Chapter 204 | Chapter 205 | Chapter 206
Chapter 204: Invasion, A Mysterious Conversation!
“Haha, sending No. 1 and the others out really was the right decision. Look at that—my kill mission’s been completed smoothly. Now I just need to survive the final two days, and this S-rank Absolute Zero dungeon will be cleared easily!” Su Ning happily muttered to herself, feeling that she was actually quite suited for this kind of dungeon.
The harvest had been tremendous, and she had picked up plenty of good things. Inside the Absolute Zero dungeon, Su Ning once again relied on her [Scavenger] talent to gather all kinds of valuable loot.
Not only monster corpses after battles, but also a special plant that could survive only in extreme cold.
[Ice Fruit Tree]: A fruit tree that continuously emits cold air.
The fruits it bears were incomparably sweet!
Su Ning transplanted the tree into a specially designated section inside her planting space. After all, the tree had extremely strict growth requirements and could only thrive in freezing temperatures, meaning Su Ning still needed to collect large amounts of ice.
The Frost Giant corpses she had previously collected finally had a use as well.
After sending out No. 1 and the others, Su Ning allowed all five zombies to move freely throughout the dungeon.
No. 1 and No. 2 possessed overwhelming combat strength and were responsible for completing the dungeon’s kill missions, while the remaining zombies focused on searching the dungeon for useful items.
No matter what it was, as long as they could get their hands on it, everything was stuffed into the scavenger pockets Su Ning had given them.
“This scavenger pocket really came at the perfect time. Now anything No. 1 and the others pick up gets transferred directly into my scavenger backpack. I don’t even need to leave the house to see new loot appearing.”
Meanwhile, Su Ning comfortably stayed inside the warm space, leisurely checking her backpack harvest while eating delicious food.
Life was incredibly relaxing.
However, all of a sudden, Little Oleni beside her was silently enveloped by a ball of light.
The sudden scene startled Su Ning badly.
Immediately afterward, warning notifications from the system rang out beside her ears.
[Ding! Detected invasion by mysterious power!]
[Ding! Detected invasion by mysterious power!]
[Ding! Detected invasion by mysterious power!]
…
Inside a mysterious space, a scruffy-looking man wearing glasses noticed a higher-dimensional power attempting to invade the world under his control and couldn’t help clicking his tongue.
“Oh dear, how annoying. Do they really think I’m easy to bully?”
As he spoke, streams of code began appearing around him. The entire world instantly seemed to transform into an ocean of data, colliding against a golden power in fierce opposition.
Meanwhile, the green mechanical rabbit beside the scruffy man quickly hid itself after sensing danger, wearing an expression of utter despair.
“Seriously… whenever big shots start fighting, unlucky little guys like us always suffer!”
At that moment, within the void, a figure radiating holy light suddenly spoke.
Though his appearance could not be seen clearly, the eight wings spread behind him made him appear sacred and untouchable.
The green mechanical rabbit didn’t even dare lift its head to look at this existence.
The man within the holy light spoke in an ice-cold voice:
“Xu, within the territory you oversee, someone has taken away a power that is extremely important to me. I must retrieve it.”
The so-called Xu was the scruffy man with glasses.
Hearing those words, he didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he casually cleaned out his ear before replying:
“What do you mean your power? The rules clearly state that once a player obtains something, it belongs to the player. You’re not allowed to interfere. Otherwise, you’d be violating the rules established by the Supreme Existence.”
“The Supreme Existence has already fallen asleep. Xu, don’t you have any other ambitions? Becoming Him… surpassing Him… are you really satisfied with being nothing more than one of the Supreme Existence’s avatars? Now that the Supreme Existence sleeps, this is the perfect opportunity for us to expand ourselves. Those so-called rules are nothing more than simple restrictions to beings like us. Why are you still so stubbornly insisting on obeying them?”
The holy figure began tempting him.
However, the scruffy man remained unmoved.
“Different paths cannot be walked together. Rules are rules. You cannot break them. That is reality.”
With a single sentence, the scruffy man struck directly at the sore spot of the holy figure.
“Is there truly no room for negotiation? I only wish to retrieve a fragment of my power.”
As he spoke, a special weapon suddenly appeared in the scruffy man’s hand.
The weapon resembled a scythe formed entirely from streams of binary code—ones and zeros.
The scythe radiated a terrifying power capable of destroying everything.
The moment the holy figure saw the scythe, his expression instantly changed drastically.
“Xu, you’ll regret this. The others have already begun developing their own forces. Acting alone like this, one day you’ll end up destroying yourself.”
After saying that, the holy figure completely abandoned the idea of reclaiming his power and instantly disappeared without a trace.
Seeing the other party leave, the scruffy man also put away his weapon.
At this moment, the hidden green mechanical rabbit cautiously emerged again.
“Master, Holy Light actually has a point. If we keep acting alone, we’re definitely doomed sooner or later. Ever since the Supreme Existence fell asleep, many have started making moves behind the scenes. The power of the rules can barely restrain them anymore. Some administrators are even directly stealing power and frantically building their own organizations inside dungeon worlds. We also need to find allies!”
The scruffy man lightly flicked the mechanical rabbit on the forehead.
“Little Rabbit, don’t worry. I’ve already been observing things for quite a while now. Otherwise, why would I interfere?”
The mechanical rabbit continued:
“Then should we copy the other organizations? We could steal players’ special talents and reward them to people we favor.”
The scruffy man let out a huge yawn.
With a completely unconcerned expression, he replied:
“Haha, it’s not like you don’t know the consequences of doing that. Just wait a little longer. Those organizations will receive their retribution sooner or later.”
As their conversation gradually faded away, the space returned to complete silence, as though no powerful existence had ever appeared there at all.
…
[Ding! Higher-dimensional power invasion detected within the survival dungeon. System automatic defense mechanism activated. Mysterious power successfully intercepted. Please rest assured, player!]
[Ding! As compensation for frightening the player, the system has automatically granted the player a reward!]
The notification rang out inside Su Ning’s mind.
Soon, the sudden invasion by the mysterious force came to an end, and the system notifications disappeared.
Meanwhile, Little Oleni—who had suddenly been wrapped in light—looked at Su Ning with a confused expression.
Originally only the size of a one-year-old child, he had now undergone another transformation, directly growing into the appearance of an eight- or nine-year-old boy.
The abilities within his body had also changed dramatically.
Clearly, the so-called reward had descended directly upon him.
After using the Scavenger Eye to inspect Little Oleni’s information once more, Su Ning was utterly shocked.
It turned out that all of the system’s compensation had been placed onto Little Oleni.
And from now on, Su Ning no longer needed to worry about sudden incidents like this happening again~!!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 205: Return, The Shelter’s Missions
[Dependent: Oleni]
Bloodline:
Child of Light: After receiving the blessing of a mysterious power, the Child of God bloodline has transformed into the Child of Light bloodline.
Master: Su Ning
Talent: Holy Light Angel: Able to wield the power of light.
Skills: Illumination, Laser, Healing Light, Angel Wings
Su Ning stared at Oleni’s current status information in shock.
His data had undergone enormous changes.
After the system’s blessing and modification, all of his talents had changed completely. He was practically like a different person.
No—not practically.
The Child of God bloodline, although it sounded extremely powerful, was actually nothing more than one of a god’s backup vessels. A contingency prepared in advance—when the god died, its consciousness could transfer into these bodies carrying its bloodline power.
Essentially, they were spare accounts prepared for itself.
That was also why a certain existence had interfered after discovering that its prepared vessel had escaped beyond its sphere of control.
However, due to certain circumstances, the retrieval failed instead, allowing Oleni to completely break free from that existence’s control.
Now, Oleni was no longer anyone’s vessel. Instead, he had become Su Ning’s dependent, acknowledging her as his master. Not only that, even his memories had been redefined by data.
Looking at the child before her—whose clothes had once again burst apart due to his rapid growth—Oleni could only spread the wings behind his back to cover his naked body.
With a shy expression, he looked toward Su Ning.
“M-Master… could Oleni receive some clothes?”
His soft, sweet voice instantly triggered Su Ning’s maternal instincts.
Su Ning glanced around. She hadn’t prepared any boys’ clothing, so she simply tossed him the brocade cloth she had previously woven using Sisi’s spider silk.
After draping himself in the white brocade, Oleni looked even cuter than before.
Su Ning then asked,
“Oleni, do you still have your previous memories?”
Oleni nodded, then shook his head before explaining,
“Master, I haven’t lost any memories, but there are some life-related knowledge fragments inside my mind.”
Su Ning nodded.
So basically… the classic amnesia trope?
“Don’t call me Master anymore. Call me big sister instead.”
That “papa” from his toddler state had nearly scared her to death before.
If he kept calling her Master, who knew what misunderstandings other people might come up with if they heard it.
Su Ning also understood that, just like Youyou and the others, Oleni would now be able to return to reality with her from now on.
Youyou looked at little Oleni, who had just recently needed constant care and had now suddenly become a much bigger child, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Youyou: Looking after children is seriously exhausting. I’m never being a babysitter again!
Jiangjiang: I thought you were going to say you’d never have kids again.
Youyou: …
Another two leisurely days passed inside the dungeon.
Su Ning finally completed all the missions and even picked up plenty of useless junk along the way.
For example, the massive piles of snow and ice scattered everywhere throughout the dungeon—Su Ning directly dedicated a separate scavenger backpack slot to storing them.
What surprised her even more was that No. 1 had brought back two new zombies.
The male zombie now renamed Zombie No. 7 possessed the talent [Tiger Beastification], while the female Zombie No. 8 possessed the talent [Flame Condensation].
[Ding! Dungeon mission completed. Congratulations player Su Ning for completing all missions. Would you like to return immediately?]
The dungeon notification sounded beside her ears.
Without even thinking, Su Ning immediately chose to return.
The next moment, her figure flashed, and she appeared back inside the small rented room she had in Shelter No. 5.
Oleni didn’t want to remain inside the planting space all the time and kept clinging to Su Ning, insisting on following her.
Faced with that adorable face acting spoiled, Su Ning simply couldn’t resist and finally let him come out.
Still, she warned him:
“Without my permission, you’re not allowed to go outside.”
After all, Oleni’s distinctly Western appearance would definitely attract attention if others saw him.
It wasn’t that there were no Westerners inside the shelter, but rather… Oleni’s temperament itself.
He practically radiated the aura of some holy saint.
Actually, that description didn’t quite feel accurate either.
Anyway, the moment he used his abilities, holy light would shine everywhere, as if bringing warmth and hope into the apocalypse itself. Su Ning even felt that if he were a little older, he could probably establish some grand religion dedicated to saving the suffering and rescuing the world.
So Su Ning told him to obediently stay inside the room and not run around.
Oleni looked pitifully aggrieved.
“Okay, big sister. I’ll behave. Please don’t be angry.”
That slightly wronged little expression almost gave Su Ning the strange urge to bully him until he cried.
She hurriedly looked away.
During the seven days Su Ning spent inside the dungeon, people outside who had not entered dungeons continued struggling to survive in reality.
Su Ning wanted to find out what had happened during this period.
The moment she opened the door, she noticed another nearby door creak open as well.
Zhang Li and Zhao Fuqing had also successfully survived and returned from their dungeon.
“Su Ning, are you going out to check on the recent situation too?”
Su Ning nodded.
Looking at Zhang Li and Zhao Fuqing, although both appeared exhausted, they couldn’t hide the excitement on their faces. It was obvious they had gained quite a lot inside the dungeon.
After all, before entering the dungeon, they had only recently arrived at Shelter No. 5. This dungeon had clearly given them a valuable opportunity.
The three of them headed toward a plaza within Shelter No. 5.
Since the dungeon period had just ended, countless young people poured out from their homes and gathered there. Su Ning and the others followed the crowd to see what was happening.
Inside the plaza stood a unique light screen.
It resembled some mysterious mirror and was obviously not a product of the real world. Most likely, it came from the advanced technology of some dungeon world.
Messages continuously streamed across the screen, informing returning dungeon players of information they had missed while inside dungeons.
Looking at the information, Zhang Li sighed emotionally.
“This place is way better than Shelter No. 6. The ability to gather information here is incredibly efficient.”
Su Ning deeply agreed.
This was precisely the major difference in mindset between players and the older generation.
Zhang Li stared fixedly at the rapidly scrolling messages on the light screen.
“Su Ning, look! The extreme cold is almost over! Temperatures are rapidly rising!”
She pointed excitedly at one particular notification.
Su Ning looked toward the screen.
It displayed the steadily rising temperatures over recent days. Looking at the weather gradually returning to normal, Su Ning suddenly recalled Pei Xuan’an’s prophecy.
“The end of the extreme cold doesn’t mean the natural disasters are over. A new disaster will arrive soon.”
The excitement on Zhang Li’s face immediately disappeared, replaced with concern as she began worrying about how to survive the next catastrophe.
“Thankfully Shelter No. 5 has its protective barrier. Even if floods come, we can safely remain inside the shelter. I wonder how Shelter No. 6 is doing now.”
“Who knows? In times like these, just managing your own survival is already difficult enough.”
Su Ning looked toward the information displayed on the electronic screen.
Besides all kinds of news, there were also requests for help and mission postings, each with corresponding rewards upon completion.
Players who had not gained much inside dungeons could also accept missions to support themselves and their families.
“Looks like younger shelter leaders really do have more ideas.”
Su Ning began wondering whether she herself should start doing something too.
Simply staying inside the shelter all the time wasn’t much of a solution either.
Her gaze drifted toward some of the ordinary missions listed on the screen.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 206: Protection Mission, The Meeting
These missions were obviously issued by the shelter authorities, such as clearing garbage outside the shelter.
Naturally, the tasks were divided into categories—some suited for men, others for women.
Su Ning happened to notice a mission involving the construction of housing outside the shelter.
She couldn’t help recalling the observation huts they had lived in before entering Shelter No. 5.
Previously, because of the extreme cold, only ice houses could be built. But now that the severe cold was about to fade, ice houses were clearly no longer practical, meaning entirely new observation areas had to be established.
Moreover, the rewards for construction work were extremely attractive. Not only did it provide full meals every day, but also various daily necessities, drawing huge numbers of people to sign up.
Naturally, Su Ning had absolutely no interest in hauling bricks around.
When Zhang Li saw the mission, she was clearly tempted. Her talent already specialized in boosting physical strength, and together with Zhao Fuqing’s metal-control ability, construction work was practically tailor-made for them.
With rewards this generous, Zhang Li directly signed up.
“Su Ning, have you found any mission you want to take?”
Su Ning didn’t answer immediately and instead fell into thought.
“I’ll keep looking around first and choose something more suitable for myself.”
Seeing this, Zhang Li said no more.
“Then I’ll head over first and check out the registration area.”
Su Ning didn’t stop her.
She herself also focused carefully on the mission board displayed on the electronic screen.
Her eyes drifted toward the women’s task section, where most of the jobs appeared relatively easy. Naturally, the rewards were also fairly ordinary.
For example, cleaning the livestock areas inside the shelter.
The daily reward was merely three bottles of mineral water and six steamed buns.
Of course, the vast majority of the missions were issued by the shelter itself. Personal commissions were incredibly rare.
“Hm?”
Among the sea of shelter-issued tasks, Su Ning suddenly spotted a rather unusual personal mission.
[Protection Mission: Protect the employer for a period of time. Reward negotiable. Mission taker must be female!]
The task immediately caught Su Ning’s attention.
“A protection mission? Protect someone for a period of time, and only women can accept it? Interesting. This might be worth checking out.”
Su Ning looked at the address listed behind the mission.
Unexpectedly, accepting the task even required an interview first, which left her rather puzzled.
Still, after tidying herself up a little, Su Ning prepared to head over.
When she arrived at the task issuer’s residence, she observed the scenery along the way.
The atmosphere within Shelter No. 5 was completely different from Shelter No. 6.
Above the shelter stretched a gigantic energy barrier that enveloped the entire area, giving people an immense sense of security. Compared to the oppressive underground atmosphere of Shelter No. 6, Shelter No. 5 was clearly far more hopeful.
“A shelter must possess enough strength to protect the entire base. Only then can the people living inside truly feel at ease.”
“As long as things haven’t reached the point of absolute despair, there’s no need for me to establish my own base.”
Although Su Ning thought this way now, who could really predict the future?
What Su Ning didn’t know was that beneath Shelter No. 5’s seemingly prosperous surface and promising future, countless cracks already existed within.
Human hearts were difficult to predict.
And with extraordinary beings like players existing in this world, who wouldn’t want to ascend to the supreme throne?
Of course, these weren’t matters Su Ning needed to think about right now.
She eventually arrived at the location where the mission had been posted.
Looking at the humble residence before her—which was practically no different from the tiny room she herself lived in—Su Ning couldn’t help wondering whether the mission issuer could truly afford any reward at all.
Still, Su Ning hadn’t come solely for the reward anyway.
She gently knocked on the door.
At this moment, Xie Linjia was emotionally exhausted, completely unsure how to continue living.
Her son’s death had dealt her an unbearable blow, leaving her immersed in grief and pain every single day.
Thinking about the cause of her son’s death filled her with bitter hatred.
She hated herself for trusting that disgusting man.
She hated herself for giving up her status as a player.
Meanwhile, that very man was now happily fooling around with another woman inside the dungeon, living freely without a care.
The more Xie Linjia thought about it, the more hatred consumed her. She wanted nothing more than to tear that adulterous couple into pieces.
However, abandoning her player qualifications had meant losing her talents and everything she once possessed.
Now she was powerless, unable even to fight back against those two players.
“I still have a chance… As long as someone is willing to help me, I can become a player again!”
As she spoke, Xie Linjia carefully took out a card.
The card was extraordinary.
Printed upon it was a strange chibi clown with an eerie smile, as though mocking everything in the world.
This card was an extremely rare treasure she had obtained from a chest when she first entered a dungeon.
Together with it, she had also received a mysterious treasure pouch.
And it was precisely because of that treasure pouch that Xie Linjia had resolutely given up her player identity. She had believed that with such a treasure item, even without being a player, she would still be able to survive comfortably in reality and properly care for her child.
Yet despite all her calculations, she had failed to account for the unpredictability of human nature.
Thinking of this, tears once again streamed down Xie Linjia’s face.
Just as she was wallowing in self-pity, knocking suddenly sounded from the front door outside.
Knock knock!
Xie Linjia hurriedly wiped away her tears and quickly walked to the entrance.
“Who is it?”
A crisp female voice came from outside.
“Excuse me, is this Ms. Xie? I’m here regarding the mission.”
Hearing that someone had accepted her task, Xie Linjia immediately understood.
After all, she had specifically stated that all applicants must meet her in person first.
What she never expected, however, was that the person standing outside after she opened the door would be such a young girl.
For a moment, Xie Linjia found herself doubting whether this girl could truly protect her.
“Come in first.”
Xie Linjia cautiously allowed Su Ning into the room.
Of course, it wasn’t as though she lacked vigilance.
It was simply that after escaping that suffocating household, she had become practically penniless and possessed almost nothing worth coveting.
Only two treasures remained under her desperate protection, treasures she guarded as dearly as her own life.
The room itself was astonishingly bare.
There wasn’t even a bed.
Only a yoga mat and a thick cotton quilt lay quietly on the floor.
It was difficult to imagine that someone living in such hardship would actually post missions.
Su Ning looked toward Xie Linjia.
“You posted a protection mission. Exactly how long do you need protection for? Are you currently in danger?”
Xie Linjia looked at her strangely.
“You accepted the mission without even knowing the details of what comes afterward?”
Even Su Ning herself felt this was somewhat odd.
It was as though some mysterious force had guided her. The moment she saw Xie Linjia for the first time, she had already decided to accept the mission.
“Do you believe in intuition? You just give people a very gentle feeling… like a spring breeze.”
The moment Xie Linjia heard those words, her eyes instantly dimmed.
Su Ning’s words reminded her of the talent she once possessed back when she was still a player.
(End of Chapter)
