The night stretched on endlessly. Only a few corridor lights in the Tongzi Building cast a feeble glow. The Night Patrol on guard duty occasionally passed Feng Yin's room in the first-floor corner. However, they remained completely oblivious to Feng Yin, whose right hand was currently flashing with a blood-red mark in the dark.
At some point, the mark on Feng Yin's right hand ceased its flashing and gradually faded. His curled-up body trembled slightly before his eyes snapped open. He looked around and realized he wasn't in the Nameless Prison. He was still in his room in the Tongzi Building of Sin City.
He wondered, "Is this a dream, or is it something else?"
Feng Yin's expression shifted between shock and uncertainty. He couldn't be sure whether what he had just experienced was merely a dream or some Supernatural phenomenon. If it was a dream, the sensation of slaughtering monsters as a suit of Armor felt far too real. Even now, he could still clearly recall every single frame of that memory. But if it was a Supernatural phenomenon, what impact would his experiences have in reality? Was it solely meant to rob him of his peace, both in the waking world and in his dreams?
[Return successful. You have gained 10 Spirituality from this journey, which can be used for the Recovery of the Armor's Durability and Secret Energy, or to enhance the performance of Engraving, Skills, and Secret Technique.]
Text formed from gray mist quietly materialized in Feng Yin's vision. He jolted, uncurling his body and standing up with a look of pleasant surprise. Was this... his Golden Finger arriving at last?!
He wondered, "How do I use it?"
The next second, he caught a flash of red Light out of the corner of his eye. He subconsciously looked down. On the back of his right hand, a blood-red symbol shaped like a Double-headed Trident had surfaced. Lifting his right hand to inspect it, he realized this symbol was the exact icon of the single-player game, Sealing Armor.
With a mere thought, a familiar, simple interface appeared before his eyes.
— Sealing Armor —
Liberation Level: 11%
Durability: 10/11 (Available for Recovery)
Secret Energy: 10/11 (Available for Recovery)
Strength: 11
Mobility: 11
Main Hand Armament: Canfeng Sword
Secondary Hand Armament: Simple Arm Crossbow
Engraving: None
Skills: Stealing Step (Upgradable)
Secret Technique: None
Spirituality: 10
———————
A status panel!
Feng Yin instantly perked up, though a hint of apprehension soon followed. Just bringing this interface into reality wouldn't be of much use. The truly powerful asset was the Armor itself...
The very moment that thought crossed his mind, the blood-red mark on the back of his right hand flared brightly. In the next split second, his entire body stiffened. The sensation of his feet planted on the ground shifted rapidly, replaced by a cold, hard feeling. Even his field of vision became strange. Before his eyes, his bare right hand was now covered by a set of pitch-black, sinister Arm Armor.
But that wasn't all! Feng Yin quickly looked down to scan his body. It wasn't just his arm. His limbs, his chest, his abdomen—his entire body was now encased in a familiar, pitch-black suit of Armor! Moreover, the Armor fit his physique perfectly.
The Sealing Armor! Had he really brought this thing into reality?
Feng Yin reached up to touch his face and head, feeling that they were entirely covered by the Armor as well. The reason he could still see was because, although the eye slits of the Helmet were sealed, they were made of a transparent, glass-like material that glowed with a red Light.
He reached behind his back, his fingers wrapping firmly around the hilt of the sword protruding from behind his shoulder. Then, he raised his left hand to inspect his forearm. With a mere shift in thought, the Arm Armor swiftly popped open to reveal a fully loaded Simple Arm Crossbow. Both his Main Hand Armament and Secondary Hand Armament were here too!
A surge of excitement rushed through him. Now, he could be absolutely certain... Whether it was a minor advantage or a game-breaking one, he finally had a genuine Golden Finger!
Amidst his excitement, Feng Yin's senses twitched. Footsteps!
He thought, "This Armor is far too conspicuous. I need to stow it away first..."
The moment the thought surfaced, the weight on his body vanished. His feet shifted slightly as they made direct contact with the floorboards again. Looking down, he saw that the Armor encasing him had silently disappeared. Excellent. It could be summoned and dismissed at will. Nothing could be better than this!
A few seconds later, the Night Patrol guard walked past his window. Spotting Feng Yin standing in the corner, the man chided in a low voice, "Kid, why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing up?"
"Nature called. I was just about to head to the restroom," Feng Yin mumbled in reply.
The burly Night Patrol guard chuckled and teased, "Waking up in the middle of the night for a piss at your age? Your kidneys must be weak. Make it quick, and don't wander outside the courtyard. You don't want to get snatched up by the psychos out there."
Feng Yin shrugged, opening the door and stepping out of his room. "It's the middle of the night. Don't those people ever sleep?"
"Ha! You think we're living in the civilized world out there?" the burly man scoffed. "Plenty of gangs and factions in Sin City operate in the dead of night. Why else do you think we have a Night Patrol?"
"Anyway, just be careful." As he spoke, he patted Feng Yin on the back of his shoulder. However, the force of his hand failed to budge the seemingly scrawny young man. A look of surprise flashed across the burly man's face. "Oho, you're pretty sturdy, kid."
Feng Yin was also slightly startled. He knew very well that he hadn't been this sturdy during the day. And his only difference between now and the daytime was the Sealing Armor! Did that Armor share its power with him even when he wasn't actively wearing it? He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down to prevent the guard from noticing his anomaly.
He bid the burly man farewell and walked briskly toward the restroom. While he took care of his business, he silently pulled up the status panel to take a closer look. His gaze landed on two specific Armor Attributes: Strength and Mobility.
According to the game's mechanics, these two Attributes for the Armor were basically equivalent to human strength and agility. The higher the Strength, the greater the kinetic output of the Armor, and the higher its Physics-based lethality. The higher the Mobility, the better the Armor's flexibility and coordination. This allowed for more complex maneuvers and enabled the use of higher-difficulty Skills.
So, just how much power did the 11 Strength of the Armor represent? Feng Yin didn't have exact metrics, but the real-world performance made it quite obvious. Take the Canfeng Sword, for instance. It was over a meter and a half long, its blade three to four fingers wide, and over a centimeter thick. Although he wasn't entirely sure what metallic or stone-like material the weapon was made of, even if he assumed it was forged from ordinary iron, the Canfeng Sword would weigh over fifteen catties.
Based on Feng Yin's knowledge of cold weapons back on Earth, standard Western two-handed Giant Swords generally weighed under ten catties and required trained Warriors to wield them with both hands. However, the Armor was able to act as a Spirit Binder and wield this Canfeng Heavy Sword single-handedly with swift agility, as though it weighed no more than a feather. Most importantly, the Armor could cleave a Filthy Corpse—a creature with an anatomical structure similar to a human's—clean in half with a casual swing of the sword.
That level of power had to be at least five times greater than an average person's, right? And that "average person" comparison assumed a trained Warrior. A Warrior's highly tempered body would inherently possess far more strength than an ordinary civilian. So, wouldn't the Armor's power actually be roughly ten times that of a normal Earthling?
Did one point of Strength equate to roughly one person's worth of power? And as for his current self...
Feng Yin lightly clenched his fist, feeling the raw physical power that was easily twice what he'd possessed during the day. It could practically be considered as Two People's Strength. So, even without donning the Armor, he was still receiving roughly one-tenth of its total power?
What about its other functions? Engraving, Skills, and Secret Technique? Could he inherit those as well?
Feng Yin's eyes gleamed as he focused on the Armor's Skills section.
— Stealing Step.