My Misfortune Crushed Instances-Chapter 77: Every Trip Turns Into a Hike

Although it was August, the weather in the mountains was quite cool, and Xiaorui had a good sleep.

In the morning, awakened by the alarm clock, he stepped outside and found that Zhou Xiong was already up.

"Half an hour left, get ready," the other said.

The half-hour referred to the time before they headed to the surveillance area.

Xiaorui agreed, grabbed a pack of biscuits from the table for breakfast, and left the villa with the team leader.

Zhou Xiong, as a level 25 team leader, had a significant level gap with the local instance. Originally, he would lead a team alone, but now, with an unfamiliar person suddenly added, he decided to personally oversee, to ensure nothing went wrong.

There was also a subtle thought. He was unsure of Xiaorui’s identity. What if he turned out to be someone important? Even if he didn’t lose his life, a slight scare could lead to grudges, possibly disrupting his leisurely life. It was safer to keep him close.

Little did Xiaorui know this unkempt man had so many thoughts. He just wanted to gain experience and level up, while earning money to buy materials.

It was only in daylight that he fully saw the appearance of the villa area. Compared to the indistinct night, it wasn’t any better, still somewhat eerie.

Perhaps the half-constructed walls or the abandoned stone pillars in the weeds added to the desolation.

Zhou Xiong took out a cigarette, walking ahead.

"Your Huangliang City is usually pretty laid-back, right?"

To avoid awkwardness, he made small talk.

"Yeah, our place is quite normal in terms of instance frequency. I heard from my leader, it seems to have increased a bit in the past couple of years. As for other matters, there’s not much; our Donglin Province is relatively peaceful."

Xiaorui wasn’t socially awkward. He wouldn’t start conversations without words, but once started, he could continue.

"Yes, indeed a bit more in the past couple of years."

Zhou Xiong replied, "Mihe here is less so. Among the four cities under Chairman Wu’s management, your Huangliang has the largest area."

His smoking style was wild, finishing in just a few puffs.

"By the way, have you been on any field missions before?"

"I participated in an instance overlap, level 10," Xiaorui said awkwardly.

"Hmm."

Zhou Xiong lit another cigarette. "Be careful, instances are more dangerous than dungeons, after all, the injuries and deaths here are real."

According to regulations, dungeon agents below level 10 shouldn’t participate in field missions. Naturally, he assumed Xiaorui participated when above level. Little did he know, Xiaorui snuck in at level 6.

For the record, Xiaorui only received a verbal warning. No official report, Mihe knew nothing of it, even if there was, nobody there would check the internal announcements.

Xiaorui nodded and asked, "Leader Zhou, can the Prophet predict instance types?"

Zhou Xiong was more convinced this was a newbie. Doubting wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t contemptuous. As a leader, mentoring newcomers was routine.

"One might say, not necessarily. Prophecy’s randomness is high." Zhou Xiong’s speech was always concise.

Xiaorui said no more. They patrolled the entire villa area until afternoon.

Returning, another team had taken over, though four people remained inside.

"Come sit, Xiaoli."

The eldest, Zheng Xiaoyue, invited.

This big sister, despite the "Xiao" (little) in her name, was actually in her thirties and had a fierce demeanor, like someone who could scold loudly in a market.

That was just impressions; she was quite friendly to Xiaorui, though last night, her focus was entirely on mahjong, only chatting during the day.

"Isn’t there too many people over there? Why send you here?"

Speaking, she took a boxed lunch from the plastic bag on the table and pushed it over.

After thanking her, Xiaorui replied, "We do have quite a few, but I volunteered to apply for fieldwork."

"Haha."

Everyone laughed at this.

"Nonsense," Zheng Xiaoyue dismissively said, "Can you just apply for organizational transfers? Are you some prince? Besides, what’s the point of fieldwork?"

Xiaorui ignored the first two remarks and asked, "Isn’t fieldwork remunerative?"

Honestly, she replied, "We do not lack money, most just take it easy. But for you, young, maybe there’s a chance."

Someone nearby added, "Dungeons are fate. If you started poorly, it might affect life."

Xiaorui realized each person was complex, living day by day, perhaps due to helplessness or reality’s compromise. Anyway, whatever made them happy mattered.

He was reminded of Wu Xing and Mei Meng in Gu Xuan Town, whom he casually helped, potentially significantly impacting their start.

During the conversation, Zhou Xiong discreetly eavesdropped, further convinced Xiaorui’s identity was unusual; no ordinary person could be transferred just by requesting, especially with Vice Chairman’s personal arrangements.

Though curious, he had no other intentions. Not seeking higher-ups’ approval, maintaining the basic standard without incident was enough.

Zheng Xiaoyue, with an idle mouth, tidied up the room, then said, "If you’re here for performance, be cautious. This instance is level 20. As a Rain Summoner, you lack defensive skills, best not alone."

She turned to Zhou Xiong, who was at the window smoking after lunch. "Old Zhou, keep an eye out. If there’s anything Xiaoli can do, let him handle it. We should credit him; can’t let him leave empty-handed, huh?"

Xiaorui thought this big sister was genuinely kind.

.....

The high-speed train whistled into the station. A family of three disembarked.

"What’s fun in Mihe?"

Wang Jia pouted, seeming unwilling, missing someone actually.

Mrs. Wang, Du Yuying, sighed, "We said we’d bring Xiaorui."

Wang Huai impatiently said, "He went out with classmates."

"I just mentioned, no need to get upset."

"I’m not upset."

The couple bickered as they left the station, heading to the hotel to drop luggage.

Wang Huai removed his shoes and sat on the bed, making a call.

"Guangping, I’m in Mihe, at... what hotel? Oh, Kaibin Boutique Hotel, yes, close to South Mountain, okay, see you tonight, we’ll hike tomorrow."

Wang Jia eavesdropped, sulking onto the sofa.

Why’s it always hiking for trips!