Is the closed beta test of King of Loque over? The official release is here!

Fragments of a giant eggshell.

The fragment was about the size of a palm, with a pale golden surface, hard yet thin as paper. It felt warm to the touch, and a very faint energy fluctuation emanated from it.

The fragment itself is nothing special—at least judging from the panel prompts, it is not a material, not equipment, and cannot be used directly.

But its description contains a line of intriguing text:

[Eggshell Fragment: A token from a certain slumbering place. The holder can trigger a reward upon entering.]

A place that sleeps somewhere.

A token of affection.

As soon as these two keywords came out, everyone realized that this fragment was a bargaining chip for someone to gain benefits.

But where exactly is that "somewhere"?

The answer didn't take long to arrive.

After another round of searching, a hidden entrance was discovered in this area, located at a bend in the stream, near the edge of the valley.

The entrance is small, resembling a broken eggshell, covered with thick vines and moss. If someone hadn't noticed that the patterns of the vines were out of place with the surrounding vegetation, it would probably have gone unnoticed.

When someone approached the entrance with a fragment of the eggshell, the fragment emitted a corresponding light.

The vines at the entrance receded automatically, revealing a deep, dark passage inside.

A little secret spot.

A secret realm within a secret realm.

The news spread faster than the wind.

What followed was the traditional performance.

Some powerful people—Zhuang Xiao didn't even find out which guild they were from—sent people to block the entrance.

The reason given was high-sounding: "In order to ensure internal security, unified action and unified management are necessary."

To put it bluntly, they're preventing casual users from entering.

They attempted to intercept the eggshell fragments from these people and then monopolize the treasures in the secret realm.

But what was the result?

The number of solo players far exceeds that of the guild team.

Dozens of casual players stood in front of the entrance, while there were fewer than ten guild members opposite them.

The numerical advantage is undeniable.

dispute.

negotiation.

compromise.

concession.

The guild leader was a smart man. Seeing that the situation was deadlocked and more and more random players were gathering around, his expression grew increasingly grim. He quickly realized that forcing the issue would only provoke the guild's anger.

With profit at their fingertips, no one wants to suffer a loss. If public outrage is truly provoked, dozens of people might swarm them, and these few people wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Ultimately, that guild team chose to back down.

Of course, Zhuang Xiao felt that they probably hadn't really given up.

It's more likely they plan to go in first and then make further plans once inside.

After all, once inside the secret realm, the situation changes when the people are scattered.

In short—the result is that we can finally go in.

Throughout this process, Zhuang Xiao was one of the people who found the eggshell fragments.

He was lucky; he found one in a crevice of a pile of rubble.

Midway through, he met Yan Liang.

Yan Liang was also one of those who found the eggshell fragment. But his luck wasn't so good—just as he put the fragment into his backpack, he was spotted by several players with unfriendly expressions nearby.

Those people were clearly a group. Although they weren't wearing matching guild badges, they acted in perfect unison, and their intention to surround and ambush was very obvious.

Yan Liang, alone and with a relatively low-level pet, was cornered and almost forced to hand over the fragments.

It was Zhuang Xiao who helped him.

Chapter 243 Waiting

It's not that Zhuang Xiao is particularly strong—in terms of pure combat power, he might not be able to defeat those people by himself. However, in many situations, it's enough to make the enemy have some reservations.

Zhuang Xiaoliang showed off his pet, and the group backed down. It wasn't that they were afraid, but conflict would inevitably wear down both sides, and it was pointless to fight without a chance of victory.

In that way, Zhuang Xiao saved Yan Liang, and the two then took action together.

-

And now.

The entrance to the secret realm is now open, and players with eggshell fragments are entering one after another.

Looking from behind the hillside, Zhuang Xiao could clearly see that there were already quite a few people queuing up at the entrance in front of the stone wall in the center of the valley.

The vines completely receded, revealing a hole that emitted a pale golden light.

Every ten seconds or so, one or two people would walk in, their figures swallowed by the golden light and disappearing. Yan Liang glanced in that direction again, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Several more have gone in..." His voice was filled with barely suppressed anxiety.

As more and more people went inside, Yan Liang became increasingly restless.

He kept looking up at the valley floor and then down at the time, his legs constantly shifting position as he squatted on the ground, appearing restless and anxious.

Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "When exactly is your captain coming?"

Zhuang Xiao glanced at the panel.

Mo Fan hasn't sent any new messages yet.

He shook his head: "I don't know, but it should be soon."

"It should be soon, it should be soon again."

Yan Liang's tone suddenly became more urgent.

He pointed to the center of the valley and lowered his voice, saying, "Look how many more people have gone in? If we keep waiting like this, what if our captain comes and we're all doomed?"

Zhuang Xiao looked in the direction he was pointing.

Within minutes, another seven or eight players entered the small secret realm. The crowd that had been gathered in front of the entrance was noticeably smaller than before.

However, his expression did not change much.

"It's hard to say," Zhuang Xiao said, withdrawing her gaze. "Let's wait and see."

Yan Liang was already anxious, and this only made him more anxious. He abruptly turned his head:

What do you mean by "it's hard to say"?

"You have to give us a specific time, right? Ten minutes, or twenty minutes? You can't expect us to just sit here waiting forever, can you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Xiao frowned slightly.

He turned and glanced at Yan Liang.

The other person's impatience was almost undisguised, and their words carried a hint of questioning and blame.

This made Zhuang Xiao instinctively feel somewhat uncomfortable.

However, he did not react negatively.

After all, the two were only traveling together temporarily, so it's understandable that Yan Liang was eager to enter the small secret realm.

So Zhuang Xiao simply said calmly, "I really can't guarantee how long it will take."

"But no matter what, I will wait for my captain."

His tone was not harsh, but very firm, clearly leaving no room for negotiation.

In Zhuang Xiao's opinion, waiting for Mo Fan to come over was definitely the safest option.

He knew very well how strong Mo Fan was.

That Fire Dance Dragon alone is far superior to any ordinary player's pet. Moreover, Mo Fan is composed and his judgment in unexpected situations is far calmer than his.

What exactly is hidden in this little secret place, nobody knows.

It could be an opportunity, or it could be a danger.

If Mo Fan were present, their safety level would undoubtedly be greatly improved once they entered.

Of course, this is not the most important reason.

Most importantly—this is a rare opportunity to meet up.

The secret realm is vast, and large areas of the map are shrouded in mist. Meeting up with teammates in this environment is no easy feat.

Now that Mo Fan has been teleported nearby and is on his way, Zhuang Xiao naturally wouldn't give up this opportunity to reunite just to enter the small secret realm a few minutes earlier.

What if he goes inside now, and Mo Fan arrives but can't find him?

Moreover, no one knows whether they will still be able to send messages normally after entering the secret realm.

If communication is cut off inside, the two sides may very well miss each other.

Zhuang Xiao was unwilling to take that risk.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Yan Liang's expression changed instantly.

At the same time, he became increasingly anxious.

With so many people entering the secret realm, if there are any treasures inside, they will definitely be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Entering even one minute late means one less chance.

Driven by greed, he couldn't wait to rush down the hillside, grab the eggshell fragments, and enter the pale golden entrance.