Chapter 174

"This has happened before—ordinary people get caught in the killing ground, 'frozen' for a period, their memories stuck at the instant before they vanished."

Zhao Zijing asked Catherine and the others: "Did you hear any voices in your minds, speaking about tasks, rewards, punishments, or something like that?"

The three ordinary people exchanged glances, then hesitantly nodded.

"Good."

Zhao Zijing pulled out three sets of paper and pens and handed them over. "Write down everything you heard. These words appeared directly in your minds and shouldn't be forgotten anytime soon."

After writing, they handed in their papers. The information matched almost exactly what Li Cheng and the others had received—the task name was also "Electrical Retrospection," but the reward list included one additional item: completing the task grants player status.

All other reward items were significantly reduced, fitting the level of new players.

Click-clack—

At that moment, mechanical sounds echoed from the tunnel behind them. An eight-legged, crab-shaped security guard, the size of a car, walked slowly toward the group.

The Red Rider instinctively clutched two Poké Balls in his palm; Midnight Howl tensed the muscles in his arms.

Fortunately, the security guard had no intention to attack. It slowly knelt down, its back shell automatically opening, and a battery rose from within.

The battery was cylindrical, the size of a barrel, composed of crystal and metal, emitting a faint yellow glow inside, its design distinctly sci-fi.

【Item Name: Energy Accumulator Battery】

【Type: Tool】

【Quality: Perfect】

【Effect: Power Supply. Harvests vacuum zero-point energy to power specific killing ground facilities. Cannot be stored in spatial items, cannot be removed from the killing ground】

"Huh?"

Li Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't the killing ground system add any notes to this thing?"

"Maybe it's just too important," the Red Rider said offhandedly, then watched as Li Cheng pulled out paper and pen and stuck a sticky note on top of the battery.

【Note: "One battery beats six!" When interviewed by reporters, the top Gaokao scorer revealed his secret to studying: he eats a Nanfu battery before every class.】

【Author's Note: "One battery lasts longer than six!" When interviewed by reporters, the top college entrance exam scorer revealed his study tip of eating one Nanfu battery before every class.】

Zhao Zijing and the Red Rider nearly broke composure, both thinking inwardly: Is this kid some kind of training course graduate? This bizarre note style actually has the killing ground system's vibe.

Especially Zhao Zijing—he was already suspecting this Master Pi Fu might be an unofficial member of the 【Crazy Laughter Troupe】.

Along the top edge of the cylindrical battery, eight small devices, resembling radar panels, hung in a ring—they were also killing ground equipment.

Hanging from the top edge of the cylindrical battery by rings were eight small devices resembling radar panels, also part of the arena props.

【Type: Tool】

【Quality: Common】

【Effect: Path Guidance. Press the button to generate virtual lines pointing toward the destination. Cannot be stored in spatial items, cannot be removed from the killing ground】

Eight radars corresponded to the four players and four ordinary people.

Before anyone could fully grasp it, the crab-shaped security guard, having completed its delivery, detached the battery and radar devices, then folded inward and transformed into a submarine shape, lying still in the tunnel.

Before the group could figure it out, the crab-shaped security guard, having completed its delivery task, unloaded the battery and radar instruments, then folded and transformed itself from the inside out, switching into submarine form. It lay quietly in the tunnel.

A deafening rush of water echoed from behind the tunnel. Humidity spiked instantly; the entire tunnel trembled.

"This is a flood discharge tunnel!"

Zhao Zijing's face changed drastically. He turned to look at the alloy door fifty meters away.

The circular metal door was extremely thick, with no valves or control panels around it—only a narrow slit in the center.

The circular metal door was extremely thick, and there were no valves or control panels around it—only a narrow seam in the middle.

Midnight Howl looked even more tense than Zhao Zijing. He stomped the ground and lunged forward, his left leg's muscles swelling rapidly as gray fur sprouted. He kicked the center of the metal door.

Midnight Howl appeared even more tense than Zhao Zijing. He stamped the ground and darted forward; as he ran, the muscles of his left leg swelled rapidly and sprouted gray fuzz, and he kicked the center of the metal door.

The alloy door opened slightly. High-pressure, humid air from inside the tunnel gushed out through the gap.

Midnight Howl's temples bulged with veins. His arms swelled with muscle. He gripped the crack with both hands and pushed forward with all his strength, forcing open the nearly half-meter-thick door.

Veins bulged on Midnight Howl's forehead, his arm muscles swelled, and he gripped the door seam with both palms and pushed forward with all his might, forcing open the nearly half-meter-thick door.

No need for Midnight Howl to remind them—the Red Rider and the three ordinary people were already running.

Li Cheng casually picked up the Energy Accumulator Battery. Zhao Zijing extended his palm, releasing telekinesis to gently lift the last unconscious burn victim and carry him along.

Behind them, ten-thousand-ton floodwaters surged forward. The group reached the tunnel's end—only to find a cliff over three hundred meters above ground. Below lay a silent, uninhabited concrete city.

The three ordinary people screamed in terror. Zhao Zijing had no patience for them—he waved his hand, using telekinesis to shove them all off the cliff. He followed immediately, forming an invisible slide of telekinesis to land gracefully on the rooftop of a building below.

The players used various methods to leap from the cliff. Li Cheng activated his temporary skill 【Feathered Gliding】, slowing his descent and gliding slowly forward.

The Red Rider released a Pidgeot Pokémon, gripping its claws with both hands as it carried him through the air.

Midnight Howl was more straightforward—he pulled a parachute pack from his backpack and strapped it on.

Everyone regrouped on the building's rooftop and turned back. The cliff behind them was more magnificent than any super-dam in the real world. Eight flood discharge tunnels and twenty arched gates simultaneously released torrents of water.

The floodwaters swept over the lifeless city, swiftly knocking down street lamps and submerging low buildings. Even some tall towers were not spared, toppling one after another.

The water swept over the dead silent city, swiftly smashing the streetlamps along the road and drowning the low houses. Some of the taller buildings did not escape either, toppling and collapsing one after another.

Li Cheng remarked: "Back then, my friend's grandfather, his wife, and his sister-in-law watched the same kind of wall of water coming toward them."

The Red Rider's eyelid twitched. He couldn't help retorting: "Is your friend's grandfather Xu Xian?"

"What are you talking about?" Li Cheng said, baffled. "That was in Zhengzhou, 1938."

"Damn, so Chiang Kai-shek blew up Huayuankou, huh?" The Red Rider's eye twitched again, mouth opening and closing, unable to speak. For Chiang Kai-shek, one could only describe him as: "Excess outweighs fault, fault doesn't erase excess, excess and fault mixed, excess plus excess."

Zhao Zijing barely kept his expression neutral. He cleared his throat. "Let's use the radar to locate the destination first."

Zhao Zijing barely kept her expression in check, cleared her throat, and said, "Let's use the radar instruments to scan for the direction of our destination first."

Li Cheng detached the Guidance Radar from the top of the battery, pressed the button, and the device's tip glowed with a deep blue light. Thin strands of blue light formed in midair, coalescing into a translucent arrow pointing in the opposite direction of the dam.

This task had a 48-hour time limit—the destination would definitely not be close. Walking there would kill them.

This mission's Kill Zone gives a 48-hour time limit, and the destination is definitely not close—traveling on foot would be exhausting.

Zhao Zijing took a Dragon Pearl Capsule from her backpack slot and tossed it into the air.

The capsule opened on its own, and a thirty-meter-long exploration yacht appeared out of thin air, landing on the water's surface.

"Wow, goc's benefits are this good?"

Midnight Howl's eyes lit up. An exploration yacht was different from an ordinary yacht — the former had more redundant design, pursuing high durability, high seaworthiness, and high self-sustained endurance, able to adapt to harsher sea conditions, and therefore its price was also more expensive than yachts of the same size.

"The organization just lent it to me temporarily."

Zhao Zijing mentioned it casually and called for everyone to board.