"I really pulled a gold!"
With an anxious heart, she skipped the flashy card-pulling animation, and the list of cards appeared before her: 【sule joy card x7】, 【skill card: Swordsmanship Training x2】, 【gold skill card: Substitute x1】.
"Substitute?"
Xu Xiaoyou was a bit stunned. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the numbers below the card pool interface, her mind going blank.
【Current Pool Name: White Spider Lily of the Other Shore.】
【Current 5-Star Rate-up Character: Angelina drop rate increased.】
【Condense Count: 100/90】
"Eh?"
"It's one thing for the pity not to reset after a gold pull, but what's the deal with exceeding the pity count?"
"Soft pity isn't followed by a hard pity... what kind of unscrupulous game company is this!"
Her mind was in a mess, unable to figure out what was going on. Xu Xiaoyou shook her head, deciding not to overthink it for now. Several newly acquired cards shimmered into form at her fingertips.
【sule joy card】
【Quality: dim (white)】
【Effect: After use, sweet sule joy will pour into the throat from the mouth. When durability reaches 0, the card is destroyed. (Note: Drinking too much at once may lead to drowning.)】
【Durability: 100%】
Who would drink this stuff? She didn't want to become a muddled sule joy brain-dead.
【skill card: Swordsmanship Training】
【Quality: paperback (green)】
【Effect: After use, gain the 'Swordsman's Keenness' effect for 6 hours. 'Swordsman's Keenness': Swordsmanship ability is slightly enhanced. The card is destroyed after use.】
Swordsmanship ability is slightly enhanced?
Xu Xiaoyou wasn't very satisfied with this skill description.
One had to consider that the three skill cards—【Fireball Bombardment】, 【Back Alley Thrust】, and 【Bleeding Frenzy】—had power far exceeding her expectations, even allowing her to deal with three grade 1 fixers.
Since they were one-time skill cards, it wasn't too much to ask for them to be powerful, right?
Though, the duration was quite long, a full six hours.
She would just have to see what the concept of 'slight' actually meant.
If the effect was good...
Xu Xiaoyou thought of Anya, and her lips curled up involuntarily.
Didn't she still have a few character experience cards and energy cards she hadn't used yet?
She would find Anya to test them out later.
As for the final skill card—【Substitute】—even though it was the one that had emitted the golden light, Xu Xiaoyou didn't hold much expectation for it anymore.
【skill card: Substitute】
【Quality: hardcover (blue)】
【Effect: Upon use, your own ability attributes are reduced by 75%. Summon a substitute possessing 25% of your personal abilities. The substitute is capable of independent thought and can be controlled. While using the substitute, the card's durability decreases; when durability reaches 0, it returns to the card slot to recharge. It can only be used again when durability is full. (Note: The substitute possesses emotions.)】
Xu Xiaoyou felt her interest wane as she read the long block of text. However, when she noticed that this Substitute card wouldn't be destroyed like the others even if its durability hit zero—and would instead be usable again once recharged—her eyes slowly widened.
"It can be used infinitely?"
The skill cards she had obtained before were all single-use items. Suddenly being told she had a skill card that could be used indefinitely made her a little excited.
While no one was around, Xu Xiaoyou summoned the substitute in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras, intending to see its specific effects.
Although the skill effects seemed average at a glance, things like substitutes could often turn the tide of a situation if used well.
A figure looking exactly like her appeared before her. Her own body felt sluggish and weak after using the skill card.
The other party just watched her quietly, her gaze tranquil and indifferent.
"Hello," the substitute said expressionlessly.
For some reason, Xu Xiaoyou felt a bit uneasy being stared at by her.
"Perform a mid-air split for me to see," Xu Xiaoyou said.
The substitute: "?"
"Can't do it? How about drinking water while doing a handstand?"
The substitute: "?"
Seeing the substitute remain unmoved, Xu Xiaoyou couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
If she couldn't even do these, there was no hope in asking her to perform complex actions. It seemed this substitute's intelligence level wasn't very high.
"Lick your lips. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Xu Xiaoyou said it casually, almost without hope.
Right then, the substitute moved.
Xu Xiaoyou's head bumped lightly against the wall. "What are you doing!"
When she opened her eyes while complaining, she saw the scene before her and her expression froze.
The girl, who looked no different from herself, was currently standing right in front of her. Her figure leaned in close, and a slender fingertip slowly brushed across Xu Xiaoyou's lips, leaving behind a trace of warmth.
"Hiss... Y-you, what are you doing?" Xu Xiaoyou's brain couldn't process it for a moment, and she froze on the spot.
The office desk was behind her; there was nowhere to retreat.
In the large office, the posture of the two of them appeared somewhat bizarre.
She stared blankly into the substitute's eyes. The other's gaze was still as indifferent as it had been at the start, but deep within those eyes, there was an indescribable meaning flickering.
Seeing the other person really leaning in with her head tilted, a chill ran down Xu Xiaoyou's spine. She quickly reached out and pushed the other's face away.
"Stop, stop, stop! What kind of nerve are you having!"
After being pushed away, the substitute stood silently on the spot. A flash of disappointment crossed her calm eyes, like a dejected elementary schooler who had been scammed while trying to get a classmate to help top up their game card.
"I'm carrying out the command: licking lips."
"I didn't tell you to lick my lips!" Xu Xiaoyou was done with this.
Without waiting for the substitute to respond, she waved her hand and sent her directly back into the card slot.
Glancing around to confirm that no passing staff members had noticed the commotion here, Xu Xiaoyou breathed a sigh of relief.
Alright, she admitted she was a bit narcissistic; just seeing herself in the mirror every day was enough to make her feel pleased.
Calculated egoists were often narcissistic; she hadn't expected the substitute to inherit this emotion as well.
The problem wasn't that the other party wasn't smart enough, but that she was too smart. Xu Xiaoyou didn't know if this was a good or bad thing.
The good thing was that she could just tell the substitute to handle all the troublesome tasks in the future.
The bad thing was if, for example, she told the other party to do something dangerous, it would be bad if the other party was unwilling.
Yeah...
People should be considerate of one another. The other party could think independently and had her own emotions too.
Xu Xiaoyou sighed.
Who cares about her!
Even if her durability hit zero, she could be repaired. She was a consumable anyway—if she got worn out, so be it. No matter how one looked at it, the other was just her substitute. If she were on the verge of death, would she still have room to worry about a substitute?
When the time comes, she'd just use forced control!
Xu Xiaoyou didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt for her unscrupulous thoughts.
Soon, it was time for the afternoon's new employee training.
The lecture hall was already packed. Looking around, it was a sea of bobbing heads and bustling noise.
Xu Xiaoyou was among them, still unable to figure out what that card pool meant.
"Hey, buddy, you just got here too? I heard from the seniors that the future of Section C is very bright. As long as you have results, you can make a lot of money!"
"I heard outside how bad Section C was and how dangerous it is. It looks like that's not the case at all now. The seniors are gentle, friendly, and so patient."
"Yeah, yeah. Those seniors also said that as long as we work hard, we'll soon get promoted, get raises, and live in big houses."
Yeah, a house thirty centimeters long, wide, and high—the kind that weighs five pounds, box and occupant included.
Xu Xiaoyou sat in a chair in the back row with her legs crossed, playing on her phone. She had absolutely no interest in the discussions of those around her. Compared to those youngsters with faces glowing with hope, she was like an old dog that had been repeatedly beaten by society.
Just then, the surprised voice of a girl came from beside her.
"Senior! You're here too?"
Rate on N.U.
