“Tick-tick-tick-tick-”
The sound of the clock ticking seemed to echo directly in my ears, just like the beat of a heartbeat.
It was an extremely faint sound that should only be heard in complete silence.
However, the sound that Xiao Liang could hear at this moment directly violated his common sense as a human being.
Upon hearing this warning, which was meant to be a prompt but sounded more like an approaching danger,...
Xiao Liang immediately glanced at the mechanical watch on his wrist.
At that moment, a face that only he could see appeared in the sky above him.
A virtual screen emitting a pale blue light, seemingly out of place with the era of this world.
On the light screen that appeared in mid-air, there was a document that seemed even more unusual—
[Strange object:? ? ? 】
【Project ID: Curiosity - [? ? ?]】
[Danger Level: ???]
[Project Category: ???]
[Project Description: Date: [Year] [Month] [Day]]
In the City Park of the Enlightenment Empire - Thorn Royal City, the deep forest behind the Watchtower Castle is suddenly shrouded in a mist.
All those who attempted to enter the fog to search vanished without a trace, none returning.
1. The entire forest deep in the mountains was shrouded in mist, with extremely low visibility, making it impossible to observe anything with the naked eye.
[Note 1: Fog cannot be captured in images by imaging equipment]
[2. It is impossible to locate and protect those who enter the fog using ropes or other tools; all currently attempted methods have failed.]
[Note 2: The cross-section of the rope that was cut in the fog for unknown reasons is shown in the image below.]
[3. Fog samples cannot be collected when outside the fog, suggesting a possible symbiotic relationship between the fog and the forest.]
[Note 3: The characteristics of fog and its relationship with forests require further investigation]
[Note 4: Individuals below the [Level A Investigator] level do not have editing privileges in this file.]
[Investigator's Mission: Investigate and uncover the truth of the Misty Forest]
[Mission Completion Reward: Curious Object Containment Management Bureau Internal Member Points]
[Note: Points will be dynamically adjusted based on survey results]
Looking at the large number of question marks in the document and the extremely vague text descriptions within it.
Having gone through several investigation missions, Xiao Liang had roughly figured out the differences in the narratives in these files due to different circumstances.
Like this document that was given to him at this moment.
It is clearly a rare artifact file that is far from complete and requires extensive investigation and research into its characteristics.
The unknown parts that have not yet been investigated will remain as they are now.
Using a question mark to replace relevant statements in most cases can make the wording seem inaccurate and vague.
However, the archives of strange objects are already in a completed state.
The relevant documents will vary depending on the investigator's level.
Different degrees of black areas are used to obscure important information.
For example, in this brief archive of strange objects.
The exact time when the abnormal state occurred in the deep forest was beyond the knowledge of investigators of his rank.
So, after receiving this file, which was essentially a task prompt but was actually far from being completed,
Xiao Liang could only try his best to extract useful information from it in an attempt to improve his chances of survival when he entered the fog later.
But at this moment, Xiao Liang, who had already arrived at the edge of the misty forest with his teammates, was already there.
He looked at the members of the Bureau's Research Department who were making various preparations and experiments for their entry.
But he couldn't help but think of the horror game he was currently playing, which had completely changed its appearance since some time ago.
He was a new player selected only recently, so he had a clearer view of the changes happening in the game.
After that day, all the live streams about the dungeon game suddenly disappeared.
However, this does not mean that the game has been completely ended as some people wished.
Everyone in reality realized that since then, the number of players being selected has been increasing.
After being chosen and brought to this world as a player with the identity of an investigator.
Xiao Liang also seemed to have noticed the difference between the previous game system and the current system in selecting players—
Those who have come to this new world as players now seem to be people who are interested in "time travel" or "another world".
Realizing this, Xiao Liang looked at his new teammates who were on their first mission—
Despite having received training, his teammates still wore expressions of terror as they raised the oil lamps in their hands.
Although no one who entered this misty forest has returned, no progress has been made in the study of the mist.
Xiao Liang did not know whether a sufficiently strong light could penetrate the fog and improve their visibility within it.
But thinking of the oil lamp he now held, issued by the Administration Bureau, and its miraculous effects, he felt somewhat at ease.
After all, compared to the players he knew in the past who were "free-range" and allowed to develop at will, this was a significant improvement.
These trained investigators are indeed backed by an official organization, giving them a strong backing.
The oil lamps with magical effects that he and his teammates each carried were indeed excellent beginner rewards.
...
Watching the players who had already entered the Misty Forest with oil lamps to explore.
Gu Xinghe, who was still calmly drinking tea in his office in the Administration Bureau, withdrew his gaze.
Because I had previous experience creating game instances—
After returning from the Dreamland, he tried to turn the Star River Church into a long-term instance that all players could participate in.
And they reaped considerable benefits from this operation.
Therefore, based on this successful experience, Gu Xinghe made some modifications to the game system.
The system changed the way it assigned tasks based on the investigator's identity.
Although compared to the previous game system where food was used as a reward for completing tasks.
The non-material rewards he's currently distributing—internal organizational points—seem even less valuable.
It's like irresponsible game designers using character affinity rewards to appease players who have gone through all the hard work to complete tasks.
But Gu Xinghe was clearly trying to be kind.
After all, the points mentioned in the mission completion rewards will be actually distributed to the players.
They can also exchange this reward for the corresponding items they need within the organization.
Although adjustments will be made "dynamically" based on the completion of tasks, Gu Xinghe is not actually that demanding.
After all, it is an official organization that, although its branches are spread all over the mainland, is actually only in the early stages of operation.
The logistics department of the Curious Object Containment Administration has indeed received ample supplies.
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