The system is very abstract, fortunately I am also.

Chapter 497 Sorry, I went to the wrong bed
In fairy tales, Cinderella's magic only lasts until midnight, so when the time is approaching, she runs away.

But one time, she ran so fast that she couldn't pull her leg out. So the prince held her separated leg and announced to the kingdom that whoever could perfectly fit this leg would become his wife.

A good story.

Next time I'll tell Bufan about it; he quite likes my Satanic versions of fairy tales.

—In the real world, after finishing evening self-study and returning home to wait for midnight, Lin Li's mind wanders to these random thoughts.

Soon, midnight arrived, the time when Cinderella's magic would disappear.

A new week has arrived.

Lin Li looked at the system.

The message "Update Complete" still pops up immediately, but don't worry about what it updates each week these days.

The only important things are the reset of "free refresh opportunities" and "return consumption".

Switch to the store screen.

Compared to its initial desolation, the product categories now have a more "dazzling" feel, with a total of nine categories including category 0.

"Water-repelling Bead", "AS Interference Attachment Bullet", "Luck Talisman", "Universal Magic Treasure", "Ability Amplifier (+2)", "Longevity Pill", "Feather Restoration Pill", "Proof of Telepathy", "Heavenly Secret Talisman".

Although items like "Heavenly Talisman," "Water-Repelling Bead," and "A-Interference Attachment Bullet" aren't particularly necessary to keep, this week's free refresh opportunity should undoubtedly be used on the "Proof of Telepathy," which is permanently limited to one purchase and currently occupies a slot.

[You have obtained the "Ability Amplifier (+4)": 160 System Currency (limited to 1 per day). Would you like to replace it?]

[Ability Amplifier (+4): Permanently amplifies the effect of an existing ability, up to a maximum of +4.]

[You have triggered the "Shop Mechanism - Probability Assignment". The next "Refresh" will be a "Refresh in Specified Direction".]

【replace.】

Lin Li scratched his head. (+3) hadn't even appeared yet, how come it directly gave me (+4)? It didn't even come in order.

However, it can be concluded that the price of this "ability amplifier" increases by 20 system currency for each additional level, since (+1) only sells for 100, (+2) for 120, and (+4) for 160 each.

Although I still want to continue to enhance my abilities, such as "parasitic seeds".

— Lin Li retrieved the "parasitic seed" from Chen Yuying after school tonight.

The digestion process was the same, except this time it didn't end instantly like in the previous experiment—this time it lasted for less than half a second.

As for the "growth" he has gained, to be honest, Lin Li doesn't feel much of a sense of it. Perhaps he has a more thorough understanding of the competition.
In short, the chances are negligible.

But that's normal. Yingbao spent more than a day living her daily life. It would be strange if she could detect something was wrong if she got 50% "growth".

Lin Li was not disappointed by this "ability" because of it; everything was as expected.

However, there's no need to rush to upgrade it now, since the system only has 310 currency left, which is only enough to exchange for one. You can exchange it later when it's determined that this ability has a more suitable use.

As for this "specified direction refresh," it naturally stems from the previously acquired mechanism—

【"Mall Mechanism - Probability Assignment":】
After using this item, when refreshing products in the store, there is a certain probability that "refresh" will change to "refresh in specified direction". When using "refresh in specified direction", you can provide the system with a keyword, and the field will then refresh to display products related to that keyword.

The initial trigger probability is 10%, increasing by 10% each time the effect is not triggered, and resetting to 10% after the effect is triggered.

I've refreshed the page five or six times since acquiring this ability, so it's definitely time to trigger it once.

There's also a reward in the warehouse called "Shop Refresh Opportunity." Lin Li could refresh it right now, but to be honest, he wasn't sure what he really needed. No rush, he'd think about it next week.

Having finished considering the matter of the [Mall], Lin Li turned his gaze to [Return].

Outside the Doomsday Shelter

"Unnamed Node 2 (Currently Selected Node)"

"Unnamed Node 3"

"..."

After switching nodes and confirming that he hadn't forgotten anything, Lin Li clicked "Return" without hesitation.

White light flashed.

The momentary feeling of weightlessness brought on by the disappearance of the white light had not completely faded when Lin Li realized that he was actually lying down.

When I was in the bathroom preparing to leave, I was standing in a defensive posture.

It seems that if the location of the "return" is not suitable for the posture during teleportation, it will be adjusted adaptively?
Lin Li considers this good news.

The reason he never revealed his specific teleportation point in the post-apocalyptic world, and always teleported alone to a secluded place each time he returned, was partly because he was worried that someone might leave something in the teleportation space.

For example, put a needle in it.

If the system is like Baowei's toilet the night he ate at the buffet—completely clueless about bowel movements—and still teleports him to this fixed location intact, will the needle appear directly inside his body and pierce him to the core once the space is relative?
But now, that worry is gone.

The system will transform itself into the appropriate shape.

Having figured this out, what we need to do now is verify where this new node is taking us.

At this moment, all I could see was thick darkness.

If the flow of time were not 1:1 after the world was anchored, then it should indeed be nighttime in the apocalyptic world, but the current darkness does not originate from that.

There was no need to unleash one's divine sense; one could simply reach out and touch the limits of the space, just inches from the tip of one's nose. In terms of touch, it was not rock, but rather felt like wood, with dust and a strange stickiness on its surface.

Lin Lin could feel that he was lying on a cold, hard ground, with some small debris pressing against his back.

The space was very cramped. Lin Li conjured a flashlight from his "Qiankun Ring" and then put it back. It was better not to turn it on rashly. For example, if this was actually a zombie abode, it could easily cause some problems.

Then Lin Li frowned slightly and his pupils contracted—

Because an anomaly has occurred!

Suddenly, a faint creaking sound came from above. At first, it was sparse, like mice gnawing on a wooden board, but then it became more frequent, accompanied by a suppressed atmosphere and a rustling sound.

Zombies?

Is someone attacking from outside?

Lin Li put his ear to the wooden board to change the way the sound was transmitted.

The dull, rhythmic groans, accompanied by the subtle creaking of the wooden structure, were transmitted more clearly and distinctly through the tightly pressed bed frame to the backs and ears of the men standing there, within a few short seconds.

"Ah~~"

"Ah~~"

Lin Li: "(；☉_☉)?"

When that gasping sound, detached from breath, appeared, Lin Li was stunned.

Eh?
Wait a minute, you fucking idiot.

Without hesitation, he turned on the flashlight, and sure enough, there was just an ordinary wooden board in front of him, which was now swaying slightly.

On the left and right sides, there were bed curtains hanging down.

"You're so rude, brother~~"

Above, a woman's voice, full of lust, came in a soft, muffled tone.

"My surname isn't Lu."

Another male voice chuckled wickedly, followed by a slightly more violent shaking of the bed, and said:

"You're very nervous, ma'am."

"Ugh, my surname isn't Zhang anymore!!"

"..."

Lin Li: "..."

Ditch, trough, system, system.

Where the hell did you teleport me to?!

I shouldn't have been under the bed, I should have been outside fighting zombies, you motherfucker!!!
Lying on the cold, dusty bed, listening to the groaning of the wooden planks above his head and the blush-inducing conversation, Lin Li felt he would never love again.

My brain felt like it had been filled with turkey-flavored rice crust, leaving it a complete mess.

What should I do now?
Wait a minute, I'm a virgin, so why don't I just lift the bed curtains and calmly climb out?

"Haha, sorry you two, I went under the wrong bed. You two continue, I have to go now. Have fun, lucky~" or

"Haha, you guys are doing it? I passed out under the bed yesterday and just woke up."

or.

"11111 Count me in."

or.

"Brother, I listened to your rhythm downstairs for a while, and it's not working. It's obvious your power point is wrong. You definitely haven't learned the 'Shanghai Master's Strike,' have you? And lady, the same goes for you. You could actually open your legs a little wider so you can coordinate more perfectly..."

— "No Hypnosis, No Guidance", by Bu Ai Lu.

In short, after saying all this, give a heart gesture and a wink, and everything will be fine. Everyone should understand each other now, right?

"..."

"..."

Absolutely not, damn it!!!
Lin Li denied himself.

That's like saying you're fighting zombies under the bed.

My temples are throbbing, keeping in rhythm with the bed above my head, a rhythmic thump-thump-thump, hey~
Lin Li: "..."

Rhythm your mother.

What am I thinking right now?

I miss you all.

I'd rather face you all than be transported here by this idiotic system to listen to live sex acts.

Suppressing the raging insane thoughts in his mind and the rhythmic thumping of veins on his forehead, Lin Li took a deep breath of air filled with dust and some indescribable smell.

Sitting idly by and waiting for death is not Linli's habit.

Besides, to be honest, after criticizing the system's manufacturers, Lin Li suddenly felt that things weren't so awkward at all, and were even quite fun.

Hey.

Lin Li crawled to the edge of the bed and carefully used his hand to lift a corner of the heavy bed curtain that blocked his view, revealing a gap large enough to observe the outside world.

As far as the eye can see, it is a typical bedroom with slightly dim lighting.

Ignoring the few hastily removed clothes scattered on the floor, Lin Li mainly observed the layout and quality of the room. Although it was not luxurious, it was not as desolate and shabby as he had imagined in the post-apocalyptic world. Even the fabric of the bed curtains was not bad.

It was very different from the refuge that Hu Fei and his group had taken.

Has he arrived at a more advanced and powerful shelter this time?

It's impossible that this point in time is actually a timeline, and that I've arrived in a world before the apocalypse.

Lin Li's gaze was already fixed on the direction of the room door—not far away, diagonally opposite the foot of the bed.

It looks like all it takes is crawling out from under the bed and a few steps to the door.

The problem is, the door is closed.

The door handle is a push-button type. Can we use the "invisible sword" to control something to open the door? As long as the two people on the bed are still immersed in the moment, they shouldn't be discovered.

However, just as Lin Li held his breath, preparing to implement the "Hidden Dragon Emerges from the Abyss" plan—

"Click—Squeak—"

The piercing sound, of unknown origin, came clearly from outside the door.

With their keen hearing, they could even discern what sounded like approaching footsteps.

Oh? There are experts too.

Unlike Lin Li's curiosity, the sound was like a bucket of ice water poured on a burning stove, instantly changing the tune of the two musicians on the bed.

"what--"

The woman's coquettish voice instantly turned into a terrified scream, which was then forcibly suppressed, replaced by rapid breathing and panicked whispers:
"Quick...quick! It's him back! That voice is his—why did he suddenly come back! How come everyone has such good timing!!"

"Huh? Holy crap!" The man's wicked smile vanished, replaced by a panicked panic.

Is he heading this way?

"Yes!! I can see!"

"Damn it, I need to hide first, the closet... I'll hide in the closet!" Lin Li could see hands picking up clothes from the ground.

"No! We can't hide in the closet!" the woman's voice immediately emphasized.

"Under the bed! Yes! Under the bed!" The man naturally followed the woman's suggestion at this moment, since she knew him better than he did.

Lin Li: "Oo?"

Things get interesting.

Lin Li slowly moved inside to make room for the bed.

All that could be heard were the sounds of frantic rolling and colliding, and the rustling of fabric. Then, a heavy body, still warm from its own weight and covered in dust, slammed down, and the bed groaned violently.

Lin Li saw a shirtless guy, now only wearing pants, with a panicked expression on his face, curled up in an extremely disheveled manner, and lunging towards the bottom of the bed!

His movements were swift and fierce, driven by the instinct to struggle for survival in the face of the apocalypse and extreme fear.

That's the kind of expression humans should have in a post-apocalyptic world! That's exactly the kind of expression we want to see!
The bed curtains were quickly lifted.

The man had intended to perform a somersault and slip into the only refuge, but his movements froze completely halfway through.

His pupils dilated to their maximum size in the dim light, as if he were seeing a scene a hundred times more terrifying than the person returning home—under the bed, a strange man was quietly watching him with a subtle expression that was somewhere between politeness and spectatorship.

Lin Li: "OvO"

This guy even waved to me in a friendly way.

The man's face showed no sign of panic; instead, it carried a hint of "you've finally arrived."

He slowly put his index finger to his lips, making a perfectly standard "shush" gesture.

Just as the adulterous man's mind completely went blank and he forgot to breathe, he very naturally, even with a touch of hostility, gently patted the small, dusty patch of floor space next to him.

Lin Li: "Sucking".

Was he... was he inviting me?

Why does it feel like they're making room for me on purpose?

"You...you...you—?!"

The adulterous man uttered a series of broken syllables, like a rooster being strangled. The color drained from his face, leaving only extreme shock and bewilderment.

He wanted to scream, to question, but sadly, he was speechless.

"What are you dawdling for! Do you want him to find out and then throw you out to be fed to the predators?! Hurry up and get inside!"

The woman on the bed was almost frantic, her low voice filled with a sharp, piercing tone and extreme panic.

She only felt that the man had stopped moving after lifting the curtain, which was simply courting death, so she kicked the man's protruding buttocks hard.

The kick was quite powerful. The man, who was already in a state of shock and disorientation, staggered and his upper body lurched forward uncontrollably, almost crashing under the bed before landing on the bed that Lin Li had reserved for him.

He awkwardly lay down on his side, curling up so that he was almost face to face with Lin Li, but fortunately there was still some space between them.

The footsteps outside became increasingly clear.

But at that moment, the adulterous man had no time to think; he was completely dazed.

For a long time, his wide eyes stared intently at the smiling boy so close to him, his lips trembling:

"I...I...you cheated on me?"

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?"

Lin Li: "()!!"

(End of this chapter)