The system provided a basic introduction to the two gacha pools.
The golden pool required colorless crystals to exchange for lottery draws, with ten crystals giving one pull.
At present, Xu Dengming had fifty crystals.
Xu Dengming didn’t play many gacha games, but from her classmates’ past performances, it seemed that not having enough for a ten-pull was a rather regrettable thing.
The system also provided an extra tip: To reward Xu Dengming for successfully clearing the dungeon for the first time, she would be granted a free pull in the golden pool.
The white pool, however, was a bit strange.
Xu Dengming tried to use it with her mind, but the only response she got was “Conditions for the lottery not yet met,” without any explanation as to what conditions needed to be fulfilled.
She cupped her chin in thought.
From its appearance, the sparkling golden pool seemed to be more precious, but the white pool felt more mysterious.
Using the colorless crystals to draw meant that users could earn rewards by clearing dungeons.
The system didn’t hide its use of incentives to lure Xu Dengming.
To her, the experience just felt a bit strange but not fatal.
As long as the rewards were rich enough, she would naturally become more eager to study the system she had gained.
But why was she the one encountering this?
***
The wind, cold and biting, blew past her, a few strands of hair falling on her forehead.
Xu Dengming reached up and brushed them away.
She looked out into the distance.
The sky was darkening, and the surroundings were dim as well.
The area was silent, and in the distance, the Sixteen-Leaf Clover Welfare Institute was but a blurry silhouette.
Xu Dengming withdrew her gaze and immediately chose to pull the golden pool.
The pool swayed twice, and in the next instant, as the light from the item illuminated, a line of system text appeared in the air.
Before Xu Dengming could read the message, she suddenly felt a sharp pain deep within her brain.
A bizarre humming sound rang in her ears, as if something indescribable were buzzing around her head.
The intense pain and dizziness made Xu Dengming bend over involuntarily, gasping for air.
Darkness overtook her vision, and in mere seconds, she was completely blind.
***
Perhaps several minutes passed, or perhaps it was several hours, but gradually the cold stiffness surrounding Xu Dengming’s body faded.
She stared at the gray stone tiles beneath her, her mind finally realizing that she was looking at the floor.
She straightened up, one hand pressing against her forehead, exerting a bit of pressure, causing her palm’s cold sweat to mix with the sweat on her forehead.
Although her vision had mostly returned, the strange humming sound, like the fluttering of moth wings, lingered in her ears.
Xu Dengming felt that after the gacha pull, something had forcefully entered her mind, granting her an inexplicable understanding of certain “sightings.”
Turning around, she gazed at the empty office building in front of her.
To Xu Dengming’s eyes, this old, abandoned structure seemed to radiate a strange, unreal aura.
Actually, after she cleared the dungeon, the “Escape the Room” dungeon had disappeared from the office building, but the recent influx of knowledge into her mind made her realize that some residual energy from the dungeon still lingered in the place.
A question flashed across her mind: What exactly was this energy?
***
She stared at the abandoned office building for a while, beginning to feel her eyes dry and heavy.
She closed them, and when she opened them again, a faint light seemed to flash in her vision.
The sense of unrealness surrounding the building had vanished, and the world had returned to its original state.
However, upon closer inspection, Xu Dengming felt that things weren’t exactly the same.
As someone who had long suffered from eye strain, she was already teetering on the edge of needing glasses, but now, everything around her seemed unusually clear, as if the dust and cobwebs on a piece of glass had been suddenly washed away.
She wasn’t confused by her state because, at that very moment, a new message from the system appeared in midair.
[System: Congratulations, Player 009-000 has obtained the permanent skill [Eye of Observation (Lv. 1)] Note: The user’s current mental strength is limited, please avoid prolonged use.]
[Eye of Observation (Lv. 1): A special eye that allows the user to partially see the essence of fate. Note: Due to the user’s low level, this skill is easily interfered with by external forces and cannot reveal high-level abilities or discern disguises.]
***
Qingpeng District
Located near the outskirts of the city, Qingpeng District was far from the true suburbs, yet still considered a relatively remote area.
Rent was cheaper here, making it an attractive option for recent graduates who had completed all their credits but didn’t mind spending extra time commuting.
Xu Dengming, currently a senior at the Information University of Triangle Banyan City, had recently moved to an apartment in Qingpeng District.
Her university’s logo resembled the letter “E”, and students affectionately referred to it as “E University.”
After finishing her thesis, Xu Dengming moved to the Sunflower Apartment, Room 403, in Qingpeng District.
She was accompanied by her roommate, Wang Yanxing, who lived just downstairs in Room 303.
Unlike Xu Dengming, who chose the apartment based mainly on cost, Wang Yanxing came from the inner city, and had moved here due to differences with her family regarding her future career path.
***
As Xu Dengming climbed to the third floor of the Sunflower Apartment, she ran into Wang Yanxing, who was coming out to take the trash.
Wang Yanxing rubbed her eyes, surprised to see Xu Dengming.
“Didn’t you say you were going to find a job? You’re back early today.”
It was nearly seven in the evening, but Wang Yanxing had clearly considered Xu Dengming’s usual schedule.
“I tried, but the position didn’t feel right,” Xu Dengming replied.
Wang Yanxing, who knew how flexible her classmate was in her job choices, asked curiously, “What do you mean by not right?”
Xu Dengming paused, then answered honestly, “The kind of job where I’d want to eliminate my coworkers.”
Wang Yanxing: She thought the workplace environment in the outer districts was becoming increasingly treacherous.
***
Dujuan Street
As one of the oldest established neighborhoods in the outer districts of Triangle Banyan City, Dujuan Street had seen everything from desolation to prosperity and back to decline.
The buildings here were mostly red brick, giving it an old-fashioned aesthetic.
At eight in the evening, the lights from a late-night shift illuminated the window of No. 44 Dujuan Street.
Inside, Gao Ganchi set down her coffee cup, massaging her forehead with a tired expression. After a moment, she removed her glasses.
This was a very neat and normal office.
A potted plant, purchased by the logistics department, sat on the desk, reflecting a modest but functional aesthetic.
He Wen stood up, “Then, I wish you all the best.”
Gao Ganchi: “This is a great opportunity. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider? They’re offering more than one position.”
He Wen shook his head.
“I’ve grown accustomed to living in Triangle Banyan City, and I don’t plan to move.”
Even Gao Ganchi had learned to joke now. It seemed that the arrival of people from the inner city truly was a challenge for the Special Affairs Bureau to handle.
After subtly mocking, Gao Ganchi stood up and walked to the window.
The streetlights had long since been lit, and she gazed out at the street, watching the passersby.
A child was leisurely riding a bike, several elderly people were walking home with their hands behind their backs, and a university-aged girl seemed a little distressed as she checked her backpack…
Everything appeared so normal, the complete opposite of terms like fantasy, bizarre, dungeons, or pollution.
The Special Affairs Bureau’s office building stood right there in the midst of this ordinary and peaceful atmosphere.
The pedestrians around rarely wondered about what might be inside this ordinary office building, and the staff at the Special Affairs Bureau typically didn’t broadcast their work to the outside world.
After all, in the minds of most people, this was an invisible and non-existent special unit hidden beneath the calm of everyday life.
Tftc!