He thought for a moment and asked, somewhat skeptical:
"So we're really trapped now? We really can't get out?"
Everyone fell silent, but [ Ham Warrior ] lazily held up three fingers:
"It's not like there's no way out; I've already come up with three ways to escape."
"Tell me, tell me!"
Upon hearing this, not only [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ], but even [ Ham Warrior's ] three teammates became interested.
What's wrong with this person?
Why didn't you say you had this idea sooner?
All eyes turned to him; [ Ham Warrior ] lay sprawled in the air, still displaying his nonchalant attitude.
"If it were any good, I would have said so already."
Tell me about it.
"Yeah yeah."
The crowd persisted, so [ Ham Warrior ] had no choice but to raise his first finger:
"The first method is for us to commit suicide."
"Skip, skip!"
What kind of lousy method is that?
"No more nonsense literature!"
As expected, this method of getting out of the deadlock, which anyone could think of, was met with unanimous opposition.
[ Ham Warrior ] had anticipated this reaction and, without showing any joy or sorrow, raised his second finger:
"The second method is to call for help to rescue us."
"Great idea!"
Everyone immediately opened their player panels and then discovered a small problem--
They are currently outside the coverage area of Root Network and cannot contact other players at all.
In other words, they are currently not in the [ Ed Communications ] service area, and the player panel can only use the offline and short-distance communication functions.
As for just how short the "short distance" of this short-range communication function is...
In the words of [ Ham Warrior ]:
"Those that haven't taken off likely won't receive the message; those that have received the message are probably already airborne."
"What's the third way? Isn't there another option?"
The impatient [ Butter Archer ] closed the player panel and pressed for an answer.
"Yes, there is a third way, and in fact, we are using the third way right now."
What exactly is it?
"One word: Wait!"
[ Ham Warrior ] yawned:
"Once the Gungnir Road Repair Team brings the road here, they will surely save us."
After hearing this desperate measure, the Sandwich Squad was utterly speechless.
[ Lettuce Priest ] thought for a moment and asked [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ]:
"Hey bro, did you see Gungnir Squad when you came here?"
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] shook his head helplessly:
"No, I last saw them yesterday. The road paving work is quite extensive. I think it will take them at least a whole day to pave this far."
"Well!"
[ Lettuce Priest ] sighed and, along with [ Ham Warrior ], entered a state of resignation.
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] Seeing that everyone had become completely indifferent, he gradually lost his train of thought as well:
"I saw videos of microgravity or zero gravity environments in space just a couple of days ago, I never imagined I'd be experiencing it myself so soon..."
[ Bread Knight ] continued the conversation intermittently:
"Yes, I think it's quite dangerous for astronauts when they exit the spacecraft. Without a guide tether, it could easily..."
[ Bread Knight ]'s voice suddenly stopped, and he immediately looked at [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ], and sure enough, he saw that the other party was also staring at him.
The two of them turned their heads and looked down, their gazes landing on an adorable Vine Dog...
"Yes, that's it, Bruce, you're the best!"
The spirited voices echoed throughout the Weightlessness Domain, and the five people's eager gazes were fixed on a dog.
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] After much persuasion, he finally got Bruce, the Vine Dog, to unfold the spring-like structure on its lower abdomen and wrap it around a nearby boulder.
"Well done, Bruce! Come on, upper body, no, front body, start running! Push off the ground hard! Push hard!"
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] issued orders while firing crossbow bolts backward, trying to get as close as possible to the starting point of the domain.
"Woof!"
Vine Dog agreed and then began to run and accelerate in place.
Moving the upper body while keeping the lower body still is too difficult for an AI dog. Fortunately, Bruce's lower body was already wrapped around the boulder, so even though his two hind legs were flailing around, it was to no avail.
Its front half stretches continuously as it accelerates during the run-up, resembling both a spring stretched by an external force and a ball of yarn falling apart.
"Despair!"
Bruce pushed off with his two front paws, producing a faint thud.
It successfully entered the Weightlessness Domain, and the whole person—no, the whole dog—no, half a dog—immediately began to take off from the spot.
The vines that make up the Vine Dog's body are inherently elastic, therefore [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] knew that Bruce couldn't stay there for long.
Once the body is stretched to its limit, the elasticity will pull it back out of the Weightlessness Domain where the lower body is located.
As the Vine Dog drew closer and closer but began to slow down, [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] realized that he wouldn't be able to catch Vine Dog this time.
He gritted his teeth and threw the two pieces of equipment he was wearing behind him.
Taking this opportunity, his body began to accelerate once again.
Although it was only for a brief moment, it perfectly bridged the less than one-meter distance between the person and the dog.
A pair of powerful, Soul Returner hands gripped Bruce's two dog paws in mid-air.
The next moment, the springs that made up the Vine Dog's body began to tighten, and under this not-so-strong pulling force, the man and the dog slowly began to fly out of the Weightlessness Domain.
The four members of the Sandwich Squad watched him silently from behind, their excitement and nervousness palpable.
The moment they saw [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] land, the four of them erupted in a cheer that would normally be heard by forty people.
"Awesome bro! Save my brother!"
"I've caught your equipment for you, don't worry!"
"..."
Amid the four people's eager anticipation, [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] began assembling the salvage equipment on the spot.
After much effort, he first implanted the Strangler Fig he intended to use in Klaf City into his own body, and then had Bruce bite the end of the Strangler Fig, eventually connecting them into a rope that was thirty or forty meters long, successfully rescuing the four people.
While the four of them were panting and organizing their equipment, [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] was secretly writing something.
"What kind of work are you up to, buddy?"
[ Lettuce Priest ] leaned closer and asked.
"Just write down the possible ways to get out of the stuck state."
[ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] put down his pen and said:
"As long as even one person is outside, this trap won't be difficult to break; it's just that it poses a greater threat to the lone wolf and the rest of the reckless group."
The five people present were none other than Lone Wolf and the entire group of brutes. Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
After writing the inscription on the wooden plaque, [ Soaring Clouds 3773 ] slightly raised his hand and sent it into the Weightlessness Domain:
"I hope I can help others."