As they stepped into the nearby alien structure, they discovered the interior was quite peculiar. The searchlights penetrated the dark confines to reveal that the inside was divided into many layers, each floating silently in the air, resembling giant plates stacked together, with various objects on each.
For example, the first layer at the bottom was a vast expanse of gravel, faintly exposing some alien biological remains. The second layer, slightly smaller, had many heaps of machine debris, similar to parts they had seen outside, with some new machines among them. Above that, a layer appeared to have dense alien vegetation growing.
"What is this place used for? Is it perhaps an ecological park?"
The young, yellow-skinned scientist swept the light in his hand over the scenes from low to high, feeling some déjà vu in this place since, as a biological scientist, he had been to vaguely similar places before.
"Who knows... But I think your research materials are about to overflow."
The middle-aged Caucasian also examined the strange buildingâs interior, teasing his colleagues that they wouldnât lack alien material for research now as it seemed to be everywhere upon a glance.
"Is this place really safe?"
Captain Jessica was instead not so excited in the face of such a spectacle, instinctively sensing danger lurking in such a location.
"Thereâs danger, but itâs already been dealt with. Youâre free to investigate the first, second, and third layers; I assure you wonât be disturbed by anything."
Wang Zhifan said as he walked to the edge inside the building, looking like he was leaving them to their devices within.
At the same time, outside the alien building, about 200 meters away, three human figures quietly appeared.
They were dressed differently: one wore a robe and carried a magic staff, another was clad in tight black clothes with a smiling mask, and the last carried a large sniper rifle on his shoulder.
"Someoneâs driving such a large car in this instance? Feels like a wealthy player... Should we go check it out?"
The man with the sniper rifle spoke with interest, as he and his companions were curious about the strange large vehicle ahead, thinking it was some playerâs prized possession.
"What are you thinking? This instance doesnât have a penalty-free zone; if you want to rob, go alone."
The masked man in black replied coldly, seemingly seeing through the guyâs intentions.
"No... No, I just want to greet some strangers in this survival instance."
The man chuckled and shook his head before briskly walking toward the vehicle, rifle on shoulder.
"The two people by the vehicle donât look like players, they should be manageable."
The mage spoke again after the sniper left, seemingly reminding the black-clad masked man to target accurately.
"If theyâre not players, are they NPCs? Are there NPCs in this instance?"
The masked man felt puzzled upon hearing this.
"However, their equipment looks unusual; letâs let that guy test it out. Anyway, when it comes to robbing, heâs no match for me."
The Assassin added, seemingly confident in his abilities.
"Hmm... There are still a few hours until the timeâs up, no need to rush."
The mage replied and watched as the gunman had already approached the large vehicle, initiating conversation with the two people guarding it.
"Hello, foreign friends!"
The gunman appeared quite confident, walking straight from afar to the two cloned soldiers by the vehicle, even though they pointed their guns at him instantly, he didnât stop.
"Halt! You canât come closer!"
The cloned soldiers, not highly intelligent, didnât realize how strange it was for someone to suddenly appear before them; they just knew they had to complete their superiorsâ assignment to guard the exploration vehicle.
"Friends! I mean no harm! I merely wish to ask for a bit of food from you! Otherwise, my team wonât last in this instance! Please understand the hardships of us lower-tier players!"
The man with the sniper, even after being warned, didnât completely stop, and subtly moved the muzzle towards the clones.
"Halt! If you come any closer, weâll shoot!"
The cloned soldiers didnât comprehend what he was saying, firmly intending to attack.
"Heh... Two identical black minions... Quite strange..."
The gunman showed no fear, continuing his slow approach as if deliberately provoking them.
But just as the situation was about to ignite, a tall young figure suddenly appeared, raising a hand to stop the cloned soldiers while also causing the gunmanâs heart to skip, since he didnât see how the person appeared so suddenly!
"Brother, my apologies, we donât have extra food for you, please leave!"
Wang Zhifan then issued a dismissal to the gunman, rejecting his earlier request.
His eyes darted slightly, focusing on the man before him and then glancing toward a distant location, confirming certain things he didnât understand.
"So the so-called humans on this planet are actually players... These players are participating in an instance here, one thatâs likely different from the one Iâm involved in..."
Having sensed the situation outside from within the alien building, Wang Zhifan had been monitoring it, listened to their conversation, learned some things, and chosen to appear at a well-timed moment.
"No way... Your vehicleâs so large, surely it has plenty of supplies, just share a bit with my team, donât be stingy, later encounters in this instance might lead us to help you..."
Suspicion flashed in the gunmanâs eyes as he heard Wang Zhifan refusing, yet remained, aiming to seize some benefits or gather more intel.
"I told you, nothing to give; if you donât leave, I wonât be courteous."
Wang Zhifan replied irritably.
He wanted these people gone to prevent them from targeting the survey team he needed to protect, lest they discovered the team as NPCs and go after them as easy prey. Based on what they said earlier, this instance was likely a survival game, which explained asking for food. If these players went wild, his protection mission might fail.
"Tch... Weâll see."
Avoiding conflict due to fear of Wang Zhifan, the gunman opted to leave after a second refusal, not initiating a confrontation, partly due to the penalty functionâs deterrence.
Returning, he started discussing revenge with the mage and Assassin players.
"I sense that guy has some strength; he wonât be easy to handle... But he shouldnât monopolize all those resources at his side! We struggled to find stuff climbing towers and didnât get much; this instance lasts long, we must find a way to seize sufficient resources!"
The gunmanâs intentions were clear: he considered the resources around Wang Zhifan as essential for completion material, unwilling to accept others having them while he doesnât, even if handling Wang Zhifan alone might not work.
"Earlier, I discovered several people in that black tower we cleared. By their equipment and behavior, they couldnât be players; theyâre likely an NPC force from somewhere."
The mage, dressed in robes and holding a magic staff, concurred after the gunman spoke. During Wang Zhifanâs face-off with the gunman, he covertly cast a spell to probe inside the black tower, realizing theyâd stumbled into a significant opportunity, promising ample material for completion.