Chapter 16 Let's set sail, ███! Very good, it's his own body...
"Thank you for your patronage~ Thank you for your patronage~" The silly bird whistled happily, and the game currency was automatically deducted. It immediately and ruthlessly retreated back into the cuckoo clock.
On the shelf, a wooden mechanism activated, and the launcher slowly descended and disappeared. The wooden platform in front of Pu Fengchun rose up, and she picked up the launcher. The product details were displayed on the back of the small sign.
Product Name: Signal Transmitter
[Product Description: A damaged signal transmitter, though it was once complete, capable of transmitting signals across vast distances between two carriers. Used in Giant's Harbor to detect signals behind the fog, but its effectiveness has been minimal.]
[Grade: C (It's not that useful, but it's definitely not useful either.)]
[Instructions for use: When using, connect to the device that needs to transmit the signal, press the button to transfer the signal. However, due to damage, the basic success rate is reduced to 50%. The closer the distance, the higher the probability.]
[Debuff: Unknown (This thing is a debuff in itself. Of course, if you're unlucky enough, you might be able to pull off some more amazing feats. Good luck!)]
Pu Fengchun sensed the silent urging of the artificial intelligence and hesitated before asking, "Won't we send you back to Zuogang?"
Dial: Thank you for your help, ma'am^^
"How do I connect this?" Pu Fengchun brought the transmitter close to the watch face, looking for any place where she could "connect." But she didn't need to look at all. The moment she got close to the watch, thin, tentacle-like wires extended from the damaged part of the transmitter and drilled into the watch.
The indicator light glowed with a faint blue light.
One of the places in Yougang. Xue Chao suddenly opened his eyes, and even in the absence of light, the light was so bright that he squinted uncomfortably.
After the commander shut down the Zuogang system, Xue Chao's scattered fragments of consciousness were forced together, but like a broken mirror that was difficult to mend, they did not automatically restore themselves. Instead, they made his head feel stuffy, as if he was fighting with himself.
But when the transmitter sent his consciousness out and put it back into another carrier, the fragments stuck together and merged.
It was as if thousands of needles were used to stitch together every piece of his broken flesh, so even though the pain and consciousness were shattered in an instant, the exceptionally long process made him feel at least ten times more pain.
[SAN value: 12/?]
After enduring the lingering pain, Xue Chao slowly propped himself up. He first touched his chest and abdominal muscles... Good, it was his own body.
He succeeded.
Then, belatedly, he felt the weight on his thigh. A beautiful white cat was curled up on his left thigh, its long tail draped down and wrapped around his thigh in a casual manner.
The white cat's blood-red eyes met Xue Chao's gaze, and it suddenly stuck out its tongue, excitedly licking its lips. Its tail tightened abruptly, gripping Xue Chao's thigh tightly. Xue Chao groaned from the friction, grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck, lifted it up, and shook it: "You jumped into the sea and didn't drown, then came out to cause trouble again after washing yourself clean. Are you in heat?"
With his other hand, he pried open the white cat's smiling mouth and examined the cub's sharp teeth. The white cat obediently let him do as he pleased, but its tail was restless as it brushed against his exposed collarbone outside his vest, gently rubbing upwards, as if this time it wanted to wrap its arms around his neck, but Xue Chao threw it back to the ground.
"You're getting cocky." Xue Chao slapped his butt and pushed him into the gap of the iron fence. "Don't flirt with people if you don't have any clues. Get lost."
The white cat blinked innocently at him, seemingly amused that it hadn't been pursued or killed, and then quickly ran away again.
It's as if they came specifically to harass him.
Xue Chao was speechless for a moment, and then he had time to continue observing. He was still wearing that black vest and black trousers, but they were covered in dust, and his hair was messy with damp ends hanging down his forehead, almost blocking his view.
The room interface was stripped from the AI-controlled electronic world and transformed into a transparent, light-sensitive screen labeled "Host Panel." He didn't use a watch or anything like that as a carrier; once he brought up the panel, it simply floated directly in front of him.
The panel only serves the individual; whether it's the host or the player, only they can see it.
Then, suppressing his cold, sharp eyes, he looked around. He was in a cramped iron cage.
The iron cage was built directly against the wall, with the front, right, and top sides all walls. The cage was located at the highest point in the beginning or end corner. White plaster had fallen off the wall, resembling a world map gnawed by rats, revealing disgusting bluish-gray stones behind the wall, covered with wet, sticky moss.
He clung to the iron bars and looked out. It was a place that resembled a warehouse, with a very high ceiling. On both the left and right sides, there were five rows of identical iron cages stacked together, divided into five groups, numbered with letters and numbers. The group closest to the door was group A, and the group at the far end was group E. There were a total of 100 cages, and his own cage was E01.
Within the limits of his vision, there were several empty cages, while most were filled with people, but they were either unconscious or dead, or on the verge of death, as if they had lost their souls.
He probably wasn't dead. There was a small window at the bottom of each iron cage, and inside the window was an iron plate. His cage also had one, containing a rotten fish head that had gone bad, with a maggot's head sticking out of its eye, writhing disgustingly, and a bowl of somewhat murky water.
Most of the prisoners ate the food meant to sustain their vital signs; some even chewed the fish bones several times. Those who dared not eat would drink water to stave off hunger. Looking around, only his food remained untouched.
I don't know if it was because of that fish head, but the air was filled with a nauseating fishy smell, damp and cold, that lingered for a long time.
Is this another case of human trafficking, similar to the blood slaves transported by the Destiny?
He saw no surveillance cameras, nor any other electronic devices; the cage was secured with a lock with a socket.
Based on what we have seen and heard so far, the "technological" content of Right Harbor is very low. In many places, they don't even use lights, but rely on candles and manpower. Even the guards, who are the only ones using electronic devices, do not use smartwatches to communicate with each other, but rather very old-fashioned communicators. More often than not, they choose to communicate verbally. It is quite consistent in style that the "prison" is built so simply.
The warehouse was dark and silent, even quieter than a cemetery, reminding Xue Chao of the hyenas in the customs district. Only one or two people couldn't resist pouncing on the fish heads, crunching and chewing to satisfy their hunger.
Xue Chao swayed as he knelt up, shook his head as if he were still not fully conscious, and adjusted to his regained limbs for a while. Then he went to the small window where food was served, picked up the fish head with disgust, stared at the only dead fish eye on the head for a moment, and casually threw it aside. He then picked up the bowl of murky water.
He stared at the water in the bowl for a while, or more precisely, at his own face. The man on the water's surface was expressionless, his handsome features, intense to the point of being menacing, blended into the ripples of the dirty water. A few specks of unyielding wall ash clung to the corners of his smooth eyes, like bloodstains from a dagger.
But the key point is his eyes. Normally his eyes are black, and only under certain angles of light can you see the blue of his irises.
However, at this moment, this hidden blue, like the moon hidden in the daytime, finally awaits its own night, as serene as the shimmering deep sea, surrounding the pupil like a reef of black.
Xue Chao admired his newly acquired "colored contact lenses" with a blank expression. The color looked somewhat familiar... like an indicator light lit up by artificial intelligence.
This is likely a reaction to the return of consciousness in artificial intelligence, proving that he is not just an empty shell with no side effects.
Aside from the unusual eyes, it was indeed his face.
Crack—
The lock turned, Xue Chao put the bowl and fish back in their original places, and lay back down in the same position. Just as he lay down, the door slammed shut.
The iron cage furthest from him, near the door, was where the guard slammed him into the cell with a loud, forceful motion, the sound of which conveyed his anger. But in contrast, his warning was low and eerie: "I advise you to behave yourself. Right Harbor is not the same as the kindergarten you were in earlier... Of course, you can try to escape again. May Odin, the King of Gods, protect you, outsider."
The guard locked the door and left. A while later, Xue Chao heard a low kicking sound, but the kick stopped halfway through. The newcomer was equally angry, but still rational and wary of the guard's words.
Xue Chao controlled his breathing, just like he had trained for his voice acting work, making it barely audible in the darkness, which made his new friend's still-boiling breaths seem particularly loud.
Later, their breathing calmed down, the chewing of fish stopped, and the warehouse fell silent again.
He seemed to enjoy the eerie silence for a moment, then his fingertips touched the metal sheet and tapped it lightly:
Tap, tap, tap tap...
Wang Song didn't hear a sound at first; his cell was too far from the end. He was still trying to calm his anger at being treated so roughly, a anger that was hard to discern as genuine or feigned.
Even if he was deliberately brought here, his anger is always so intense that he can ignite anything.
At times like these, he wanted to cut open those people's skin, shove his way into their flesh and stir until the smell of blood overwhelmed all his thoughts, only then could he catch his breath and find redemption once again.
These wicked pigs who dare to offend him should all be killed!
Just like that person taught him... just like how he cut off an NPC's finger and killed him to get a ticket, just like how, in order to get deeper into the dungeon, when the guards questioned him, he deliberately provoked the follower that Zhu Wen had left behind, forcing the other party to take action and then killing him in return—he had long disliked the trash who only knew how to lick the heels of players ranked higher.
He savored the excitement of the blood splattering on his face, as if it weren't the blood of the tagalong, but the blood of the jellyfish-headed brat who had stolen his attention.
Here, he always had a wonderful illusion, like drinking fine wine, feeling like he was floating on air—as long as his own life wasn't in danger, he could do anything to any life.
His breathing slowed, but his internal organs were still burning, until his watch vibrated and the crimson All-Seeing Eye scrutinized him:
[Congratulations! Your contribution level has been met, and the camera position has been successfully activated!]
Keep up the good work!
Comments section:
"It's open here."
"Let's have something meaty. Little Jellyfish is still investigating clues, it's too vegetarian."
"The tattoo was removed, but surprisingly, this time they didn't consult any spirits; they were just looking for a cat?"
"No, not really... He drew a summoning circle as soon as he entered the cell, which scared the guard so much that he threw him out of the dungeon, hahaha."
How did Wang Song get in?
"The little accomplice who shook off the little jellyfish in front of the guards was taken in."
"Wang Song won't be locked up for too long, right? The player is an investigator specially hired by the Right Port Guard, with an official identity. Locking him up in the dungeon is just a show of force. He was thrown out next door under the pretext of graffiti. He's already got his badge."
...
"Wait a minute, is there some kind of sound...? Am I the only one who heard it?"
"Eat fish, even a wolf cub wouldn't bite a person this crisp."
"It wasn't the sound of eating fish, but the sound of knocking something, 'tap tap tap'."
"Holy crap? It seems like it really exists!"
"Holy crap, don't scare me! I hope I don't get a face-jumping animation!"
Comments suddenly increased.
Wang Song turned around abruptly, realizing something was wrong.
He finally cast aside his unrestrained anger, his bloodshot brain cooled, and a faint knocking sound pierced his head sharply.
Tap, tap, tap tap...
It comes in various lengths; it's Morse code. For veteran players, it's practically an essential skill.
--Good evening
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