Chapter 33 Safe House
As an extra-dimensional gathering place developed for players, Shell is built like a city in the human world.
Not only are there tall buildings, but even the day and night are imitated to perfection.
After the player exits the game, he will enter the dungeon lounge.
The main services provided in the lounge are food and medical care.
Thousands of lounges are connected to each other, like a big circle, surrounding the entire city.
After entering the Lounge for the first time, the player will automatically establish an anchor point at the Shell.
If you leave the rest area and walk towards the center of the city, you will reach the central area of the shell.
Xu Zhiyan and Jin Sheng formed a temporary team.
He originally wanted to ask his teammates to take him for a walk, but after seeing Xiaoyi's fiery eyes, he felt unwell and immediately parted ways with his new teammates.
Hearing Xiao Yi's aggrieved cry coming from behind him, Xu Zhiyan sneered, pushed the door open and ran away, fearing that he would get touched by another bit of dog hair.
"Woo woo woo woof!" Xiaoyi looked at Xu Zhiyan's back as he left. His tail gradually stopped wagging and his voice sounded aggrieved.
Jin Sheng was left behind helplessly, he could only touch Xiao Yi's head to comfort him: "I remember, I still owe you a pat on the head, next time I will definitely let him touch you."
So who can tell him why Xu Zhiyan, who is terribly afraid of dogs, inexplicably has a strong dog-attracting physique?
“Woof woof!”
Next time for sure!
The innocent puppy became happy again, barking at its owner, wagging its tail and flying into the air, leaving the other three players who were still resting staring in amazement.
Even though we know that dogs can fly, it is still shocking to see this strange flying mode with our own eyes.
"Woof woof!"
Helicopter Dogs aren't afraid of difficulties!
Next time, next time!
On the other side, Xu Zhiyan felt the power of the shell as soon as he left the lounge.
He only felt a warm current passing through his limbs and bones, as if his body was injected with strength, and even his brain became much clearer.
When I opened my personal panel, I saw that there were indeed differences.
[Name: Xu Zhiyan]
[Status: None]
[Spiritual Threshold: 0-61]
[Current Spirit: 61]
[Features: None]
[Skill: Absolute Safe Time (Primary)]
[Title: Ghost Agent]
Good, there have been changes.
The mental threshold that had not reached the passing line before has finally been raised a little bit, although the current panel data is still unbearable!
No wonder the system kept beeping at him to set a logout anchor point in the shell before he even entered the game.
It now seems that every time a player leaves the dungeon, he can get some subtle but very useful improvements here.
He turned off the panel and recalled the experience he had just had.
That warm power... was somewhat similar to his experience of curing a terminal genetic disease when he first made a deal with a ghost.
On the street, there were many people like him who had just escaped from the game and were wearing clothes covered in blood.
The game prompt pops up and starts the beginner's guide mode.
[Congratulations to the players for successfully reaching the shell]
[Your remaining time is: 56:23:10]
[As a transit station connecting the real world and the game, the speed of time in the shell is exactly the same as that in the real world. 】
The time is accurate to the minute and second.
Xu Zhiyan glanced at the sky, it seemed to be dawn.
He inquired, "Is it morning outside now?"
[Yes, the time in the shell that the player sees is the time the player experiences when he returns to reality. Players in different time zones experience different times in the shell.]
This explanation made Xu Zhiyan marvel.
In other words, this shell appears to be a rich shared space, but in fact, for each player, it is more like a separate giant city.
After the weak state was lifted, Xu Zhiyan felt that his whole body was much more relaxed, as if he had endless energy.
"If I play the game a few more times..."
He narrowed his eyes, and his mind, which had been tormented by the copy, became active again.
If a person's physical fitness can be improved every time he plays a game, then will he be able to quickly leave the ranks of physically weak people and become one of those with higher physical fitness?
Unfortunately, before he could take a few steps, the game system popped up.
[I advise players not to dream. ]
[The human body repair mechanism of the shell can only restore your body to its current optimal state, but cannot elevate you to a state that did not exist in the first place. ]
[It is detected that the player's physical strength and endurance are both lower than the average. We hope that the player will take care of himself and improve his physical fitness through exercise and other correct means. 】
The implication is that even if a weakling recovers, he is still a weakling.
Xu Zhiyan's face fell as he frowned and asked, "...What's your employee number?"
He wants to complain about this system!
The system answered the question irrelevantly and started selling other things.
[The central area D-21 to D-65 are all fitness-related facilities, all open to players for free. If players want to improve themselves, they can try to stay in the shell for a longer time. ]
[If the renewal time exceeds 300 hours, 1 hour will be given for free, or you can choose to buy your own property. 】
[As long as you purchase a property on Shell, you can log in and out of the space anytime and anywhere. Players will automatically receive a new member discount the first five times they enter Shell, and purchase properties at a 9.9% discount. Action is better than hesitation. ]
"Real estate?" Xu Zhiyan finally understood why this city was built so much like a city in the human world.
If the player earns enough points and purchases real estate, they can stay in the shell permanently without having to return to the real world.
There is no death, no pain, and all consumables needed for survival are free.
If you have no attachment to the present world, this is indeed a very good place to retire... It would be even better if you don't have to enter the dungeon!
Thinking of this, Xu Zhiyan casually clicked on the house selling information that popped up on the right side of the panel.
After taking a quick glance, he closed the door with a snap.
The cheapest one starts at 1800W points!
“You could have just grabbed the points, but they gave you a house instead.”
Xu Zhiyan summarized and evaluated.
The shell was very large, and by the time he arrived at the city center, his free stay time was almost up.
In the center of the city, translucent panels reach up to the sky.
There are several of them, like the trunks of giant cyberpunk trees.
Xu Zhiyan quickened his pace and walked around, finally understanding that this was the game ranking list, which was divided into several modules.
[Personal Player Ranking]
【Guild Ranking [Coming Soon]】
【Team Standings】
[Potential Newcomer List]
[Latest list of dead players]
In addition to the constantly refreshing death list, the most eye-catching thing is the two points display pools above the list.
One has numbers on it that keep increasing, while the other one is completely covered with ▇▇. I have no idea what it means.
From the conversation with passers-by, Xu Zhiyan learned that the guild system was about to be opened.
Looking at the top players on the points list who each have tens of millions of points, he frowned and thought for a moment, feeling that it didn't seem like a lot?
"So little? Only tens of millions?"
After all, he had just earned nine million for Party A. If he continued to make money at this rate, wouldn’t it be a piece of cake for him to make it to the top of the list?
Xu Zhiyan didn't understand.
The system promptly amplifies the terms under the ranking list.
[This list only counts the points gained when players settle their dungeons. ]
In other words, these tens of millions were all earned by brushing copies, and the proceeds from guessing were not included.
Before Xu Zhiyan could explore more, the system indicated that the free stay time had ended and players were asked to leave as soon as possible.
【Your remaining time is: 00:00:01】
As the remaining time returned to zero, the next second Xu Zhiyan found himself back in the safe house.
"Tsk, don't let me stay even a second longer."
He staggered and managed to stand firm.
The rising sun brings with it an upgrade, and warm sunlight shines on the courtyard of the Yunshan old house.
Xu Zhiyan looked at his watch. It was half past seven.
For him who often stays up late, this is a rare morning.
The yard is still the same yard, desolate and quiet.
Thinking of the 9 million points he earned, Xu Zhiyan looked towards the old building.
“Squeak—”
The old door opened, revealing an empty hall, and the sound was a bit tooth-grinding.
The ghost, surrounded by monsters, is standing quietly behind the shrine, waiting for his return.
…
Half an hour later.
Xu Zhiyan sat cross-legged on the long table.
He held a small notebook in his left hand and a pen in his right hand. He also wore a pair of glasses that he had found from somewhere on his nose. He looked like an accountant, counting the accounts.
"First of all, I took the initiative to enter the dungeon and performed well. As a businessman, I think the points I get are the greatest affirmation of me, so I will give you 300,000 points. Is that okay with you? Mr. Ghost."
"Um."
"Regarding that guessing game, you didn't participate. I placed the bet, I ran the dungeon, I came in first, and I earned nine million. Is that right?"
As he spoke, Xu Zhiyan stole a glance at his client.
The other person seems more lively than the last time I saw him, as if he is more like a living person?
"Hmm." The ghost just responded indifferently after hearing this.
Only the creatures in the hall who were familiar with ghosts and gods could notice that their boss was in a very good mood.
Seeing the other party admit it, Xu Zhiyan couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
Very good, very smart!
"In order to pass the dungeon, I consumed a lot of items, such as smoke/fog/bombs, T/N/T-BUG, pistol/gun/ammunition, and mental recovery potion..."
Xu Zhiyan listed all his expenses in the copy and finally set a price.
"These things are not cheap, and I have a special way to use them. How about this, considering our relationship, I'll give you a zero and calculate it as 300,000."
The props, which were worth less than 30,000 points in total, instantly increased tenfold in price when they reached Xu Zhiyan's mouth.
Qu Ji and the other monsters on the side were listening, feeling confused, with confusion in their eyes, as if they didn't understand why the amount of money was increasing.
Xu Zhiyan didn't care what the other brothers were thinking. Seeing Guishen nodded, he quickly wrote down the contents in the notebook, muttering to himself.
"In this case, you need to pay me a total of 9.6 million, and then I will return you 10,000 as the interest on the 1 million principal at the beginning. Alas, there are not many honest businessmen like me, and other people out there will not give you so much interest."
After admiring his own good character, he slapped the note with 959W written on it on the shrine and waited for payment with blinking eyes.
The sound of chains colliding could be heard, and the ghost's voice was filled with laughter.
"All these ten million are yours."
"Then I will respectfully obey your command." Xu Zhiyan responded immediately without any hesitation that a human should have, and he displayed the greedy and shameless character of a bandit to the extreme.
The safe house system couldn't bear it anymore and jumped out.
[Host! Mr. Ghost's anonymous account cannot be used for point transfer transactions. However, the points in the account can be used as the basis for the construction of the safe house!]
[You can choose to spend points to unlock more special features of the safe house.]
[For example, supply upgrades, building appearance upgrades, room comfort upgrades, etc.]
Xu Zhiyan was stunned and asked, "Can you enable the transfer function?"
[Sorry, we don’t have this service! It’s always been the players who hand in their points, so there’s no reason for us to transfer out the points!]
“…”
It makes so much sense that it is impossible to refute.
As if worried that Xu Zhiyan would be sad, the system took the initiative to explain.
[But you and Mr. Guishen have the same authority from now on. As long as the safe house is upgraded to a sufficient level, we can open all copies of the relevant level. At that time, you can collect the points from the players' transactions.]
Hearing this, Xu Zhiyan's solemn expression finally eased.
The cooked duck becomes the feeding duck.
Although the profit time is prolonged, not only can you collect points, but you can also get more props, so it is not a loss.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Zhiyan accepted the proposal.
"make a deal."
The system suddenly became excited.
[Host, do you want to start upgrading now? This system will give you the most comprehensive guidance! Don't worry!]
It has never been upgraded since its birth, and it has always been in a tattered state! It is obviously a very buggy safe house, but because of its low level, its functions are useless. It is really heartbreaking to hear about it.
Xu Zhiyan put down the paper and pen, took off his glasses and threw them aside, waved his hand and said, "I'll upgrade it later. Before that, I have some doubts about other things."
As he said this he stood up.
A golden lynx emitting a dim light appeared in his palm.
The young man standing at the long table once again looked the ghosts and gods in the eye and spoke loudly.
"Now that the money is settled, I still have one more thing I hope Mr. Ghost can answer."
Although the ghost's eyes were blocked by the spell, Xu Zhiyan could still sense that the other party was staring at him.
That sense of sight was too strong.
He loaded the remaining two bullets into his pistol, stepped one foot on the shrine, and approached the ghost with considerable momentum.
"I want to know, who is Bai Jin to you?" Xu Zhiyan licked his lips and asked his question rather nervously.
Just now in the shell, perhaps because his mental threshold was raised, his thoughts became exceptionally clear.
The details in memory are magnified.
He remembered that before finding the safe house, he used a flashlight to illuminate the dark room for a moment and saw Bai Jin's face that he had always been reluctant to reveal.
The situation was so tense at that time that he only felt that the lower half of the other person's face looked somewhat familiar, and he didn't think about it carefully...
It was clearly the same face as the ghost in front of him!
Seeing that the other party did not answer, Xu Zhiyan frowned.
The cold gun barrel scratched the jawline of the ghost and slowly lifted the spell paper covering the other's eyes.
A pair of familiar golden eyes stared at him, containing a deformed love that was both repressed and crazy.
It's Bai Jin's eyes...
Xu Zhiyan stood there in a daze.
Dropping the gun, he felt his wrist being grasped.
"I'm restraining myself."
"You shouldn't do this."
The ghost's low voice was a mixture of sighs and helplessness, as if suppressing something.
After listening to the other party's words, the person involved, Xu, now regrets it very much.
Damn it, if the ghosts and gods want to pretend nothing happened, he should also pretend nothing happened! Isn't it better to upgrade the safe house than to deal with the crazy ones?
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