Su Hongyi habitually leaned on Su Chen's shoulder, snuggling closer to him.
"This kind of life is much more comfortable. Being in dungeons always feels a bit oppressive. I really don't know when I'll be able to clear all the dungeons."
Su Chen reached out and hugged Su Hongyi, gently patting her arm.
"That's hard to say. It all depends on what the Supreme Rules think."
After saying this, Su Chen looked up at the sky.
"Supreme Rules, are you still there?"
[Yes, what do you want?] The
Supreme Rules' voice rang in Su Chen's ears.
"I mean, shouldn't you hurry up and leave? We're about to say something cheesy, it's not good for you to hear!"
"Besides, I don't know if you have a boyfriend or girlfriend. What if we go overboard with all the sweetness and you get angry and cause a bug?"
"Actually, I'm not kicking you out, just kindly reminding you."
"If you won't explode from looking at me a few more times, I don't mind you watching."
Su Chen said with a grin.
Supreme Rules: ...
[Farewell.]
The Supreme Rule fell silent after he finished speaking. "
Hey! Are you really gone?"
Su Chen heard only silence.
"I'll assume you really are gone!"
Still, no sound.
The next moment, Su Chen's smile faded, and he tightened his grip on Su Hongyi's arm.
"I'm going to talk to you about the Supreme Rule."
Su Hongyi was taken aback.
She raised her head slightly, looking at Su Chen's face.
"Ah? You really want to talk? Actually, it's okay if you don't tell me, and what if it hasn't left?"
Su Hongyi said softly.
Su Chen shook his head slightly.
"Whether it leaves or not, I still want to talk to you. I need you to help me see from an outsider's perspective whether my deductions are wrong."
"Besides, I already gave it face. It insisted on eavesdropping and making itself uncomfortable, but that's none of my business."
Su Hongyi thought for a moment and nodded.
"Go ahead, I'm listening carefully."
Su Chen took a deep breath and said.
"Do you remember last time in the building, when I used the healing rules to save you and Wang Xin, it deliberately twisted my rules, almost causing you and Wang Xin to get into trouble?" M.
"I remember, I was so anxious back then."
"Why would it deliberately twist the rules? Just to mess with me? Or to make me understand that I can use a bug to refresh my skills by multitasking?"
Su Hongyi frowned and thought for a moment.
"The second possibility is the most likely."
Su Chen smiled upon hearing this.
"At first, I thought so too, I even thought at one point that it might be deliberately cultivating me."
"Back then, I told you that the world is a big tree, and the strange tale dungeons are the fruits on the tree, do you remember?"
"That's why I suspected back then that it might be trying to cultivate me so that I could heal this 'sick' tree in the future."
At this moment, Su Hongyi frowned and asked doubtfully.
"Isn't that possible? I think it is indeed possible."
Ads by Pubfuture
Su Chen shook his head again.
"It's not impossible, after all, I've gained a lot from these dungeons, it's almost like I've been nurtured."
"However, compared to that, I've discovered its deeper purpose, which is its true purpose in distorting my healing rules!"
Su Chen said in a deep voice.
"What? A deeper purpose?"
Su Hongyi was a little confused.
"It was actually testing how much I cared about the Dragon Kingdom! And how much I cared about you."
"If I had protected you then, the Dragon Kingdom would have suffered; if I had protected the Dragon Kingdom, I would have had to abandon you." "
Fortunately, I ultimately took a risky approach and protected everyone."
"However, it probably got the answer it wanted from this incident."
"So, here comes the key point."
"In the cruise ship scenario, it deliberately fueled the flames, helping the Sea God discover Blue Star, and even instigating the Sea God's invasion of Blue Star."
"Furthermore, it did something even more deliberate, dragging Naji into it. The moment the Hungarian Kingdom sided with the Dragon Kingdom, it immediately activated the official five-minute time limit notification."
"Why did it do that? The answer is simple: it wanted me to deduce faster that the Sea God was preparing to invade Blue Star!"
Hearing this, Su Hongyi's eyes flashed, instantly understanding the underlying meaning in Su Chen's words.
"You mean, it knows you care about the Dragon Kingdom, so when you learned that the Sea God was going to invade Blue Star, you would definitely try every means to stop it?"
Su Chen nodded.
"That's right. And because it tricked me in the building before, and because it fueled the invasion of Blue Star by the Sea God, and because Zhang Yang is on guard against it, all this information has made me hostile towards it."
"So, since I don't trust the Supreme Rules, I basically only have one path left."
"Only by killing the Sea God can I save Blue Star."
"Its goal is for me to kill a god,"
Su Chen said seriously.
"But if that's the case, the Supreme Rules should have prevented your master from coming. What if you listened to your master and decided to let the Sea God go?"
Su Hongyi asked.
"No, as long as the Sea God poses a threat to Blue Star, I will never let it go."
"Besides, didn't you notice that my cheap master was being a bit secretive? With his strength, it should be quite easy for him to find a way to control the Sea God, but he was threatened with suicide by the Sea God." "
This means there must be some hidden secrets. Perhaps, it's the Supreme Rules that restricted him."
"The Supreme Rules blocked all paths just to create such an outcome!"
Su Hongyi thought for a moment, then suddenly frowned slightly.
"There's still an oversight. You're working backward from the outcome. What if you didn't care about the Dragon Kingdom? What would happen to it then?"
Su Chen reached out and pinched Su Hongyi's cheek, then took the opportunity to give her a light peck.
"Then you're probably the unlucky one. It will definitely target you, forcing me down the path of god-slaying."
"Otherwise, why didn't it stop you when you left the building with me? It even punished a group of troublemaking nations on Blue Star because of it!"
"Because you are also my weakness. It can't use the Dragon Kingdom to hold me hostage, so it will use you to force me."
Hearing this, Su Hongyi shuddered.
"What if you're a cold-blooded person, someone who goes against it? What will it do then?"
the girl pressed.
"It's simple. It kills me and moves on to the next target. Otherwise, why does it have so many Chosen Ones?"
"Besides, the instance is called 'Rules of the Strange.' If I go in and break the rules, causing trouble, what do you think it will do?"
"Of course, it will break the rules too,"
Su Chen said with a smile.Hearing this, Su Hongyi's heart grew heavy.
"Then why does it insist on forcing you to kill the Sea God? What benefit does it gain from this?"
Su Hongyi asked.
"I don't know the specific benefits for it, but I sensed danger from this incident."
"It spent so much time and laid such a grand scheme, just to make me kill the Sea God? Isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?"
"So I boldly guess that killing the Sea God is just an appetizer; the real action is yet to come!"
Su Chen said with a cold smile.
"Isn't that the main point? How difficult will the next dungeon be?"
Su Hongyi's small face was filled with worry.
"I don't know how difficult it will be, but I think it will definitely be shocking!"
"Didn't you notice that this cruise ship instance didn't completely reveal the secrets? In the end, we didn't even know who that corpse was."
"Furthermore, the Sea God has been frantically searching for something, and it has also become interested in Blue Star and ancient civilizations."
"What does this mean? It means that Blue Star and the Strange Tales World must have a very deep connection."
"And not only that, after clearing this instance, the Supreme Rules gave me a very strange reward."
"In the next instance, I can communicate with the Dragon Kingdom's officials for five minutes every day!"
"All the clues lead to one ending: it wants me to see the secrets of Blue Star and the Strange Tales World."
"The cruise ship instance is just a prelude to the storm!"
After saying this, Su Hongyi unconsciously tightened her grip on Su Chen's clothes.
"So what are you going to do?"
Su Chen smiled slightly.
"Of course, I'll go along with it. If it wants me to see, then I'll open my eyes wide and look carefully."
Su Hongyi was silent for a while, then asked softly.
"Should I talk to Wang Xin and ask her to come along for the next dungeon run?"
Su Chen was taken aback.
"Forget it, it'd be too awkward for her to come! Besides, I don't think it makes any difference whether she comes or not; the Supreme Rules will definitely interfere!"
"Like I said, it's all about rules, but ultimately, rules prevail. You can't solve the core problem with force." "
And, there's one more important point."
Su Chen paused.
"What?"
Su Hongyi asked.
"Manipulating the rules is what I'm best at."
"Even if it's the Supreme Rules, I'll still play with it."
Su Chen grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth.
Su Hongyi was slightly taken aback.
Then she smiled too.
Yes!
The man in front of her was practically a god in the game of rules!
What was there to worry about!
Having figured this out, Su Hongyi snuggled into Su Chen's arms again,
rubbing her head against his chest.
"Hey, are you still tired? Have you rested enough?"
Su Chen's smile suddenly froze.
"Tired! So tired!"
"Oh, I just learned a few new outfits and wanted to show you, but since that's the case, let's do it another day."
Su Chen...
"What colors?"
"There's black with red trim, and white over-the-knee, and..."
"No need to say more, let's go back and discuss it together."
Su Chen picked up Su Hongyi and ran downstairs in a flash.
The next morning, Su Chen lazily stretched.
He reached out to hug her,
but found nothing.
He opened his sleepy eyes and looked around, noticing that Su Hongyi was nowhere to be seen.
So he rubbed his back and went to the living room.
As soon as he came out, he saw Su Hongyi making breakfast in the kitchen.
The girl saw that Su Chen was awake and turned her head with a slight smile.
"Rest a little longer, breakfast will be ready soon."
"Okay, love you."
Su Chen made a heart shape with his hands and buried himself on the sofa.
While Su Hongyi was cooking...
Su Chen tried to contact his virtually invisible system.
"Hey, system, where's my reward? Why hasn't it been sent yet?"
"You can't deduct my reward just because I said a few words to you yesterday!"
he thought to himself.
[Please don't be suspicious of me, host. This system is fair and just; why would I deduct your reward without your consent?]
The familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
"Then where's my reward? Hurry up and send it!"
[Due to your unconventional and unpredictable nature, this system is struggling to calculate your completion level, hence the delay in reward distribution.]
Su Chen: ...
Are you praising me?
"It's been so long and the calculation isn't finished?"
[Just finished.]
"Then why haven't you sent it yet?"
[Due to your excessive chatter, this system has been busy answering your questions and hasn't had time to distribute the reward.]
Su Chen: ...
This system is unusable.
So rebellious!
Damn it, can't I find a way to trick this thing out of its shell and dismantle it?
It should be able to drop gold coins!
[Host, please do not entertain such dangerous thoughts, otherwise this system will reset your points.]
Su Chen: ...
"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and give me the reward!"
[Received!]
[Ding, congratulations to the host for clearing the cruise ship dungeon! And completing the hidden storyline, Path of Godslaying. Based on the current completion rate and dungeon difficulty assessment, the rating is SSS level, and a total of 5000 points have been obtained.]
Seeing the message box that appeared in front of him,
Su Chen jumped up in a flash.
Holy crap!
The stingy system is generous!
It actually gave so many points!
Su Hongyi, who was in the distance, looked over with a surprised expression.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing, I'm just exercising to prepare for the next battle."
Su Hongyi blushed.
She spat lightly.
"You're so annoying!"
The little girl blushed and continued to make breakfast.
Su Chen, who was standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded.
No!
I meant to use the points to strengthen myself to prepare for the next dungeon!
It's not what you think!
But in the end, in order not to get beaten up, Su Chen didn't explain.
Lying back down on the sofa, Su Chen examined his remaining points, pondering how to use them.
He had saved 1000 points from the last dungeon run as a backup.
However, thanks to his numerous clever maneuvers throughout the entire run, he hadn't needed them.
Now, adding the points he had just acquired,
he had 6000 points!
Currently, one draw costs 1000 points.
Five draws unlock higher-quality rewards in the prize pool.
The "Thousand Faces" upgrade requires 1000 points ,
with an unknown level cap .
Su Chen looked at his points, caught in a dilemma.
What should he choose?
Following the usual pattern, five draws would generally yield a premium reward.
Su Chen was quite tempted by that.
However, the "Thousand Faces" upgrade was also very cool.
Especially after seeing that strange man's impressive maneuvers,
Su Chen was incredibly eager to try it.
He wished he could be as skilled as that man immediately.
After some thought, Su Chen finally came up with a rather "cheap" plan.
He would draw the lottery three times,
upgrade the "Thousand Faces" system twice,
and keep 1000 points as a backup.
The reason for this
was quite simple.
First, the lottery was completely unpredictable.
He might waste his points and only get a "Stamina +2" multiplied by 5.
While upgrading stamina was satisfying,
it didn't significantly improve his overall strength.
So Su Chen simply didn't gamble on that chance.
Drawing three times and getting a gold item would be ideal.
Even if he didn't, it wouldn't matter.
After all, upgrading the "Thousand Faces" system twice would still significantly improve his strength.
As for the 1000 points he kept, that was Su Chen's core strategy.
Right now, there was no crisis, and the system might do something to give him a bunch of useless rewards.
But if he faced an extremely dangerous situation, could the system just stand by and watch?
After all, if he died, the system would die too, right?
At that point, he could use those 1000 points for a lottery.
The system could probably open a backdoor and adjust the drop rate a little, right?
This is just like Qin Shi Huang eating Sichuan peppercorns—winning (or losing)!
[Host, you're such a scoundrel! You even tricked the system!]
Su Chen? ???
"What do you mean 'scoundrel'? This is called operations! Tell me, is my operations flawless?"
[Flawless, choosing you is truly the blessing of my life.]
"What are you talking about? This is called a win-win situation! Alright, stop talking nonsense, just follow my plan and get it arranged!"
Su Chen said in his mind with a smile.
[Received!]
[The prize pool is opening, currently the highest reward quality is gold.]
[Lottery initiated.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining—Constitution +2] (Blue quality)
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining—Agility +2, Endurance +2, Strength +3, Spirit +3] (Purple quality)
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the talent skill—Soaring] (Red quality)
[Lottery complete, two more draws will unlock higher quality rewards.]
[Would you like to claim the prize now?]
Seeing this long string of messages in front of him,
Su Chen's eyes widened.
What's going on?
Has the deduction system gone mad?
One blue, one purple, one red?
Holy crap!
This is amazing!
After calming his excited heart a little,
Su Chen looked at the new talent skill.
"System, what's the use of this 'Soaring High' skill?"
[Soaring High, as the name suggests, means soaring straight up to ninety thousand feet, looking down upon the sky below. After the talent skill is activated, the host's all attributes double for 15 minutes.]
[After the skill ends, the host will have a 15-minute period of weakness, during which the host's all attributes will drop by half.]
[Skill cooldown time: 24 hours.]
After reading the first paragraph, Su Chen almost couldn't suppress a smile.
This is too awesome!
The skill is activated and he takes off immediately.
No wonder it's called Soaring High!
But after reading the rest, Su Chen's face darkened.
Damn, there's a period of weakness.
The skill cooldown isn't short either.
Did he fly too high and fall down?
No wonder it's called Soaring High!
Fortunately, Su Chen was quick-witted.
He quickly figured out how to exploit the bug.
Finally, a smile returned to Su Chen's face.
"System, claim the reward."
[Received.]
As soon as the voice fell, a cool, refreshing current appeared in Su Chen's mind.
Soon after, Su Chen had mastered a new talent skill.
"Open the attribute panel."
[Received, attribute panel opening.]
[Name]: Su Chen
[Age]: 19
[Constitution]: 10
[Strength]: 11
[Agility]: 11
[Endurance]: 12
[Mental Strength]: 17
[Also, the maximum attribute for ordinary people is 10.]
Looking at his attributes, Su Chen smiled broadly. He
had completely broken through the maximum limit for ordinary people!
On this basis, if he activated his Soaring Flight skill,
wouldn't that be like taking off in Wuhu?
Thinking of this, Su Chen shouted to Su Hongyi,
"Baby, is dinner almost ready?"
"Almost, what's up?"
Su Hongyi turned her head and asked in confusion.
"Well, after dinner, you'll train with me for a while. I feel like my body has improved after exercising."
Su Hongyi's face turned red again.
She grabbed a spatula and rushed over.
Under Su Chen's questioning gaze,
she pressed Su Chen down and gave him a good beating.
"I'll teach you to train! I'll teach you to drive!"
Before long, Su Chen turned into a panda again, with two dark circles under his eyes, looking at Su Hongyi's back with tears in his eyes.
No!
I meant proper training!
Wow! There's a Lich King here, I won't say who it is!
After being beaten by Su Hongyi, Su Chen finally behaved himself.
So he angrily asked the system.
"Hey, why haven't you upgraded my Thousand Faces yet?"
[With the prize pool's drop rate so high now, isn't the host considering a lottery draw?]
"Pah! Trying to scam me? No way!"
"Besides, your tricks are so low-level!"
"First you give me benefits, then you get me hooked, and then you fleece me!"
"Your tactics are outdated!"
"Hey, I'm not falling for it. I'll take the benefits and run."
System: ...
[Do you wish to upgrade the rules now—Thousand Faces?]
"Upgrade, upgrade twice."
[Received.]
As soon as the voice fell, another clear stream flowed into Su Chen's mind.
A short while later, Su Chen opened his eyes, filled with shock.
After the system upgrade, Su Chen's understanding of Thousand Faces deepened!
It turned out that the little paper figures weren't simply henchmen!
They were actually "vessels."
The core of Thousand Faces is immersive role-playing.
Playing one or two characters might be fine,
but playing too many inevitably affects one's inner self.
After all, excessive immersion will inevitably distort one's personality.
This is where the paper doll's function comes in.
Once one has gained sufficient understanding of a character
, all that understanding is stored within the paper doll, which
is then used to depict that character .
When needed, it can be retrieved from the paper doll.
This is why the man borrowed the paper doll from Su Chen when he fought the Sea God;
many of his insights were stored within it.
Now, after the system upgrade, Su Chen
possesses two storage "slots."
Simply put, he can store two characters within the paper doll.
Moreover, the system upgrade has significantly improved the "one thousand faces, one thousand characters" rule.
Assuming Su Chen and the man have the same level of understanding of the same character,
he can currently unleash at least two percent of the man's strength.
While this might seem weak at first glance,
don't forget the man's base strength is enormous!
Even two percent is still considerable.
And Su Chen also has Fuyao.
Once the skill is activated, it can double the effect.
All things considered, it's a qualitative leap.
Furthermore, after the system upgrade, Su Chen has a huge advantage: a
5% speed boost when comprehending a character.
This is much easier than dealing with that strange man.
Thinking of this, Su Chen couldn't suppress his smile any longer.
No way, I need to find a few more suitable characters during these few days of rest!
Anyway, my comprehension speed is fast. I
can just try a few more.
Plus, with my darling as a training partner,
I'll eventually find the most suitable character for dungeons!
So Su Chen impatiently shouted to Su Hongyi,
"Baby, hurry up, I can't wait to train!"
His two dark panda eyes gleamed with excitement.
After a morning of training, Su Chen's eyes lost their sparkle.
He realized he had been too naive!
Playing a role wasn't as simple as he'd imagined,
especially with virtual characters he'd never seen in real life.
Imitating them was incredibly difficult
because there were so many details he simply couldn't control.
For example, how dense was the Monkey King's fur?
Was it long or short?
Was it stiff or soft? Where
were Erlang Shen's vertical eyes, and where were the inner corners? Was Nezha's
three-headed, six-armed lower body facing directly at one body, or at the angle between two bodies?
Su Chen didn't know any of these.
Beyond these physical details,
he was completely clueless about the character's personality and habits.
For instance, did they use their index finger or pinky to clean their ears?
How did they usually start their combos when punching someone?
He had no idea either.
As a result, after a morning of trial and error,
Su Chen's Monkey King was successfully beaten to a pulp by Su Hongyi.
Su Chen was devastated.
It seemed that playing a virtual character wasn't something that could be mastered overnight.
This requires a tremendous amount of time to perfect.
No wonder the character that strange man impersonated rarely appeared in legends.
That's the reason.
Those characters, though powerful, are difficult to portray convincingly.
To perfectly portray a virtual character in a mere fifteen days is simply a pipe dream.
Thinking of this, Su Chen had no choice but to temporarily abandon the idea of impersonating a virtual character and instead consider the powerful figures he had actually encountered.
Zhang Yang?
Although he looked exactly like him, he knew nothing about him.
Useless!
His cheap master?
Impersonating him would still require playing a mask and impersonating someone else, wouldn't it?
Useless!
Poseidon?
Not to mention, the mystery of this guy hadn't been solved yet.
Plus, his body was still wriggling, like a pupa.
Impersonating him would be too much trouble.
Put it aside for later.
Finally, Su Chen's gaze settled on his little darling.
Su Hongyi, quite capable.
He knew every detail about her, inside and out.
He had to admit, she was a suitable candidate!
But before Su Chen could even consider taking things further, he suddenly shivered.
No way!
Crossdressing is a no-go!
I'm a straight man, after all!
In the end, after a whole morning of struggling, Su Chen still hadn't decided on a role.
Helpless, he could only temporarily settle for playing both.
Fortunately, this frustration was temporary.
During his lunch break, Su Chen became cheerful.
Whenever he felt he couldn't hold on, he would activate his special ability, exploiting a bug.
With his strength doubled, in his peak duel with Su Hongyi, Su Chen finally had a voice. After a
back-and-forth exchange, the enemy advanced while he retreated, luring the enemy in deep and striking when he was exhausted,
the two were evenly matched.
However, after exploiting the bug, the subsequent period of weakness arrived, and he still needed to lean on the wall for support.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Su Hongyi poked her head out from under the covers and nudged Su Chen.
"Go open the door,"
Su Chen said helplessly, getting up and swaying towards the door.
"Damn it, which little brat is so insolent? Looks like these guys have gotten a bit cocky since I left!"
he muttered, walking to the front door.
He angrily opened it.
Su Chen was instantly stunned.
The person who entered was none other than Wang Xin.
Wang Xin was also visibly taken aback upon seeing Su Chen.
Two dark circles under her eyes, a tired look
on her face, and her left hand supporting her waist.
The young girl immediately started to make assumptions.
"Um, did I come at the wrong time? I'll go now, I'll come back later."
After saying that, she prepared to slip away.
Just then, Su Hongyi came out from the inner room.
"It's okay, come in."
Seeing this, Su Chen stepped aside, gesturing for Wang Xin to come in.
After the three of them sat down, Su Hongyi leaned lazily against the armrest of the sofa, naturally putting her long legs on Su Chen's legs.
"What are you doing here?"
Su Hongyi asked.
Wang Xin felt a little awkward seeing the two of them being so intimate.
So she didn't answer the other's question, but asked again.
"I didn't disturb you two, did I?"
Su Chen: ...
"Really not! Don't overthink it, these dark circles are from when I got beaten up during training!"
Su Chen said speechlessly.
"Ah? Oh, I see! I was just overthinking things. So your back was injured too? You must have trained really hard!"
The girl patted her chest and let out a long sigh.
Su Chen: ...
"That's right, my back was injured by her too!"
Su Chen said, patting Su Hongyi's thigh.
Seeing this, Su Hongyi lightly kicked Su Chen.
Then she turned to Wang Xin and asked,
"Stop talking nonsense, what are you doing here?"
"After I came back from the zoo yesterday, Old Qin asked me to do something."
Hearing this, Su Chen and his wife were both stunned.
They sat up slightly.
"What did Old Qin say to you?"
"He said that based on your behavior, the next dungeon will probably be quite difficult, and he wants me to go with you."
Wang Xin said.
Su Chen frowned slightly.
"No need, I have a way to protect myself, and Hongyi can come along. If we both fail, you'll only be a waste of time if you come along."
Su Chen directly rejected the other party's suggestion.
Wang Xin nodded.
"I knew you would refuse, after all, because of what happened before, Hongyi doesn't like me, and it would be awkward for you two if I went with her. So I thought of a compromise."
Saying this, she took out a familiar hair bracelet and handed it to Su Hongyi.
"I specially braided this last night. Wear it, and if you're in danger, have Old Qin contact me. I can use this bracelet as a medium to lend you my power, just like the Seventh Day in the building."
Su Hongyi took the bracelet, and because of her prejudice against Wang Xin, she instinctively wanted to throw it away.
However, she glanced at Su Chen
and put the bracelet away.
"Thanks,"
she said to Wang Xin.
Wang Xin smiled at her.
"I was too shy to talk to you openly before, but after you and Su Chen left, I thought about it calmly. After all, you were also a victim back then, and considering Zhang Yang and my attitude towards you, we were indeed wrong."
"Now, I want to sincerely apologize to you."
Hearing this, Su Hongyi waved her hand.
"Stop this awkwardness. I'm not at a loss anyway. If you and Zhang Yang hadn't messed around, I wouldn't have met my darling."
With that, Su Hongyi sat up, domineeringly pulling Su Chen into a kiss.
Then she raised an eyebrow at Wang Xin,
clearly trying to annoy him.
Wang Xin didn't seem to care, smiling and standing up.
"Alright, I won't disturb your lovey-dovey time. I'm leaving."
Su Chen also stood up, seeing
Wang Xin out.
"Thanks."
Su Chen said sincerely.
"It's nothing, it's what I should do. But, could you..."
Before Wang Xin could finish, Su Chen interrupted.
"Want me to help you find Zhang Yang?"
Wang Xin nodded.
"Don't worry, I really want to find him too. I have so many questions I want to discuss with him. When I find him, I'll contact you immediately."
"I'm relieved to hear that. Okay, I won't disturb you anymore."
With that, Wang Xin's figure flashed and disappeared from Su Chen's sight.
Back in the living room, Su Chen saw Su Hongyi playing with the hair bracelet.
He said ,
"Wang Xin's attitude in admitting his mistake wasn't bad. I think you two sisters can ease the tension."
"We'll see,"
Su Hongyi said calmly.
Seeing this, Su Chen didn't try to persuade her further, but simply lay down on Su Hongyi's lap.
He took out his phone and sent a game invitation.
"Want to play a thrilling adventure in the Rift?"
Su Hongyi's eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled out her phone as well.
"Let me tell you, I recently had a burst of inspiration and gave the character 'Su Chen' a version upgrade. I'll show you!"
Hearing this, Su Chen instantly had a bad feeling.
A short while later, a game ended.
Su Chen's face was completely dark.
That clever little Su Hongyi had brainwashed the hero 'Su Chen' with an extra effect: a group
attack!
During the team fight, Su Chen flashed into the crowd.
The next moment, countless paper figures floated up and transformed into heroes.
A massive group of heroes, brainwashed by Su Chen, instantly wiped out the enemy.
Faced with Su Chen's questioning,
Su Hongyi explained, "How many people did you summon when you beat up the Sea God?
And, as a summoner, isn't it normal to summon some help?"
Su Chen was speechless.
Ultimately, Su Hongyi successfully received nine reports!
That afternoon, Su Chen went to the attic and contacted Elder Qin.
This was one of the reasons he chose to return to the building during his break.
The two met without even exchanging pleasantries,
immediately starting to discuss business,
like old friends.
"If I'm not mistaken, you intimidated the Blue Star nations for the sake of the cultural relics and to clear away subsequent obstacles, right?"
Elder Qin asked bluntly.
"That's right. How's the cultural relic collection going?"
Su Chen asked.
"We've basically collected 80-90% of the cultural relics that were scattered across China, and not only that, we've also purchased quite a few artifacts from other civilizations."
"That's good. These next few days, please take some time to arrange for reliable experts to work with the guys in the building to study them."
"Don't worry, it's already been arranged. But besides that, I need to remind you of something. While countries like the Ugly Kingdom are outwardly intimidated and dare not cause any trouble on Earth, they can shamelessly shift the blame for the Chosen Ones, claiming they are rebellious and disobey their orders."
Old Qin said seriously.
Su Chen nodded.
"It's alright. What I'm least afraid of is them challenging me in the supernatural world. As long as they don't interfere with our real-world investigations, everything will be fine."
"You can rest assured in reality. Our Dragon Kingdom's research teams have already arrived in various ancient civilization regions and are ready to begin comparative research once the instance opens."
"As expected of Old Qin, your arrangements are meticulous."
Su Chen said with a smile.
"Isn't this what we should do? You're risking your lives on the front lines; if we can't even handle this much back home, we might as well just hang ourselves,"
Old Qin said with a chuckle.
"By the way, Old Qin, is there any progress regarding the geographical connection between the supernatural world and the real world?"
Hearing this, Old Qin's expression became somewhat serious.
"No, not really. After analyzing the cruise ship's course and the islands we encountered, we discovered that the previous instance was located in the Southern Hemisphere."
"However, what's strange to us is that there's no location on Earth, or even globally, that corresponds to the cruise ship instance."
"In other words, the parallel world theory might be wrong. Earth and the supernatural world aren't the same planet."
After saying this, Su Chen frowned.
If what Old Qin said was true,
then this was extremely strange.
If they weren't the same planet, why were the time, seasons, and daylight hours exactly the same as on Earth?
And its history is roughly the same as Earth's.
What's the reason for this?
After thinking for a while, Su Chen said,
"I suggest investigating the shamanistic culture and the related legends of gods ruling humanity."
Old Qin's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."
Afterwards, the two chatted casually for a few more minutes before hanging up.
Su Chen then went straight to Yang Feng's residence.
This unlucky kid was an investigator for the organization.
Su Chen had been a bit suspicious and had Wang Xin trap Yang Feng in the building.
At this moment, Yang Feng was unaware that the building had already changed.
He roughly pried open the door, and to Yang Feng's astonishment, Su Chen told him what had happened in the building after they parted ways.
After hearing these things, Yang Feng was dumbfounded.
He couldn't believe that what Su Chen said was true.
Helpless, Su Chen directly called his little darling to intimidate Yang Feng.
Only then did the other party believe that Su Chen wasn't making things up.
After Su Hongyi left, Yang Feng jumped up and grabbed Su Chen's arm.
"Bro, you're amazing! You even managed to seduce the supernatural?"
Yang Feng was so shocked he could barely speak.
Su Chen scoffed.
"That's nothing! I even slew a god."
Hearing this, Yang Feng's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"What? What did you say?"
Yang Feng screamed.
Su Chen then recounted his experiences on the cruise ship.
After a short while, he finished telling Yang Feng about his adventures.
Yang Feng was completely convinced.
"Boss, don't forget me when you become a big shot someday."
Su Chen chuckled and slapped him on the back.
"Stop messing around, I have serious business with you."
"What is it?"
"I need you to return to the organization and contact your regional leader. I need to speak with your higher-ups."
"Uh, I don't have enough authority. It's difficult to contact the higher-ups. If it's all approved at every level, I estimate it'll be difficult to get you to do it within fifteen days."
Yang Feng looked embarrassed.
Seeing this, Su Chen smiled slightly.
He took out the "last words" from his system space.
"Submit this will. Tell them someone contacted you. Their entire organization on a small island in the Southern Hemisphere has been wiped out, and they request to speak with your region's higher-ups."
Yang Feng carefully took the will and nodded solemnly.
"Okay, I'll arrange it for you as soon as possible."
Before Yang Feng could even finish dinner, Su Chen kicked him out of the building.
He called it "get back as soon as possible."
And so, the days passed.
Su Chen once again enjoyed a life of ease, with everything done for him, a beautiful wife in his arms, and the freedom to do whatever he wanted.
Then one day, Su Chen received a video call from an unknown number.
When he answered, a man wearing a black mask appeared on the screen.
But what surprised Su Chen even more was
that the character on the mask wasn't the "Pawn" he'd seen before.
Instead, it was "Cannon! "
The character was written in a flamboyant, arrogant style.
Looking at it for a while, one could even faintly sense an overwhelming killing intent emanating from it.
Hello, I'm the head of this regional organization. Did you bring back that will?"
the man asked, trying to be as friendly as possible.
However, his voice was very hoarse, and even his attempts to be amiable sounded
unpleasant to outsiders .
"Yes, it was me. The entire organization on the nameless island was wiped out. I need you to relay this message to headquarters,"
Su Chen said.
The man didn't answer immediately but stared at Su Chen's face for a long time.
After a while, he continued,
"Yang Feng told me you're the director of a certain regional zoo. Can I see your keepsake?"
the man asked.
Su Chen nodded and
took out the zoo's badge.
"This is my zoo's badge. Don't worry, I have other keepsakes."
Su Chen then took out the island badge he had obtained from the nameless soldier,
along with the nameless soldier's mask.
"Here, this is the badge and mask I inherited from the island's leader."
Seeing this, the man's eyes narrowed sharply.
His gaze towards Su Chen was no longer as calm as before.
"Hello comrade! Is there anything I can help you with?"
the man asked.
"I saw it too. I inexplicably took over the position of island manager, but I'm all alone! Could you report this to headquarters and ask them to send a reliable person to replace me as soon as possible? Or at least assign me some people."
Su Chen said helplessly.
The man nodded.
"I'll pass on your message. Is there anything else I can help with?"
Su Chen thought for a moment, his eyes darting around.
He suddenly remembered the new skill Su Hongyi had created for him:
Group Attack!
"Do you have any spare manpower? I might need it in half a month."
The man was taken aback.
Then he shook his head.
"Comrade, it's not that I don't want to help you, but our region is already on the verge of collapse. We really don't have any spare manpower to spare."
Su Chen frowned upon seeing this.
On the verge of collapse?
Just how large is this regional organization?
"May I ask abruptly, how many strange incidents are currently occurring in your area?"
"327."
Hearing this, Su Chen gasped.
So many?
It seems this world is more dangerous than I thought.
What I saw was indeed just the tip of the iceberg.
"Alright, then I won't trouble you any further. One last question, could you tell me what our organization's name is?"
Su Chen asked.
The man was silent for a moment after hearing this. He then
awkwardly said,
"Well, comrade, as you know, the way you joined the organization was rather... yes, unconventional! So according to regulations, I can't reveal too much information, but I believe headquarters will explain the specifics to you."
"When will headquarters contact me?"
"I don't know, it could be as short as a day, or as long as a year, but don't worry, headquarters will contact you at the most appropriate time."
After hearing this, Su Chen exchanged a few more polite words with the man and hung up the phone.
Walking onto the balcony, he pondered the man's words while looking at the stars for a while.
After a short while, Su Chen suddenly muttered to himself,
"Even the arrangement of the stars in the sky is the same as Blue Star, and you still say it's not Blue Star?"
"But how did this strange phenomenon occur?"
Su Chen's words dissipated in the wind.
Time flew by, and even on the day he returned to the Ghost Story instance, Su Chen still hadn't received a call from headquarters.
Early in the morning, Su Chen, who was waking up with his wife in his arms, finally heard that familiar electronic voice.
[Chosen One, please prepare. This instance will open in ten minutes.]
Upon hearing this, Su Chen's hand roamed over his beloved's smooth skin.
Then he patted her pert back.
"Get up, time to go again."
Su Hongyi, eyes still closed, snuggled her head against his chest.
"I'm sleepy, I'm tired! I want to sleep more!"
She grumbled and whined, completely lacking any queenly demeanor.
Su Chen smiled helplessly and got up.
"Same as always, go sleep in the bracelet."
"Hmm~"
Su Hongyi hummed, then crawled back into the bracelet, bed and all.
After a quick wash, Su Chen
heard the voice of the Supreme Rule again.
[Chosen Ones, please prepare yourselves, teleportation has begun!]
The familiar dizziness returned.
Soon, Su Chen found himself on solid ground.
He opened his eyes and saw that it was the familiar waiting plaza again.
A large group of Chosen Ones, some excited, some nervous, stood in a row.
Babu and the others rushed over when they saw Su Chen arrive,
chattering about what they had learned in the past few days.
After a brief chat, Su Chen looked at his good apprentice.
"Did you finish the homework I gave you?"
Su Chen said with a smile.
Estelle rolled her eyes, speechless.
"I've learned a lot, but it feels like I've only scratched the surface. Also, you don't need to pretend to be a strict teacher anymore. I know you're teaching us for our own good."
Su Chen chuckled.
"Good disciple, you've finally grown up and understand your teacher's good intentions."
Estelle pursed her lips and said nothing more.
At this moment, the chosen ones gathered around.
"Hello Su Chen, I'm a chosen one from the Ugly Country, my name is Jack. Don't worry, I'm not a fool like Ian, I'll cooperate with you."
"God Su, I'm from the Sakura Country. You can call me whatever you want, even 'little idiot,' I just ask that you let me cling to your coattails."
"I'm from the Korean Country, God Su. What my country did before has nothing to do with me. I just want you to give me a way out."
...
A large number of chosen ones began to express their loyalty.
Su Chen looked at these people. He
sneered inwardly.
He didn't believe a word these guys said.
Right now, they were only saying this because Su Chen was powerful, and they were begging for their lives.
If the situation reversed, they would definitely be the first to betray Su Chen and turn against him.
So Su Chen feigned indifference and said,
"I'm petty, so I can't be bothered with you. Once you're in the instance, you're on your own."
"Also, don't bother me or provoke my people. If you can do that, I can guarantee I won't cause you any trouble."
Hearing Su Chen's words,
some of them showed disappointment,
while others remained calm.
Strangely, some were excited.
Su Chen didn't say anything more
, simply shoving everyone aside.
Seeing this, the Dragon Kingdom audience instantly cheered.
"Su Chen is so handsome! These Chosen Ones are like mice seeing a cat! Compared to the attitudes of the Chosen Ones from other countries before, it's a complete transformation."
"Awesome! Our Dragon Kingdom has finally returned to its peak!"
"Hey, have you guys noticed that Su Chen is still full of energy even after resting for fifteen days? He's not holding his back anymore, and he's not cosplaying as a panda. What kind of precious supplement did he take?"
"You guys are so disgusting! Can't my Su Bao just have a simple fifteen-day rest?"
"Uh, not that I look down on Su Chen, but I don't think any guy can resist the charms of a beautiful woman!"
"I don't believe it, I can! Beauties can launch an offensive against me, I can handle it!"
"Damn it, I don't even want to talk to you upstairs. You're not just resisting the charms of a beautiful woman, you're conquering the mortal world! You've got a screw loose."
...
Just as the audience was spouting nonsense,
the voice of the Supreme Rule came from the sky.
[Welcome all new and old Chosen Ones to the World of Strange Tales. Please remain calm and cautious.] [
Your actions will affect the fate of your nation.]
...
[This time, our mystery dungeon is—Eden Academy.]
[The conditions for completing this mystery dungeon are—successfully graduating, or triggering the hidden storyline and surviving.]
[We will be opening the teleportation shortly; please prepare accordingly.]
Hearing these words from the Supreme Rules, Su Chen's brows furrowed sharply.
Eden Academy?
The name was somewhat strange.
It involuntarily reminded him of the Garden of Eden, and Adam and Eve.
It seemed his previous guess was correct; the Supreme Rules were indeed guiding the Chosen Ones to see the truth of the world. And
here it was, the first myth had appeared.
Moreover, Su Chen had a vague feeling that this instance might not only contain the legend of the Garden of Eden.
Perhaps this was just a prelude.
Having figured this out, Su Chen continued to look at the subsequent announcements.
The conditions for completion were graduation or triggering a hidden storyline and surviving.
This also made Su Chen a little uneasy.
As everyone knew, graduation on Earth was calculated in several years.
If Eden Academy was like that, wouldn't it mean he would have to stay in this instance for several years?
That was absurd!
What kind of instance was that ridiculous?
But soon, Su Chen calmly thought about it and vaguely grasped some key information.
Triggering the hidden storyline and surviving was the key point.
In other words, regardless of whether the instance lasts for days or years, there will inevitably be unforeseen events that force the chosen one to make a choice:
risk their life to enter the hidden storyline,
or continue pursuing "graduation" in the academy.
Neither path will be easy.
As he pondered this, Su Chen noticed the light in front of him began to distort.
His entire body floated up.
He knew this meant the instance teleportation had begun.
After a period of dizziness, Su Chen's feet hardened, and he finally touched the ground.
Just then, before the distorted light dissipated, Su Chen's body jolted violently.
He smelled a familiar scent:
salty, fishy, and damp.
As the distorted light gradually faded, Su Chen eagerly looked around.
The next moment, surprise appeared on Su Chen's face,
followed by an expression of certainty.
He was back on that nameless island.
Looking into the distance, the port where the cruise ship had docked a few days ago was still faintly visible.
Su Chen had vaguely guessed this outcome beforehand.
This is why he told Su Hongyi that he felt the cruise ship instance was just a setup.
However, he was somewhat surprised by the content of the instance.
Wasn't there no one on the island?
Why was there an academy there?
And most importantly, if there was an academy on this island, why didn't the organization members discover it before?
After thinking it over, there was only one possibility.
That is, this academy had been in a "hidden" state
until he cleared the cruise ship instance and killed the Sea God.
Only then did the Supreme Rules "unearth" this academy again.
As they pondered this information, the voice of the Supreme Rules rang in everyone's ears again.
[Chosen Ones, please do not panic. This rule will guide you to Eden Academy.]
As the words fell, yellow arrow symbols appeared on the ground in front of them,
much like navigation markers in a game.
"What if I don't go in?"
Su Chen asked with a chuckle.
[This rule will eliminate you.]
Hearing this, Su Chen took a deep breath and took the lead, walking forward along the markers.
Babu and the others quickly followed.
They walked for nearly five minutes, stumbling through the jungle.
A milky-white, semi-transparent membrane blocked their path.
Looking through the membrane, it was filled with mist, making it impossible to see anything inside.
This scene was exactly the same as what Su Chen had seen from the cruise ship.
Below the membrane were numerous identical silver-white suitcases.
[Chosen Ones, please change into your school uniforms, wear your name tags, and enter Eden Academy.]
The voice of the supreme rule suddenly rang out.
As soon as the voice fell, Su Chen again stepped forward first.
He randomly picked a suitcase, laid it down, and opened it.
He rummaged through it.
He found some daily necessities and two identical silver-black school uniforms inside.
Without hesitation, Su Chen pulled out the uniforms and put them on.
After putting on his name tag, he stuffed his suitcase into his system space and stepped into the light membrane.
As he passed through the light barrier, his vision was initially a blinding white.
Then it suddenly cleared.
Before him stood a massive archway made of piled-up boulders.
Above the archway were four large characters written in an unknown script.
Using the translation of the Supreme Rules, he learned that these four characters read:
Eden Academy!
To the left of the archway was a pile of rubble,
looking extremely incongruous.
Looking around and finding no other useful information,
Su Chen turned and reached out to test the light barrier.
The barrier felt incredibly hard, like steel.
It seemed that once inside, getting out wouldn't be easy.
While Su Chen was studying the membrane, the other Chosen Ones gradually changed their clothes and entered.
Once everyone had arrived, the voice of the Supreme Rule resounded once more.
"[Now, I will translate the admission rules for you.]"
As the Supreme Rule's voice faded
, a golden light suddenly burst forth from the pile of rubble beside the massive archway.
This light shot into the sky, then slowly unfurled like a scroll.
Immediately afterward, densely packed text appeared before everyone.
[Eden Academy Student Code of Conduct]
"First of all, we are delighted that you have joined the Eden Academy family.
Here you will learn a great deal of useful knowledge.
We will also do our best to nurture you into pillars of society.
However, in order to have a wonderful and unforgettable campus life, please be sure to abide by the following rules."
Friendly remind