The ten people looked at each other, the atmosphere thick with tension.
A woman who looked to be in her early thirties spoke first. She wiped the grime from her face and said in a raspy voice, "I was in the Lower City shelter last night... and then I woke up here. Everyone, did we... did we enter 'that place'?"
【Lu Zihan: They know about Anomaly Instances?】
【Ren Yi: They're from a Pasture world. Those worlds have been invaded by our predecessors, so knowledge about Anomalies is likely widespread.】
"I'm afraid so," a young man replied. His face was flushed with a sickly red, yet he carried a hint of... excitement?
He continued, "Everyone, since we've entered an Anomaly Instance, we should work together. I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Lin Feng. I was outside the city clearing mutant beast remains when my vision blurred, and I ended up here."
"I'm Chen Fang," the woman who spoke first replied, offering her name in cooperation.
The others introduced themselves one by one: two members of a cleaning crew, a nurse, a chef, and a teenage boy shivering in the corner.
Soon, the seven of them had finished their introductions, and all eyes turned toward the three armed individuals.
Chen Fang asked tentatively, "Brothers, you three are..."
"You can call me Old Deng," the man leading them with the machine gun replied. "These two are Liu Rui and Chu River. We're from the Holy City Resource Collection Team."
He paused deliberately, scanning their dirty faces. "Judging by your clothes and condition, you aren't from the Holy City. But it doesn't matter; since we've entered the trial, we're all in the same boat."
He patted his light machine gun, the metallic clatter sounding exceptionally sharp in the silent room.
"The Resource Collection Team is professionally trained and possesses basic knowledge for handling these trials. So, I expect everyone to follow my lead. Don't try to be clever."
His gaze lingered on Lin Feng's excited face for an extra second.
"I know some people see these trials as a 'chance to change their fate.' But let me give you a fair warning: if anyone acts on their own or drags the team down, don't blame the hardware in my hands for being unkind."
The group quickly expressed their willingness to follow Old Deng's lead. They began searching Room 1, though they stayed away from Lu Zihan's half of the room, intimidated by his presence.
Ren Yi and Lu Zihan were content to listen to their conversation; after all, time was on their side.
【Ren Yi: Sounds like they're from a post-apocalyptic world? Some kind of 'Resource Collection Team'?】
【Lu Zihan: That's not the point, is it? What did Old Deng mean by 'chance to change their fate'? That reaction seems off.】
【Ren Yi: I don't get it either. What on earth did our predecessors do to this world...】
A post-apocalyptic modern world? Ren Yi thought to himself, quietly adjusting his plan.
"This isn't working," Old Deng said. "Based on what I know, the initial period of a trial is safe. We must use this time to find the requirements of this trial as quickly as possible. You lot, go over there and search for clues."
The people he pointed to, including Lin Feng and Chen Fang, looked at Old Deng's machine gun and walked toward the other side without a word.
【Lu Zihan: Why aren't they talking back to him? In a normal plot, shouldn't there be a few troublemakers who argue so Old Deng can use his gun to establish authority?】
He was a bit disappointed that no one had triggered his rule.
【Ren Yi: To survive in a post-apocalyptic world, there probably aren't many fools left.】
The group approached the pedestal where Ren Yi and Lu Zihan were. Lin Feng was a step behind the others, and by the time he arrived, the rest had already claimed their search areas.
With no space left, he rubbed his nose and eventually walked toward Lu Zihan, the "monster sculpture."
Lin Feng approached the sculpture cautiously. Seeing that the monster statue showed no sign of moving, he emboldened himself to reach out and touch the monster's blade.
A cold, stinging sensation pricked his hand, scaring him into pulling back.
Enduring his fear, he circled halfway around the pedestal. Suddenly, he noticed a card on the ground behind it that read: 【Escape, the key is in the third coffin】.
【Lu Zihan: Stool, he found a clue.】
Ren Yi didn't answer. He was considering whether to use his ability now; after all, the restriction only prevented movement, and his ability didn't require any physical action to activate.
Just then, Lin Feng looked up and caught a glimpse of something white in his peripheral vision.
It was a white jade pendant hanging from the monster sculpture's wrist by a thin thread, nestled within the monster's large palm. It was completely invisible from the front.
His heart skipped a beat. Taking advantage of the monster sculpture's bulk to hide from view, he reached out and snatched the item.
At that moment, a line of text suddenly flashed before his eyes.
【System binding complete.】
"What are you doing?" Old Deng's voice rang out, having noticed Lin Feng lingering too long.
"I found a clue!" Lin Feng shouted hurriedly, stepping out from the blind spot.
Hearing this, the group quickly gathered around Lin Feng's position. Lin Feng stepped back a few paces, ostensibly to let everyone see the clue, but actually to hide his pounding heart.
Strange text continued to refresh before his eyes—text he somehow instinctively understood.
【System activated】
【Greetings, Host. The "Invincible Contrarian System" is at your service】
Suppressing his wild joy, Lin Feng whispered in a voice only he could hear, "System, what functions do you have?"
It worked. Unseen by anyone, a wisp of positive emotion energy was absorbed from Lin Feng's pocket by the white jade pendant.
The System—Ren Yi—felt the single charge of his ability he had just spent become replenished instantly. He knew his plan was a success.
Thus, he continued to use his illusion ability to spam text in front of Lin Feng's eyes.
【This system is named the "Invincible Contrarian System"】
【The Host must play the role of a "contrarian." By getting others to refute you, you can earn system contribution points】
【Contribution points can be exchanged for items in the System Shop】
"Open the System Shop," Lin Feng whispered.
Ren Yi immediately fabricated a shop interface and threw it over. There was a "Divine Ascension Pill" for 99,999 points, an "Invincible Heavenly Thunder Talisman" for 99,998 points, and a "God-Slaying Heaven-Destroying Blade" for 99,997 points...
Regardless, Lin Feng couldn't afford them, so it wasn't the System's fault they weren't available.
Using his perception, Ren Yi watched the corners of Lin Feng's mouth slowly curl upward. He sighed inwardly, wondering why a single person couldn't provide positive emotions repeatedly. Look how happy this kid was; he could have provided so much energy.
Lin Feng soon realized he was penniless, and his face quickly darkened. "System, is there anything cheaper?"
Ren Yi immediately presented the "menu" he had prepared.
【Aura Concealment Talisman: Use via thought. Select a target. As long as the target does not trigger an Anomaly's instant-kill rule, the Anomaly will not prioritize attacking them. Duration: 5 minutes. Price: 1 contribution point】
【Target Transfer Talisman: Use via thought. Select a target. The Anomaly will prioritize attacking the chosen individual. Price: 1 contribution point】
Rate on N.U.
