Chapter 75: The QR Code on the Tombstone

In the plaza.

Shen He glanced around, confirming that no one was paying attention, before stepping forward to open the treasure chest. As light flickered, inside lay a pair of sunglasses that looked undeniably cool.

(Adaptive Sunglasses: Automatically detect and adjust to strong light, low light, snow glare, and a range of other environments. Even in complete darkness, the wearer’s vision is unaffected.)

Reading the flashing description before him, Shen He’s eyes lit up instantly. Such a useful item! One could say these sunglasses had no flaws—except, perhaps, that they couldn’t be used underwater.

(Note: Usable underwater as well.)

Shen He clicked his tongue in amazement. Now even the last shortcoming was gone.

He took out the sunglasses and put them on right away. Although they looked just like ordinary sunglasses, once worn, they truly felt as such. Yet, no matter where he walked, the light before his eyes always adjusted to the most comfortable level.

Usually, when a person’s eyes move from bright to dim light, or from darkness into brightness, there’s always a moment of discomfort before adapting to the new environment. But with the “Adaptive Sunglasses” on, Shen He had no such trouble. The light around him was always perfectly suited to his eyes—even allowing him to see clearly in total darkness.

What a treasure!

Wearing the sunglasses, Shen He spent ten points and continued searching for treasure chests nearby. The advantage of the large plaza was obvious: he found several more chests, though the items inside were rather disappointing.

The next three chests yielded nothing of much use. By the pond, he found a “Delicious Duck Egg,” evidently from the same series as the “Delicious Goose Egg.” On the lawn, he uncovered a “Sunflower Seed”—nothing special, just an ordinary seed. The only benefit was a +1 to his daily task progress. The third chest, by a small stream, revealed a pair of women’s underwear—brand new—which he promptly tossed in the trash.

Along the way, as he opened chests, he also surreptitiously gathered various flowers, leaves, and aquatic plants from the lawn and water’s edge, bringing his task progress to 13 out of 18. Just five more different plants, and he would complete his second daily task and earn the reward.

When Shen He initiated the twenty-first guidance, the light spot representing a treasure chest finally appeared outside the park on the area radar, though not far away.

He decided to finish finding the remaining plants within the park first.

By ten in the morning, he completed the second daily task.

[Daily Task Two: What Would Bear Grylls Do?]
[Task Completed]
[Reward Available]
[…]

Shen He’s eyes lit up, and he immediately chose to claim the reward. In the next moment, a torrent of miscellaneous information surged into his mind—“Wilderness Survival Skills.”

Within this influx, it felt as though he had lived many different lives, coming to know things he had never learned before. He gained knowledge of the various flora and fauna unique to different regions and their uses, understanding how to make the best decision in each situation.

The flow of information lasted a full minute before he fully absorbed it. If his mental attribute hadn’t been raised to over sixteen points, the surge might have split his head open with pain.

Shen He exhaled softly, then ran straight toward the twenty-first treasure chest. He was determined to open all thirty chests today—tomorrow, there would be no time.

Before noon, Shen He drove around and managed to open five more treasure chests. Most were found by the water: two delicious duck eggs, two delicious goose eggs—nicely balanced, now he had three of each.

One chest produced a bottle of “Coca-Cola.” This wasn’t just any cola; it had a special effect of sharpening focus and instantly bringing the drinker to their peak state for three hours. According to the description, a single sip was enough, meaning the bottle could last for at least thirty sips, though the limit was no more than three sips per person per day.

He didn’t even want to imagine what the taste would be like if he kept drinking it for ten days straight after opening it—would it be more toxic than poison?

After stowing his finds, Shen He headed to a nearby noodle shop for a decent lunch.

Without pause, he initiated the next guidance.

When he saw the location of the next treasure chest on the area map, he was momentarily stunned. For once, it was a place he recognized. But wasn't this a bit too bizarre? Who would put a treasure chest in a cemetery?

Shen He took a deep breath and drove to the cemetery. It was a commercial burial ground; before entering, he registered at the guardhouse. As he left, the guard reminded him, “Remember, don’t touch anything at someone else’s grave.”

Shen He agreed and walked inside. Surrounded by rows of densely packed tombstones, he felt a chill in the air.

He hadn’t triggered any prompts before arriving, which meant that in the future, there would be neither mutant beasts nor even a single dungeon entrance here.

After walking for a while, he found the treasure chest deep inside the cemetery, placed before a tombstone that was unusual in only having a name and a QR code engraved beside it.

The moment he saw the QR code, Shen He, almost involuntarily, pulled out his phone and scanned it.

Immediately, a notification appeared on his phone: a video was available. He downloaded and played it.

On the screen appeared a young man, seemingly climbing a snow-covered mountain.

“Hi! This is my seventh time recording a video.”

“My name is Yang Jian. If you’re seeing this, I’m already dead. Unless something unexpected happened, you’ve scanned the QR code on my tombstone to watch this video.”

“I’ve always been someone favored by Lady Luck. During the great flood of ’98, my entire village was submerged, but I was placed in a wooden tub and, by some miracle, survived.”

“In 2003, when SARS hit, everyone around me was infected, but I was perfectly fine.”

“In 2005, during the avian flu, I remained untouched.”

“In 2008, during the earthquake, I saved many people, was buried for three days by aftershocks, yet still survived.”

“As for the Mayan prophecy in 2012, let’s not even mention it.”

“In the large-scale lockdowns of recent years, I was never affected. I can say with confidence, I am someone watched over by Lady Luck.”

“Today is the day I climb Everest. I dreamt a few days ago that if I reached the summit, I would meet Lady Luck herself. So here I am.”

“If I die on the mountain, please turn this video link into a QR code and engrave it on my tombstone. By then, perhaps I will have finally met my Lady Luck.”