Chapter 7
However, given the system's previous attitude, she felt there was definitely a trap inside.
“How many bullets are left in the gun?” Xia Er asked cautiously.
“Five-chamber magazine, three bullets remaining.”
“If you want to buy bullets, it’s one Fate Point each. Thank you for your patronage.”
Only a madman would buy from you.
It seemed the system's values were vastly different from her own as an ordinary person. Whether it was clothing, a gun, or a bullet, to the system, they were all the same.
Only by encountering more items could she better understand the system's pricing rules for different objects.
Though there were only three bullets left, Xia Er still chose to purchase the revolver.
So far, this was the only weapon that could provide her with a sense of security. Even if Fate Points had other uses, she had to prioritize buying this gun.
“Purchase.”
Xia Er's Fate Points balance dropped from 14 to 13. After exiting the Fate Points interface, she noticed a golden highlight in the upper right corner of the “Warehouse” section.
Opening the warehouse, the four slots were finally no longer empty; the icon of the revolver appeared in the first slot.
With a thought, as she opened her hand, a white light coalesced, and a black vintage revolver materialized in her grip.
It was heavy, the grip was extremely uncomfortable, and the gun body bore several scratches. Even the trigger felt a bit loose, but it was well-maintained, gleaming slightly.
It looked like a firearm from the 1800s, fitting Xia Er's understanding of the current era.
She had always thought she lived in a parallel world version of London, but now it seemed this place was no longer the ordinary world she knew.
A gang leader had actually designed a plot to kill her under the guise of a bizarre “ritual.”
Coupled with the information from Mira's letter about the gang's connection with some church followers, along with the existence of the system, she couldn't help but wonder if this world truly harbored extraordinary powers.
No matter what unknown dangers lurked in this world, she had to find a way to navigate through the immediate crisis.
Xia Er returned the revolver to the warehouse and opened the “Skills” section, looking at the new skill she had just acquired.
In addition to the initial “Agility Lv.1,” there was now a “Death Resistance Lv.1.”
“Death Reversal Lv.1: When you are about to die, clear all negative statuses and consume a large amount of mental energy to forcibly maintain a near-death state for a short period. If you do not escape the near-death state before your mental energy is exhausted, you will die.”
A forced extension of life for a few seconds...
Xia Er looked at this skill with a strange expression.
If this were a game, it would be a god-tier skill, akin to a powerful ultimate move.
But for her current situation, this skill was utterly useless.
In a simulation, if she died, a few seconds wouldn’t change anything; at most, it would allow her to gather some information.
In reality, if she sustained a fatal injury, those extra seconds would be even less helpful; performing first aid in that time frame was nearly impossible.
However, looking on the bright side, in the simulation, this skill could at least allow her to lock in health to grab equipment or items, or trade her life for crucial information.
If the previous Agility could only be seen as a boost to her physical attributes, then this Death Reversal was akin to an extraordinary ability.
Moreover, Xia Er noticed a small golden “+” sign glowing to the right of these skills.
As soon as her consciousness brushed against the “+” sign, a system prompt appeared before her.
“Would you like to spend 10 Fate Points to upgrade [Death Reversal]?”
No.
Xia Er decisively refused.
With only 13 Fate Points left, she could afford just one simulation. If she didn’t make significant progress in the next simulation, it would almost mean losing the chance to simulate again.
Currently, aside from simulations, she had no other means of acquiring Fate Points, and the pressing time didn’t allow her to leisurely search for ways to gain them.
The punk Aian had been targeting Xia Er for half a year, trying to provoke her and her sister at every turn, seemingly hell-bent on getting himself killed. It was clear now that it was no coincidence.
The Blackwater Gang had approached her during the second simulation but hadn’t gone to the bustling market to kill her sister, which was different from the first simulation.
The only difference between the two instances was that it was now her who had to kill Aian.
Could it be that the so-called “ritual” required either her or her sister to kill Aian to commence? Was that why Aian was so relentless in trying to provoke them?
What if she and her sister appeared simultaneously in the market? At the police station? Or even at a noble friend's house? Would the ritual still continue?
If it were possible, Xia Er would definitely try each scenario.
But the dwindling Fate Points warned her that if she didn’t make some significant changes in the next simulation to earn enough points, she wouldn’t have enough to continue simulating.
Rather than choosing to run away and gamble on possibilities, betting on the chance that her opponent, who had been planning for half a year, had overlooked a flaw that would lead to her precise death, Xia Er leaned towards another option.
An option that her opponent could never anticipate.
That was to fight back.
Xia Er took a deep breath, summoned the system interface, and opened “Simulation.”
The timing for each upcoming simulation varied; she needed to know whether the next one would be set for tomorrow, the day after, or today, and then plan accordingly.
“Next Simulation: 10h (Saint Year 741, June 18, 4:45) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)”
“Previous Simulation: 30 Days (Saint Year 741, May 16, 7:30) (Cost: 100 Fate Points)”
“Old Simulation: ***, *** Days (????) (Cost: 10,000 Fate Points)”
Chapter Six: Taking the Initiative!
10h? Ten hours later?
Xia Er opened the system's time function and saw that the current time was 18:45, close to seven o'clock.
She had activated the system around 6:30, and only fifteen minutes had passed since then. Discounting the time wasted in reality, the time in the simulation was almost negligible.
“There is a significant time difference between the simulation and reality; the host need not worry about the simulation time affecting reality^^”
The system interface flashed before her, providing an explanation.
Ten hours later... that would be close to five in the morning?
She had 24 hours of activity time in the simulation, which was enough for her to accomplish many things.
“System, if I’m mentally exhausted in reality, what happens when I enter the simulation?”
“If the host forcibly suggests to themselves not to sleep, then the host will also enter a state of mental exhaustion in the simulation.”
The state carries over...
“What if I don’t simulate within that time?”
“If the next simulation time [Saint Year 741, June 18, 4:45] is reached without conducting a simulation, the next simulation will reset to a new time.”
Xia Er nodded, confirming her plan.
She needed to spend some time in a relatively safe room to finalize her strategy, then get plenty of sleep, and finally conduct the simulation before the next time limit arrived.
This simulation was crucial; it would be the longest she had survived so far. She had to change the outcome of her death in the simulation world, and even if she couldn’t change the ending, she needed to make significant alterations to earn more Fate Points.
Xia Er jotted down notes, constantly guessing and revising based on the information she had gathered, hoping to arrive at the most suitable solution.
Unfortunately, the current intelligence was quite limited, and her knowledge of combat was virtually nonexistent. She had to set aside planning for now, grab some change, and head out to buy a short knife from a vendor.
On her way back, she consciously observed and spotted the tall, thin figure wearing a baseball cap again—the stalker she had noted in her notebook, still following her even at night.
After sharpening the knife at home, she attempted to store it in the system warehouse, but the attempt failed.
She then tried to put other items into the warehouse, but all were unsuccessful.
It seemed the warehouse could only store items purchased from the points shop, which left Xia Er feeling a bit regretful.
Having completed all the preparations she could for now, Xia Er returned to her room, lay down, and closed her eyes, activating the system simulation in her mind.
“Next Simulation.”
As she silently recited the words for the next simulation, a hazy silver light blossomed in her vision, and her consciousness was drawn into that silvery space.
Table of Contents
