Chapter 72: Key

This routine mission lasted less than two hours; when Li Cheng returned, it was still dark outside.

【Reward settlement in progress】

【Player overall performance: S, game currency and experience gained increased to 155%】

【Mission Reward 1: 400 experience points】

Li Cheng wasn't particularly surprised by the S rating—after all, he hadn't personally slain the wraith Alma or the blood-sea monster from Extreme Cold; the hellish cultivators summoned via the Míxiá were merely exiled, not killed.

"To earn an S rating, you should kill more monsters yourself and descend deep into the bunker during the mission to uncover the truth behind it."

But if he had, Li Cheng might have survived, while the driver and Taylor and her father likely would have died. A trade-off, then.

【Mission Reward 2: 600 game currency】

With the 155% multiplier, these two rewards became 620 experience points and 930 game currency.

Leveling up from Lv4 to Lv5, his experience bar shifted from 20/400 to 240/500; his game currency also surpassed a thousand, reaching 1790.

He could now afford to buy a house in Yin City outright—congratulations, congratulations.

【Mission Reward 3: Random item ×2】

This time, Li Cheng didn't rush to open the box. Instead, he removed his forearm guards and entered the Bone Corridor, examining the three items he'd brought out of the bunker under the light.

The first was naturally the Lemarchand Box, the device capable of summoning hellish cultivators—also classified by the system as a tool.

【Item Name: Lemarchand Hell Míxiá】

【Type: Cursed Object】

【Quality: Rare】

【Effect: Soul Pursuit. Upon activation, releases two hellish cultivators who relentlessly hunt the Míxiá's holder. Current target locked—Master Pi Fu. If the current target successfully lures an innocent to activate the Míxiá, hatred transfers; after the hellish emissary kills the innocent, the holder gains one opportunity to command the hellish cultivators.】

【Cost: 15ml blood】

【Cooldown: None】

【Usage Condition: None】

【Note: Hellish cultivators resurrect inside the Míxiá after death, with a 24-hour resurrection time.】

【Note: Oscar Schindler has lived peacefully and joyfully in Heaven for years, until one day he suddenly received a notice ordering him to relocate to Hell. The neighbor, Count Bernadotte, received the same notice.】

Pfft, what a hellish joke. Cause-and-effect settlement, huh?

Li Cheng's eyebrow twitched. He had no means to control wraiths; using this item would invite two powerful enemies upon himself. He had no intention of sacrificing innocent lives to command the hellish cultivators.

"The Demon Scientist Alliance would likely be interested in this—probably willing to pay a high price for it."

The thought spun through his mind briefly before Li Cheng dismissed it; given that guild's moral standards, once they obtained the Míxiá, they'd likely ignite another bloodbath in some script world, slaughtering countless mortals.

The best course of action was still… click to sell.

Li Cheng directly sold the Míxiá to the Killing Field Shangcheng, receiving 450 game currency—he wasn't a saint, but he didn't want to aid evil.

The second item was the straight-bladed cleaver dropped by the Triangular Head.

【Item Name: 170 Straight Blade】

【Type: Weapon】

【Quality: Common】

【Attack Power: Medium】

【Effect: Extremely Durable】

【Equip Condition: Strength ≥ 9】

【Note: This straight-bladed cleaver once belonged to the Safety System Inspector of the Quiet Hill Green Ecological Integrated Demonstration Town Project, Centralia, Pennsylvania.】

All that lengthy note boiled down to seven words: Town Security Guard Triangular Head.

"This '170' in the name probably refers to weight?"

Li Cheng hefted the cleaver—it weighed about 77 kilograms, exactly 170 pounds.

Real-world practical cold weapons are actually quite light: Ming dynasty swords weighed no more than 800g; even a fully sheathed Huan Shou iron saber weighed 1315g; late Qing broad-bladed knives weighed 1500g; the heaviest combat weapons (like spears and staves) rarely exceeded ten kilograms.

As for the 50-jin sabers and 60-jin spears and 80-jin double iron halberds in Ming and Qing novels—hey, just look at the distant snow-capped mountains, folks.

"A 77-kilogram great cleaver—only barely usable by a player with 9 Strength. But this 'extremely durable' effect is quite useful; no need to worry about breaking it."

Fighting constantly with the Mantis Bone Blade made him too recognizable. Li Cheng stowed the cleaver in his backpack slot, planning to keep it for himself.

The third item was the perforated stone that had triggered all the tragedy.

【Item Name: Akili Toy Sun Changyao 3】

【Type: Anomalous Item】

【Quality: Common】

【Effect: None】

【Note: Akili Toy Factory, a renowned toy company, adheres to the principle of "Bringing Joy to the World," ensuring quality through technology, earning reputation through quality, and promoting development through reputation. It boasts multiple renowned IPs, with products marketed across the multiverse and widely acclaimed.】

【Note: This object is one of seven factory keys; collecting all seven unlocks the Toy Factory within the Killing Field and grants control over it.】

【Note: Keys attract each other. If a key remains outside the Killing Field for too long, it automatically activates a device within the factory to return to the Killing Field in some manner. Keys cannot be destroyed, sold, or transferred. They only drop upon the death of their holder.】

【Note: Hehehehehe, old lady's finally free! Thought paralyzing me in a wheelchair meant I couldn't operate? Hah, good riddance to the lot of you. Let's see what created me. Huh? A key? What the hell? Gone, gone!】

【Note: Wheelchair wheelchair wheelchair】

"Hmm…" Li Cheng stared at the item's description, lost in thought.

He'd assumed the stone would behave like a normal supernatural item—with a clear effect, like inducing nightmares or spawning monsters when held.

Instead, the monsters weren't generated by the stone itself—it was simply a key. A key to unlock a hidden facility within the Killing Field.

"Akili is the name on the teleport phone booth, right? The one shaped like a penguin."

Li Cheng mused: "According to forum posts, hidden facilities are special buildings within the Killing Field with specific purposes and powerful effects—like Lou Street, where player-vs-player combat is forbidden."

Major guilds regard hidden facilities as their most precious assets, willing to wage war over them.

Although I don't know what the so-called Toy Factory's background or capabilities are, just looking at the name "Multiverse Marketing" tells me the effects are formidable.

At the same time, because this key cannot be destroyed, sold, or transferred, and will only drop after its holder's death, an ordinary player who picks it up would be guilty of possessing a treasure without the strength to match — a commoner holding jade invites disaster.

The writer of the last two notes — most likely the evil scientist mentioned in the experimental log, a human-made creation — probably also realized something was off about this thing, and after triggering a disaster, simply ran away without taking the key."

Speaking of which, was that evil scientist a woman? The wheelchair means she wasn't Taylor's daughter in disguise.

But how did she escape the bunker without the blast door being opened? Some kind of teleportation tech?

(End of Chapter)