Unexpected Holder

A stretch of silence was the other side's response. Of course, it wasn't fair to say they had no shame—if they'd taken it by force, they certainly weren't going to give it back. Calling it "catching a ride" was just a more tactful way of putting it.

"I don't think you ever planned to return it!" Shangguan Xi said. "Your companion is still in our hands. Why not come out and talk face-to-face? Hiding away doesn't exactly show good faith."

"I'm ugly, and I don't like meeting people," the other replied. "But if you two agree, you can let my companion go. I'll keep my word and let you register your wristbands."

Shangguan Xi instinctively glanced at Xu Huo. "Don't trust him!"

"I've seen the metal cages used for living specimens. Each cage only allows five registrations. With your companion included, one living specimen probably won't be enough, will it?" Xu Huo turned to look at the snowfield on his left.

Clearly, Shangguan Xi was the only one present who hadn't noticed the Player who had joined them along the way. He narrowed his eyes and searched through the snowstorm. A few seconds later, he made out something like a white cloth fluttering in the wind.

Since he'd been spotted, the hidden Player simply removed his disguise and nodded at them with a smile.

"That clown," Shangguan Xi sneered. "He sure got here fast."

"He's been following us since we left the city," Xu Huo said briefly. Then he called to the people in the woods, "There's one more person."

The tent on the ground shifted unnaturally. The Player who controlled space said quickly, "If you break the wristband, he won't be eligible to clear the level. Since we're about to work together, I hope you'll spare his life."

"Fine,"