Matrix Survival: I Get A Random Chest Every Day

Following the directions on the business card, Li Zheng quickly completed today's entire exploration.

To find the doctor as soon as possible, he chose not to take detours to explore valuable rooms, as this could potentially lead him further away.

After taking inventory, in the seven rooms he checked, besides finding two wild Luoshen Flowers, he also killed a Black Iron, a Bronze, and two Silver creatures.

The last two rooms were empty. Compared to other players, his luck was neither good nor bad.

All the materials obtained, except for the blood, were bundled up and thrown into the trading hall.

Checking the time, it was just noon. With nothing to do, Li Zheng simply set up his capsule house to prepare lunch and took the opportunity to ask in his two-person group chat when Xiao Siyuan would return to Channel 879.

Xiao Siyuan quickly replied: "In a bit, I found a room with special crops. I'll come back once I'm done here."

"Alright, contact me in the group once you've finished. I've locked my private messages and won't accept any DMs." Li Zheng asked, "What about Lin Fengjiao? How is she doing?"

Xiao Siyuan replied: "She's okay, just experiencing some slight rejection reactions, nothing too severe."

"Rejection reactions?" Li Zheng was slightly stunned. He hadn't considered this problem with body modifications and immediately asked, "Which eye is it? The one I gave her?"

"No, it's that ordinary Bionic Eye." Xiao Siyuan quickly sent another message: "However... the eye you gave also has some issues.

After a night of adaptation, the originally mechanical-looking eye is transforming towards a more flesh-and-blood appearance, looking increasingly like a real eye.

To be honest, this phenomenon is beyond my expertise and is completely outside my knowledge base, so I can't say whether this change is good or bad."

"Transforming?" Li Zheng asked, "Didn't Prel's Eye give any hints?"

Xiao Siyuan replied: "Precisely because there were no hints, that's why I said it was beyond my scope! By the way, where exactly did you get this eye from? It's just too bizarre!"

Could it be possible that a mechanical bionic prosthetic eye would transform into human flesh and blood?

Could this really be a patent of ancient technology?

A bit outrageous.

Li Zheng thought for a moment and replied to Xiao Siyuan: "The source is hard to explain; just consider it something I picked up during exploration. But judging by the item's name, it might be related to that instance we first attempted."

"Instance?"

It seemed something was happening on Xiao Siyuan's side, as there was a slight pause before he replied: "You mean the Ancient Ruins?"

"That's right." Li Zheng added, "But this eye wasn't obtained during that event. I shared all the gains from that round afterward."

As he said this, he felt a bit guilty, since back then, a little guy sneaked in and swiped two blueprints when everyone wasn't paying attention.

Xiao Siyuan replied with laughter: "Hahaha, what are you thinking? Just from that lousy instance, expecting to get a Diamond Level item?"

"It's good you think that way."

"Well, what you said just now made me a bit suspicious again." Xiao Siyuan shifted the topic back on track: "Even though the transformation of that eye is quite odd, I asked Lin Fengjiao, and she said she feels no discomfort. In fact, as the transformation becomes more thorough, the eye's functions are getting stronger."

"Oh? That's good news!" Li Zheng raised his eyebrows.

As a bodyguard, the stronger Lin Fengjiao is, the safer Xiao Siyuan would be, which would also ease his mind a bit.

"It might not be entirely a good thing," Xiao Siyuan messaged: "This transformation has downsides. According to Lin Fengjiao, the further modification and upgrade interfaces of that eye are disappearing."

Li Zheng: "What does that mean?"

"It means, once that eye completely becomes flesh and blood, its Tier will be fixed at Diamond Level. Future upgrades would require another surgery to implant a higher-tier prosthetic eye."

"Such an annoying setup?!" Li Zheng felt troubled: "What does she herself say?"

Xiao Siyuan: "Lin Fengjiao thinks it's fine this way, and she can focus resources on upgrading the other eye."

Li Zheng thought for a while and asked: "Doesn't she want to implant another ancient eye to turn both eyes into biological ones?"

Xiao Siyuan replied: "I asked, and she said she doesn't want to change it, always wanting to leave a way to become stronger."

"Fair enough, it's natural for her to think that way."

Though ordinary bionic organs can continue upgrading, they remain quite mediocre and lack distinctive features.

For example, even if Yan Guang's left arm continues to upgrade, at most, it would become stronger, with the shells it can fire reaching a higher tier. Other changes would be rare.

Functions like mechanical limbs changing form at will, as seen in movies, are almost impossible with ordinary bionic limbs.

In fact, Li Zheng speculated that these bionic organ upgrades have a limit.

However, since he hasn't modified himself, he can't say where exactly this limit lies.

It could be Diamond Level or perhaps Extraordinary or even slightly higher.

In any case, it wouldn't be too unreasonable; otherwise, if all players went for limb modification, wouldn't it just be a matter of collecting materials?

Xiao Siyuan sent a message: "Alright, got lucky and found a Gold Level Thunder Element development item. Unfortunately, the electromagnetic coin is also Platinum Level, causing a bit of a conflict."

Thunder Element?

Such luck?

Li Zheng's thoughts were interrupted, and he immediately focused on this item: "Hey Xiao, we've gotten along quite well these days, right?"

With this line, unless the other person was clueless, they would know what he meant.

Was Xiao clueless?

Of course he isn't!

After all, he's over thirty, right?

"It's so-so, what's up?" Old Xiao replied.

"How can it be so-so?" Li Zheng was anxious: "If there's something good, I'm always thinking of you!"

Old Xiao said on purpose: "Oh~~ really? How come I remember someone once sold me a stinky fruit back then?"

Li Zheng scratched his head awkwardly: "Didn't I also tell you in advance that the taste wasn't very good..."

Old Xiao said: "Was it just not very good? I took a bite and almost ascended to stink heaven, you know that?

Actually, it's not about the taste; it's mainly because after eating that fruit, I freaking turned into a black guy!

Lin Fengjiao kept asking me several times today about my nationality. If I weren't so sure that my body has 100% Asian blood, I would have almost doubted myself!"

Li Zheng puzzled: "Isn't it just skin color? What's the big deal? Look at the unremarkable Principal Gu! He even deliberately tans himself!"

"Damn!" Xiao Siyuan said angrily: "That's called bronze color, how handsome and masculine is that? Look at me! Thanks to the Matrix having some faint lights at night, otherwise I'd be invisible once I take off my clothes!"

Li Zheng said: "Well, you can't laugh, because if you do, your big white teeth will float in the air, who wouldn't be freaked out?"

"So you know, huh!?" Old Xiao said grumpily: "Forget it, forget it, I'm done teasing you, I'll trade the item to you."

Soon after, Li Zheng received a notification that there was a designated order for him in the trading hall.

After accepting, it was a radiant... cucumber.

[Thunderstruck Melon

Tier: Gold

...]

"Thanks." Li Zheng thanked in the group chat.

"No problem." Xiao Siyuan quickly replied: "Judging by your tone, you seem to be in a good mood, so I'm relieved."

Li Zheng: "???"

No, would I really be in a bad mood just for a Gold Level item?

Xiao Siyuan explained: "I heard about the Shinoda Chizuru incident; I know you're not that kind of person, and being slandered and cyberbullied must feel terrible."

"Oh, it's about that?!" Li Zheng suddenly understood that Old Xiao was worried about him because of that incident, and his previous banter was meant to lighten his mood.

He replied: "Don't worry, I've already thought of a solution, once I finish the tasks at hand, I'll go find her."

"Ha! I knew you had many tricks up your sleeve!" Xiao Siyuan was relieved and teased: "But, not to change the subject, that woman's figure isn't bad, right, judging by the angle of the photos... How's the view?"

Just through the text, Li Zheng could imagine Xiao Siyuan's perverted grin right now.

He said grumpily: "Oh, you scumbag who's dated twelve girlfriends, you're actually curious about this kind of thing?"

There was a pause on Xiao Siyuan's side: "Who are you calling a scumbag? Let me tell you, I was genuinely sincere with each of them!"

"Sincere?" Li Zheng sneered: "Speaking of your age, shouldn't all twelve of your exes have entered the Matrix by now? Why don't you contact them, and if anyone's not doing well, I'll lend you the Star Thief, and you can bring them over? And maybe introduce those ex-sisters-in-law to me, huh?"

"Cough!" Xiao Siyuan seemed a bit embarrassed: "Uh, uh, maybe when there's a chance..."

Then, no matter how much Li Zheng teased him, he pretended to be dead and didn't reply.

Having no choice, Li Zheng had to rent the Star Thief to him and let the two of them return to Channel 879.

Old Xiao wasn't there, and without anyone to contact for the raid, he might as well let him go back early and perhaps connect with another raid in the afternoon.

...

On the other side, Xiao Siyuan took the Star Thief out of the trading hall, feeling very gloomy.

Lin Fengjiao noticed this and asked: "Doctor Xiao, why do you look so down?"

Xiao Siyuan looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and asked: "Little Lin, do you think having twelve exes means you're a scumbag?"

Lin Fengjiao thought for a moment and answered very confidently: "Absolutely a scumbag!"

Getting this response, Xiao Siyuan looked up at the sky like a deflated balloon and said dejectedly: "But... what's wrong with liking anime characters?"

Lin Fengjiao was taken aback: "Uh? Anime... characters?"

"Yeah."

Xiao Siyuan counted on his fingers: "Lisetta, Akuya, Adenira, Reimu, Emilia, and..."

"Wait! Hold on!" Lin Fengjiao raised her hand to stop him: "Let's not even mention whether it's too ridiculous for someone your age to like anime characters, but those first three names sound really familiar to me?"

Xiao Siyuan responded matter-of-factly: "Of course they sound familiar, because they were famous in those shows back in the day... I relied on them to pass the time while traveling to the outpost."

"By the way... does having too many favorite anime characters make you a scumbag?"

"It... It shouldn't, right..." Lin Fengjiao said uncertainly.

"That's good. But..." Xiao Siyuan looked at the sky sadly: "Why doesn't my heart feel any lighter?"