Chapter 259: Redemption Gold

What's the difference between this and a finishing blow?

Cheng Shuili shook her head and slipped the card into the Abyssal Ring.

The ring seemed to lightly scorch Cheng Shuili's finger, like a silent mockery.

Cheng Shuili: "....."

She twisted the ring in her hand and muttered, "You'd better be careful when making a ring. Besides you, I have several other options."

As soon as Cheng Shuili finished speaking, the Abyssal Ring quivered slightly, as if expressing displeasure.

"……" Cheng Shuili was speechless, too lazy to argue with a broken ring.

She sighed and turned her attention to the last item in the golden treasure chest, an irregular black stone.

【Abyssal Stone】

【Description: The most wondrous creation of the abyss, it looks like an ordinary stone, but when you crack it open, you obtain a seed. A living thing encased in a dead object, vitality hidden within void.】

A seed?

Cheng Shuili was somewhat curious, but not enough to actually crack it open.

Once cracked, the stone would surely be unusable; perhaps this, too, was the system's contrived way to spark a player's curiosity—the system is a repeat offender.

Cheng Shuili shook her head, made sure she had taken everything from the chest, and then boarded the vehicle.

Su Rui had been waiting in the vehicle; when she saw the person finally board, she immediately floored the accelerator.

Cheng Shuili paced around the carriage, still uneasy about the territory; after finally obtaining a chick, those few people should understand her meaning, right?

Cheng Shuili thought it over and still felt uneasy; staying was just staying, so she decided to go again.

Teleporting to the territory takes time; before Cheng Shuili's vision cleared, she heard the familiar "cluck" sound, accompanied by waves of screaming.

"It's on the roof again! Grab the broom!"

"Don't step on my seedlings!! Just… planted them in the ground!"

"Cluck— cluck!!"

A fluffy pale‑yellow mass flapped its wings wildly over the territory, with five or six human servants wielding spatulas trailing behind.

The guide's garment hem was splattered with mud; the short figure crouched, futilely spreading its arms to block.

The consultant, her braid half‑loose, held a possibly antique insect net; the net already had a large hole, and the moment it trapped the chick, it slipped out through the tear.

"Move aside!" Yu Bing grabbed a drying rod for a running start; the bamboo pole whooshed through the chick's tail feathers, but instead pierced the drying blanket, sending cotton fluff scattering like snow.

"My blanket!" a servant wailed in anguish, only to be struck on the forehead by a perfectly timed drop of chicken droppings.

Amid the chaos, Egg‑Boss suddenly dove; its pale‑yellow wing brushed Cheng Shuili's nose, then it made a sharp turn and settled steadily atop her head.

The tiny claw snagged a strand of hair, and the entire territory fell into dead silence.

Yu Bing, holding the broom, trembled, "Lao Da... whimper whimper, you finally came!"

The guide silently patted the hem of his clothes, evidently having not been so undignified in a long time.

The consultant stood aside, saying nothing, but her gaze toward Cheng Shuili was unmistakably that of a savior.

Cheng Shuili slowly raised her hand and pinched the trembling fluffy mass atop her head.

The chick's black‑bean eyes instantly filled with tears, emitting a faint "cheep", with half a weed stuck in its fur.

"You… looking for death, huh?" Cheng Shuili's voice was colder than ice.

Yu Bing lunged forward in a single step and began to complain, "We have no idea where this thing came from! It just appeared! Nobody paid it any attention; it sat there quietly as a chicken! Then, for some reason, it got a small wooden stick, stood on it and started clucking loudly, unbearably noisy— we could still tolerate it up to this point, and then!"

Yu Bing inhaled sharply, gritted her teeth and said, "It suddenly started flying around, pooping everywhere! Who can stand that? Him! Him! Her! And him!"

Yu Bing pointed at several people in one breath; Cheng Shuili followed her finger, instantly understanding that they were the victims.

"Just cleaned it, Lao Da! Lao Da!! I almost fell for it! Luckily Lao Li pushed me away, whimper, Lao Da you must stand up for us!"

She wasn't done after her solo shout; the few victims she pointed at also couldn't hold back.

A burly servant furrowed his brow, and a few tears fell: "It's so stinky… I've never been this smelly…"

"Whimper, me too!"

"Even after washing, the smell remains, whimper…"

Cheng Shuili: "......"

She looked down at the little culprit in her palm; Egg‑Boss immediately lay on its back, exposing its fur‑covered belly, its paws curled into a cute ball— if you ignore its seemingly gloating look and the fact its beak never closed.

"Tonight I'll give you a bonus meal," Cheng Shuili smiled benevolently, "Stewed chicken with mushrooms."

"Cluck cluck cluck?!" Egg‑Boss jolted, flapped its wings wildly, then shook something out of its fur—a golden‑glowing egg rolled into Cheng Shuili's palm, warm, evidently freshly laid.

How the chick actually laid the egg is beyond discussion.

Cheng Shuili didn't release it; instead she used her other hand to pick up the golden‑glowing egg.

【Screaming Chicken's Redemption Gold】

【Description: When the screaming chicken realizes it is about to become chicken soup, there is a chance it will unleash a miracle egg. Consuming it permanently raises Agility by 3 points (first‑time effect).】

After reading the item's description, Cheng Shuili looked up to find a chick had slipped from her hand, somehow acquired a rope, and tied itself into a slaughter pose, its black‑bean eyes flashing star‑like light.

Clearly feigning pity.

Cheng Shuili: "......"

She unhesitatingly lifted the knot and shook it, staring at its black‑bean eyes, threatening, "If there aren't two eggs tomorrow…"

"Cluck! Cluck cluck!"

The upside‑down fluffy mass immediately bobbed its head wildly, its pale‑yellow fur puffing up like a fluffy dandelion.

Yu Bing watched, heart breaking, "Lao Da… it wasn't like that just now, it really wasn't!"

The guide and the consultant both nodded, their expressions unmistakably still annoyed.

Cheng Shuili cleared her throat with two light coughs, then poked the chick's head with her fingertip, "Since that's the case, it shall be punished to lay two eggs each day as redemption; if it fails, we'll really stew it."

She turned to the weary crowd, "Alright, that's all for today. Rest now; we'll continue tomorrow. As for the blanket…"

Cheng Shuili glanced at the cotton fluff filling the sky, "I'll send you a new one in a moment."