Chapter 278

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the familiar living room.

"Phew, finally over."

Hui Yu put down the Skull-Shattering Hammer and stretched, "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Look up public information."

Li Cheng sat down at the computer, logged into the player forum, and quickly searched for information on Bartmos, Seeing Gouchen, and others.

The only players confirmed dead in this Death Match were Frankenstein and Eugene.

Bartmos is confirmed alive; Seeing Gouchen's status is uncertain—his sudden disappearance matches the pattern of a voluntary exit.

As for the troublemaker, Joker might be dead, but Joker's death is unlikely.

He possesses the ability to possess and transfer souls, and doesn't treat his soul essence as anything sacred—his vitality rivals that of a cockroach.

"Huh, Seeing Gouchen's brother's ID is Zhongtian Beiji; the two of them are Zhongtian Beiji Ziwei Dadi and Seeing Gouchen Shanggong Tianhuang Dadi—what an overbearing name they picked."

Li Cheng smirked, saying nothing.

The arena allows identical player IDs with no restrictions, and the Shangcheng even sells name-change cards, causing some players to choose bizarre IDs for pranks or practical reasons.

For example: 【Shi Shi, the Poet of Shi Shi, Loves Lions, Swears to Eat Ten Lions. Shi Shi Often Goes to the Market to Watch Lions. At Ten, Ten Lions Arrive at the Market】.

Such ultra-long, hard-to-pronounce IDs effectively prevent tricks like the Purple Gold Gourd, True Name Curse, Black Magic, or Demon Contracts.

For example: 【Pink Fluffy Bunny】、【Candy Super Sweet】、【Milk Dragon QAQ】、【Litang's Strongest Legend and Absolute Fierce Tiger! I'm Junichi Daini】.

These kinds of IDs can provoke enemies during elimination, with a certain chance of triggering a Wu Zetian-widow effect—losing their sanity.

Others include: 【I'm Johnny Silverhand's Brother, Johnny Handsilver】、【Sister, Your High Heels Crush My Balls—Painful But Thrilling】、【Miss Machima's Dog】、【Last Night, the East Wind Blew Again Through My Small Pavilion—I'm the Husband of Liu Hua, Gotō Ichirī, Sakurajima Mai, Yūka, and Yuki-no-Snow】—the list goes on.

Gouchen's family runs a massive family enterprise in the real world, primarily targeting Southeast Asia, with operations covering daily necessities, pharmaceuticals, apparel, chemical products, and real estate development.

Gouchen's older brother inherited control of the family business before turning thirty, holding a long list of impressive titles: Honorary Chairman of the Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce, CEO of the Southeast Asia Development Bank, Datuk of Malaysia, and more.

His chosen ID fits the forum's stereotype of rich second-generation players—arrogant and self-important.

The Arena's arrival has been an unprecedented upheaval of Earth's current social order and civilizational structure; wealthy elites who control vast social resources fear death, but fear being left behind even more.

Thus, they form factions, bribe the extraordinary, and also personally enter the Arena, cultivating players within their own families.

Humanity has entered the modern era for over a hundred years, fought two world wars, and launched artificial satellites beyond the solar system—yet the strongest social bonds remain blood and marriage ties. It's a darkly comic irony.

"Gouchen serves as CEO of several companies in the real world and frequently attends public events; if he dies, the news won't stay hidden long."

Li Cheng leaned back casually, "If Gouchen didn't die—"

"Will his brother retaliate?"

Hui Yu asked curiously, "Isn't he at least Level 30 and competing for the GOC Southeast Asia Regional Director position?"

Li Cheng said casually, "I'm not in any guild, and I have no fixed address in Lousjie. If Seeing Gouchen's brother wants to hassle me in the short term, he can only post a bounty on the black market. But he probably won't do that."

Hui Yu blinked, "Huh? Why?"

"Because he wants the Sun Changyao too."

Li Cheng said casually, "I won't loudly announce I've obtained the key. Likewise, if he wants the key and to use the Toy Factory to climb higher within the GOC system, he must proceed slowly, gathering clues about me through multiple channels."

"So complicated." Hui Yu scratched his head, "So roundabout."

"That's how humans are." Li Cheng smirked and closed the webpage.

Looking back, this Death Match was actually extremely dangerous.

Without the Erosion Limit, Gouchen—with greater wealth—could have simply spent his resources on consumable items and skill scrolls to overwhelm and kill every other competitor.

(After obtaining all keys, Li Cheng understood that Erosion is the furnace's contamination of outsiders; if a player exceeds the 1000-point Erosion limit, they are permanently transformed into a toy and trapped in Toy City.)

Gouchen's brother's retaliation can wait. The urgent priority is to uncover the true value of the Sun Changyao.

Li Cheng waited briefly in the living room until the three-hour cooldown of the Taiyi Sword ended, and his Qi and Sanity values fully recovered.

He then stored Hui Yu inside the Digital Pet Egg, took out the bird-beak-shaped Sun Changyao, and focused his intent on the key.

After a brief delay, the surroundings abruptly changed; Li Cheng instantly teleported onto a field overgrown with wild grass.

'This… must be inside the Arena's physical realm.'

Opening his player panel, the friend communication function was temporarily blocked. Looking up, thousands of meters above, intricate metal pipes stretched in complex patterns, leading nowhere discernible.

Turning around, he saw a vast complex of buildings behind him, covering roughly 2700 mu—an area equivalent to over two hundred football fields.

Numerous buildings of unknown function, mostly metallic, were scattered throughout, connected by suspended walkways; the tallest tower exceeded three hundred meters, wider at the base and narrowing upward, resembling an unfinished Jin Zita.

At its peak hung a logo of a penguin holding a cane.

The once vibrant, lively paint on all buildings had faded and peeled under time's erosion; weeds and vines grew in the cracks, making one wonder how long this place had been abandoned.

Li Cheng weighed the key in his hand; a deep intuition told him this was the Toy Factory.

Passing a treasure mountain without entering was unthinkable; Li Cheng summoned Hui Yu, and the two used a drone to circle the factory several times, confirming no traps, then stepped inside.

"It seems someone once lived here."

Hui Yu said, holding the drone remote; through the drone's view, they could see areas resembling employee dormitories through the glass.

Beds ranged from several meters to just a few centimeters—clearly not meant for humans.

"Pity we didn't find any corporate brochures or paper documents."

Li Cheng also directed the drone to scout everywhere; in a building resembling a cafeteria, he saw tables and chairs of varying heights, further supporting the theory that the factory's workers weren't human.

Passing through the silent complex, they reached the Jin Zita. Before Li Cheng could search for an entrance, the massive door slid open automatically to either side, showering dust, revealing a dark, vast interior.

Li Cheng promptly pulled on the highest-grade chemical suit from his 3D storage, and Hui Yu also donned a protective suit—liquid metal isn't invincible; neglect it, and it rusts.

After much fumbling, they entered the interior: left hand holding an 80,000-lumen high-power flashlight, right hand gripping the Sun Changyao, Geiger counter hanging from their wrists, cautious and careful.

This appeared to be the core area of the Toy Factory, filled with numerous mechanical devices resembling machine tools, chemical tanks, vats, kettles, cracking furnaces, and condensation equipment from the real world.

"Sun Changyao detected. Main control program activated. Intelligent Core awakened."

A cold mechanical voice echoed from above; its original language was not human, yet Li Cheng instantly understood it.

Shasha—

Twisted light suddenly appeared, slowly forming before Li Cheng a blue sphere one meter in diameter, surrounded by a ring resembling Jupiter's rings.

"Hello, esteemed factory owner, I am the intelligent core of Achili Toy Factory, honored to serve you."

The blue sphere slowly spoke, its pace shifting from extremely slow to normal, as if rebooting from awakening, and midway through its speech, it switched to Chinese.

Li Cheng raised an eyebrow and said: "Do you know my preferred language?"

The blue sphere replied calmly: "As a renowned toy company, Achili Toy Factory markets its products across the multiverse; its system records human languages. Considering your physique, facial features, facial musculature, dental structure, and other racial characteristics, the system calculates you as a Chinese speaker. Using Chinese enhances your sense of familiarity."

Quite intelligent.

Hui Yu rolled her eyes, placed her hands on her hips, and asked: "What about me? Can you guess what language I originally used?"

Hui Yu, strictly speaking, is a future-built android, and her original language should be Zelosian.

But the blue sphere ignored her entirely, instead turning (a motion discernible only through shifts in its planetary rings) to Li Cheng and saying: "Esteemed factory owner, would you like me to temporarily transport your pet to the pet resting area?"

"?! Who are you calling a pet? Who are you calling a pet?!"

Hui Yu flew into a rage, claws flailing, lunging forward; Li Cheng quickly blocked her, paused to think, then asked: "How long has this place been abandoned? How many factory owners preceded me?"

(End of Chapter)