Refreshingly Pleasant

"The only certified currencies in the [Carnival Paradise] are Bone Gold Coins, Bone Silver Coins, and Bone Copper Coins."

"Ten Bone Copper Coins equal one Bone Silver Coin, and ten Bone Silver Coins equal one Bone Gold Coin."

Zhu Yan automatically substituted them with one, ten, and a hundred bucks.

It was quite easy to remember and convenient to understand.

"According to the current exchange rate, one yuan equals one Bone Copper Coin."

Wow.

...It really was one, ten, and a hundred bucks. Even easier to remember.

"The [Carnival Paradise] is still in the very beginning stage of integration, so the exchange rate is low, at 1:1."

"Later, we will open the Player Personal Center page for you."

"Please remain patient and focus on listening to the entire broadcast."

Zhu Yan would certainly do so.

The rewards made him feel much better. Although his lungs still felt blocked due to pressure, he could at least hug his backpack tightly without any scruples now.

"You can check the city map in the Player Personal Center and go to the [Hall of Mourning] for currency exchange."

[Hall of Mourning], is this the name of a bank?

Zhu Yan made a mental note of it.

In his impression, the sudden death incidents hadn't radiated to the entire East Asia region yet, but were only confined to his city.

It was just that there were too many bizarre deaths here, which had attracted massive attention.

He wondered if the seemingly safe Anwu City would have a [Hall of Mourning].

The female voice's next sentence pulled Zhu Yan back to reality.

"I will continue to announce your remaining rewards."

There's more!

Zhu Yan subconsciously concentrated his attention.

"Player Level: Lv.1. Still fragile, but has already sprouted."

"[Acting] Ability Level: Lv.4. Considered on the right track."

"For specific instructions, please enter the Player Center page to check."

Leveled up.

Zhu Yan got a little excited, but then immediately thought that leveling up meant facing stronger monsters.

The post for newbies on the forum said that the novice dungeon wasn't difficult.

He didn't know what kind of things he would be facing in ten days.

Or, perhaps it wouldn't even take ten days.

"And, you have a very special reward."

At this moment, the taxi was speeding on the highway.

Zhu Yan saw the large words "South Railway Station" from afar, his heart pounding in his chest.

"In the [Novice Dungeon], we have set up the [Ability Deprivation] mechanism, which will be the only chance for most players to acquire multiple abilities."

"The player whose ability is deprived will not know that you took their ability."

What?

No way...?

Depriving his aunt and younger cousin?

Zhu Yan froze for a second. A tense feeling rose like vines, wrapping around his lungs.

This feeling of passing through death and then gaining a surge in abilities made him vaguely feel thrilled.

An obscure sense of pleasure swept over his heart, and Zhu Yan involuntarily gripped his backpack tighter.

He reached into his pants pocket and felt around, finding that his aunt's [Ability Card] and player badge were actually still intact.

As the taxi got closer to the South Station, Zhu Yan noticed a long queue outside.

However, he could still catch the train. He could take his time and didn't need to rush.

Zhu Yan calculated in his mind, actually looking forward to the rest of the broadcast.

"They'll check your palms," the driver turned his head and reminded him. "Left palm. Ugh, it's been like this the last few times I came here, I don't know what crazy phase they're going through."

Zhu Yan pressed his head against the glass and saw a checkpoint set up not far away, along with several fully armed police officers.

There was a player tattoo on the left palm.

These people were obviously going to check for this!

However, his ability [Acting] could hide the player mark for an hour.

One hour was the time inside the dungeon; he didn't know how it worked outside.

He looked at his left hand and willed it. He watched as the black bird, like an ink stain dissolving in water, slowly vanished from his palm.

The broadcast continued, and Zhu Yan focused his attention once again.

"Just like the food chain in nature, you can devour downwards according to the ranking order."

"In [Who is the Crown Prince], your score is the highest."

Zhu Yan's heart beat very fast.

The female voice inquired, "Would you like to deprive the ability [Complain]?"

In Zhu Yan's field of vision, two large red words abruptly appeared.

One was YES, and the other was NO.

Only a fool would refuse free things, especially when this thing belonged to his aunt, who absolutely hated him by now.

Zhu Yan decisively stared at the word "YES".

"Okay. You have acquired the ability [Complain], current ability level is Lv.3."

Even though he hadn't completely relaxed yet, he involuntarily felt pleasure once again.

"Would you like to deprive the ability [Bully]?"

Zhu Yan chose "YES" again.

Their car was already very close to the police officers, and he could see the officers checking the passengers' left palms.

"Okay. You have acquired the ability [Bully], current ability level is Lv.2."

The moment the ability was in his hands, the conflicting thrill intensified.

It was all so intoxicating that Zhu Yan had to pinch his palm hard to force this addictive emotion to slowly subside.

"Reward distribution is complete."

"Stare at your left palm for three seconds to log into the Player Center."

The female voice disappeared.

Zhu Yan's car moved forward slowly. The driver cooperatively stopped next to the police officers and rolled down the windows on both sides.

"Hold out your left hand, let me take a look," said the inspecting officer.

He looked very young, like someone who had never experienced the brutal beatings of a novice dungeon.

Zhu Yan cooperatively held out his left hand.

The officer brought over a bottle of makeup remover and wiped Zhu Yan's left palm.

"...Ah?"

Zhu Yan was dumbfounded.

Had someone already tried to leave the city using this method?

The officer smiled at him.

"Just a routine check, don't mind it. Where are you heading? Do you have your ticket and ID?"

Zhu Yan said, "I'm going to Anwu City for college. My ticket and ID are both electronic."

He pulled up the pages on his phone to show the officer, and also showed his admission letter while he was at it.

"Very unique name," the officer grinned at him. "Alright, go get your ticket checked."

He passed. Zhu Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

The taxi stopped smoothly outside the South Station. Zhu Yan didn't dare to delay for a moment, jogging all the way to the platform.

The timing was just right.

The train would leave in fifteen minutes!

Zhu Yan, of course, had no way of knowing.

Nine kilometers away in the tube-shaped apartment building, his aunt's mental defenses collapsed as she faced her son's corpse.

She frantically shook her lifeless boy, her cries echoing throughout the building.

At this very moment, she finally believed that everything wasn't an illusion, that it was all real, but it was already too late.

"Zhu Yan!!"

The aunt's heart-wrenching cries finally alarmed the neighbors.

The residents went upstairs to check the situation and helped the woman, who had already lost her mind, call the police.

A few minutes later, the police arrived at the scene and quickly checked the left palms of both of them.

"Take them back," one of the police captains said immediately. "Interrogate, take notes, and do an autopsy. See if there's anything different about this one."

The aunt was shoved into the police car.

She cried in a daze, and then, as if remembering something, nervously grabbed the cuff of the police officer beside her.

"Officer, my son was murdered! My son was killed by my damn nephew!"

The police officer was a bit older and had seen enough to not be surprised by this anymore.

"Calm down first," he comforted her. "It might not be your nephew. The situation surrounding this matter might be beyond your imagination."

"We all know. Some people, they look like your relatives, but in reality, they aren't."

The aunt's hands began to tremble.

Having lost her son, she had become a bit smarter in hindsight.

"I know, I know." The aunt recalled the female voice she had thought was an auditory hallucination.

Her face was bruised and swollen, beaten by her son right before he died.

At this moment, however, the aunt wished her son could hit her hard one more time.

"I heard an announcement voice," she stared at the officer, explaining hastily. "Officer, listen to me. There were four people in the room at the time: my husband, my son, and my damn nephew."

The police officer looked at her sympathetically, letting her continue to cry and shout.

"My husband wasn't my husband, I know that. But my nephew was really my nephew!"

"Later, during the announcement, that voice said there were three players!"

The aunt broke down again, sobbing convulsively.

"You saw the scene. Just me and my son, that's two people. That nephew of mine was the third player!"

"He killed my son and fled to avoid punishment! He might have already left the city!"

The police officer nodded.

Over the past two weeks, the police station had handled many such cases. At first, he would be shocked, but now he understood what was going on as soon as he heard it.

It would be strange if this nephew stayed here.

"He won't be able to escape," the officer smiled. "Leaving the city requires checking the palm of the hand. He can only stay, stay right here."

"He can turn into another person!" the aunt cried out. "You don't understand, he can change! He turned into my son, then manipulated me, using his ability to kill my son!"

The police officer's expression changed.

He looked squarely at the aunt and asked, "What is your nephew's name?"

...

Trying to intercept him now, of course, was already too late.

Zhu Yan leaned against the train window, buying a cup of freshly brewed hot taro milk tea from the attendant.

The high-speed rail sped past pitch-black farmlands, the windows clearly reflecting the silhouettes of the passengers.

Zhu Yan finally dared to completely relax, easing his mind that had been tense all night.

Various scenes from the novice dungeon flashed through his mind, and Zhu Yan began to brainwash himself, trying to let the muscles all over his body loosen up as much as possible.