34: He chases, he flees...

If I want to clear the instance, I can't kill?

Cheng Zhen frowned, pondering the content on the beast skin scroll.

This information was clearly at odds with this instance.

Because this was a confrontational instance, and the instance information also stated that only one winner would be decided.

If I don't fight, am I supposed to use love to enlighten my enemies?

Cheng Zhen felt that even if he accumulated hundreds of millions of merits, he wouldn't become such a peerless living Buddha.

So, is this person trying to mislead me?

It doesn't seem like it.

Because sending Warriors to investigate was Cheng Zhen's own decision; no external force interfered with his thoughts or decisions.

How could the other party know Cheng Zhen's movements and be prepared in advance to fool him with information?

Even if the other party was a brilliant strategist who successfully predicted others' actions, this deception wouldn't be very useful, because the nature of this instance already dictated that everyone was an opponent.

Given such information, which clearly contradicts the instance's tone, would the enemy believe it? If no one believes it, isn't it just a pure waste of effort?

Considering the other party's ability to set up patrol teams in advance and directly capture his scouts, Cheng Zhen felt that person shouldn't be a simple-minded fool.

Since that person could release the scout back, either he had some scheme, such as having tracking abilities to follow the scout back to his base; or, as the information stated, he truly knew the clear conditions, and the premise was not to fight with others.

Do the Raiderss not need to fight to the death to determine the sole winner, and can still clear the instance?

This unusual way of clearing the instance, different from the norm…

Could it be… a special ending?!

Light suddenly gleamed in Cheng Zhen's eyes.

Just like the Mountain Sacrifice Child instance.

The instance clear mission was to survive for three days, but since Cheng Zhen and the others killed the BOSS, they naturally didn't need to stay there for three days, thus achieving a special ending.

If this instance also had multiple ways to clear it, then could a special ending also be achieved?

Did that person know relevant information, which is why he sent a message to Cheng Zhen?

There were too many possibilities, and Cheng Zhen couldn't be sure which situation the other party was in, but the other party's act of sending a message was likely a way to test his attitude, so he could also test back.

Thus, Cheng Zhen also took a piece of charcoal and a piece of beast skin to write words.

"You all bring more people and go to the No. 3 Oasis again, and give this to that tribe."

Cheng Zhen instructed the two scouts: "This time, bring enough food. You can have people follow far behind, so if the other party attacks you, someone can still return to report."

The loyalty of NPCs was unquestionable. Even though they felt the trip was dangerous, the two scouts still accepted the mission and departed amidst the solemn BGM.

After the scouts left, Cheng Zhen didn't continue to laze around. As soon as he thought there might be a special ending, all he could think about was how to achieve it.

After much thought, he actually came up with a few possibilities.

As the saying goes, 'talking on paper is shallow, practice yields true knowledge.' So, he would find a 'good friend' to give it a try!

…

"Leader, please."

In the Green Oasis occupied by the Giant Camel Tribe, a native respectfully handed roasted meat to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man took it, his face grim as if he were at work, mechanically swallowing the food.

After eating unsalted roasted dried meat for several days, he felt his tongue wanted to run away from home.

However, now was not the time to be picky.

The middle-aged man looked at the dwindling food, his brow slightly furrowed.

Food… was about to run out.

A wild camel weighs approximately 300 to 400 catties. After removing inedible parts like blood, hair, and bones, there are about 200 catties of edible meat.

And his tribe had a hundred mouths to feed. The three wild camels caught two days ago were simply not enough for so many people, and even all the fruits gathered from the Green Oasis wouldn't last for many meals.

Not catching any large prey today made the middle-aged man a little worried.

Was it bad luck? Or…

Was the instance at fault, restricting their food source?

In that case… should they resolve it by fighting others, or strive to survive and be the last one alive?

"It's hard to lead the team…"

He sighed, deciding to reduce defenses and send more people out to search for food.

Just as he was about to make arrangements, several Warriors suddenly ran up in a hurry.

"Leader!"

The Warriors looked anxious: "People from other tribes have arrived!"

The middle-aged man: "!"

"Immediately gather everyone and call back those who went hunting."

He was a little nervous, then asked the Warriors: "Approximately how many people came? Is it one tribe, or two together?"

Considering the possibility of others meeting and forming alliances, he feared it would be difficult to fight two against one.

Fortunately, the Warriors replied that they saw seventy to eighty people, and although they couldn't clearly see their tribal totems, it shouldn't be people from two tribes.

"Oh?"

This answer invigorated the middle-aged man.

Seventy to eighty people? Only one tribe?

Could it be…

They lost in a battle with others and had no choice but to go to another Green Oasis to try their luck?

Oh, then I don't need to be timid anymore!

The middle-aged man gained some confidence.

Of course, he didn't immediately get carried away. Instead, he cautiously sent people to check other directions to confirm there were no other people or ambushes.

He had the tribe's Warriors rehydrate to ensure they wouldn't suffer negative Debuffs from dehydration, then he prepared to meet the enemy, weapons in hand.

(Buff is a gaming term for a positive effect, improving stats like strength and speed. Debuff is the opposite, lowering attribute values.)

But he didn't expect the other party to stop moving after walking a few hundred meters from their position.

A large crowd of people sat down openly and without concealment.

The middle-aged man in the Green Oasis: "…?!"

He thought for a moment and understood.

It must be that the other party rushed, fell into a fatigue Debuff, had their attributes lowered, and sat down to rest.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look puzzled.

Dude, how can you think I'd just sit still and wait for you to recover before fighting me?

If I were that kind, why wouldn't I just stick out my neck and let you chop it off?

But confusion aside, the middle-aged man certainly couldn't just sit there. He immediately called upon the tribe's Warriors, grabbed his weapon, and launched an active attack.

After all, he was at full strength and had good equipment, so there was no need to be timid against dozens of opponents in poor condition.

But something puzzling happened again.

As soon as the middle-aged man's tribe Warriors got a little closer, the other party immediately got up and retreated.

Without a trace of hesitation, without a trace of concern, they just ran, as if they weren't there to cause trouble at all.

The middle-aged man walked ten meters forward, and the other party retreated ten meters.

They walked a hundred meters forward, and the other party retreated a hundred meters.

They stopped, the other party stopped; they walked, the other party walked.

And what was even more absurd was that even if they increased their speed, they couldn't catch up to the other party. Climbing a few sand dunes was like not climbing them at all, and after chasing for a long time, they still hadn't touched a single hair on the other party.

The middle-aged man felt as if he had encountered some peerless playboy, maintaining a subtle distance in a push-and-pull relationship, always adopting a stance of not giving up, not refusing, but also not taking responsibility, letting him approach like a sycophant while they freely pulled away.

No, didn't you have a fatigue Debuff?

How come you're running faster than me, who's at full strength?!