The Only Player in 'Child of Stardust'

"Where is Jiang Wuming?" Someone noticed a person missing from the team.

One investigator shook his head, paused, and added, "But we cleared the maze world."

"After completing a project, the key fragment will randomly appear in the successful participant's pocket. Check if you have it."

The investigator whose ability was [Bubble Gum] looked at Zhou Yuan. He and another person checked all their pockets but didn't find any key fragments.

Zhou Yuan patted himself down and finally found a hard object in the inner pocket of his coat. It was a metal fragment.

[Name: Key Fragment]

[Note: Collect all fragments to synthesize an important item, "The Director's Office Key."]

"Here." Zhou Yuan handed the key fragment to the other person. He couldn't use it himself.

"We still need three more fragments." Someone in the crowd exhaled, having gained another fragment was a huge step forward.

"Which three projects are left?" Zhou Yuan asked.

"Carousel, roller coaster, Ferris wheel."

These are all classic rides... Zhou Yuan thought for a while, unable to figure out how the carousel could be dangerous.

Seemingly noticing his confusion, an investigator wearing half-frame glasses explained, "Each of these projects has an unknown killing mechanism that we have yet to understand."

"The carousel ride lasts 5 minutes, but after 1 minute, the riders' bodies start to burst with wounds continuously, just like them."

The glasses-wearing investigator pointed to the injured on the ground. Their bodies were covered with wounds as if cut by knives, some deep enough to see the bone.

Looking at the severely injured people, Zhou Yuan felt confusion: "Isn't Chen Guangxi a dragon? Her defensive power should hold for 5 minutes, right?"

"The damage is very special. It can't be resisted by defensive power. Even Chen Guangxi couldn't withstand it. In gaming terms, it's real damage. You should understand that, right?

However, the carousel is not fatal if you get off in time, but the roller coaster and Ferris wheel can be deadly."

At that moment, the door was pushed open, and Chen Guangxi returned. She looked exhausted, her suit somewhat damaged, and her stomach made a loud growling sound, clearly indicating a massive depletion of energy.

She scanned the hall: "Where is Jiang?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Chen Guangxi sighed helplessly.

"We cleared the maze world and scavenged a lot of food." The two investigators reported the good news, taking all the food from the storage ring and piling it up into a small mountain.

Everyone's eyes widened. They had been trapped in this haunted place for more than a week, and their food supplies were dwindling, forcing them to ration and endure hunger. But now, with these supplies, they could last much longer, maybe even wait for reinforcements to arrive.

The morale of the crowd soared.

"Guangxi, you eat first." An older investigator with a square face handed three boxes of self-heating rice to Chen Guangxi.

Chen Guangxi had been conserving food resources for everyone and hadn't eaten for a long time, relying on her strong constitution. Now that they had supplies, she surely needed to eat something good.

"Woohoo, it's mealtime again, guys!" Chen Guangxi cheered as she held the self-heating rice.

Soon, the investigators began to cook, eating ravenously while discussing the killing mechanisms of the three remaining amusement park rides.

Zhou Yuan watched quietly from the side, as if they had completely forgotten about Jiang Wuming's death.

It seemed they had become accustomed to the sacrifices of their companions.

Was the extraordinary world really this dangerous?

Was being an investigator really this hazardous?

"Hey, you, come here for a second."

At the dining table, Chen Guangxi was waiting for her rice to heat up and waved to Zhou Yuan, "By the way, what's your name again?"

"He said his name is Wang Zhen." said an investigator from the maze world.

"Wang Zhen? Why don't you just call yourself Ding Zhen."

Chen Guangxi shook her head. It sounded like a fake name, and she figured the face was fake too.

Newcomers these days were getting more cunning.

Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "All right, I am Ding Zhen."

"Okay, snow leopard. I heard them say you are also a martial artist?"

Chen Guangxi glanced up and down at Zhou Yuan, "It just so happens that I am also a martial artist. Do you want me to teach you a few moves?"

A martial artist... Zhou Yuan was a bit stunned.

Did this profession exist in reality too?

Those two investigators saw him use the Condensed Qi Fist, so they thought he was a martial artist?

He pondered for a moment and pushed the explanation onto the abnormal item: "I'm not a martial artist, just lucky enough to get an abnormal item.

Also... do extraordinary people have "professions"?

"Yes, of course. But more accurately, they are "systems."

I told you before that you can elevate your life level through practice. Those cultivation methods, when broken down, are individual supernatural power systems.

Martial artists, Taoists, knights, magicians, astrologers, onmyojis, cyborgs... Recently, it seems a new genetic modification human system has emerged?"

Chen Guangxi looked uncertainly at the others.

"Yes. It was developed by Eternal Gene, enhancing life level through gene enhancement injections. This system is still in the experimental stage, with a high mortality rate, but its advancement speed is unparalleled. It's said that the strongest genetic modification human reached level 5 in just three months."

The older square-faced investigator continued, "My name is Gu Honggao, I belong to the Dongzhou Abnormal Control Bureau, and I am the captain of the mobile task force [Alpha] team."

[The mobile task force has high authority within the Control Bureau, so building a good relationship with them is beneficial for you. By the way, the investigators you encountered earlier were also a mobile task force.]

A mobile task force... Zhou Yuan nodded, "I see. So, it's best for extraordinary people to find a system that suits them?"

"That's right."

Chen Guangxi started with more cryptic words, "Long is a dragon, so Long chose the martial artist system. Do you know the value of True Dragon Martial Arts?"

This dragon was quite abstract... Zhou Yuan thought to himself, hesitantly asking, "But aren't dragons usually associated with magic?"

"Hah!"

Chen Guangxi chuckled, full of Dragon King's presence:

"When did you get the illusion that I was just a martial artist?

To be honest, I dabble in the magician's path as well!"

"Sit down, let's talk about cooperation." Gu Honggao pointed to a nearby seat, signaling Zhou Yuan to sit.

He had already heard from the two investigators that clearing the maze world was all thanks to Zhou Yuan. This wild extraordinary person with mysterious special abilities could accurately find the way out in the maze and foresee danger in advance.

If they could bring him into the team and cooperate, it would be a great advantage. Another person meant another hope of escaping.

Sitting down would indicate his agreement to cooperate.

Zhou Yuan certainly intended to cooperate too. This haunted place was too dangerous, and relying on himself alone, he probably wouldn't last three days.

He sat down and straightforwardly said:

"I have no problem with cooperation, but I have two questions."

"First, what happened in this amusement park?"

"Second, why are you here?"

From his observations of the amusement park over the last period, Zhou Yuan was already certain that the mission was set in Yingzhou. It was no wonder that Chen Guangxi mistook him for an investigator from the Yingzhou Control Bureau at the beginning—using the [One-time Transformation Card], his current appearance was that of a Yingzhou person.

Gu Honggao and the others belonged to the Dongzhou Control Bureau yet were on a mission in Yingzhou's territory. If there were no hidden agenda, who would believe it?

"I'll answer your second question first—we came to Yingzhou to retrieve something. That thing originally belonged to Dongzhou but was taken by the Yingzhou people during wartime and has since been overseas."

"Although this mission is top secret, it will be common knowledge in a little while, so it's okay to tell you."

Gu Honggao looked at Zhou Yuan and asked:

"Have you heard of [Cave Heaven Blessed Land]?"