Chapter 863: Protective Measures

【Time is up. Derived World: A Certain Magical Index is opening. No abnormalities in this world. Spatial coordinates are stable. Consuming 0.021 ounces of Space-Time Power.】

【Based on the consumed Space-Time Power, the contractor's minimum comprehensive evaluation for this world must reach C-grade.】

【Derived World contact platform is activating... Activated. Remaining messages: 8/8.】

Space power surged. With a 'Bang!', Su Xiao's vision went dark.

Inside an abandoned laboratory.

Glug, glug.

A string of bubbles floated up within a pale green solution.

Several sealed glass columns stood in the laboratory, filled with the pale green solution. Su Xiao was currently submerged in one, his eyes suddenly snapping open.

"Glug, glug..."

Bubbles escaped Su Xiao's mouth. Upon realizing his situation, he immediately held his breath. The solution he was submerged in seemed to have strong paralytic properties; his body was unable to move.

"Glug, glug..."

A bubbling sound came from the side. Su Xiao rolled his eyes, looking with his peripheral vision. Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang was submerged in the glass column next to him. Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's column was an extra-large one, about five meters in diameter and four meters wide, much like a cylindrical fish tank.

"Glug, glug..."

Still the familiar bubbling sound. In a glass column diagonally in front of Su Xiao, a man wearing black leather, with a buzz cut and an 'European-style coffin' strapped to his back, was also submerged in the solution.

The coffin man also seemed unable to move. A white light flashed over him as he used some kind of skill to remove abnormal status effects, but judging by the result, it seemed to be of no use.

Seeing this, Su Xiao closed his eyes to perceive his own situation. As he gradually sensed it, he discovered it wasn't the pale green solution paralyzing him, but a form of confinement restricting his movements.

【Hint: Remaining time until entry into the Derived World: 2 minutes and 36 seconds.】

Seeing this hint, Su Xiao understood what was happening. The space power had not yet dissipated; he had experienced this situation once before.

Not far from Su Xiao's glass column, several men and women lying on the ground slowly woke up. They looked around in confusion at first, greeted each other, and then looked at the two people and one dog inside the glass columns.

"These three are really unlucky, getting trapped there as soon as they entered the Derived World."

A female contractor curled her lips and made a move to walk toward Su Xiao.

"Don't go looking for death, that's the Derived World's protection mechanism."

A burly man glared at the female contractor.

"Protection mechanism? We're all Tier 3 contractors; do we still need the Paradise to protect us after entering a Derived World?"

The female contractor was vaguely afraid of the burly man and had to stop in her tracks.

"The Paradise is protecting us. Let's go, don't provoke them."

Hearing the burly man's words, the female contractor gave a light scoff and followed him away. These people were clearly a small adventure group, led by that burly man.

Su Xiao held his breath in the solution. He wasn't worried about those contractors attacking him. Generally, this kind of restrictive confinement was bidirectional; he couldn't move, and they couldn't attack him either.

Two minutes passed quickly. Once the time limit was up, the confinement on Su Xiao disappeared. He pressed one hand against the glass in front of him.

Boom!

The glass column shattered, and the pale green solution poured out. Su Xiao walked out from the breach. At the same time, the coffin man opposite also walked out from the hole in his glass column. The two looked at each other, neither speaking.

The atmosphere froze. Through the other's aura, Su Xiao could sense that the opponent was difficult to deal with. The thick smell of gunpowder was something he could smell even from over ten meters away.

After a standoff of several dozen seconds, the coffin man's right hand slowly moved toward the 'coffin' on his back. Su Xiao's hand also pressed onto Checking Zhan Long Shan.

"Usually, this situation means the world we've entered is very dangerous, which is why the Paradise teleported us all together to form squads or temporary adventure groups."

The coffin man spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"..."

Su Xiao didn't respond. It was dangerous to talk rashly to an enemy when their abilities were unknown. He had once encountered a contractor in the arena whose ability was called 'Quirk', a power system similar to superpowers in a certain world.

The opponent's 'Quirk' was that anyone who spoke to him would inadvertently fall into a trap, having 1 to 3 abilities sealed, with the number of sealed abilities depending on the length of the conversation.

"It seems there's no possibility of forming a temporary team."

The coffin man slowly retreated. He sensed that Su Xiao was a melee fighter; if he didn't want to fight, it was best to stay away from Su Xiao.

The further the coffin man retreated, the more vigilant Su Xiao became. From the opponent's aura, habitual movements, calluses on his hands, and the smell of gunpowder on his body, he judged that this was a ranged or melee gunman, with melee being more likely.

The distance between the two widened. When they were several dozen meters apart, the coffin man stomped on the ground, his body turning into a black shadow with a 'whoosh' and disappearing into the metal corridor of the abandoned laboratory.

Su Xiao was the only one left in the laboratory. Checking Zhan Long Shan, which had been unsheathed a few centimeters, returned to its scabbard. He turned and walked toward the glass column where Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang was.

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang hadn't broken its glass column; it was doing the breaststroke in the pale green solution. Heaven knows where it learned the breaststroke, but it was swimming happily, its clean fur floating in the pale green solution.

"Stop swimming and see what the situation is in this world."

Su Xiao kicked the glass column, shattering it. The pale green solution poured out, and Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang was washed out with it. It shook its fur, its little eyes looking somewhat sorrowful, as if saying: "My swimming pool, my empire."

【Entering World: A Certain Magical Index】

World Difficulty: Lv. 15～?? (Tier 3 Semi-Open World)

World Source: 0%

World Introduction: A world where magic and technology coexist.

Magic Faction: For a long time, the magic faction has influenced the world in various forms. Magic forces are complex and intricate, represented by the Roman Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church.

Magicians: By infusing magic power into their own blood vessels and nerves, and using physical movements, gestures, or other symbols, cards, etc., they can use corresponding magic as long as they manifest the corresponding magic formula. Some powerful magicians can use the terrain to set up extremely powerful magic.

Science Faction: Academy City, a massive student city with a population of 2.3 million, 80% of whom are students. It is divided into 23 school districts, isolated from the outside world, and possesses a technological level 20 to 30 years ahead of the world. All students in the academy undergo superpower development, managed entirely by the 'Board of Directors'. To prevent the leakage of technology and ability users, Academy City has strict restrictions on population movement.

Ability Users (Espers): The superpowers developed by Academy City are a major breakthrough in 'Quantum Mechanics Theory'. By using 'Personal Reality'—the 'reality' observed by deliberately distorting calculation functions and judgment—they cause unnatural changes in extreme 'micro-world probabilities' to create certain superpower phenomena, thereby using superpowers.

Surface-level superpower development is done through 'memory techniques' or 'recitation techniques', but in reality, it involves intravenous drug injection (drug administration), applying electrodes to the skin and passing current (physical stimulation), or inputting rhythms via earphones (hypnotic suggestion). Because the burden of multiple abilities on the brain is extremely high, ability users can only use one ability. It is impossible for an individual to possess more than two abilities simultaneously, and developed superpowers cannot be changed.

Trial Mission: Obtain the Mo Ling Fa Dian.

Hunting Mission: Clean up abnormal violators.

Hint: When an abnormal violator enters within a one-kilometer radius of the hunter, the tracking function will automatically activate.

Warning: Do not mention anything about the 'Paradise' in this world. If the warning is ineffective, you will be forcibly executed!

Hint: Detected that the hunter has not mastered the language of this world. 100 Paradise Coins have been consumed to automatically master the language of this world.

World, start! ===== CHAPTER 864 =====