Chapter 121: Density

Kids, I'm back.

Li Cheng opened his eyes, surveyed the familiar living room, saw the iced black tea on the table still beaded with condensation, and instinctively thought of that phrase.

"Originally four yuan, now they dare to raise it to five—utterly upside-down."

His clothing had reverted from prison garb to the tactical vest and bulletproof armor he wore when entering the mission.

Muttering, he picked up the iced black tea, took a sip, turned up the TV volume slightly, then sat back on the sofa to review the mission log.

【Player Overall Performance: S, Game Currency and Experience Gained Increased to 160%】

This 【Narrative Cage】 granted four mission rewards in total; the first was 600 experience points. After applying the 1.6 multiplier, it became 960 points.

Previously his level was Lv8 with 200/800 experience; now he was Lv9 with 760/900. He leveled up and gained one free attribute point.

The fourth reward was a vial of Mini Life Serum—an absolute hard currency capable of curing ailments like cancer, ALS, and other incurable diseases, as well as regenerating flesh and reattaching severed limbs.

Even mid- to high-level players stockpile several bottles in their inventory. The average black market price on the back streets is between 1,000 and 1,500 game currency per vial.

"The wound-sealing gel I'm carrying can still be used six times, but it only treats external injuries—it can't instantly heal wounds or resolve poisoning or illness. So this vial of Life Serum is quite useful."

The third reward was the 【Electronic Pet Egg】—a name so absurd it made his balls ache.

Nowadays, the internet slang term "electronic pet" refers to those bizarre individuals who post nonsensical content online constantly, seeking attention—like public intellectuals, emigrants, mystics, or obsessive fitness fanatics.

Tracing further back, electronic pets were a series of handheld game consoles released by Bandai of Japan in 1996, also known as "Tamagotchi" or "Tama-kichi."

They were palm-sized, typically with only three or four buttons, used to feed, bathe, medicate, and play with a virtual electronic pet.

They entered China in the early 2000s and became wildly popular; primary and secondary school students often brought Electronic Pet Eggs to class, only to have them confiscated by teachers.

Hmm. Broadly speaking, the 1997–2003 versions of Office software generated a virtual image of a big-eyed paperclip on the desktop upon startup—that thing could also count as an electronic pet. Same era's tearjerker as Tamagotchi.

Li Cheng, who possessed the Multi-Brain-Domain Method and surfed the internet at several times, even ten times, the normal human speed, understood perfectly how to operate the Pet Egg (which wasn't difficult anyway). He pressed the power button, and instantly a miniature pixel-art gray wolf pattern appeared on the small screen inside the egg.

She was lying on the sofa, sound asleep. Beside her, a similarly pixel-style data panel displayed her stats.

【Name: Gray Rain】

【Gender: Female?】

【Race: Liquid Metal Mechanical Life】

【Age: 6 months 3 days】

【Weight: 843.75 kg】

【Happiness: 98】

【Fullness: 80】

【Affection: 95】

【Health: 100】

". Quite detailed." Li Cheng stared at the stats—6 months old and weighing 843 kilograms—and wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead.

It seemed the Pet Egg regarded Gray Rain as an independent entity, not an extension of Isaac, hence her age being only six months. As for the weight—it made sense; after all, she was dense liquid metal.

"So this counts as… successful abduction?"

He turned the Pet Egg over and over, feeling unreal.

For individuals and guilds struggling to survive in the Killing Fields, abducting a Script World Boss has always been a high-cost-efficiency challenge.

Not to mention the powerhouse figures from works like Dragon Ball or Pili Puppetry who can destroy worlds with a flick—even mid- to low-tier characters from script worlds can provide immense assistance.

For instance, the guild 【Mistletoe】 is said to have risen to prominence because their leader, 【Mistletoe】, accidentally captured an Alien Queen in his early days.

The neighboring 【Demon Scientists Alliance】 took an even simpler, more brutal approach—they held sacrificial rituals within script worlds to summon demons from Hell.

Before the newly emerged demons could begin their slaughter, they'd swarm them, beat them senseless, then slap on collars and shackles to enslave them permanently—or sell them outside.

(In esoteric terms, demons and devils are distinct entities: demons belong to the Chaotic Evil alignment, typically possessing robust physiques and bloodlust; devils belong to the Lawful Evil alignment, preferring to manipulate mortals through elaborate soul contracts filled with lies and traps, then harvesting their souls.)

High-ranking officers of the 【Special Affairs Bureau】 are rumored to have a particular fondness for abducting Script World Bosses—so frequently, in fact, that the Bureau established a dedicated 【Extraterrestrial Immigration Administration】.

This department handles interactions with Script World entities, offering them basic orientation classes, helping them obtain temporary residency permits, social insurance, and bank accounts.

Some "otherworldly individuals" who made outstanding contributions to the Special Affairs Bureau even receive the "Permanent Residency Certificate in China," adorned with five stars.

But conversely, the reward of abducting a Boss scales with its difficulty—the more powerful the Script World entity, the higher the cost to bring it into the real world.

Just like this 【Electronic Pet Egg】—its description explicitly states: 【A certain amount of game currency must be paid upon leaving the Script World.】

Before entering the mission, Li Cheng had 5,050 game currency; adding the 700 points earned this time (multiplied by 1.6) gave him 6,170 points.

Now he had only 358 game currency left.

"I spent nearly 5,812. And this was even though Gray Rain had forgotten most of Isaac's memories—she didn't recall the Starfleet design blueprints or carry any equipment."

Li Cheng muttered, hesitated, then pressed the Pet Egg's button.

He didn't regret bringing Gray Rain out—if she hadn't helped during this mission, the difficulty would have skyrocketed: he'd have needed to use 【Final Redemption】 just to blast open the cell door,

and in the final warden's office, if Gray Rain hadn't been beside him, it would've likely turned into a high-difficulty battle instead of Isaac pressing the button himself to let Li Cheng and Gray Rain escape.

Likewise, without Li Cheng, Gray Rain's final fate would've been to be labeled a non-compliant entity and likely executed by the Crystal Wall Resident Committee—or remain imprisoned indefinitely.

Hummm—

The Pet Egg vibrated on its own, emitting a beam of white light; Gray Rain materialized within it, her hair drifting without wind.

She still wore the prison uniform, barefoot, her tiny feet stepping onto the coffee table. Pressure = Force / Area—the IKEA wooden coffee table couldn't withstand the nearly one-ton war-tread; it cracked with a sharp crunch, and the iced black tea spilled across the floor.

"."

"."

Amid the awkward laughter from the TV variety show, the two stared at each other, momentarily speechless.

Damn, I forgot about the weight thing.

"Wait a second." Li Cheng slapped his forehead, rushed to the bedroom, fetched his laptop, opened the player forum, and pulled up a premium post he'd specifically bookmarked—an anonymous user with a dragon-head mask avatar had uploaded it.

The post title was: 《Comprehensive Guide to Modern Society After an Otherworldly Beauty Falls from the Sky—Revised, Re-revised, Re-re-revised Edition V3.0》

(End of Chapter)