Chapter 1 The Tall Man

That man was tall and large, and since his right arm was a metallic construction, his speed was naturally slower. Although his momentum was fierce, his attack method was simple and direct, and not difficult to dodge.

Under the effect of his skills, Feng Bujue had a huge advantage in terms of dynamic vision, reaction, and speed. In his eyes, the opponent's movements were too slow and too simple.

"Are you one of the five lieutenant officers of the Mechanical Corps?" Feng Bujue asked while dodging the attack. In this comfortable situation, he had not given up the possibility of communicating with the other party.

"Hmph... asking the obvious." The man missed his strike, spun around and came at him again, throwing another punch.

"I don't know what you think..." Feng Bujue maintained a high speed of movement, his breathing not disturbed at all, "But you have to believe me, I have no malicious intent at this moment. As long as you stop, I will never attack you first."

"No malicious intent?" The man snorted coldly, "A guy who slaughtered my subordinates with the Xing Clan people is now saying such things, do you think I'll fall for it!" He roared and changed his attack method, swinging his arm and driving his body to crash into Feng Bujue.

"If I can't reason with him, then there's no choice..." Feng Bujue looked at the approaching figure, "Then I'll just use a random skill (he says this because he doesn't know what skill he'll use), and teach you a lesson."

In Feng Bujue's view, this enemy only had one dangerous point: his mechanical arm. Apart from that, he was just a bit stronger than a normal person. As long as he didn't clash head-on, his chances of winning were over 90%.

"Take this!" Feng Bujue instantly appeared behind the opponent, throwing a punch, his title skill activating smoothly.

He aimed his strike at the upper right side of the man's back, near the shoulder. This part wasn't a vital point, and even if the randomly selected skill was powerful enough to make his fist penetrate the opponent's body, it wouldn't damage any major organs. With luck, it might even disable his right arm.

Feng Bujue was clearly holding back. He thought to himself, "Even if I take this guy's life, it won't do me any good. Since he won't listen to reason, I'll beat him until he loses his ability to fight, and then try to communicate with him again."

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Feng Bujue heard an unprecedented system prompt: 【The skill "Purgatory Musou Bursting Hot Wave Cannon" that you randomly activated has exhausted all current stamina. The survival value loss caused by overloading this skill is 50%.】

"Hey! What is this!" Feng Bujue was shocked. After replenishing his blood to full in the bathroom on the second floor, he lost 15% when he fell. Then, he used Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu (Concentrated Spiritual Body Technique), which drained a lot more. Now, hearing a prompt that reduced his survival value by 50% in one go, he was caught off guard and quickly stopped the Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu.

Of course, he didn't need to maintain the skill any longer, because the enemy in front of him had already been blasted into dust by a devastating shock wave, leaving not a single drop of blood.

And that wasn't the end of it. The remaining force of this power, after destroying its target, continued forward and crashed into a wall of the red room. It was the wall directly opposite the door. Theoretically, this wall could not be destroyed, because the space behind the wall was beyond the boundaries of the scenario map.

But… even this wall shattered. The seemingly solid stone wall crumbled in an instant, and then, a strong light from the collision of energy suddenly flashed, blinding Feng Bujue.

When the light dissipated, he saw that a large hole with a radius of more than one meter had appeared in the wall in front of him. A large amount of white data streams surged at the broken place. These flowing lights were slowly repairing the edge of the penetrated scenario, restoring it to the appearance of a stone wall.

"What kind of skill is this?" Feng Bujue exclaimed. After his stamina was exhausted, he momentarily lost his strength and his legs gave way, causing him to fall to the ground. "No way... can a level twenty-seven player theoretically unleash such an amazing attack?"

He wasn't wrong. That was exactly how it was.

The description of the [Take This!] skill had this line in it: "The randomly selected skill effect will not exceed the player's level and ability limits."

In other words, a player with a level of twenty-seven, the same physical and spiritual power as Feng Bujue in the Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu state, and who possessed such a skill, could completely unleash the attack just now.

However, in the entire Thriller Paradise, only Tun Tian Gui Xiao (Devouring Sky Ghost Howl) could make a similar attack before level thirty.

By the way, the skill that Feng Bujue randomly received at this moment had already been obtained by someone in the server, but it was the consumable version.

【Name: Purgatory Musou Bursting Hot Wave Cannon】

【Skill Card Attributes: Active Skill, disappears after one use】

【Skill Category: Fighting】

【Effect: Instantly blasts any enemy into dust】

【Consumption: 2500 Stamina】

【Learning Condition: Fighting Specialization A】

【Remarks: King-Style Qigong Art, one of the strongest skills in the fighting system, possessing miraculous destructive power.】

Generally speaking, players below level thirty were unlikely to reach the learning condition of Fighting Specialization A. Top experts only stopped at the B level.

But there were a very few people... who were exceptions. In their normal state, their physical skills were on par with Feng Bujue's with the Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu activated, or even slightly better. Only these monsters could raise their Fighting Specialization to A before level thirty to learn such a skill.

This wasn't a matter of game time, nor was it because these guys were special forces soldiers or martial artists in real life. In the end... it was just talent.

"I finally met someone who could talk, but I activated such a skill..." Feng Bujue could only lament his luck. He had randomly selected such a heaven-defying move precisely when he didn't need to kill his opponent. "It even blasted a hole in the scenario map, that's too exaggerated..."

Since things had come to this, Feng Bujue wasn't too bothered by it. His curiosity quickly shifted elsewhere. He turned his gaze to the wall that had not yet fully recovered, carefully observing the white data streams, trying to catch a glimpse of the world "outside the scenario."

At that moment, a human face suddenly poked out from it.

Judging by the contours, it was a man's head. The white data streams covered his face like a glowing mask, preventing Feng Bujue from seeing his features clearly.

"Hey, kid... do you know what you're doing?" the glowing face said, "With your current strength, if you cross the 'rift,' you'll be torn apart by the data storm in less than three minutes."

When Feng Bujue heard the voice, he was stunned for a moment. Two seconds later, he found the owner of the voice in a corner of his memory pavilion, "So it's you, you bastard..."

"Heh... it's me. I left in a hurry last time, and haven't introduced myself yet." The other party replied with a smile, "I'm now a level-two derivative, k2-Chi Tie (k2-Red Iron). Long time no see, Feng Bujue." As he greeted, he raised his hand and made a strange gesture toward Brother Jue. In an instant, Feng Bujue's zero stamina recovered to 50 points, which allowed him to recover slightly, and at least stand up and speak.

"Let me go and take a look at your side." Feng Bujue stood up and immediately squeezed forward, reaching out to push Chi Tie away.

"Can't you listen to people?" Chi Tie said as his entire arm, wrapped in a light curtain, stretched out from the wall. He pressed Feng Bujue's shoulder with one hand, stopping him from moving forward, and said, "I'm saving you."

"Even if it's just for three minutes, I want to take a look." Although Feng Bujue hadn't given up, the other party easily held him down with one hand, preventing him from taking a single step.

"Ha... I knew you would say that." Chi Tie laughed, "Unfortunately, I can't let you do that. Over here, several 'big shots' seem to be quite concerned about you, you can't recklessly throw your life away. Also, I'd like to fight you again. Of course, we have to compete under relatively fair conditions. And you now are simply too weak, this data is insignificant in front of me."

As Chi Tie spoke, the data streams around him accelerated the repair process, and the hole quickly contracted. "The Otherworld isn't a place for sightseeing. For you players, it's a hundred times more dangerous than a scenario." He released his hand, retracted his arm into that world, and his head was also retreating, "Feng Bujue, if you want to appreciate the scenery on our side, first comprehend the Soul Intent. When you can observe this virtual world from another perspective, the real game will officially begin."

After saying this, his face completely retreated into the unknown space on the other side, and the data streams quickly closed up at this moment, restoring the wall to its original appearance.

Feng Bujue stared at the wall for a full ten minutes. Chi Tie's words contained too much information, which required him to slowly digest.

"Beautiful..." After a long while, Feng Bujue said with a happy face, "This setting is absolutely awesome, making people can't wait to get in touch with the later content of the game as soon as possible."

The accident of punching an unknown NPC to death had been thrown out of his mind. At this moment, Feng Bujue's thoughts were completely elsewhere. He even felt that... it didn't matter what happened to this scenario in the end, because experiencing that scene just now made his trip worthwhile.

After walking out of the red room, Feng Bujue rested in place for a while, allowing his survival value to naturally recover to 30%, and his stamina value reached around 160. Before the scenario determined that he was playing passively, he set off again and pushed open the yellow iron door.

The iron bar had been destroyed, so he had to risk his life with only 30% of his health left, praying in his heart that there wouldn't be a battle to fight in each of the six rooms, otherwise, without being able to use consumables, he was afraid that his chances would be slim.

Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any danger in the yellow room. It was just a room like a chemical warehouse. There were many iron shelves and glass cabinets in the room, filled with potions, powders, and other miscellaneous raw materials. The properties and containers of these items were different, but the only thing they had in common was that they were all garbage. Because Feng Bujue couldn't see the item descriptions no matter which one he picked up, which meant that these things were all useless to the players, just decorations.

Feng Bujue searched for a while and didn't find any valuable props. Just as he was about to leave the room, another CG was triggered.

…………

"Brother... if we continue like this, we will be arrested sooner or later... no, we will be killed!" Andrew said to Arthur with considerable excitement.

"There's nothing to worry about." Arthur stood with his back to his brother, who was standing at the door, skillfully selecting materials in the glass cabinet and putting them into a small trolley beside him. "We've killed all those who should be killed, and locked up all the rest. Didn't the Royal Artificer Force also lose to us?"

"But…"

"Don't say such silly things anymore. We have already passed the point of no return." Arthur interrupted Andrew. "You said that you would help me find a way to become human, no matter what. Now that things have come to this, even if we repent and fear, we can't wash away the blood of those people on our hands." He said calmly, "Anyway, we have now progressed to the final stage. Apart from the two Armed Alchemists who were killed on the spot, and that bounty hunter named 'Horror Magpie', we still have one Alchemist and five lieutenant officers of the Mechanical Corps, right? That's enough... According to the old rules, we will separate them and let them enjoy nine days of 'special meals,' and then we will experiment."

He paused for a moment, then continued: "At this stage, ordinary test subjects are no longer of any value. We at least need someone of the bounty hunter's level to make some progress. And these six people have come just in time. With them, we can stay indoors for two whole months, and after two months, the heat will be over."

Having said this, Arthur had already taken all the things he needed. He turned around and pushed the cart towards the door. "Think about it on the bright side, maybe our alchemy will have already succeeded before we have used up all six of these test subjects?"

"Even so, they will all eventually have to die, right…" Andrew asked with a frown.

"Yes." Arthur's answer was chilling, "It's impossible to let them go, right… However, the remaining ones won't have to experience the pain of the experiment, they can die more painlessly." He pushed the cart past his brother and left the room.

…………

"That alchemy... is it for the purpose of transforming Arthur, who is a Xing Clan member, into an ordinary human?" Feng Bujue muttered to himself as he walked out of the yellow room and towards the blue iron door next door. "The previous video should be the result of their alchemy. It's hard to say whether Arthur became human in the end, but Andrew must have suffered a considerable degree of harm…" He pushed open the door of the blue room casually, "Perhaps Arthur concealed the cost of this alchemy, and tricked his brother into taking it for himself? Or maybe… even Arthur didn't know it would turn out like that."

"Hmm... judging from the opening CG, it seems that both of these assumptions can be true. After all, they are brothers. Whether it's intentional or unintentional, Arthur will feel somewhat guilty after that kind of situation occurs."

The blue room should be a prison cell, and a special prison cell at that. All the walls, ceiling, and floor were covered with magic circles. There was no bed in the room, but there was an iron pillar in each of the four corners, and a set of shackles next to each pillar.

"Those prisoners with combat power higher than ordinary people must be locked in this room…" Feng Bujue came to a corner and observed with a magnifying glass. He found that the iron pillars and the chains of the shackles also had the same magic circles as on the wall. "The magic circles should prevent those people from escaping with violence, but…" He lay on the ground and checked it again, confirming that there were no traces of food left on the ground. "There is neither a food delivery port nor a plastic bucket, and all four corners have a smell of urine… Hmm… In that case, the people locked here have no food or drink, and are chained to the corners. After they are half-dead from hunger, they are taken to other ordinary prison cells to be served with 'special meals.' At that time, they will no longer be able to escape."

Feng Bujue walked around the room, stopping for a few seconds from time to time, trying to see if he could trigger another CG. After five minutes, he got nothing, so he used the tapping search method again…

Unexpectedly, it really worked this time.

The four iron pillars in the room were all as thick as bowls and covered with rust. At first glance, there was nothing unusual about them except for the magic circles on them. Feng Bujue tapped them inch by inch with a pipe wrench, and found a gap in one of the iron pillars. It was a section facing the wall, more than one meter above the ground. That part was lightly hammered and dented inward.

Seeing this, Feng Bujue added a little more force and smashed a small hole. Then, he alternately clamped and knocked, expanding the hole to the size of a fist, then reached in and touched the prop hidden inside.

【Name: Artificial Eye】

【Type: Scenario Related】

【Quality: Normal】

【Function: Unknown】

【Can it be brought out of this scenario: Yes】

【Remarks: A very realistic eyeball】

"Okay, next room." After finding the item, Feng Bujue left the blue room and walked towards the black iron door across the corridor.

This time, he didn't go in after pushing the door open, because the black room was black inside…

The interiors of the red, yellow, and blue rooms were all shrouded in colored light of unknown origin. The black room was also like this. The whole room was pitch black, and the light from the corridor couldn't shine in at all. The door frame was like being covered by a black cloth.

Feng Bujue was hesitating about whether there would be any danger in going in. Unexpectedly, laughter came from the room.

The laughter was very strange. The person who made the laughter had a very sharp voice, but he laughed very heartily.

For example, this contrast was like Lin Zhi Ling singing A Hero's Song with rage...

"Holy crap…" Feng Bujue jumped back in a frenzy, "What kind of monster!" He sacrificed the Death Poker without thinking, ready to meet the enemy.

At this time, the "black" in the room moved like a receding tide, gathering toward the middle, and the light from the corridor shone in.

Feng Bujue looked inside from the door and found that the volume of this room was exactly the same as the three rooms just now, but it was empty. And the main color of this room, that is, those "darkness," had gathered together like a living thing at this moment.

Before long, the darkness solidified into a solid black figure, standing in the center of the room. Moreover, his appearance and posture were very similar to a deceased singer...