Landing on the Island
The three of them had prepared quite a few odds and ends. Besides food and water, they had brought some small wilderness-survival tools. The long-haired player's nickname was Ice Shovel, and he was a professional rescue worker with some knowledge of surviving in the wild. He had also suggested that Xu Huo and the others bring special Protective Suits.
"Players have evolved to a high degree, so they're not as sensitive to cold or heat as ordinary people. But we can't rule out the possibility of extreme environments in the Dungeon."
Following his advice, the three of them had packed more and more into their bags. However, when the company's people came to collect them, they told them that each person could bring only one effective item.
"An effective item?" Hexagonal Hat Little Deng pressed. "What's an effective item? Does that mean we can't use our equipment or devices?"
The company representative remained expressionless. "You'll find out when you get there."
The three of them had never imagined that Challenge Island wasn't actually in District 025—or perhaps it was, but in a space that didn't overlap with the Sub-district. The company's people led them aboard a small vessel. After it set off through a triangular tunnel, they came to a cross-space portal.
The moment the vessel passed through the portal, a vast expanse of pure black space loomed before them.
The vessel moved so smoothly that the people aboard couldn't even tell whether it was moving. The blackness ahead blurred their sense of distance, making it seem as though the vessel had stopped before a wall of darkness. They couldn't tell whether that was true or not.
About ten minutes later, another portal appeared ahead. The vessel leaped through it, and darkness gave way to light.