Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 520 Tiger Brothers
Kanger Botanical Garden is quite far from the mission hall. Following the map navigation, it took Li Zheng about half an hour to reach the alley where the botanical garden is located.

The alley was still narrow, only wide enough for one person to walk straight. Li Zheng had Miriel lead the Red Porings and Sakura ahead, while he lagged behind a little, taking out two King-level items.

One is a water-based system, and the other is a system based on mental energy.

Without hesitation, he swallowed the high-energy core of the water system, which was the size of a heart, in a few bites. A rich, sweet and pungent smell wafted between his mouth and nose, turning into pure energy that spread throughout his body.

Almost instantly, Li Zheng clearly sensed that something inside his body had been touched; it was the gene module representing the ice-type 'shaping' ability.

"Can it only enhance this useless ability?" Li Zheng frowned. This was not what he expected. He thought it would improve the ice and fire attachment.

blah blah blah...

Footsteps came from behind him. Li Zheng knew without turning around that it was the three guys who had been following him. This alley was very secluded and suitable for doing things like robberies.

Even if they alert others, they can evacuate before the law enforcement team arrives.

But before that, they had to wait for Li Zheng to go a little deeper.

"It seems that developing new abilities takes some time, but improving shaping abilities is much faster?" Li Zheng decisively controlled the energy to rush into the triggered gene module to strengthen and upgrade the ice-type shaping ability.

Immediately afterwards, he swallowed another high-energy core from the formless demon's body. Regardless of whether he could defeat the tail following behind him, these two most valuable items could no longer remain idle in the capsule space.

Unlike the ice-type high-energy core, this mental energy core, once inside the abdomen, transformed into pure energy that instantly shot through the spine and into the brain.

boom!
In a daze, Li Zheng felt a loud bang in his ear, and his surging mental energy burst out uncontrollably, instantly filling a forty-meter radius around him.

"So strong!"

Li Zheng's eyes widened as his mental strength had increased by nearly three times its base amount!

A swelling sensation arose between his brows, as if the enhancement of his spiritual power was not yet over.

But there's no time left!
"stop!"

A mechanical voice came from behind, a special sound quality that could only be produced by using a translation device, further confirming that the three people behind them were related to the staff member at the registration desk.

Currently, apart from a very small number of veteran players, only public officials have mastered the Chinese language.

"I told you to stop right there, you newbie!"

The mechanical voice sounded again, closer to Li Zheng's back, as they accelerated and rushed forward!

"You're courting death!" Li Zheng's eyes flashed coldly as he activated his gene module, attempting to unleash a gene ability that manifested in a completely different form in the outer city.

The next second, he sensed that he seemed to lack the medium to activate his ability.

Then, a bottle of purified water was taken out of the capsule, and the ice-based adhesion was activated. The extremely low temperature instantly froze the 500ml of water in the bottle into an ice block.

With a flick of his wrist, his mental energy surged forth, instantly tearing the fragile bottle into pieces.

The ice lump transformed and compressed in the air, turning into a ten-centimeter-long needle, its cold blue light flickering intermittently.

"Are you calling me?" Li Zheng calmly turned around, the compressed ice needles lifted by his mental power, and moved to the front of the three trackers.

The three people who were sprinting quickly were shocked when they saw this. They slammed on the brakes and stopped ten meters in front of Li Zheng.

"King-level!"

The leader had a striped tiger's head, and his bulging muscles stretched his soft armor so tightly it looked like it was about to burst.

Feeling the pressure emanating from the frail race before him, the tiger-man's eyes showed a hint of caution. To possess king-level genetic abilities upon first entering the outer city meant that its strength was not to be underestimated.

They're only at the King level, but the three of them working together...

"Oops!"

The tiger-men suddenly realized that the terrain here was only suitable for one-on-one combat, and their numerical advantage could not be fully utilized in the alley.

"Did you need something?" Li Zheng asked, picking up a flower with one hand, his tone displeased.

"No...it's alright, we mistook you for someone else." The tiger-man glanced warily at the Frost Needles; this genetic ability was an extremely advantageous weapon in narrow terrain!
He immediately admitted defeat.

It's true that they make a living by robbing, but it's foolish to stick your head out and test the other party's ability after kicking a hornet's nest!
"I don't think you've admitted your mistake."

Li Zheng stepped forward: "Currently, only two players from our clan have entered the outer city. How could you have mistaken me?"

"Yeah!"

The tiger-man took a step back, bumping into his companion behind him. He waved his hand behind him, signaling his companion to retreat, and said repeatedly, "We're looking for someone else."

"Oh, really? That's quite a coincidence. I also know the other person you mentioned." Li Zheng smiled kindly. "Judging from your menacing expressions, there must be some misunderstanding. Why don't you tell me about it, and I'll help you mediate?"

"No...no need for mediation, it's all a misunderstanding, why would we need mediation?" Cold sweat dripped from the tiger-man's forehead, wetting his fur.

Why haven't those two idiots backed up yet?

Can't you see that their individual strength is stronger than ours?

If we don't leave now, we're all going to die here!
"Kota... Kota, look behind you..."

The trembling voice of his companion came from behind him. The tiger-man Kota turned his head slightly and glanced back out of the corner of his eye. He was immediately terrified, and a chill ran down his spine.

Behind them, the alleyway was filled with tiny, icy needles emanating a chilling aura. Each needle was as thin as a cow's hair, and Kota had no doubt that a volley of those needles would turn them into thorn-like creatures.

"Gulu..."

Tiger-man Kota swallowed hard. "Calm down! Let's talk this out. Killing in the outer city is a serious crime. If you kill us, you won't get away with it either!"

"is it?"

Li Zheng controlled the fine needle, making it move erratically in the air. Tiger-man Kota saw a hint of eagerness in his eyes.

"and many more!!!"

When Kota saw that Li Zheng's fingers were loosening, he was so frightened that he shouted, "I'll compensate you! We'll compensate you!"

uninteresting.

Li Zheng curled his lip: "You guys are so cowardly, yet you dare to be robbers?"

"Just trying to make a living with the brothers..." Kota wiped away his cold sweat, "There's no need to risk your life for a little profit, is there?"

If they truly had the spirit to face death without fear, they wouldn't be robbers.

I should have gone to the mission hall earlier to pick up the terminal missions, which have an extremely high mortality rate but also very high rewards.

Li Zheng controlled the fine needles, shaking them in front of him. He found that after his mental strength improved again, he was becoming more and more adept at controlling these things. They were almost like an extension of his own body, making him want to play with them a few more times.

This action terrified Kota, turning his colorful tiger head almost black and white, vividly demonstrating what it means to be ashen-faced.

"Tell me, what kind of compensation can you give me?" Li Zheng didn't want to be too aggressive. After all, he was new to the outer city and didn't fully understand many of the rules, so he didn't know what the consequences of killing someone would be.

If they were in that so-called wilderness, the three tiger-men brothers would already be corpses.

Of course, whether there are such weak creatures in the wilderness is another matter.

"White Crystal Coins! We're willing to each contribute... ten, no, twenty White Crystal Coins as compensation for offending you!" Kota said with a pained expression.

Since the end of the previous player journey, the three brothers have been living off their past achievements, and when they finally managed to open a business, they ran into a brick wall.

"Big brother, twenty coins per person, neither my third brother nor I can afford it," Kota's companion behind him whispered in his ear, sounding even more distressed.

He should have kept quiet, because once he opened his mouth, it only enraged Kota, who turned around and slapped him across the face: "How many times have I told you not to go to places like casinos? You just wouldn't listen!"

Now look what's happened! You don't even have money to buy your lives. Let's see what you're going to do now!
"I'm not going to help you anymore. If you can't afford it, talk to him yourselves!" This slap was delivered in anger, and the tiger-man behind Kota, who was now a head shorter, had half his cheek swollen up, and one of his tiger teeth was loosened.

This scene left Li Zheng speechless. He was obsequious to outsiders but ruthless to his own people.

"And you! You go drinking and carousing every day, spending all your money on women and you're still not satisfied?" Kota saw his simple-minded third brother walking at the back with a blank expression, not realizing the seriousness of the situation, and he was really angry. He gave him a good scolding.

The third tiger was half a head taller than the second tiger, and was broad-shouldered, thick-waisted, indicating that he usually ate well.

After being scolded by his older brother, tears welled up in his tiger-like eyes, and he muttered in a low voice, feeling wronged, "But Ahua said she likes me and told me to go see her more often..."

Kota trembled with rage: "You!!! You'll die from a woman one day!"

"No! I will only die because of Ah Hua!" Tiger Man Third Brother argued vehemently.

"You still think you're right?" Kota's eyes widened, and he grabbed the second brother, ready to rush over and beat up the third tiger-man.

Seeing that the three tiger-men were about to start fighting, Li Zheng coughed and said, "If you want to argue, can you pay me first? I'm in a hurry."

These three tigers were all equipped with rudimentary translation devices. Li Zheng learned from the information detected by the Eye of Preys that this was the most basic and worst translation tool, which could only store three languages. If the target audience was different and the corresponding language was not stored inside, the target audience would have to go to a designated place to input the language.

By the way, the translation tool that Yakumo mentioned that costs 1,000 white crystals is this one. If you want a more advanced one... you'll have to pay extra!

The three tiger-men then remembered that there was an even greater danger to face, so they quickly shut up and dared not make any more noise.

“Sir…” Kota was extremely embarrassed: “My two younger brothers don’t have that much savings and can’t afford the compensation, so…”

"So what?" Li Zheng glanced at him sideways.

"So, can I pay you back first?" Kota scratched his cheek with his thick tiger claws, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

It would be awkward for anyone to offer to compensate someone with twenty white crystal coins, only to turn around and ask for a debt.

"You owe me?!"

Li Zheng laughed: "In all my years in business, no one has ever owed me money in this regard!"

He looked the three tiger-men over and thought for a moment before saying, "How about this? You each give me ten white crystal coins and then help me complete a mission. If you do well, I'll let you go. How about that?"

Kota was initially pleased to hear that it only cost ten white crystal coins, but he hesitated again when he heard the subsequent conditions: "A mission? The three of us brothers only have extraordinary strength. If the mission is too difficult even for you, we'll just be throwing our lives away..."

"Then I don't care."

Li Zheng ignored him and moved his finger: "Choose one: die now or live a little longer before dying."

“Brother, I know this area well. It’s mostly botanical gardens run by farmers. Private missions from here are usually not too difficult. We might not die if we go there,” the second tiger-man whispered from behind.

"Shut up!"

Kota scolded, "Have you forgotten how your parents died? You thought the private missions you took would be easy, but they never came back!"

If it weren't for past examples, why would they not dare to take on any missions and only bully newcomers to barely get by?
"But if we don't go, we'll die now. If we go, there's still a chance of survival!" the tiger-man old man said urgently.

“Yes.” Tiger-man third brother scratched his forehead with a simple and honest expression. “Besides, I think this person is kind-hearted. Even if we are in danger, he won’t leave us to die.”

The third brother's thought process was clearly simpler. This person they robbed was even willing to halve their compensation offer. In his eyes, taking less money from them meant he was kind-hearted…

"What are you muttering about?" Li Zheng urged impatiently. "If you don't agree, I see that the translation equipment you're wearing is pretty good. You can leave it all with me as compensation."

It's not great, but it's barely usable. I just don't know if I'll have to pay to re-enter the language pack.

"No, no, I can't give this to you."

Upon hearing that Li Zheng had his eye on the translation props, Kota immediately covered the small black box on his ear with his tiger paw and shook his head frantically: "This is something someone temporarily lent us. Giving it to you would be no different than killing us."

"This won't work, that won't work either." Li Zheng stared at the three tiger-men brothers with an unfriendly expression: "You're not trying to stall for time, are you? You're waiting for my genetic force to be depleted before launching an attack on me, are you?"
"Or I might as well kill you all and then search you myself. Hmm, maybe I can make some money by dismantling you into parts and selling them."

"No, no, no!" Kota exclaimed in alarm. "We'll go with you on the mission!"

The two tiger-men brothers behind him nodded repeatedly, agreeing to go on the mission with him.

"Why didn't you say that earlier?"

Li Zheng took out his unique inscription and went over to make the trade.

During the process, he glanced at the other party's inscription information and found that these three brothers hadn't lied to him after all; their account balances were even more meager than his own.

It's obvious that the eldest brother's tiger-man account only has twenty-eight white crystal coins...

I really don't know how they survived.

The transaction was completed, and Li Zheng's account balance became: 60.
He warned the three tiger-men with satisfaction, "You'd better follow me obediently, understand? If you dare to run away halfway, I'll kill you right now!"

The three tiger-men brothers shook their heads repeatedly: "We dare not run, we dare not run..."

Seeing that the three of them seemed quite obedient, Li Zheng dispersed most of the icy needles, leaving two floating on either side as a precaution, before turning around and continuing deeper into the alley.

Kota, with his two younger brothers, followed closely behind Li Zheng.

Looking at the back of Li Zheng's head from behind, and then at the icy needles floating beside him, Kota swallowed hard and abandoned the idea of ​​sneaking up on him with a slap.

……

As you go deeper into the alley, the buildings on both sides gradually change to look like factories, and even the entrances are much larger than the storefronts on the street outside.

Almost no sound could be heard from inside the factory, but Li Zheng was certain that these factory buildings with their doors tightly shut all had owners.

Following the navigation route, Li found the Kanger Botanical Garden, where the mission objective was located, and stopped in front of an unremarkable factory building.

Just as they stood firm, the door in front of them opened, and out walked an old, wrinkled tree-man.

“￥%……#%” The tree-man uttered a string of strange characters, clearly in their native language.

Li Zheng noticed that the other person was wearing a translation device in what looked like an ear, so he tried to communicate with them.

After a few words, the tree man shook his head in disappointment and said something else.

However, he still waved, signaling Li Zheng and the others to go inside.

It was only then that Li Zheng officially confirmed that ordinary translation tools did not include Earth languages. As a result, without translation tools, he would have some trouble even completing missions.

“This old fellow seems to be a member of the Tengluo tribe. I happen to have the Tengluo language recorded here, I’ll be your translator.” Kota, following beside Li Zheng, finally found an opportunity to flatter him.

"What a coincidence?" Li Zheng looked at him in surprise.

Kota scratched his head sheepishly: "I collected this yesterday when I robbed a member of the Wisteria tribe. I just left it behind when I was changing the language."

Tiger-man number two added from the side, "That Wisteria Clan member came from another district. He was a newbie, so we thought he was a newbie and tried to rob him. Turns out he was a penniless wretch like us, so we let him go... uh..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly looked ahead and asked Kota blankly, "Brother, do you see that guy? Does he look familiar?"

"hey-hey……"

Before Kota could speak, the third tiger-man chuckled, "Isn't this the guy we robbed yesterday?"

Kota: "That's true."

Li Zheng: "..."

You guys are so calm!

The victim is standing right in front of you, and you don't feel any shame at all?
(End of this chapter)