Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 445 Divine Might, Long Time No See! (6200)

With the treasure chest opened, today's business was finally over. Li Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and immersed himself in the water, letting the warm water envelop him and wash away all his fatigue.

Ten minutes later, Li Zheng changed his clothes and came out of the bathroom.

Upon reaching the second floor, Sakura, surrounded by the Red Porings, lay quietly asleep on the floor a few steps away from the bed.

To make it more comfortable, the Red Porings even changed to a pillow of the right height, and a big snot bubble hung on Sakura's nose, rhythmically contracting with her long breaths.

Since there were no extra beds available at Li Zheng's place, the newly arrived Miriel lay down on Li Zheng's personal bed, occupying a small corner.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Blade remained obediently suspended about three meters above the bed, not daring to cross the line.

Li Zheng waved his hand, telling Yi Si and Kuro to take the 'True Maze' to the entrance to guard it, so that wandering monsters wouldn't disturb his rest at night.

The level of the wandering monsters encountered by players at night is unrelated to their own strength; even Li Zheng might encounter a group of migrating Iron-level creatures.

Although it doesn't endanger his life, being woken up is still quite annoying.

Therefore, it was very necessary for Is and Kuro to stand guard outside.

Li Zheng lay down on the bed, rubbing his temples wearily. Miriel rolled over beside him, grabbed one of his arms, and draped one of her long, slender legs over him.

Li Zheng turned to look at Miriel and smiled silently. This little succubus had only just become his pet, yet she already trusted him so much?

Ok?
Li Zheng suddenly paused, then opened Miriel's attribute panel again and looked at it carefully three times.

"There's no loyalty indicator?"

Li Zheng wondered to himself, could it be because Miriel's actual identity is that of a servant, and she could leave him at any time, that she doesn't show loyalty?
This is a bit troublesome. What if I accidentally offend her one day, or what if she doesn't want to follow me anymore after we enter the outer city? Wouldn't she just leave whenever she wants?
Uh……

Upon recalling this, Li Zheng suddenly realized that the Succubus Queen's request was for him to take Miriel to the outer city.

That's it.

She did not promise herself that she would not leave after Miriel went to the outer city.

In other words, I was just a guide?
What a bastard!
Luckily, before leaving that instance, I was thinking of returning to the Fallen Abyss someday and bringing them out with me.

It turns out they don't need it at all; all the chips are on Miriel!

Thinking about this, Li Zheng felt even more speechless.

However, having made a promise, he couldn't go back on it. After all, Lu Li and the others were able to leave the instance alive thanks to the Succubus Queen's mercy.

The most important thing in being a person is to have a bottom line and principles, and one should not be untrustworthy.

Li Zheng will definitely continue to complete this guiding mission. As for whether Miriel will leave him after entering the outer city, that remains to be seen.

Then let her be.

The situation in the outer city is unclear right now, so there's no point in thinking about it too much.

Once they reach the outer city, Miriel might not even be able to leave.

At the very least, the identity of a 'player' is enough to give her a headache.

Li Zheng closed his eyes, let his mind wander for a while, and found it hard to fall asleep. So he used his mental power to trigger the lamp holder in his palm to lift the lamp and enter the dark realm.

……

In the darkness, Li Zheng opened his eyes, already holding a lantern in his hand, illuminating the area around him.

"You came."

Xu's voice sounded from behind. Li Zheng turned around and found that Xu was dressed exactly like him, in pajamas.

"coming."

Li Zheng nodded, "Since you couldn't sleep anyway, I came here to keep you company. You hadn't finished explaining the method for practicing mental strength last time, so let's continue today."

Actually, it wasn't that he didn't finish speaking, but rather that there was too much empty talk, which caused Li Zheng to not remember much.

This time, he decided that no matter what others said, he must focus his attention on the most important content and try to memorize it all at once.

"That's not urgent."

He gestured with his finger and said, "Who is this person next to you...?"

The person next to me?
Li Zheng was taken aback when he heard this. He looked in the direction Xu was pointing and saw a succubus loli hugging his arm (which was not carrying a lantern) and rubbing her eyes.

"Miriel?!" Li Zheng exclaimed in surprise, "How did you get in here too?"

"Hmm...?" Miriel seemed to have just woken up, still a little dazed and confused, not quite understanding the situation. "Should I... not have come in?"

Just as she finished speaking, her arms, which were holding Li Zheng, suddenly passed through his body, startling her awake.

"Oh no! How did I get here? Huh? I can't feel anything? Where am I? Who are you? Why do you look exactly like me?"

Once she regained consciousness, Miriel had a series of questions on her mind and looked around curiously.

"Could it be that when I came in with the lantern, I made physical contact with her, and that's why she came in with me?"

Li Zheng asked Xu, "Has anything similar happened before?"

Xu slowly shook his head, indicating no.

However, it was clear from His eyes that He did not object to Li Zheng bringing others into the Dark Realm.

The more people come in, the more individuals can communicate with Him, and the more information He can hear from the outside world.

Although most of the time it's He who's talking incessantly...

“This is the Dark Realm, and I am Void. Because neither of us has a physical body, we have no sense of touch.” Void smiled and explained to Miriel, “As for why I look exactly like you, it’s because I never had a physical body, so I don’t know what I should look like.”

What you see is actually a reflection of your own image in my eyes.

“Oh, uh-huh! I get it!” Miriel said with certainty, “So you are a mirror!”

Mirror?

Having previously accessed Li Zheng's memories, Xu knew the meaning of "mirror" and nodded: "It's a very peculiar metaphor, but to be precise, I am a mirror that can only reflect yourselves."

"So what do you do?" Miriel asked.

"I suppose I should consider myself the master of this dark realm," Xu replied.

"What is the Dark Realm?" Miriel continued to ask.

“The Dark Realm is…” Xu then explained the theory of ‘real and unreal’ to Miriel.

“Then…” Miriel continued to ask.

"..."

These two were a perfect match, one with a strong thirst for knowledge and the other with an excessive need to confide. It was like two peas in a pod, they hit it off.

Back and forth, question and answer, the two quickly became engrossed in their conversation, leaving Li Zheng standing aside.

Li Zheng, standing next to them, almost mistook them for two girls from Earth. They instantly became best friends, starting with a simple question: "Hey? Your bag is so pretty, where did you buy it?"

The two talked about "What is the Dark Realm?" all the way to the glorious past of the Void.

Seeing that Xu was about to start rambling on about his countless years of 'life,' Li Zheng quickly interrupted him.

"Ahem! I say... let's talk about serious matters first, such as methods for training mental strength in the Dark Realm."

This sudden topic interrupted Xu's interest, and He quickly said in a slightly dissatisfied tone, "Actually, during the time you were gone, I developed a training method that is more suitable for you."

As he spoke, He pointed to the void not far away: "Go, walk to the edge you can reach, and then push hard against the obstacles that appear in front of you."

"Is it really that simple?" Li Zheng felt that this training method was too perfunctory and doubted its credibility.

"It's that simple!" Xu waved his hand and said, "I'll tell you the method when you're ready to condense the node."

Watching Xu turn around and begin explaining to Miriel what a 'node' was, Li Zheng sighed and wanted to raise his hand to rub his forehead a few times.

Only after the hand passed through his head did he realize that he couldn't even perform his usual movements here.

Ugh!
With another sigh, Li Zheng silently walked in a certain direction.

At a distance of about twenty steps, Li Zheng bumped into an invisible 'barrier'.

Following Xu's instructions, he stretched out his arms and pressed down.

The 'barrier' is invisible and intangible, and Li Zheng has no sense of touch in his current state, but his consciousness knows that there is a 'barrier' preventing him from moving forward.

So when he reached out and seemingly pressed his hand on the 'barrier,' from an observer's perspective, he was like a mime actor practicing, reaching out and pushing hard against a non-existent piece of glass.

"Does this really work?"

Li Zheng pushed hard for a long time, but felt that it had no effect at all. He turned around and wanted to question Xu.

It turned out that Xu was with Miriel not far away, 'pushing the wall' in the same way.

Okay, it seems to actually work.

With no other option, Li Zheng had to compose himself and continue exerting himself.

This kind of training, which involves outsmarting the air, initially made Li Zheng feel a strange sense of shame.

Later, as he persisted for a long time, Li Zheng actually became psychologically accustomed to this behavior.

When he did this action again, it became much more natural and skillful for him.

Since joining the Matrix, Li Zheng's patience has been honed. He has unknowingly continued this boring and tedious 'wall-pushing' practice.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Zheng suddenly turned his head and found that Xu was standing right next to him, without saying a word.

"Holy crap!" Li Zheng was startled. "Weren't you with Miriel? What are you doing here? You came so quietly, you almost scared me to death!"

She blinked innocently, "I saw you were so engrossed in your practice that I didn't want to disturb you. As for Miriel, her mental strength is weaker than yours, and she couldn't hold on any longer and disappeared from the Dark Realm."

"Disappeared?" Li Zheng glanced in the direction where Miriel had been training, and indeed did not see the little succubus.

Xu explained, "This training method is simple and brutal. The principle is to constantly put pressure on your mental strength in order to stimulate its growth."

To use a more relatable example, it's like exercising your body; you're stimulating your mind in the same way.

Li Zheng thought for a moment, then said speechlessly, "So you've basically made me do planks for half a day?"

“You could say that,” Xu blinked and said, “I originally wanted to help you research some equipment that could assist with your training, but as you know, there are a few technical difficulties in the Dark Realm that we haven’t been able to overcome.”

Otherwise, with the help of equipment, you might progress even faster in your training.

Auxiliary equipment?

Li Zheng's mind flashed back to the equipment he had seen in the gym before: "How fast can the progress be?"

Xu roughly estimated: "At least double the effect of your current training!" Only double?
Thinking about his fruitless workout, Li Zheng said disdainfully, "Then why did you even bother studying that thing? It's a waste of time!"

Xu wasn't angry. Instead, he nodded seriously and agreed, "Indeed, double is a bit too little. Let me study it some more and try to increase this number a bit more."

"..." Li Zheng looked at Xu's serious expression and was completely helpless.

Does he mean that double is not enough?

He clearly meant that '0 multiplied by any number equals 0.' Ah!

A plank exercise that has absolutely no effect—doesn't it ultimately provide zero training benefit?!

Forget it, it's a complete waste of breath to talk about math with someone who slipped through the net of nine years of compulsory education.

The Dark Realm is shrouded in darkness, and no one knows how long they have been training.

Li Zheng asked, "How long have I been here?"

"..." Xu looked at Li Zheng with an expression as if he were an idiot, without saying a word.

"It's pointless to ask." Li Zheng realized, "I'm leaving now."

"Yeah, remember to bring Miriel next time. Chatting with her is much more interesting than chatting with you," Xu reminded him.

When Xu was chatting with Li Zheng, Li Zheng listened almost the entire time and rarely asked any questions.

Miriel was much more lively, asking one question after another. Xu felt that chatting with this kind of person was the only way to get effective feedback and the communication experience was excellent, unlike Li Zheng who was so rigid.

"Okay, got it." Li Zheng waved his hand, and under Xu's gaze, he triggered the lantern and escaped from the dark realm.

As soon as consciousness returned, before he even opened his eyes, Li Zheng felt his mind go blank and fell into a deep sleep.

……

When I opened my eyes again, the room was already bright, which meant it was already daytime the next day.

Looking at the time, it wasn't too late, only a little before 10:30.

Li Zheng sat up, stretched, and felt more refreshed than ever before.

"That's strange. I feel like I didn't just fall asleep, but rather fainted." Li Zheng scratched his forehead, recalling the unusual feeling he had just experienced before falling asleep.

Li Zheng had only experienced that feeling of extreme mental confusion when his mental energy was overexerted, which shows that his training in the Dark Realm was effective.

"Let's see how much progress our mental strength has made so far."

Li Zheng condensed his mental energy into a line and extended it into the distance.

Soon after, he stopped releasing and opened his eyes in shock.

"Seven millimeters!"

One workout resulted in an increase in effectiveness seven times greater than the 'brutal' training!
This……

The effect is terrifying!
"Xu also said that he was researching some facilities to assist in training, which could double the effect of the exercise. Wouldn't that mean he could grow fourteen millimeters in one workout?"

Then why keep 'tyranny'?
That useless thing, I'll find a doctor today and get it completely cured...

Ok?
Li Zheng was suddenly stunned. He had just sensed that his heart was completely empty.

The 'tyrannical' emotions vanished completely without his knowledge!

When did this change occur?

Li Zheng recalled carefully and vaguely remembered that before he entered the Dark Realm in the early morning, his 'violent' emotions were still lurking in his heart.

Could it be that……

Did your mental strength increase too much and wear it down?

"That's fine, saves me the trouble of going to see the doctor." Li Zheng shook his head, got off the bed, and found that Miriel was nowhere to be seen. The spot where she had been lying was now completely cold, so she must have been up for a long time.

Sakura, who was originally being protected by the Red Porings not far from the bed, has also disappeared. She was probably dragged out for a morning run by the Red Porings.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Blade still hangs in its original spot, like a 3D-printed artwork suspended in the air.

"Ok?"

Li Zheng's expression shifted as he noticed some strange noises coming from the lobby on the first floor, noises he had never heard before when he woke up.

"It sounds like a spatula hitting a pan, and... the sound of hot oil sizzling scallions?"

That's strange. Without my command, the housekeeping robot won't go to the stove to operate on its own.

Who is cooking?

They quickly descended to the first floor, where Yi Si and Kuro, who was holding the 'True Maze,' stood quietly on either side of the door, like guardian deities in a state of slumber.

The door to the residence was open, and Li Zheng saw the Red Porings chanting "Poring Poring" as they circled the residence with the sleeping Sakura.

Two yellow and black striped tails were visible at the entrance, belonging to no unit under Li Zheng's command.

Before Li Zheng could even get close to the wolf, a hint from Old Pu flashed before his eyes: "[Two thick-tailed cobras that wandered here not only failed to eat the delicious forest wolf, but their cobras were also smashed by four iron fists.]"

Pitiful.

Let's break it down first, otherwise it'll rot.

Two wandering monsters that could only bully silver-level forest wolves probably came here often before, but this time they met their match and were mercilessly beaten to death by two blood-red robots.

Even if this meat were used to make a dish, its grade wouldn't be high, and its added attributes wouldn't satisfy Li Zheng. It could only be used as an ingredient for dinner.

Although Li Zheng eats three meals a day normally, he is still quite particular about the ingredients he chooses.

High-grade ingredients are only used for breakfast and lunch. After eating them, you get a few powerful buffs, which are helpful for daily exploration or dungeon runs.

Since the ten extra explorations gained from carrying lanterns were lost at night, dinner was simply a matter of satisfying one's appetite, and the quality of the ingredients naturally suffered.

The main ingredients are meat of silver and gold grade.

Even so, when Li Zheng puts out his dinner dishes for sale, they still cause a frenzy.

These dishes can be kept overnight without spoiling, even without preservation or refrigeration. Others can wait until the morning before exploring to eat them, thus gaining a four-hour buff.

This is a real combat power buff, and although it's time-limited, it can last until most players have explored seven or eight rooms.

If you're one of the best veteran players, you might be able to complete ten explorations within two hours.

If you encounter someone who's frugal, it's not impossible for them to grit their teeth and eat a dish for two days.

As long as you keep it fresh and prevent it from spoiling, it's fine.

Sakura, Red Poring, Is and Clow are all here, so it goes without saying who is cooking at the stove.

Li Zheng turned his head and saw the little succubus standing on tiptoe, her hands raised high, struggling to operate the spatula and other kitchen utensils.

The clumsy yet arduous scene made Li Zheng chuckle.

This girl, who doesn't have permission to use the stove's automatic cooking function, actually cooked by herself using the manual function.

Also no one.

Speaking of the dishes she can cook, they must all be the dark cuisine of the Abyss Demons, right?

Li Zheng hurried over, not wanting to waste his ingredients. There was some meat in the cold storage, but even he didn't have much in stock.

Upon approaching, Li Zheng was surprised to find that several dishes that looked quite appetizing had already been prepared on the preparation table next to the stove.

And these were all the foods he had eaten with the little succubus last night.

"You're finally up! Come and try this. See if it tastes like the dishes we had last night!" Miriel added water to the pot and turned around to see Li Zheng coming over. She greeted him excitedly.

Li Zheng took a sniff; the air was filled with the aroma of spices being fried in hot oil. He looked at Miriel in astonishment: "You can actually cook?"

"What's so strange about that?" Miriel tiptoed and put the sliced ​​meat into the pot. The meat slices were even coated with a thin layer of cornstarch. "You'll know how to do it after a little practice, won't you? Although you used the automatic function when you cooked last night, I watched the cooking process and I have a general idea of ​​how to do it."

Li Zheng glanced into the pot: "You're making boiled sliced ​​pork? Where did you get the ingredients?"

"there!"

Miriel pointed to the door and said with a smile, "I saw two dead snakes lying at the door when I woke up this morning. They looked quite fresh, so I cut some meat off with a kitchen knife. They should be edible."

"Ho!"

Li Zheng gave a thumbs up: "You're such a good little princess, not spoiled at all."

"Hehe." Miriel chuckled twice. "I'm just curious whether the food I make can taste better than what a machine makes."

Li Zheng subconsciously reached out and rubbed her head, then realized that she was an eighty-year-old woman, and moved his hand away: "That may not be comparable to the dishes made on the stove. Theoretically, that's the limit of what the ingredients can achieve."

"Try it first and then decide," Miriel said, handing over a pair of chopsticks.

With her being so enthusiastic, Li Zheng couldn't refuse, so he took the chopsticks and tasted a piece of the already prepared garlic-braised pork.

Actually, he didn't need to eat them directly, because the properties of the dishes that Miriel made had been marked on the terminal.

In terms of data, it is slightly inferior to the kind cooked automatically by the stove. The description of taste and flavor is also different due to the different ingredients.

However, Li Zheng was surprised that the information did not contain comments such as "unpalatable," "poisonous," "poor taste," or "find a job."

You should know that if you were to cook these dishes in the Sichuan region, even a young person who has never cooked before might not be able to make them to this standard on their first try.

On the contrary, although the meat slices couldn't compare to the automatic cooking on the stove in terms of taste, Li Zheng found a different flavor in them.

It was a feeling that was hard to describe, like "home-cooked food".

"Not bad! Delicious!" Li Zheng gave this evaluation after carefully tasting it.

It may not be considered delicious, but it's very homey.

"That's good." Miriel smiled with satisfaction, feeling that her two hours of hard work had not been in vain.

Li Zheng ate a few more bites, then took Miriel outside to wash up. Afterwards, he replaced the ingredients with high-quality ones and made several new breakfasts to maximize his BUFF attributes.

During breakfast, Li Zheng expressed his desire to learn how to use a long whip from Miriel.

Miriel carefully considered the timing of the meal and finally agreed.

Shortly after the meal, Zhan Zhouzhou sent a private message saying that everyone was ready.

Today, there are only a few of the most difficult mutant activities left, and Li Zheng and his team plan to clear them all out.

After sending a private message to Zhan Zhouzhou, Li Zheng put away the capsule and his expression gradually became serious.

"Kamui, it's been a long time!"

(End of this chapter)