Chapter 42: ESCAPE TO LIFE

【NAME: WORM LORD GOD MONSTROSITY CRYSTAL · SMALL】

【TYPE: CONSUMABLE】

【QUALITY: FINE】

【EFFECT: TIAN EVOLUTION. CARBON-BASED LIFE FORMS WITH A LIFE ESSENCE LOWER THAN THE GOD MONSTROSITY CRYSTAL WILL BE INFECTED AND ASSIMILATED UPON CONTACT, TRANSFORMING INTO A GOD MONSTROSITY FORM — A PROCESS THAT IS IRREVERSIBLE AND UNSTOPPABLE】

【CONSUMPTION: NONE】

【USAGE CONDITION: CARBON-BASED LIFE】

【NOTE: INFECT, ASSIMILATE, EVOLVE. I AM THE SWARM, THE SWARM IS ME】

【NOTE: "WHO PROMOTED EVOLUTION THEORY?" "DARWIN." "ISN'T DARWIN THE ONE WHO DISCOVERED LIGHT SCATTERING?" "THAT'S TYNDALL!" "ISN'T TYNDALL THE ONE WHO INVENTED EXPLOSIVES?" "THAT'S NOBEL!" "ISN'T NOBEL THE ONE WHO DID WILDERNESS SURVIVAL?" "THAT'S BELL GRIGGS!"】

ABOVE WAS THE ITEM INFORMATION SIGHTED BY LI CHENG REGARDING THE BLOOD AMBER.

ACCORDING TO THE SYSTEM'S EXPLANATION AND PLAYER FORUM DISCUSSIONS, ITEM QUALITY RANGES FROM LOW TO HIGH AS 【BROKEN】, 【COMMON】, 【RARE】, 【FINE】, 【PERFECT】, 【EPIC】. IT IS SAID THERE IS AN EVEN HIGHER 【LEGENDARY】 RANK.

THIS QUALITY RELATES ONLY TO THE ITEM'S SUPERNATURAL LEVEL AND CURRENT STATE, NOT ITS FUNCTION.

FOR EXAMPLE, A HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD PEACH WOOD SWORD CAPABLE OF WOUNDING DEMONS HAS A QUALITY OF 【RARE】, WHILE A MODERN MAIN-BATTLE TANK WITH NO SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS HAS A QUALITY OF 【COMMON】.

"IF AN ITEM HAS MULTIPLE NOTES, THE EARLIER ONES ARE OFTEN SERIOUS, WHILE THE LATER ONES ARE OFTEN STRANGE. FURTHERMORE, ITEM EFFECTS NEVER LIE OR USE TEXTUAL TRAPS — THEY CAN BE TRUSTED COMPLETELY."

LI CHENG EXAMINED THE EFFECT DESCRIPTION: "CARBON-BASED LIFE FORMS WITH A LIFE ESSENCE LOWER THAN THE GOD MONSTROSITY CRYSTAL WILL BE INFECTED AND ASSIMILATED UPON CONTACT. HERE, 'LIFE ESSENCE' MAY BE SIMILAR TO PLAYER LEVEL?"

"THAT EXPLAINS MANY THINGS. IF THE GOD MONSTROSITY CRYSTAL COULD AFFECT ANY CARBON-BASED LIFE FORM, IT COULD BE USED AS A WEAPON TO SNEAKILY INFECT HIGH-LEVEL PLAYERS OR SUPERNATURAL BEINGS — THAT WOULD BE WAY TOO OP."

HE FOCUSED HIS MIND ON THE BLOOD AMBER, AND IN THE NEXT INSTANT, THE BLOOD AMBER VANISHED INTO THIN AIR — AND IN LI CHENG'S PLAYER INVENTORY, 【WORM LORD GOD MONSTROSITY CRYSTAL · SMALL】 APPEARED CLEARLY.

THE PLAYER INVENTORY HAS A CAPACITY OF 20 SLOTS; EACH SLOT CAN HOLD ONLY ONE NON-LIVING OBJECT NO LARGER THAN 60 CUBIC METERS, AND ITEMS MAY BE PLACED IN OR REMOVED AT ANY TIME WITH NO DELAY OR CONSUMPTION.

IF YOU WISH TO STORE MORE THAN 20 ITEMS, YOU MAY USE A DOLLING METHOD — CONTAINERS WITHIN CONTAINERS WITHIN CONTAINERS — TO STORE LARGE QUANTITIES, THOUGH EXTRACTING AND INSERTING THEM BECOMES INCONVENIENT.

FURTHERMORE, THE ABILITY TO STORE AND RETRIEVE ITEMS IS RESTRICTED TO ITEMS BELONGING TO THE PLAYER THEMSELVES.

IF AN ITEM BELONGS TO ANOTHER PLAYER, YOU CANNOT STEAL IT ON THE SPOT AND STORE IT IN YOUR INVENTORY.

"ITEMS STORED IN THE INVENTORY CEASE TO EXPERIENCE THE PASSAGE OF TIME AND DO NOT INTERACT WITH THE EXTERNAL WORLD. EVEN IF YOU STORE SMELLY ITEMS LIKE STINKY TOFU, HERRING CANS, DURIAN, OR DECAYING CORPSES, NO ODOR WILL LEAK OUT. THIS SAVES THE TROUBLE OF STORING THE BLOOD AMBER."

LI CHENG NODDED AND TURNED HIS ATTENTION TO THE SECOND ITEM.

【NAME: THE PAINFUL GOLDEN ARROW OF THE HUNTSMAN LEGION】

【TYPE: CONSUMABLE】

【QUALITY: BROKEN】

【EFFECT: CAUSE PAIN (NOW OBSOLETE). ANY WOUND INFLICTED BY THIS GOLDEN ARROW CAUSES THE VICTIM TO EXPERIENCE INTENSE ILLUSORY PAIN, DURATION DEPENDING ON WOUND SIZE AND DEPTH. EVEN THOSE WITH NO PHYSIOLOGICAL PAIN SENSATION WILL TEMPORARILY FEEL PAIN】

【CONSUMPTION: 100 SPIRIT POINTS (NOW OBSOLETE)】

【COOLDOWN: 30 SECONDS (NOW OBSOLETE)】

【USAGE CONDITION: BATHED IN THE USER'S BLOOD FOR OVER A MONTH (NOW OBSOLETE)】

【NOTE: THIS ITEM WAS ORIGINALLY OF FINE QUALITY BUT HAS BEEN DOWNGRADED TO BROKEN DUE TO CONSUMPTION. IT MAY BE RESTORED THROUGH PROFESSIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP】

【NOTE: HUNTER HEARN BELIEVED THAT TRUE HUNTERS APPEAR IN THE FORM OF THEIR PREY — UNTIL HE, HIDING AMONG LIONS WEARING A LION'S PELT, WAS SHOT IN THE KNEE BY ANOTHER HUNTER】

THIS GOLDEN ARROW WAS RECOVERED FROM THE CORPSE OF THE INK-COLORED SPIDER — IT TOOK HIM SOME EFFORT TO OBTAIN.

HE TOOK THE ARROW NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF ITS NOTICEABLE APPEARANCE, BUT BECAUSE IT REMINDED HIM OF THE BOUNTY POSTER HE HAD SEEN IN ZHANGSUN YAO'S WORLD NUCLEAR SHELTER.

【EUGENE, MALE, 30 YEARS OLD, LV10, FORMER MEMBER OF THE CLOCK TOWER, DEFECTED AFTER STEALING SEVEN GOLDEN ARROWS — CURRENTLY POSSIBLY HIDING IN YIN CITY】

COULD THIS BE THE GOLDEN ARROW MENTIONED IN THE BOUNTY? THE ITEM NAME SUGGESTS A HIGH PROBABILITY.

A BROKEN-QUALITY ITEM IS WORTH LITTLE BEFORE REPAIR. LI CHENG STORED IT IN HIS INVENTORY, PLANNING TO BRING IT WHEN HE NEXT MET ZHANGSUN YAO.

AFTER DEALING WITH THESE TWO ITEMS, LI CHENG RANSACKED HIS CABINET, STORING REGULAR EQUIPMENT — NIGHT CLOTHING, DEODORIZER, DISPOSABLE PHONE, KIDNAPPING TAPE AND ROPE, FUEL AND BLEACH FOR DISPOSING CORPSES — INTO HIS INVENTORY FOR EMERGENCIES.

AS HE WAS BUSY, A VOICE SUDDENLY SOUNDED IN HIS MIND,

【TASK TYPE: SCRIPT TASK (SINGLE PLAYER)】

【TASK NAME: ESCAPE TO LIFE】

【TASK GOAL: SURVIVE UNTIL ESCAPING THE DARK ROOM】

【TASK TIME LIMIT: 1 HOUR】

【REWARD 1: 100 EXPERIENCE POINTS】

【REWARD 2: 200 GAME CURRENCY】

【REWARD 3: 1 RARE-QUALITY SKILL SCROLL】

【FAILURE PENALTY: NEXT TASK BECOMES A PENALTY TASK】

【10 MINUTES UNTIL TRANSPORT — TRANSPORT IMMEDIATELY?】

HERE IT COMES. LI CHENG'S EYES NARROWED. A SCRIPT TASK MEANS PLAYERS ARE DROPPED INTO A PARALLEL WORLD TO PLAY THEMSELVES OR OTHERS.

THE KILLING GROUND DISTRIBUTES TASKS TO PLAYERS AT INTERVALS — COMPLETION BRINGS REWARDS, FAILURE BRINGS PENALTIES.

COMMON FAILURE PENALTIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: DEDUCTING CURRENT LEVEL, REMOVING ATTRIBUTE POINTS, RANDOMLY DESTROYING ONE HIGHEST-QUALITY ITEM, OR ERADICATION.

ERADICATION IS BAD ENOUGH — BUT A PENALTY TASK COULD BE WORSE.

FOR EXAMPLE, THROWING SOMEONE INTO A WORLD OF ONE HUNDRED DEMONS NIGHT, REQUIRE THEM TO SURVIVE THREE HUNDRED NIGHTS. OR GIVING THEM A SINGLE STICK AND ORDERING THEM TO HUNT THE DEEP-SEA GIANT GORGE THAT FEEDS ON WHALES.

"SO THE LINE ON THE PLAYER FORUM'S HOMEPAGE — 'IN HONOR OF THE DEAD AND THE FORTHCOMING DEAD' — WAS ALREADY CLEAR ABOUT THIS. PLAYER QUALIFICATION IS BOTH A BLESSING OF SUPERNATURAL EXCEPTIONALISM AND AN INESCAPABLE CURSE."

LI CHENG CALMLY TAPPED HIS FINGERS ON THE DESK, SLOWLY CLOSED HIS LAPTOP, AND CLICKED THE TRANSPORT OPTION IN HIS VISUAL FIELD.

IN THE NEXT INSTANT, HE VANISHED FROM HIS PLACE. WHEN HE OPENED HIS EYES AGAIN, A WAX STATUE OF A ROTTING CORPSE, SMILING HORRIFYINGLY, STOOD BEFORE HIM.

(END OF CHAPTER)