Chapter 11: The Gambler’s Route
“Strengthen elements?”
Xiao Xiao listened to Ruan Ruan’s explanation, but a strange feeling lingered persistently in his heart.
Is this really a strengthening element?
How does it look more like… certain symptoms?
Although I couldn’t get a doctor’s certificate four years ago, I’ve picked up some knowledge from prolonged illness, so I’m not completely clueless…
But when he thought of the malicious gazes at the class reunion, the eerie and unsettling atmosphere in the alley where his home was located, the rat people in the subway station, and this city’s bloated body with its slimy tentacles, and then thought of these “strengthening elements” again, the resistance in his heart gradually faded away considerably, slowly suppressing the strangeness and discomfort within him, and he asked in a low voice:
“Then, how can we obtain these things?”
“……”
“Points!”
Seeing that Xiao Xiao had reacted so quickly, a satisfied smile appeared on Ruan Ruan’s face as she said softly, “In this city, whether it’s people, buildings, monsters, or weapons, everything belongs to the city.”
“And we can exchange everything with this city through points.”
“……”
“Then I……”
Xiao Xiao looked at what was on the tablet, and his expression began to become conflicted.
He felt that each of these things sounded very dangerous and appeared quite abnormal.
Even if he had accepted it in his mind, he still couldn’t decide what element to give himself.
“I know you must be troubled.”
Ruanruan seemed to be in a pleasant mood at this moment and said, “In fact, when newcomers face these dazzling array of elements, they usually don’t know how to choose.”
“Of course, I’ll help you.”
“People like us are called Enhancement Designers precisely because we have thoroughly studied the enhancement elements of this world, which allows us to better help you allocate points and match elements.”
“……”
Xiao Xiao’s heart stirred, and he looked up at her, saying: “So which one do you think I should choose?”
“Actually…”
Ruanruan’s eyes narrowed slightly, then she smiled and said: “You can’t afford anything…”
“?”
Xiao Xiao was completely bewildered, blinking his eyes.
“You’re just a newcomer who just signed a contract, after all. You’ve only eliminated one rat-man for this city so far…”
Ruanruan smiled and said: “I estimate that you, Brother Xiao, have at most thirty points right now, and that’s even including the goodwill bonus the city gives to newcomers like you…”
“And even the lowest-tier violence factor requires three units to be used together, which means sixty points. You only have half of that.”
“So, you don’t actually need to worry about what to choose right now…”
“……”
Xiao Xiao helplessly accepted this fact. In truth, he really did only have thirty points.
It turned out to be a false alarm, and there was no need for him to worry about it.
Ruanruan’s face carried a sweet smile. After swiping her slender fingers across the tablet a few times, she was about to say something when her expression suddenly froze slightly.
Xiao Xiao quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ruanruan turned the screen toward him, her expression surprised: “This is…”
【Name: Xiao Xiao】
【Age: 21 years old】
【Points: 130】
【Contract: Low-tier】
【……】
“Huh?”
Xiao Xiao was also somewhat surprised: “How did I get an extra hundred points?”
Ruanruan checked and suddenly understood, saying: “Jiajia lent you a hundred points. She didn’t tell you about it before?”
“No…”
Xiao Xiao was also somewhat surprised.
Was Yang Jia really that good to him? A hundred points, and she transferred them over without even saying a word.
Of course, it seems quite normal for acquaintances to look out for each other.
Back in high school, Yang Jia lent me two coins for the bus, and I never expected her to pay me back either, did I?
He just glanced down at the list that Soft had provided, and couldn’t help but furrow his brow. For some reason, he didn’t like any of the abilities or material things mentioned on it.
He still felt that these elements were all rather abnormal.
While hesitating, he looked at Soft: “So now……”
Ruanruan was also frowning, silently calculating for a moment, then said to Xiao Xiao: “You still don’t have a choice…”
“?”
Xiao Xiao was confused for a moment. Weren’t these one hundred and thirty points already exceeding the prices of most items on the list?
“Xiao gege, you’re thinking of this world too simply…”
Ruanruan smiled and said: “Indeed, we have many enhancement elements, and it’s very easy for newcomers to feel overwhelmed. Some combinations of different elements have already been explored by predecessors, creating powerful paths.”
“However, those are all concerns for later, after you’ve accumulated more points.”
“Regardless of any circumstances, physical attributes come first. So no matter what enhancement path you take in the future, for your first enhancement, I would recommend you choose the Violence Factor.”
“It can significantly boost your physical attributes, with the side effect being a volatile temper.”
“Plus the detection instrument that newcomers must have, which requires another 30 points.”
“To be honest, if it weren’t for Sister Jiajia lending you a hundred points, just the basic necessities for newcomers would require you to work hard for a long time.”
“……”
“……Alright!”
Perhaps because he had grown accustomed to poverty, Xiao Xiao was surprisingly adaptable to his current situation.
But there was still some reluctance in his heart as he asked: “Do all these things you mentioned need to be bought at once? Can’t I buy them in installments?”
“Of course not.”
Ruanruan smiled and said: “Low-level genetic serums made with violence factors as the basic element—each one can strengthen your body, but only after using three of them can your physical abilities be pushed to their limit.”
“And only then will you have a chance of surviving when facing those mutated creatures.”
“As for the monitoring device, it’s even more important.”
She seriously introduced it to Xiao Xiao, saying: “This is used to monitor the presence of painful substances, and moreover, it can help us monitor the malice of people around us, and know in advance when they will mutate.”
“……”
Xiao Xiao understood and immediately stopped dwelling on this question.
However, there was still some resistance in his heart, so he unconsciously swiped on the tablet, and besides those basic strengthening elements at the top, he gradually saw more.
Bloodthirsty Pistol: Can cause powerful damage to all conscious creatures, no need to load bullets (it requires killing, not gunpowder)
Prisoner of Despair: Can trap any creature within line of sight, ignoring rank restrictions (I’m going to die here, and none of you are leaving either)
Ethereal Mist: Can etherealize the bodies of any creature within the mist’s coverage, unbound by physical laws (Hey, you can’t hit me)
……
“There’s actually something like this?”
Xiao Xiao was somewhat tempted. These things seemed quite powerful, and he wouldn’t have to transform himself into such a grotesque and twisted form.
“Special objects—things that even this city cannot easily decompose and assimilate.”
Ruanruan saw that Xiao Xiao was interested in these things, so she smiled and explained: “Brother Xiao, you really have great taste. These things are indeed all particularly powerful, but……”
“……didn’t you forget to look at how many zeros are behind them?”
“……”
Xiao Xiao just glanced over briefly before immediately understanding the smile on Ruanruan’s face, and easily abandoned the idea.
This is where the advantage of being poor comes out? Never having to suffer from decision paralysis.
“Don’t worry, big brother Xiao…”
Ruanruan was the one offering comfort instead, smiling as she said: “These things are not only expensive, but also often come with huge pitfalls.”
“For example, that bloodthirsty bullet—it’s truly very powerful and doesn’t require ammunition refills, but using it means you have to endure the murderous urges it brings.”
“When you have enemies or monsters that need to be dealt with, you can use it to kill. But when you don’t, it still demands killing anyway. If you can’t find anyone to kill, it will even force you to commit suicide.”
“But even for us, we can’t just kill people in this city casually, otherwise there will be serious point deductions.”
“…By the way, any illegal activities we commit in this city will result in point deductions, unless you accept the corresponding legal punishment after breaking the law.”
“……”
“Alright…”
Xiao Xiao nodded, indicating that he understood, but still seemed somewhat curious: “Is everything this expensive?”
“Every single special item is something extraordinary to this city, and of course, particularly expensive.”
Ruanruan also casually explained: “Of course, if you explore on your own, and find special items with potential, then use points to strengthen them, it’s much better.”
Xiao Xiao was somewhat surprised: “You can explore this on your own too?”
“Of course.”
Ruǎnruǎn laughed and said, “You just need to walk around the city more.”
“Special items are all things that this city cannot assimilate, and they have a fundamental similarity with mutated creatures.”
“As long as you can find a creature in the city that contains painful substances within its body but has not undergone mutation, you can purchase it and then expend your own points to strengthen it with the aid of this city’s will.”
“If there is no mutation, then you can obtain a special item at an extremely low price.”
“There was once a mysterious group of foreigners who took this as their main strengthening route. They possessed terrifying power and influence, and were called Collectors.”
“……”
Xiao Xiao listened attentively, slightly moved: “Wouldn’t this require very good luck?”
“Quite the opposite, actually…”
Ruanruan smiled and said, “Special items are often born from desperate and painful environments, and they always carry undiluted negative energy.”
“So, only the unluckiest people have a chance of encountering them…”
“……”
She spoke casually, then suddenly looked toward Xiao Xiao: “But you wouldn’t actually do that, would you, Xiao Ge?”
“In theory, that’s how it works, but the probability of success is so low it’s appalling. There’s a 99% chance that any unit you detect will become distorted after enhancement.”
“This is one of the reasons why the collector route is called the gambler’s route.”
“Bet a hundred times, and getting it right once would be considered good luck.”
“Nobody does such a foolish thing anymore. If you really need special items, you just accumulate points and exchange them for what you need. After all, there are plenty of special items in this city…”
“……”
“I was just asking.”
Xiao Xiao shook his head. He had always been steady and composed, so naturally he wouldn’t do something so reckless.
How many gamblers end up with a good outcome anyway?