Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 655 Shadow!

Li Zheng guided Zhan Zhouzhou, showing her how to condense spiritual energy nodes: "Just follow this method in a moment. I'll be watching over you, and if anything unexpected happens, I'll step in to help you."

Neither he nor Miriel absorbed magic crystal energy when they were condensing the node, so it was hard to guarantee that this thing might have some impact on the condensation process. For the sake of the integrity of the experiment, Li Zheng had to be careful.

If he succeeds this time, when someone else condenses a node next time, he will push the progress until the red magic crystal is completely absorbed, obtain data from each different level, and thus analyze the differences between them.

Zhan Zhouzhou recalled the experience Li Zheng had given her, calmed herself down, and said, "Okay."

Then, a faint light emanated from her spiritual body, and a subtle suction force appeared on her.

The martial arts arena is her spiritual world, and theoretically it will not easily change, so it remains completely still.

However, the "air" inside is also her spiritual power, only this spiritual power is extremely weak, formless and intangible. When the node is successfully condensed, this "air" will be absorbed by the node the moment it appears, filling the center of the node.

The suction force grew stronger and stronger, and soon a "storm vortex" appeared in the martial arts arena. The invisible and intangible spiritual energy was pulled into the center of the vortex and then imprisoned, absorbed, purified and compressed.

Gradually, a dot appeared in the vortex. It was the initial singularity when the condensation point was formed. The spiritual energy node was formed on the basis of the singularity.

Reaching this point indicates that Zhan Zhouzhou's condensation process is halfway complete.

“It seems there’s no difference for now.” Li Zheng stood motionless in the turbulent storm, as if the powerful storm didn’t exist and couldn’t shake him in the slightest.

Next, Zhan Zhouzhou's spiritual body suddenly melted like ice under the sun, completely merging into the singularity.

The singularity began to spin rapidly, its central suction pulling in the surrounding spiritual energy. Finally, after reaching a delicate balance, the singularity exploded, becoming a pale golden sphere.

“It’s done.” Li Zheng looked at the golden sphere, which was no different from Miriel’s except that it was slightly darker in color.

A flash of light appeared on the surface of the golden sphere, and Zhan Zhouzhou's spiritual body reappeared in the martial arts hall.

The golden sphere rose automatically and finally, like a dazzling jewel, was set on the roof of the martial arts hall.

Shining brightly.

The martial arts hall was completely empty. From time to time, a wisp of spiritual energy would appear on the surface of Zhan Zhouzhou's spiritual body. Following the invisible, weak suction, it was drawn into the node. Each time the node absorbed a wisp, the golden color on the surface became more intense.

"How were the test results?" Zhan Zhouzhou asked. "Were they different from what you expected?"

Li Zheng: "There is almost no difference. It seems that as long as the mental strength is strong enough, the mental energy nodes can be condensed, and the order is not important."

The only difference is the speed at which the second node is formed; it's like filling the first node with the required mental energy in advance.

At its most extreme, it might be possible to simultaneously condense two nodes, but that's all.

Li Zheng left Zhan Zhouzhou's mental world and returned to his own body: "Next, you can familiarize yourself with the use of mental power and develop it more on your own. Once you are familiar with it, you can go to the Sin Domain to find twisted creatures and obtain magic crystals."

"Hmm." Zhan Zhouzhou sensed it for a moment and said, "I found that after condensing the spiritual energy node, I can absorb white magic crystals again, but the improvement is not very obvious, perhaps because the energy concentration is not enough."

Li Zheng recounted the compression theory he had derived earlier, and then said, "The reason why you can absorb spiritual energy after condensing the spiritual energy node is probably because you have created a second 'bottle' and the space inside this bottle is larger, which can hold more spiritual energy. There is no need to further compress it with concentrated energy, since this bottle itself has the function of compression."

"That's roughly how it is." Zhan Zhouzhou thought it made sense and nodded.

"Alright, everything's settled here, I should be going now." Li Zheng stood up and asked, "Where's the room prepared for me?"

“Next door,” Miriel said, reciting a string of codes. “Your room is a little bigger than mine. If you’re not satisfied, you can buy another one.”

Previously, Li Zheng hadn't given enough money, so Zhan Zhouzhou could only buy the smallest apartment. At this moment, Li Zheng only had Purple Magic Crystals, which he could exchange for a lot of Crystal Coins after absorbing them, making it easy to buy one or two larger apartments.

"I'll go take a look. You rest first." Li Zheng turned and called to Miriel. They went out to the next room, opened the door with the password, and found that it was indeed a little bigger, about fifteen square meters, enough for him and Miriel to live in temporarily.

"Let's stay here for now. We'll bring Xiaoying back later and then buy a bigger place." Li Zheng put out the bed and stove, and then found an empty space and threw out a petri dish with a flowering plant inside to decorate the environment of the house.

Unfortunately, the bathroom was converted directly from the capsule residence and couldn't be set up outside. For Li Zheng, not being able to take a bath every day was like the West losing Jerusalem—it had lost its soul.

Fortunately, he's not short of money for the time being. If he really wants to take a bath, he can go to the Sin Domain, where capsule accommodations can be set up.

But doing so... is too extravagant.

"Speaking of which, in ten days we can set off to pick up the little foodie, right?" Miriel sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. "It seems like I haven't spoken to her since I became your attendant. I wonder what her reaction will be when she wakes up and sees me?"

Sakura had fallen into a deep sleep while following Li Zheng in Miriel, so she was probably completely unaware that her master had gained an extra attendant.

“What could she possibly be thinking?” Li Zheng laughed. “Xiao Ying is very naive, just like a little girl. In her heart, she probably always sees me as her father.”

“Really?” Miriel’s smile widened. “Then wouldn’t that make me her mother?”

“You could say that…” Li Zheng’s expression suddenly paused. He looked at Miriel for a long time, then suddenly realized, “I just noticed that you can now freely control your charm?”

When she first started menstruating, Miriel's charm was irresistible to both men and women, as long as they met aesthetic standards.

But when I was with Zhan Zhouzhou just now, he didn't seem to notice anything unusual about her, unlike when she was on a mission, when she would show a struggling expression.

“My charm ability is linked to my heartbeats,” Miriel explained. “Since you started helping me suppress them, the intervals between my heartbeats have become longer and longer, and they no longer affect my normal life much.”

even……"

Her expression was alluring, her eyes dreamy, and a captivating aura emanated from her: "I've gained initial control over this ability, but the negative effects are still quite noticeable..."

Li Zheng suddenly felt a headache coming on: "Wait,..."

"It's too late!" Miriel leaped to her feet.

Li Zheng let out a wail: "Oh my god, my kidneys are killing me!"

Li Zheng understood the implied meaning and his face turned pale: "What are you trying to say?"

“I think we should just solve this once and for all?” Miriel smiled slyly. Li Zheng was so frightened that he tried to run away, but Miriel dragged him back.

And so, the next morning arrived.

After finishing breakfast, Li Zheng finally opened the door to his residence, his eyes gleaming with dark circles, and walked into the alley.

As soon as he stepped outside, he stumbled and almost fell.

With his hands supporting his trembling knees, Li Zheng managed to steady himself with great difficulty. He glanced at the door next to him and saw Zhan Zhouzhou coming out as well.

"Is it just my imagination?" Zhan Zhouzhou scrutinized him for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "Why do I feel like you've lost a lot of weight?"

"An illusion!" Li Zheng said in a deep voice, "It's all your illusion! How could someone lose three pounds and eight ounces overnight? This must be your illusion!"

Zhan Zhouzhou's expression was strange: "I don't think I mentioned anything about three jin and eight liang, did I?"

"What do you mean, 'three catties and eight taels'?" Li Zheng raised his head. "I don't understand what you're talking about!"

At this moment, Miriel walked out of her residence, smiling broadly, like a blooming flower, bright and beautiful.

"Good morning." Miriel greeted Zhan Zhouzhou, looking energetic, a stark contrast to Li Zheng.

“Okay…” Zhan Zhouzhou looked at Miriel’s appearance and thought of her roommate from college. She went out to see a movie with her boyfriend and didn’t come back all night. She was in the same state the next day.

Miriel enthusiastically went over and pulled Zhan Zhouzhou along, rubbing her belly with a troubled expression, "Do I look fat?"

Zhan Zhouzhou gave a forced smile: "Yes, I've gained about three pounds and eight ounces."

"You think so too, right?" Miriel clenched her fist and said, "Starting today, I'm going to intensify my training and lose weight as soon as possible!"

“Heh…” Zhan Zhouzhou said dryly, “You don’t need to lose weight. Just eat less every day and you’ll lose weight quickly.”

“No way,” Miriel said with a bitter face. “You know how delicious the food made on the stove is, and my master is so capable, there’s no way he’d eat less.”

"Try to be moderate," Zhan Zhouzhou said. "Otherwise, whether you gain three or eight pounds or seven or eight pounds, it's not something you can control." Hearing their conversation getting a little out of line, Li Zheng quickly stepped forward to interrupt: "Mirel, you stay home today and focus on absorbing magic crystal energy. I have something to do and I'm going out."

"Where are you going?" Miriel immediately became alert. "Are you going to the Sinful Realm again? Is it dangerous?"

Li Zheng: "Going to the wilderness to relax is not dangerous."

Miriel felt a little relieved: "Then go and come back soon."

“Okay.” Li Zheng persuaded Miriel to go back, and then followed Zhan Zhouzhou toward the teleportation portal.

Zhan Zhouzhou suddenly turned his head and asked, "Aren't you going to take a few quests along the way to clear your head in the wilderness?"

"..." Li Zheng was silent for a moment before saying, "You're definitely going to the Sin Domain today. It'll be safer with me with you."

"Heh." Zhan Zhouzhou chuckled coldly twice and ignored him.

Looking at the empty streets, Li Zheng tried to make conversation: "Lu Li and the others haven't returned yet?"

I heard from Zhan Zhouzhou that the three of them went to the wilderness to do a mission, but I've already been to the Sinful Domain and back, and I still haven't seen them.

"I came back briefly, but you weren't here, so I went out again." Zhan Zhouzhou didn't really want Li Zheng to come with her, so she said, "He might be back today, why don't you stay here and wait for them?"

"No, thank you." Li Zheng thought for a moment and said, "The three of them are traveling together, so they can look out for each other. I don't need to worry about their safety. If there's any emergency, they'll wait for me when they get back."

As the two were talking, they arrived at the teleportation portal.

"Which Sin Domain are you planning to go to?" Li Zheng asked. "I've been to the Fourth Sin Domain, and resources are very scarce. I suggest you choose another place."

Zhan Zhouzhou said coldly, "I want to go to a sinful domain where fighting is frequent."

Frequent fighting?

"You want to quickly familiarize yourself with your current strength through combat, right?" After careful consideration, Li Zheng recommended, "The first sin domain is arrogance, which may lead to quite a few minor conflicts; the second sin domain is greed, which should result in a high frequency of battles; the sixth sin domain is rage..."

"Go and unleash your fury." Zhan Zhouzhou immediately stepped forward, interacted with the intelligent humanoid portal, paid the teleportation fee, and walked into the portal.

"Tsk..." Li Zheng scratched his head: "Has this girl taken some kind of gunpowder today? Why is she talking so sharply?"

Going to the Enraged Sin Domain in this state wouldn't be good...

He paid the handling fee and followed Zhan Zhouzhou into the portal.

The scenery before him changed, and Li Zheng found himself in a dimly lit environment once again. However, this time it was not the canyon terrain of the Fourth Sin Domain, but a vast plain.

Zhan Zhouzhou was not far from the teleportation portal, and without wearing any disguise, she walked away alone.

Li Zheng frowned, a surge of anger rising within him. He felt that Zhan Zhouzhou's sudden outburst of temper was utterly inexplicable.

The next second, he was startled and quickly used his mental power to calm himself down.

"Damn it, rage seems to resonate with me a lot. Even though I was mentally prepared, I was still affected without realizing it!" Li Zheng quickly took out his disguise and put it on, then hurried after Zhan Zhouzhou.

As he passed a stone tablet, he glanced at it; it contained the rules that the Wrathful Sin Domain had to follow.

First: You must wear concealing clothing at all times, and replace it immediately if it is damaged!
Second: Unless absolutely necessary, you are not allowed to have any form of contact with other people, not even eye contact!

Third: Let go of the racially specific notion of provocative behavior; the same behavior is not considered provocative in other races!
Fourth: The fight with the twisted creature must not last more than three minutes. If the fight cannot be resolved within three minutes, quickly escape the scene and return to the gathering area to calm down!

Fifth: Everyone must use a fictitious identity to communicate and must not reveal their name, race, or any other real information to anyone!
Sixth: No group activities allowed!
Seventh: To be supplemented...

"The Wrathful Sin Domain has so many rules, several more than the Fourth Sin Domain!" Li Zheng memorized all the rules, knowing that behind each rule lay lessons learned through blood and tears.

Catching up with Zhan Zhouzhou, Li Zheng grabbed her: "Wait a minute..."

It's sizzling!

A flash of lightning, and a purple lightning longsword instantly appeared at his neck. Zhan Zhouzhou's expression was icy: "Don't touch me!"

Whenever she gets angry, she becomes extremely cold and unapproachable, just like she is now.

Li Zheng frowned: "Your current state makes you very susceptible to being corrupted by the Sin Domain and turning into an infected being. Once you become an infected being, it will be very difficult to save you. I don't want to kill my own friend with my own hands in a little while."

"Who needs your help?"

Zhan Zhouzhou coldly uttered a few words, but then sheathed the long sword that was pressed against Li Zheng's neck.

"Here, put on this disguise." Li Zheng handed her a hooded garment, and after she put it on, he asked, "What's wrong with you today? Why are you so angry all of a sudden?"

"None of your business!" Zhan Zhouzhou turned and left, too lazy to say anything more to Li Zheng.

"..."

baffling!

Li Zheng gritted his teeth. Was it time for his period every month?
I've heard that girls do tend to be more irritable on their special days.

Well, these are all caused by objective factors, so we can't blame her entirely.

Everyone has bad days, right?

Li Zheng tilted his head and thought for a moment: "Could it be that I mentioned her family yesterday, which made her homesick?"

That's highly likely. Once you're in the Matrix, you won't have any family around. Who wouldn't miss home after a while?
I really didn't think things through yesterday. I was so rash as to mention someone's father and grandfather. Wasn't that just making things difficult for them?
Feeling a little guilty, Li Zheng followed quietly behind Zhan Zhouzhou, not saying a word, for fear of upsetting her.

Since you're friends, you should naturally consider each other's feelings. If you try to get close to someone when they're in a bad mood, aren't you just asking for trouble?
The two walked quietly one after the other through the Wrathful Sin Domain. It was a flat plain that stretched as far as the eye could see, with only scattered buildings visible in the distance.

Unlike the Fourth Sin Domain, everyone here consciously keeps their distance from others to avoid unnecessary trouble. Even the gathering areas are stretched out in a long line, without people crowding together.

After walking for a while, Zhan Zhouzhou, perhaps having calmed down, slowed her pace and struck up a conversation with Li Zheng: "Didn't you say there were twisted creatures in the Sin Domain? Why haven't we encountered a single one yet?"

She was waiting for a fight, isn't this a spoilsport?

“The area closest to the portal has been almost completely cleared out. You have to go deeper to find the twisted creatures.” Li Zheng repeated the information that Sang Biao and the others had told him: “However, the gathering area of ​​the Wrathful Sin Domain is just ahead. If you’re lucky, you might encounter some scattered twisted creatures after you pass that area.”

"What a disappointment!" Zhan Zhouzhou couldn't help but pout. She had thought this place was full of twisted creatures and that there would be intense battles as soon as she entered.

It has to be said that Li Zheng initially thought the same thing...

Seeing that she seemed to be doing well, Li Zheng asked, "How are you feeling right now? Are you finding it too difficult to cope with the effects of the environment?"

Zhan Zhouzhou's mental strength is not much higher than Miriel's, but Miriel couldn't adapt to the Fourth Sin Domain at first. Zhan Zhouzhou has already walked quite a distance in the Raging Sin Domain and seems to be quite at ease.

"It's alright," Zhan Zhouzhou said truthfully. "Aside from feeling like I had a fire burning inside me and wanted to fight someone, I didn't have any other special feelings."

"That's good." Li Zheng nodded. His biggest worry was that Zhan Zhouzhou wouldn't be able to adjust her state and would be severely corrupted by the raging sin domain, eventually turning into an infected being.

"I..." Zhan Zhouzhou was about to say something when she suddenly turned her head and thrust her sword behind her: "Who?!"

Li Zheng immediately turned around and saw that the Purple Thunder Sword had accurately pierced the head of the shadow behind Zhan Zhouzhou. The shadow actually started to move on its own, baring its fangs and claws, and in an instant it turned into a twisted monster.

Li Zheng was shocked. When did this appear? He had been following it the whole time, yet he hadn't noticed at all?
Who could possibly break through his guard and plant a shadow on Zhan Zhouzhou?

"Such strong vigilance, such keen perception." A faint voice appeared in their ears, with a hint of mockery: "No wonder you can walk with him, you've got some skills."

Zhan Zhouzhou frowned slightly, her cold eyes scanning the surroundings, but she couldn't find the source of the voice: "Who's playing tricks? If you've got the guts, come out and speak!"

Li Zheng remained silent, releasing his spiritual power to trace the sound in his ear, and was startled.

The source of that sound was none other than his own shadow!
(End of this chapter)