Chapter 81: Chu Xuan

"Attention, young people! If you see these four types of corpse spots, your body is warning you!"

"If you’ve got corpse spots already, don’t go to the hospital—just bury yourself. Can we please stop using this tired meme? If you keep this up, I’m going to swear at you."

"Memes are part of surfing the internet—if you don’t like it, don’t play. Besides, you and I are the same person; cursing me is just cursing yourself."

"Lanzhou baked bread. Delicious. Experience +3."

Li Cheng jolted awake from his desk chair, as if dozens of identical voices were speaking nonstop inside his mind.

"Ugh," he removed the device strapped to his head—a gadget resembling a massage unit—and poured himself a glass of cold water, sipping slowly as the voices in his mind gradually faded.

These voices weren’t hallucinations or schizophrenia; they were the result of the Multi-Brain-Domain Method, which hyper-activated his brain, causing different regions to unconsciously murmur like sleep-talking.

For this period, he activated his parallel-thinking state daily, opening four, eight, or even more browser tabs simultaneously on his computer, skimming professional books and scientific journals at lightning speed, desperately absorbing knowledge.

Including but not limited to: philosophy, logic, religious studies, finance, law, folklore, criminal investigation, history, foreign languages, mathematics, physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, materials science, biology.

Normally, even someone proficient in computer skills and adept at efficiently searching online databases would spend considerable time gathering so many documents.

Fortunately, the Slum had specialized bookstores; spending a few game coins could buy the complete catalog, saving him considerable effort.

On the other hand, the electromagnetic massage device Li Cheng was currently wearing—marketed by Prometheus Laboratories—played a crucial role: it improved sleep efficiency and reduced daily sleep requirements.

Worn while sleeping, it also accelerated the recovery of rationality points. And it was unusually cheap—only 50,000 cash, priced the same as an AppleVision Pro.

Hmm… is my spending habit abnormal? I actually think 50,000 is cheap. Before, I wouldn’t have dared dream of spending that much.

Li Cheng casually tossed the massage device into a drawer and slowly sipped the cold water.

Due to their high income and immense survival pressure, many new players lacking self-control lose themselves, drowning in the decadent luxuries of the bustling city.

Things like splurging thousands on luxury cars and mansions, training their bodies and combat skills by day, then partying at nightclubs and visiting brothels with young models.

Some, under the crushing weight of survival, gradually turn deranged, fleeing to chaotic zones to become warlords or drug lords, taking pleasure in randomly killing and torturing ordinary people—until one day they kick the wrong hornet’s nest, get casually eliminated by other players or guilds, or die on increasingly difficult arena missions.

Thinking of this, Li Cheng glanced at his player panel’s inventory slot.

Last mission reward: 800 game coins. He spent it all lavishly, buying several pieces of equipment.

Single-man shoulder-fired rocket launcher, single-man mortar, grenade launcher, anti-materiel sniper rifle, off-road motorcycle, compact off-road vehicle, assault boat.

Most sat quietly in his inventory; the larger items, too bulky to fit, he’d dumped into the Bone Corridor, to retrieve when needed.

"By now, the mission should be coming…"

As he muttered, a system alert chimed in his ear.

【Task Type: Routine Task (Arena Exploration)】

【Task Name: Alien Outbreak】

【Objective: Proceed to the bunker’s main control room and activate the main gate】

【Time Limit: 2 hours】

【Reward 1: 400 Experience Points】

【Reward 2: 600 Game Coins】

【Reward 3: 2 Random Items】

【Failure Penalty: None】

【5 minutes until teleportation. Teleport immediately?】

Here it comes.

Li Cheng squinted. Routine tasks had no penalties—even failing wouldn’t matter much. This one had a short time limit, simple flow, and generous rewards. No reason not to go.

No time to waste. He gathered his gear, locked his door, and selected teleport.

The scene instantly switched; the surrounding light plunged into darkness.

It appeared to be a public locker room: rows of metal lockers, marble flooring, wooden benches. Some benches still had towels draped over them, resembling real-world gyms, bathhouses, or hot spring resorts.

The difference: the air reeked of thick blood. Several lockers lay overturned, bearing three distinct rows of sharp-cut marks.

Like those left by some grotesquely oversized carnivorous beast.

Werewolf? Deathclaw? Griffin?

But most conspicuous were the two other figures standing in opposite corners of the locker room, besides Li Cheng.

One wore a red-and-white motorcycle rider suit, gloves, and a riding helmet, obscuring his face.

The other was a boy of eleven or twelve, dressed in the standard suit of the Special Affairs Bureau, his palms wrapped in bandages.

Shhh—

The motorcycle rider moved first, kicking off the tiles to leap backward, then flipping his palm to hurl two wooden Poké Balls onto the floor.

Boom!

Both Poké Balls burst open. A flash of light revealed a deep-blue, spherical plant with circular feet, and a half-pig, half-monkey creature beside the rider.

If Han Letian, a seasoned Pokémon fan, were here, he’d instantly name both creatures.

Grass-type Pokémon—Oddish. Can evolve into Gloom, Vileplume, or Bellossom.

Fighting-type Pokémon—Machop. Can evolve into Machoke or Machamp.

". Gentlemen,"

After summoning his two guardians, the motorcycle rider seemed to gain confidence, his voice muffled through his helmet: "What bad luck."

Outside the Slum, players could attack each other on sight; killing another granted their gear and items.

This made every player hyper-vigilant toward strangers. Sometimes, out of intense fear, they’d strike first, worsening the environment further—like a dark forest.

The motorcycle rider eyed the two warily, stepping slowly toward the locker room door, growling: "I don’t team up with strangers. Let’s go our separate ways."

"Wait!"

The boy in the Special Affairs Bureau suit raised his hand quickly: "Your Poké Ball design—you’re from the Thousand Throats Beast Guild, right?"

"Let me introduce myself. I’m Su Jie, a contracted physician with the Yinx City Special Affairs Bureau’s Mobile Task Force, Team Three."

"Here’s my identification."

To prove his claim, he pulled out a metallic business card and showed it to the rider, adding earnestly: "I’m carrying a special item that prevents players from initiating attacks on each other."

"With this device, perhaps the three of us can coexist peacefully and complete the mission together."

Upon hearing this, the motorcyclist could not help but slow his pace as he left.

The motorcycle rider slowed his retreat. The Special Affairs Bureau had an impeccable reputation within the arena—if Su Jie was genuine, this might work.

Thinking this, he tilted his chin toward Li Cheng, who had remained silent in the corner, idly tossing a red apple. "And you, sir? What’s your name?"

"."

Li Cheng tossed the red apple in his left hand, adjusted his glasses with his right. His appearance was ordinary, but his eyes were unnervingly calm. He spoke coldly: "Chu Xuan."

(End of Chapter)