Chapter Thirty-One: Hurting Others Without Benefiting Oneself
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As time came to an end and departure approached, Wang Luo watched as the bodies of Yang Wentian and Zhou Yingxiong slowly faded, turning gradually transparent. Looking down, Wang Luo saw the night sky—above the profound darkness, countless stars scattered across its expanse. He lost command over his own body, and his eyes, beyond his control, slowly closed... as if in death.
When he opened them again, he found himself alone, standing in a large room reminiscent of a cinema. The flickering images on the screen displayed the work he had done in this scenario: brandishing a gun at the television station to force the host into spreading rumors, his dealings at the station chief’s home, with the mob, at city hall, and exchanges with rivals.
After this brief montage, words appeared summarizing his actions in this scenario.
Scenario: World of Aberrant Crisis (a world diverging from the original plot for certain reasons)
Hint: Under external pressure, the Umbrella Corporation has undergone significant changes, its most destructive research activities temporarily halted, and a new hero is about to be cultivated.
At any rate, the issue with the underground genetic center at the Hive has been resolved. Your mission is complete.
Mission Evaluation: E (Abysmal—how did you come up with such a terrible solution? This is not something an ordinary person could manage.)
Note: The lowest rating is E; the highest is Perfect SSS.
Scenario Development: 372% (You have successfully transformed this scenario into another story. Congratulations—perhaps you should consider a career as a screenwriter.)
Mission Completion Reward: 500 Universal Points
Having completed the first scenario, your attribute points have now been unlocked:
Strength: 3 points (below average)
(Strength determines melee attack power, life regeneration speed, and storage capacity. It is also a decisive factor in learning certain skills and equipping certain gear.)
Agility: 2 points (below average)
(Agility determines your attack speed and chance for critical strikes in physical attacks. It is also essential for learning certain skills and equipping gear.)
Stamina: 4 points (below average)
(Stamina determines your health; each point increases health by 10.)
Intelligence: 11 points (above average)
(Intelligence determines your special skill attack power and is necessary for learning certain skills and equipping certain gear.)
Spirit: 3~20 points (your spirit is highly unstable and will fluctuate according to your current state)
(Each point increases your energy, energy recovery rate, and resistance to special skills.)
Charisma: 5 points (average)
(Charisma affects your ability to interact with others.)
Rare Attribute: Command
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Command: 3 points (The command attribute grants you the ability to lead subordinates. It is awarded only if you demonstrate leadership in the first world, earn the recognition of those you lead, and achieve a scenario development rate above 150% by the end.)
All attribute points have undisclosed uses; you must discover them yourself.
Hint: Rare attribute points require three free attribute points to raise by one.
Hint: You have activated the talent: Synergy
Synergy: You have demonstrated a thorough understanding of cooperation. No matter your emotional state—be it aversion, fear, confusion, greed, or joy—you are able to work with your teammates.
As a result, you can share your skills with teammates, and together you can spend health or energy to use those skills. The rewards from using such skills are divided according to the proportion of resources contributed by each.
The remaining effects of this talent must be discovered through experience.
Wang Luo was astonished to see his own talent.
“No way... My talent is cooperation?”
“Well, it’s not so bad... I suppose.”
After the talent reward came the final data entry:
Your scenario development exceeded 180%, granting you the opportunity to transform an ordinary item into equipment.
Please place the item you wish to transform in the indicated spot on the screen. The transformation will be complete in ten seconds.
At last, he would not walk away empty-handed. Wang Luo took the rather worn first volume of “Selected Works” he always carried with him and placed it in the marked spot on the screen.
Ten seconds later, a newly restored book fell to the ground. Wang Luo picked it up and received a notification:
You have obtained the “Fragment of Humanity’s Soul.”
Until you complete your main mission, you can only use part of its power.
Current effects: Attack power increased by 1%, chance to suffer critical hits reduced by 1%, dodge rate +1%.
Equipment skill: “Find Weakness” (The bearer has a chance to identify an enemy’s weakness during attacks, dealing greater damage.)
Wang Luo smiled and flipped open the book; its contents remained unchanged.
Only the first page now bore a tiny line: “I oppose all your opinions.”
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As Wang Luo savored his first gains, elsewhere, Zhu Cunjia received his own post-battle summary.
Hint:
You have activated the talent skill: Living Puppet
Living Puppet: When conditions are met, you can pay the corresponding cost to control any intelligent, non-hostile creature for a certain duration.
You have activated the talent skill: Luck (Upgradeable)
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Luck: The world around you will tend to develop in ways favorable to you.
“Just as I thought!” Zhu Cunjia gritted his teeth and then sighed.
You have activated the talent skill: Inquiry (Rare) (Upgradeable)
Inquiry: Your curiosity drives you beyond superficial truths and others’ explanations, pursuing the real and the genuine. Most importantly, you manage to seek truth through actions that are not dangerous—a rare trait, as it lessens the price you pay.
When struck by special skills, you have a 10% chance to ignore their effects; damage from special skills is reduced by 10%.
Your stamina is permanently reduced by 10%.
You may expend one point of energy to actively use the “Inquiry” skill.
Inquiry: Each time you use this skill on a humanoid creature, you not only have a chance to obtain detailed information on their health, energy, attribute points, and skill types, but you may also discern their attitude towards you, and learn what they like or dislike.
Beyond these three powerful talents, he gained nothing else from Wang Luo. Zhu Cunjia smiled bitterly and sighed as the information for his Stand-in Card settlement appeared.
Your Stand-in Card has taken effect; you have lost all items, talents, and universal points acquired in the last scenario.
Yes, due to the Stand-in Card, all items and points obtained from the final chest were stripped away—the greatest benefit being that nothing was transferred to that damned clown. However, awakening such high-level talents under this extraordinary scenario development only made Zhu Cunjia realize—now that he saw what he could have gained—how painful it was to lose them.
No matter... at least I survived.
He tried to console himself. Yet, as if to deepen his pain, the details of the Devil Card were revealed.
Devil Card—Fortitude (A) (Rare Card) (Level 5 Access)
The card appeared on the big screen, rotating to display both front and back.
When the necessary conditions are met (in this case: scenario nearing its end, still in combat, health below 10%, no recovery items, and possessing high-cost demon-type escape equipment), you have a high chance of obtaining this card.
No cost to use; cannot be traded.
Zhu Cunjia silently collapsed to the ground. First, he pounded the floor with both fists, then began to strike his head against it.
Only when his face was covered in blood and physical pain had blotted out the soul-rending agony of regret and frustration did he finally stand up.
Never mind, at least I survived.
Then he heard the next notification:
“Your access level for Devil Cards has been upgraded. In future scenarios, you may purchase and use more Devil Cards.”
Zhu Cunjia’s body swayed twice, a metallic taste rising in his throat.
Still, he managed to hold on and did not collapse.