguo players crazy? Why are they making him leave the Camp? Do they expect him to do it for them? (IP from Kimchi Country)]
[This is unfair and bizarre. Why are they only interacting with Huaguo players? Why are they attacking our players (whose IP Maple Leaf Country) instead of attacking them?]
What exactly is this Huaguo gamer doing? His every move is unpredictable (IP from the United States)
[He'll be torn to shreds... (IP Kangaroo Country)]
However, to the astonishment of netizens from various countries, the Blue Entity actually led the young man to the right place!
*
Huaguo, China Central Television.
"Indeed, a crucial aspect of this Dungeon lies in identity. 'Identity' often signifies different levels of authority and behavioral boundaries," Luo Zongyun explained, leaning slightly forward. "At the beginning of the Dungeon, the Production Team director mentioned that the Camp on this island had been converted into an exhibition hall."
"Therefore, contestant Xu Xi intentionally bound himself to the identity of a 'tourist.' This identity might not completely protect him from danger, but it could change his interaction pattern with the Blue-Gray Entity."
"To the Blue-Gray Entity, Xu Xi has transformed from an intruder, a target that needs to be expelled, into a target that can be guided and even approached."
Lin Miao continued, "So when Xu Xi stated that he was only 'visiting' and would 'leave,' those strange entities confirmed his 'identity' and 'intentions,' and that's why they chose to accept his request."
Jiang Jin and Yao Han suddenly realized what was going on.
Jiang Jin: "So Xu Xi had actually planned to use the strange occurrences to help find the symbols all along? His seemingly casual strolling was also to fit the identity of a 'tourist'?"
Luo Zongyun nodded, confirming Jiang Jin's idea. "I think so."
Yao Han also had a question, "But how can Xu Xi guarantee that the strange entity will come looking for him again?"
Lin Miao explained to Yao Han, "Since those strange entities want to drive the players away, Xu Xi, as the only one who communicated with them and clearly promised to leave after his visit, will naturally continue to seek him out. He just needs to wait for them to appear, just like before."
[Got it. In the eyes of those weirdos, Xu Xi is a tourist who can be politely driven away, while the other players are intruders who need to be forcibly driven away.]
[Xu Xi: I'm a tourist. You want me to leave the Camp? Okay, first help me find something.]
[I lost. Suddenly I realized, to those supernatural beings, are tourists God?]
[You know what, you really do know, what Xu Xi said in front of the Dungeon, translated, is basically, "Is there any place that my esteemed guest cannot visit?"]
[You've really made something of yourself, though; you've gotten a strange way of ordering people around.]
*
Inside the Dungeon.
Xu Xi never expected that her casual remark would actually lead to the other party being willing to take her to find the red Skull Symbol.