Chapter 88: Desk Lamp War God

In truth, this desk lamp wasn't all that wonderful. But Wang Ying had to act as if it were quite good.

After all, this was the lamp he had chosen to appraise; he couldn't afford to have misjudged it.

Once a person has a public image and the burden of being an idol, it becomes very difficult to truly be oneself.

Tong Ming said:

"The Captain is amazing. What is the function of this lamp?"

Zheng Zai was also quite curious.

Wang Ying said:

"I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but right now, several different perspectives are appearing in my eyes..."

As Wang Ying spoke, he turned his back.

The light was dim, but enough to illuminate this small hospital room. Wang Ying said:

"Although I have turned around, I can see what you are seeing."

"Zheng Zai, you are staring at this lamp."

"Tong Ming, you are looking at the ceiling."

"Wen Xishu, what are you looking for? Why are you rummaging through the cabinet?"

Everyone understood. With the lamp in Wang Ying's hand, as long as someone was illuminated by its light, the images they saw would be shared with Wang Ying.

Tong Ming clapped and said:

"This really is a treasure. By carrying this lamp, Captain, you can see what each of us sees, so you must be able to observe more details."

Zheng Zai nodded in agreement as well. But inwardly, he was thinking that this item...

It would give Wang Ying the vision of five people all by himself; could he handle it?

Was this thing good or not? In Zheng Zai's view, it should be good. But if he were to read five books at once, or watch five different scenes... he would feel a bit of a headache.

He just felt that this thing was better suited for Brother Wen.

It’s like having five monitors but your CPU hasn't changed... you wouldn't necessarily be able to smoothly process all the information on every monitor.

Wen Xishu did not clap or flatter him; he was just looking for something in the bedside cabinet.

Wang Ying asked:

"What are you looking for?"

Wen Xishu said:

"I am wondering why there would be such a desk lamp in this hospital room."

"Analyzing the mission, we find that our tolerance for the rules has increased this time. But the anti-magic value requirement for interpreting items has increased."

"So, is it possible that we could find clues elsewhere?"

Wen Xishu felt that since this place was a mental hospital combined with a museum, it ought to have some mental hospital elements.

He had found the museum elements, so what about the mental hospital elements?

What did the iron chains on the floor imply?

Wang Ying shook his head and said:

"Don't over-interpret things. This place is full of treasures; I think we should just avoid appraising items with overly bizarre appearances."

"If we were to rummage through cabinets like you, our progress would be too slow."

Wen Xishu remained unmoved.

He had already discovered a small slip of paper, on which a little girl was drawn, blindfolded, with her hands bound.

But there was no written description of any kind.

With the effect of the desk lamp, what Wen Xishu saw became what Wang Ying saw, and Wang Ying didn't think there was anything to this drawing.

Aspasia, on the other hand, felt that what Wen Xishu said made some sense, but she could see that Wang Ying did not like Wen Xishu's go-your-own-way style.

This actually stemmed from the conduct of the members of the Stone Gambling Association, which was very similar to the squad operations of the Slaughter Tower.

Almost everything had to be cleared with the captain. The captain bore all the responsibility.

Wang Ying was a person willing to take responsibility, which was the reason Aspasia liked working with him.

However, what Wang Ying enjoyed was the self-satisfaction of being the boss who carries the load.

If someone performed better than him... that was a bit troublesome.

"Let's go, let's not waste time here."

Wang Ying said.

Wen Xishu was still staring at the slip of paper.

He was multitasking, thinking about how to interpret the content of the note on one hand, and on the other, wondering why there was such a large television wall at the end of the corridor.

Why was appraisal divided into multi-person and single-person appraisal? Why was there a process that forced the display of an item's function?

The mission prompt said that this great inventor had a premonition of the coming apocalypse and invented some items, hoping they would be used by people, and then the inventor died.

At the same time, the mission prompt also said that appraising items carried risks—but currently, there was no risk at all.

All the clues were in Wen Xishu's mind; he felt that the hospital must be hiding some kind of secret, and there was bound to be another link, one that might be related to the appraised items.

Sure enough, the moment Wang Ying stepped out of the hospital room door, he suddenly—vanished.

This scene stunned Tong Ming and gave Zheng Zai a fright.

It wasn't just Wang Ying; even Aspasia was the same.

At this moment, a sound came from outside, from the television wall at the end of the corridor.

"This... where have we been teleported to!"

[You are sufficiently familiar with the item, so you have stepped out of the hospital room; you have now entered the item usage phase.]

Including Tong Ming, Zheng Zai, and Wen Xishu, everyone received this prompt.

From the television wall side came Aspasia's somewhat angry voice:

"What does 'item usage phase' mean? Captain, aren't you being a bit rash!"

Aspasia was clearly very dissatisfied with this sudden teleportation.

She could feel that there seemed to be many dangerous auras around, and these auras were closing in bit by bit. Wang Ying said angrily:

"Who could have guessed this! How was I to know we would be teleported here?"

At this time, Wang Ying and Aspasia had arrived at a city ruin.

They were hiding in the shadows of a dilapidated building. In their ears, they could seem to hear the sounds from the throats of some eerie creatures.

[Current challenge, lv1.]

All prompts seemed to appear in everyone's mind, even Tong Ming, Zheng Zai, and the others who hadn't been teleported could receive the information.

Tong Ming noticed that Wen Xishu had put away the slip of paper, and his expression showed no surprise:

"Hehe, did you guess long ago that besides the forced function display phase, there was also a forced usage phase?"

Wen Xishu looked at Tong Ming:

"You are quite smart."

Tong Ming was very happy:

"Watch TV, watch TV. In the bunker's mental hospital, my favorite thing is watching TV."

Zheng Zai said:

"What is going on... if we walk out of the hospital room, will we also..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Tong Ming had already walked out of the hospital room.

But Tong Ming was not teleported away.

Tong Ming said:

"Only those who choose to appraise are teleported away; we didn't choose. Hehe, it's so fun here. It would be even better if the Captain could shed some blood."

Zheng Zai was a little afraid of Tong Ming.

Wen Xishu didn't feel much of anything; he also came outside the hospital room.

Zheng Zai said:

"Brother Wen, if... if we encounter an item you want to appraise later, could you take me with you? Don't worry, I won't fight you for ownership of the item, but... but I can protect you."

Zheng Zai was acting out of good intentions; the thought that every subsequent item appraisal would teleport them into the world inside the TV... made Zheng Zai somewhat afraid.

He worried that Brother Wen had a good brain but couldn't fight. Zheng Zai also vaguely guessed that Wang Ying and that woman were likely about to face a fierce battle.

Wen Xishu nodded:

"It is lv1 now, which is the easiest level. I reckon that the second item we appraise will take us to the lv2 survival stage."

"By that logic, the more items we appraise, the higher the stage number we go to, and the harder the stage will be."

Tong Ming laughed:

"So, the Captain choosing to appraise the desk lamp... was quite stupid. Right? In other words, what we have to consider is whether this item can kill enemies on the battlefield without us knowing any information about it."

"Hee hee, here they come. They're coming."

Tong Ming was very excited.

Wen Xishu and Zheng Zai also turned their gazes toward the large television screen at the end of the corridor.

The scene suddenly switched to a distant angle, like a drone's aerial view. From this perspective, Aspasia and Wang Ying looked like two tiny ants.

And all around... a dense swarm of ants appeared, moving toward Wang Ying and Aspasia!

"Could this be a scene from the Slaughter Tower? This is too interesting!" Tong Ming couldn't help but clap.

Wen Xishu watched the television silently.

……

An unknown city, an unknown region. Judging by the buildings in the distance, the city's CBD was once quite prosperous, but now it is a scene of ruin.

Yet beneath the ruin, countless dangers lie hidden.

"It’s a Normal-Type! Damn it, we’re clearly in the Trick Tower, how could we encounter so many Normal-Types from the Slaughter Tower!" Aspasia almost screamed until her voice cracked.

Wang Ying’s expression was extremely grim.

[Please use the item you identified as a weapon to guard the hospital and slay one hundred enemies. You have two opportunities for outside assistance.]

Wang Ying had no time to argue with Aspasia; he discovered that the only weapon he could use was the desk lamp in his hand.

He turned the desk lamp on, but other than sharing his vision with Aspasia, it had no other functions.

And the surrounding monsters were constantly closing in.

The most fatal part was that he had once frequented the Slaughter Tower, but here in the Trick Tower, his panel attributes were simulated as Level 1.

In other words, his current kill count limit was 100, and his level was 1.

No Slaughter Tower panel bonuses, no Slaughter Tower sequence enhancements! The only thing to be thankful for was that the surrounding Normal-Types... were all the weakest, entry-level Tier 1 Normal-Types.

"Let’s go back-to-back now. We need to find a favorable terrain first. There are some sharp stones on the ground—remember, aim for the temples. Just like the old captain taught us!"

Wang Ying quickly calmed down.

Aspasia also knew that she had to listen to Wang Ying now. The two quickly set up a combat stance; there were gravel and steel bars nearby that could also serve as makeshift weapons.

Entry-level Tier 1 Normal-Types were essentially ordinary people. They were like zombies, but not the kind with astonishing explosive power; they were more like zombies starved until their flesh had withered away, possessing slow mobility.

They were easy to deal with, but if the numbers were high enough, even an ordinary person couldn't hold out. Moreover, a real Slaughter Tower battlefield would not feature such a uniform group of the lowest-level Normal-Types.

It would usually be mixed with many Normal-Types of other stages, or even Rare-Types and Elite-Types.

Wang Ying and Aspasia were in a dangerous situation. The mission required killing one hundred Normal-Types, but there were more than one hundred surrounding them... and there were some powerful mid-to-high-tier Normal-Types in the distance.

Wang Ying and Aspasia quickly chose a high ground, intending to strike from above and use the slowness of the Normal-Types to kill and exhaust them bit by bit.

The way the two quickly entered their state of mind and the strategy they chose made Wen Xishu realize that these two had indeed frequented the Slaughter Tower.

And they had received relatively professional training.

Once the Normal-Types drew near, Wang Ying even precisely pierced the temples of the Normal-Types with steel bars several times; the scene was incredibly bloody.

When the steel bars were pulled out, blood gushed out like a fountain. Beside him, Aspasia’s beautiful face was also covered in a layer of bloodstains.

The two’s combat was effective; Wang Ying’s ruthless streak caused the dozen or so Normal-Types that approached first to fall quickly.

Aspasia was no simple person either. Her explosive power was not as great as Wang Ying’s, but she was agile and flexible, performing several incredible movements to kill four Normal-Types from extremely tricky angles.

"Wow, great, just great! But... hey, how long will it take for them to notice? Hahahaha, it’s so much fun, right?"

Tong Ming was a typical schadenfreude type.

Wen Xishu didn't like Tong Ming, but he didn't hate him much either—after all, he was also watching the show now, and he really wanted to know how long it would take for these two to discover one thing:

Their monster kill progress had not changed.

Wang Ying and Aspasia were very devoted to killing enemies; the more professional the two were, the more they knew they couldn't be distracted.

So even though that number was right there in the bottom right corner of their vision, and even though that number had never changed... both of them had forgotten about it for the moment.

Monster kill progress: 0/100.

In other words, although they had worked hard to kill twenty or so Normal-Types so far, the mission had not counted them.

Zheng Zai was a bit worried and really wanted to remind them, but he was simply not on the same "channel" as Wang Ying and the others.

Three more Normal-Types approached. At this moment, Wang Ying, holding steel bars in both hands, performed a very nimble 360-degree turn, piercing the temples of the Normal-Types three times in almost a single second.

This explosive power made even Zheng Zai admire him, and Tong Ming gave a thumbs up.

Wang Ying himself felt it too; in such a dangerous environment, it was as if he had triggered his potential, performing several stylish and efficient kills.

Only then did he think to check the kill count, wanting to show off in front of Aspasia and let this woman know his strength.

That was what Wang Ying thought, but the smile on his face vanished the instant he saw the number.

"Ho... how is this possible? What is going on? Why is it like this! Why!"

Wang Ying’s cry gave Aspasia a bad premonition:

"What happened!"

Aspasia’s breathing was already somewhat ragged.

Wang Ying said:

"Look at the kill count required by the mission..."

Aspasia frowned first, then was startled, revealing a look of fear:

"Why... we clearly have already..."

Wang Ying didn't know either. At this moment, many more Normal-Types appeared around them. He picked up the steel bars, wanting to fight, but his movements were much slower.

It wasn't because he was tired, but because he was hesitating internally, worried that everything he did was a waste of effort.

"Ask for help! Can't we ask for outside help!" Aspasia shouted loudly.

Her voice was a little hoarse. Although their abilities far exceeded the Normal-Types, they couldn't withstand such attrition. Wang Ying didn't want to ask for help, but at this moment, he had no other choice.

At this time, the three people watching the television all heard Wang Ying’s voice:

"Help... help me! What should I do now? You know what happened, right? Aspa—"

Before Wang could finish his sentence, he had to stop talking to kick away an approaching Normal-Type, and only then did he say:

"Aspasia and I were teleported to a strange place! Help me! We need to kill one hundred monsters, but we’ve killed dozens, and the monster count hasn't changed!"

The time for assistance was only one minute.

Tong Ming said: "Cap... Captain, come on, come on! Come on! It’s so scary, Captain, but as long as it’s you, Captain, you will definitely survive!"

Tong Ming’s tone was full of cowardice and terror.

Zheng Zai suddenly felt some disgust for this youth. This youth looked to be the same age as Brother Wen, but he completely lacked the chivalrous heart that Brother Wen had.

Wang Ying wanted to curse; he didn't ask for help to hear cheers and encouragement!

Wen Xishu said quite calmly:

"Use the desk lamp. Captain, try using the desk lamp. Throw away the steel bars in your hands and use the desk lamp to deal with the monsters."

"Okay! Wen Xishu, thank you!"

At this moment, Wang Ying was thanking Wen Xishu from the bottom of his heart. Aspasia was the same.

The time for assistance ended.

Tong Ming restored the smile on his face:

"What are you doing? Don't you hate them too? I can tell, you really hate them. Why save them?"

Even if the desk lamp wasn't some sharp weapon, Wang Ying and Aspasia could still manage to deal with one hundred entry-level Tier 1 Normal-Types that lacked a combat plan.

Wen Xishu’s hint was, in Tong Ming’s view, extremely correct. So Tong Ming was a bit puzzled:

"That Wang Ying, his ability isn't as good as yours, but he is jealous of you and thinks he is the captain, so he doesn't like your various correct suggestions."

"So you’re the type who returns evil with good..."

Wen Xishu said:

"Yes, the captain has also helped us verify the game's mechanics at this moment. He has done us a favor. What he thinks of me is his business, but I cannot stand by and watch them die."

Tong Ming felt it was boring.

Of course, what Wen Xishu said wasn't the truth either.

Wen Xishu thought that there were still eleven rounds of this segment left; dying two in the first round would be too fast. Teammates were consumables, but they couldn't be consumed too quickly.

Zheng Zai, on the other hand, was thinking: Brother Wen is truly too kind! What virtue or ability do I have to encounter such a good teammate as Brother Wen?

……

On the other side, on the battlefield, Wang Ying held the desk lamp in both hands and struck at the necks of the Normal-Types.

"Aspasia, stop putting your strength into their temples. Find a way to cripple their knees; we don't want to make ineffective kills!"

After Wang Ying regained his reason, the decisions he made were quite correct.

If you killed the opponent with something other than the desk lamp, it was equivalent to wasting stamina, but if you didn't kill them and used the desk lamp to finish them off, it counted as a kill.

This desk lamp was also magical; it didn't have a single scratch. Although it didn't possess powerful destructive force, it was also very difficult to destroy.

All Wang Ying had to do was ensure he could smash the heads of the Normal-Types with the desk lamp.

This process was somewhat tedious.

Tong Ming said:

"Should we continue exploring first? Are we just going to watch like this?"

Wen Xishu said:

"You can go; I have to wait for the captain."

Seeing Wen Xishu not moving, Tong Ming didn't move either.

Time passed second by second...

When the kill count reached 99, Aspasia was already exhausted and collapsed to the ground, her eyes somewhat unfocused, as if she had just finished filming a two-hour Japanese movie without a cut.

And Wang Ying was that "juice man" who had nothing left to give.

Now, another group of monsters slowly surged in, among them a mid-tier Normal-Type. Its limbs already had things like bone spurs, and its speed was much faster than the other Normal-Types, like a sprinter running in an explosive burst.

Seeing this scene, Wang Ying’s weak hands immediately picked up the desk lamp, and he shouted loudly:

"Fuck you! Fuck you!"

Wang Ying wasn't being ruthless toward the mid-tier Normal-Type about to rush over, but was immediately trying to kill an ordinary entry-level Normal-Type to quickly complete the mission.

He did indeed succeed; all his strength erupted, and he used the desk lamp to fiercely smash open the head of a Normal-Type.

Clang, the desk lamp hit the ground; he truly had no strength left.

If not for the fact that he had wasted quite a bit of strength earlier, he could actually have kept fighting, but now, he truly had no strength left.

Wang Ying collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.

Fortunately, at this moment—all the monsters stopped.

Kill count: 100/100.

[You have successfully demonstrated the value of this item after the arrival of the apocalypse. Returning to the museum shortly; may you be able to show people more items. Upon this return, your stamina will be restored by fifty percent of its maximum value.]

Wang Ying and Aspasia finally returned to the museum.

After their stamina was restored, Wang Ying and Aspasia were not as disheveled as they had been on the battlefield. The bloodstains on their bodies were also cleaned away in an instant.

"Captain is so amazing... simply a god of war. I have never seen such a valiant person; I think I will remember the figure of Captain, this Lamp God of War, for the rest of my life."

Tong Ming looked full of admiration.

He acted with vivid realism; that sense of amazement was natural and on point, not at all exaggerated.

So for a moment, Wang Ying was not sure if Lamp God of War was praising him or being sarcastic.

Wen Xishu said:

"Captain, you've worked hard. Now..."

Wen Xishu deliberately did not continue, instead glancing at Wang Ying, who was still grateful to Wen Xishu:

"Tell me, what about now?"

Wen Xishu nodded:

"We have basically completed one standard round, and we have at least eleven rounds remaining. One round includes an appraisal phase, a demonstration phase, and also a usage phase."

"Moreover, the game indicated one point: it must be the appraised item used to kill enemies that counts. Therefore, we still need to choose carefully and consider the function of the item itself."

"Whether this function is conducive to us... killing enemies."

Wang Ying nodded:

"Alright, I have an idea now. My stamina has recovered quite a bit; shall we start exploring the second ward?"

Aspasia spoke up at this time:

"Are we still going to keep this method where everyone goes into one ward to look? Should we act separately?"

Tong Ming agreed:

"I also think... what if we see something very suitable for combat, like a weapon... if everyone wants it then, it will inevitably lead to disharmony, right?"

In the current situation, it was obvious that items whose original functions possessed combat attributes would be the most sought after.

For example, a knife; even if this knife's special ability was terrible, as a knife, it was inherently more suitable for killing enemies than a desk lamp.

Once there was a direction, everyone thought about relying on their own abilities to find items suitable for appraisal, rather than acting as a group and searching room by room...

They couldn't keep good things to themselves.

Wen Xishu discovered that people were indeed all selfish. But he did not reject this situation. In fact, he felt it was even better this way; he wouldn't have to pay the price for their reckless behavior.

(End of chapter)