Chapter 33
Chapter 33
“Bro Jue… this is disgusting,” Wang Tan Zhi groaned.
“What’s disgusting about it?” Feng Bu Jue shot back, already striding toward the corpse.
“I mean, morally and physically!” Wang Tan Zhi exclaimed. “You can’t just assume the reward’s insufficient and start gutting bodies!”
“Gutting bodies?” Feng Bu Jue repeated, crouching beside the second corpse. “I’d call it ‘gutting’ if there was alien slime or feces involved.” He plunged his hand into the gaping wound on the corpse’s abdomen, rummaging through its bloated guts with unsettling nonchalance.
“Long Ge… tell me quietly—what exactly does Feng Bu Jue do in real life?” Long Ao Min whispered, visibly rattled.
“He’s a novelist,” Wang Tan Zhi muttered, staring blankly.
“A novelist? That’s terrifying?” Lonely Girl chimed in, overhearing.
“Well… he’s not exactly mainstream,” Wang Tan Zhi added.
A sudden laugh from Feng Bu Jue made the four of them jump.
“Look!” he crowed, holding up an object triumphantly. He’d actually retrieved gear from the blood-soaked corpse—a Fine quality item.
[Item Name: Eye of Hostility]
[Type: Armor]
[Quality: Fine]
[Defense: N/A]
[Attribute: None]
[Special Effect: N/A]
[Equipment Condition: Usable by characters level 20 or below. Non-tradable after pickup.]
[Can be taken out of this scenario: Yes]
[Note: Since you’ve found this item, it clearly belongs to you. This pair of goggles was crafted by a necromancer with many enemies, designed to detect murderous intent in crowds. Unfortunately, it can only observe one target at a time… The necromancer etched a line on the frame while alive: ‘When you look at me, I’m looking back.’]
The goggles resembled Wwii-era aviator sunglasses—except they’d just been fished out of a corpse’s guts.
“I knew it,” Feng Bu Jue said. “The clues at the police station were too obvious. The city’s deserted, yet there are corpses here. Two bodies had essential items, but this one seemed redundant. If the only reward was a baton, the system wouldn’t have placed such a memorable corpse here—it’d just hide the baton in a corner.”
“Fine, you’re a genius,” Wang Tan Zhi grumbled. “Can we move? We’ve healed up and looted enough. You’ve traumatized the team enough.”
---
After leaving the police station, the five continued through the streets. Their detour had completed a potential future task early and netted useful items. But Feng Bu Jue’s unsettling behavior was starting to unnerve his teammates more than the game itself.
The game’s jump scares might terrify players into disconnecting, but everyone knew they were just digital tricks. Feng Bu Jue, however, was a real person. The thought of his actions escalating was genuinely chilling.
“Look ahead!” Long Ao Min halted after ten minutes, pointing forward.
They saw a vast plaza paved with cobblestones, dominated by a towering door—ten meters high, four meters wide. One side was shrouded in black mist, the other open.
As they approached, the system chimed: [Current task completed. Main quest updated.]
Checking their menus, the previous task [Search the city for the Hellgate] was marked complete. Two new tasks appeared: [Find the Flame Key at the East 9th Street Police Station] and [Find the Wood Key at the South 15th Street Shopping Mall]. The Flame Key task was already checked off.
Feng Bu Jue strode to the door, tilting his head upward. “Not too bad. Five magic arrays, three glowing—means the Gold, Water, and Earth Keys are already in place, maintaining the seal.”
The others joined him. Beyond the open door lay impenetrable darkness, unyielding even to imagined floodlights. Above the threshold, five colored magic arrays formed a pentagram. Three glowed faintly, their ancient runes inscrutable.
Feng Bu Jue produced the Flame Key, holding it toward the door. Nothing happened. Pocketing it, he said, “Probably need both keys to trigger the next task. We’ve got twelve minutes before the third darkness hits—let’s move.”
Long Ao Min bolted south without hesitation. “Hurry!” The memory of the bloodless corpse had left him determined to avoid an early grave.
The plaza’s map showed street names, so Long Ao Min led them to South 15th Street without Feng Bu Jue’s guidance. They reached the mall in five minutes—a kilometer sprint.
“Still power here,” Long Ao Min remarked, barely winded.
This was where non-quantifiable attributes came into play—real-world traits that couldn’t be fully measured in-game. For example, Long Ao Min’s superior stamina meant he spent less energy than others on the same run. Compared to the weakest, Jimo, the difference was minor—ten points or so—but persistent.
Even skills like marksmanship had hidden layers. Two players with Shooting Proficiency A (master level) might have slight real-world skill differences affecting damage and accuracy. These nuances faded as players grew stronger—by level 30, everyone could perform Matrix-like feats—but early on, they mattered.
“Like the police station,” Feng Bu Jue observed, “main quest areas have artificial light and corpses.”
“Wait for monsters to attack?” Wang Tan Zhi asked.
“The system’s not that repetitive,” Feng Bu Jue replied. “Inside—no bloodless corpse this time. Something else awaits.”
The sliding glass doors stood open. The mall was massive—five floors, bright lights, functioning elevators and vending machines. Shelves were ransacked, but the layout remained intact.
Feng Bu Jue scanned the directory. “Wood Key—furniture section? Toy store?”
Gu Du suggested.
With only one Feng Bu Jue, splitting up was risky.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
Boom—Boom—Boom
From thirty meters away, the floor bulged like a volcano. Tiles shattered as a creature erupted upward—a charred tree trunk, two meters wide, crowned with claw-like branches. A face-like pattern was carved into its bark.
“I’ll bet fifty cents the key’s on this thing,” Feng Bu Jue said.
Long Ao Min ignored the joke. “It’s rooted. Attack range limited. Flank it from behind.”
Feng Bu Jue calmly equipped the Eye of Hostility. Items stored in his satchel cleaned instantly, so the goggles gleamed pristine.
“Let’s see… its current target is…” He trailed off, suddenly staring upward.
On the fifth floor’s shadowed railing crouched a humanoid silhouette. As Feng Bu Jue turned, it spread bat-like wings and dove.
“Batman?” Wang Tan Zhi quipped.
“More like a demon. Down!” Feng Bu Jue barked, hitting the floor.
The demon ignored them, targeting the tree monster. The tree roared—a deep, concussive blast. The demon shrieked back, a piercing wail that made the air vibrate.
Two monsters, two voices—one a bass, one a shrill soprano—clashed in a cacophony of terror.
(End of Chapter)
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