Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 495 Li Zheng's Two Secrets

Li Zhengke has not forgotten that in the original world, there were a large number of elderly people and children who did not meet the player criteria and were selected.

Judging from what Romain de la Mans said, those people should have been dead for sure.

However, on the fifteenth day after the start of the survival game, the terminal sent in a second batch of new players from the outside.

This is somewhat contradictory.

Unless, as Romain de La Mans said, one is subjectively unaware of the essence represented by the pattern, one will not be affected even if one faces it directly.

"What are you thinking?" Luo Aimang tilted his head, extended a tentacle and took the plate from Li Zheng's hand, which was stained with golden-red blood. He didn't mind that it was covered in his own blood, picked out a piece and put it in his mouth: "The pattern depicted is just a replica, so it has no real effect. But the essence that this pattern represents will make you realize its essence when you look at it directly, and thus affect you."

"So, do you understand?"

"Hmm... I can probably understand it." Li Zheng nodded.

This roughly means that someone who has never been in contact with a tiger, even if they have seen a lot of footage of tigers, still doesn't have a clear enough understanding of the danger posed by tigers.

However, even if he sees a tiger in person and it doesn't attack him, it will trigger his instinctive fear.

The original pattern that Li Zheng reproduced was even more exaggerated than this.

It's like you're looking at an image of a tiger, but you don't know it's a 'tiger,' so you're fine.

Once you realize that the image is of a 'tiger,' you will die in the 'tiger's mouth,' even if you are not attacked by a real tiger.

"If they can't be immune, how do the elderly and weak who are left behind survive?" Li Zheng was even more puzzled. For these 'burden' beings, the terminal couldn't possibly build a dedicated space outside for them to live peacefully in, could it?
"The elderly and infirm?"

Luo Aimang paused in his eating: "You don't need to worry about those people. As long as your generation of players hasn't finished, they will be well protected by the terminal."

After all, the platform still needs those people to inject fresh blood into the player base.

However, Li Zheng still gleaned another meaning from Romain Rolland's words.

If this generation of players finishes their journey, then the elderly and infirm left behind will lose their usefulness.

Ultimately, we might just leave it to the essence behind the pattern and let it fend for itself.

"Do you have any other questions?" Luo Aimang waved him away, telling him it was best not to ask him any more questions, as he had almost gotten himself into trouble by saying the wrong thing earlier.

"Hmm... there is one more problem." As soon as Li Zheng said this, Luo Aimang's expression changed instantly, and he almost bit someone.

"Don't worry, this question will definitely not touch on any secrets!" Li Zheng quickly reassured Luo Aimang, and then asked, "I just want to know, with so many different kinds of creatures in the Matrix, and such an absurd number of them, are they all players left over from previous sessions?"

Li Zheng already knew that the so-called 'dungeons' were composed of players left over from previous sessions, such as the demon race players from the Fallen Abyss.

So... what are the creatures that players encounter during their daily explorations made of?

"Those?" After listening, Luo Aimang quieted down. After a moment's thought, he felt that even if he answered the question, it wouldn't be a big deal. So he said, "Some of them are low-intelligence species that the terminal brought in from that world when it was capturing players. Others are hybrid varieties that some biological genius players have privately bred as the Matrix Survival game has developed."

"So far, apart from some lower-ranking species, there are almost no pure-blooded species in the entire matrix. They have all undergone a certain degree of hybridization and improvement."

After tentatively saying a few words, Romain found that the terminal did not stop him while he was answering these questions, so he gradually became bolder and more enthusiastic, as if he had a rebellious mentality of retaliating for being punished for saying the wrong thing earlier.

"Actually, don't underestimate those low-intelligence creatures. You should know that the Matrix and the outer city have developed to this point largely because of them."

"After countless generations of players have gone through the ordeal, countless strange things have been discovered on those creatures."

"For example, manganese steel is an alloy material made from a type of frontal horn called manganese rhinoceros mixed with several base metals."

"Unfortunately, no matter how fast a species reproduces, it can't keep up with the updates and iterations of players. Many species have disappeared over the long years. I heard that only some gene samples are still preserved at the terminal, but this claim has not been confirmed."

After rambling on for five minutes, Luo Aimang seemed a little unsatisfied. He scooped up the empty plate with his tentacles, smacked his lips a couple of times, and asked, "What is this dish you brought over made of? The texture is chewy and bouncy, with rich layers of flavor. The taste is indeed comparable to most of the famous chefs in the outer city."

"Oh, it looks like a kind of octopus with blue ring-shaped patterns on its skin." Li Zheng recalled that he had been watching Miriel put the ingredients into the pot.

"..." Luo Aimang's head suddenly turned purple, and he pointed at the plate with a trembling voice, asking, "The octopus you mentioned, is its name the Blue-striped Octopus?"

"Hmm...it seems so!" Li Zheng nodded vigorously.

Luo Aimang: "..."

After a long silence, Luo Aimang could no longer hold back. He slammed the plate on the ground and roared, "That's fucking poisonous! Although that bit of toxicity is harmless to me, and I can even use it as a seasoning, serving someone a dish that's poisonous... is that polite?"

After being sprayed with blood by Luo Aimang and then spit on by him, Li Zheng wiped his face and said, "I thought you would be angry because I gave you octopus, but it turns out you're angry because of a little bit of toxin?"

Blue-striped octopus is only a level 1 fish species, and its toxins will at most cause some trouble for players with strength ranging from Iron to Silver.

And perhaps it's some strange rule, but it seems that poisonous things do taste much better than their non-poisonous counterparts.

click!
The Roemang Petrochemical plant was on site.

Yup!

That kid just fed me octopus!
It's an octopus!

Octopus!
what! ! !
"Ugh~~~~"

After realizing what was happening, Roemand rushed to the beach and lay down there vomiting violently.

Taking advantage of this moment, Li Zheng took out a towel from the capsule, wiped his head and face clean, and quietly slipped away.

Actually, he didn't realize it at first, until Roemão took his first bite of the dish and he remembered that it was made with octopus...

However, since he had already eaten, he was too embarrassed to remind the other person, hoping that Huro Emmanuel would realize it on his own.

Who knew he'd get so into it the more he ate, finishing the whole plate...

At this moment, Li Zheng began to understand why Luo Aimang inexplicably disliked him.

How utterly despicable must a person be to feed someone octopus?

Even if Li Zheng did it unintentionally, people subjectively believe that he did it on purpose!

Carrying the retrieved plate, Li Zheng passed through the isolation layer. The noisy sounds returned to his ears. He took a deep breath and walked towards Zhan Zhouzhou, who was back in the endless ocean.

At the beach, Luo Aimang pretended to vomit a few times. After Li Zheng left, he got up as if nothing had happened and lay back down on the beach chair.

He took out a refreshing magazine, and while reading it with relish, he let out a lewd laugh.

joke.

Although Roemang looks exactly like an octopus, ordinary octopuses are not even from the same family as him. He wouldn't feel guilty eating a whole plate of them, or even a whole truckload.

I've never seen humans feel guilty when they eat monkey brains.

Oh.

There will be people who can't afford it. (Protecting wildlife is everyone's responsibility!)
"I got the things back." Zhan Zhouzhou had been waiting for Li Zheng to come to her ever since she returned to the Endless Ocean. Now that they met, she went straight to handing over the things to him.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work." Li Zheng grabbed Zhan Zhouzhou's hand and secretly took the treasure chest containing Sephiroth's core into his own.

Zhan Zhouzhou has practiced swordsmanship for many years, but her palms are very delicate, with only the skin on the first two joints of her index finger being slightly rough.

This is because her sword-wielding habits are different from those of ordinary people.

"What do you plan to do next?" Zhan Zhouzhou's expression was slightly unnatural.

Li Zheng glanced discreetly at Xiao Siyuan, who was fishing by the sea, and said, "Let's wait and see. I reckon someone will come to me soon to help me conquer the Boss."

As he spoke, he led Zhan Zhouzhou to find seats next to Xiao Siyuan.

"Wow~ let me see how many you caught." Li Zheng picked up the fish basket next to him, which was heavy and full, with no less than fifty fish!
Wow! There are quite a lot!

After putting down the fish basket, Li Zheng grabbed the fishing rod from Lao Xiao's hand and traded the core of Sephiroth to him in the instant they made contact. He jokingly said, "Come on, let me catch a few for fun too."

"Go away!" Xiao Siyuan said calmly, pushing away Li Zheng's hand that was trying to grab the fishing rod, and rolled his eyes, "Where's your own fishing rod?"

"My fishing rod?" Li Zheng laughed. "My fishing rod doesn't catch any fish!"

“This is what it means to be ugly,” Xiao Siyuan said seriously. “Unlike a handsome guy like me, who is one in a hundred years, I can easily get dozens of looks.”

He patted the rope of the fish basket, his eyes filled with smugness.

Just then, Lin Longxuan ran over carrying two small fish, picked up the fish basket and threw the fish in, tilted his head to check the number, and asked curiously, "I say, Dr. Xiao, it seems like your fishing isn't going too well today. You haven't caught many fish in here."

Xiao Siyuan: "..."

Li Zheng grinned mischievously: "Just a few dozen, right?" Zhan Zhouzhou mimicked the mischievous grin: "A handsome guy who comes along once in a century, right?"

The two of them spoke in a sarcastic tone, making Xiao Siyuan blush with embarrassment.

How could this be such a quick turn of events?

Wouldn't this be considered pacing issues in a wish-fulfillment novel?

So embarrassing!

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Lin Longxuan quickly ran away: "My sister and Xiaoya are waiting for me over there, I'm going over first."

Xiao Siyuan was both amused and exasperated: "How embarrassing!"

"Hahaha!~" Li Zheng laughed heartily: "So, don't be too pretentious."

After laughing for a while, Li Zhengcai said, "To be honest, I didn't expect you guys to be willing to honestly fish here."

He looked around and saw many members of the starting line sitting in rows on the beach, some having finished lunch, others waiting in line for too long, fishing quietly or playfully.

"You mean using genetic abilities to blast fish is faster than catching them with a fishing rod, right?" Xiao Siyuan curled his lip: "The essence of fishing lies in the word 'fishing,' not in the fish."

"If we only pursue results and ignore the process, then what's the difference between living in the matrix and being a corporate slave outside?"

"But if you only pursue the process and choose this boring and tedious way of fishing, wouldn't you be even more of a corporate slave than a corporate slave?" Zhan Zhouzhou had a different opinion: "I think those who want to fish can fish slowly and experience the fun of fishing. Those who don't want to fish can be allowed to do whatever they want, and it's also good to go to other places to fish with explosives."

"I think Zhan Zhouzhou is right."

Li Zheng nodded to the side.

In fact, he felt that the current players were just like Xiao Siyuan said, doing things under the arrangement of the terminal, almost living within the rules of the terminal, no different from corporate slaves.

Both the outcome and the process are pre-arranged by the terminal.

Some people think that Li Zheng broke the rules, but who can say for sure whether his rapid entry into the outer city was secretly arranged by the terminal?

It seems that no one is truly free here.

At the same time, people seem to be able to choose a more free way of life.

Li Zheng remained silent for a while. He wanted to tell the two of them everything that Luo Aimang had just told him, but considering that there were too many people around and the special nature of the pattern, he kept it to himself.

Just recalling the half-sentence that Luo Aimang said when he coughed up blood, Li Zheng was very curious about what the unfinished part of the sentence was.
唯？
Only what?
Only?

What is the only one?

Is it that "everyone can see that thing except humans?"

Or is it that "everyone could see that thing, except... me?"

If it is the former, then Zhan Zhouzhou is undoubtedly human, so how could she possibly see it?

It's worth noting that Li Zheng only learned about the existence of the 'pattern' because Zhan Zhouzhou told everyone.

Therefore, this possibility can be ruled out.

So the truth is, the only one who can't do it is myself!
but……

why?

Why is it that I'm the only one who can't see that thing?

Is it because you are special compared to others?

Li Zheng gazed at the vast sea, his eyes unfocused, and a thought flashed through his mind.

Could it be that the Matrix... no, it should be that someone in the outer city knows I'm a time traveler?
If one is unique in that they cannot see what lies behind the pattern, then the only difference between them and others is that they are time travelers.

Is it possible that the Matrix terminal already knew about his transmigration?
After all, all players are filtered out before being included, so it's not impossible that the terminal would know that one is a transmigrator.

After figuring this out, Li Zheng suddenly realized that the reason he was so anxious and uneasy about entering the outer city was because one of his biggest secrets might be exposed.

Li Zheng now has two major secrets: one is the fact that he is a time traveler, and the other is the treasure chest system.

Both of these secrets seem to be under the surveillance of the terminal.

It's even possible that the terminal is treating him differently precisely because he possesses these two secrets.

Li Zheng felt increasingly uneasy as he thought about it. He was afraid that he would end up like the protagonists in movies or suspense novels, whose lives were controlled by some unknown force.

I'm afraid that whatever choice I make will ultimately be something someone else has planned for me.

This left him feeling powerless.

"Old Li?"

"Old Li?"

"Why are you dazed?"

Hearing Liu Jiale's voice, Li Zheng snapped out of his daze and realized that Liu Jiale had somehow appeared behind him with several legion commanders.

"Hmm... Ready to conquer the rainforest?" Li Zheng immediately understood their purpose upon seeing their posture.

“Yes, we’re ready.” Liu Jiale nodded and said, “And the conditions you proposed to the other legions have been agreed to. We will collectively offer twenty extraordinary-level blueprints as a reward, asking you to help us conquer the boss of the rainforest.”

Is there a reward?
Li Zheng glanced at Liu Jiale in surprise. He had thought that Liu Jiale would take advantage of their past relationship to get something for free from him.

I never expected there would be a reward.

“Okay.” Li Zheng said calmly, “Give us the blueprints first, then we’ll get started.”

Since it's a transaction, let's follow the rules.

"no problem."

Liu Jiale took out ten USB drives and handed them to Li Zheng: "Pay half first, and pay the rest after we defeat the Boss."

Li Zheng himself had no objection to this. After taking the ten blueprints and checking them, he found that they were indeed all of the extraordinary level.

All eight weapon blueprints are for melee weapons, making them the least valuable of all blueprint types.

The two blueprints for ranged weapons, one a bow and the other a crossbow, aren't particularly valuable.

This can be considered exploiting a loophole in the rules proposed by Li Zheng, since he did not initially restrict the types of drawings.

After handing the blueprints to Xiao Siyuan, Li Zheng said to Zhan Zhouzhou, "Come with me in a bit. After the Boss battle, we'll collect the remaining half of the reward."

Zhan Zhouzhou didn't speak, but simply nodded in response.

Li Zheng glanced at the system time and said to Liu Jiale and the others, "Check the time. Send someone in five minutes from now. I will be there at the appropriate time."

"I hope you can buy me enough time to create a safe environment for output."

"If this operation fails because of your fault, the ten blueprints we just collected will not be returned, and the operation will be terminated immediately!"

Liu Jiale and the commanders of the four legions he allied with harbored resentment towards Li Zheng's rogue logic, but they did not show it on their faces.

They still need to rely on Li Zheng's input for this operation, and no matter how harsh Li Zheng's words are, they have to endure them.

The same applies in the workplace. When your abilities are 'monopolistic' in a company, you will have enough say even if you are just doing things for money.

Therefore, people really need to strive to improve themselves, otherwise they will suffer from bullying and being controlled by others in every aspect of life.

"If there are no other questions, everyone can go and make your preparations."

Li Zheng waved his hand and ignored the other party.

Liu Jiale opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just sighed and turned to leave.

After they left, Li Zheng stared at the sea for a moment, then got up and found Feng Shan. He took Feng Shan to Luo Aimang and asked him to set up a shield. They chatted for a few minutes inside.

Apart from Luo Aimang, Li Zheng, and Feng Shan, no one knew what they talked about inside.

Meanwhile, in the desert oasis arena, the Boss battle launched by Kunlun and Jiutian finally came to an end after more than ten minutes of fierce fighting.

(End of this chapter)