Translator: AnubisTL
The person behind Wu Jinshen had been keeping him up at night for days.
But now, things were gradually becoming clearer.
Though he still didn't know who that person was or which faction they belonged to, he had at least uncovered a crucial piece of information!
The person behind Wu Jinshen needed vast quantities of one-star items, even the kind that were difficult to sell. It seemed they only cared about the star rating, regardless of the item's effects.
This realization filled him with excitement.
It felt like playing a puzzle game and finally finding the first clue.
"Xiao Ai," he quickly dialed a communication channel. "Check if any faction or individual has been aggressively acquiring one-star items over the past fifty years."
"Understood, boss."
Meanwhile, Chen Jiang had already finished his work.
One of the mechanical race's Eight Great Satellite Cities had fallen into ruin without offering any resistance.
In truth, there was no way to resist.
It wasn't that the mechanical race's satellite city was too weak.
Rather, Chen Jiang's "Nightfall" was simply unreasonable. By plunging the city into absolute darkness, it was as if he had thrown it into the depths of a black hole, leaving no trace of light and no means of escape.
If Chen Jiang had simply bombarded the city with artillery, it would have been a crushing victory.
But by first plunging the city into darkness and then unleashing his artillery, he had achieved a dimensional strike.
He was beginning to anticipate what set effect he would unlock at +500 enhancement.
It would likely be even more powerful than "Nightfall."
At least the previous abilities like "Giant Super Annihilation Bomb" and "Crimson Light Pillar" had been comfortable and intuitive to use. This was his first time using "Nightfall," and the effect was already impressive.
Meanwhile, Chen Jiang had already claimed the top spot on the fusion point rankings.
A human player had finally appeared in the top ten, securing tenth place.
Beyond that, several human players had also made it into the top hundred, though their rankings were lower.
"Even though this was a disaster for the human race, this battle should unite them more," Scar Dog said with a sigh. "To be honest, it's quite poignant. Kindling City was humanity's first major settlement. Now it's gone. Even if it's rebuilt, it'll never be the same."
In its prime, Kindling City had been overcrowded, with most residents forced to live in the streets or even outside the walls.
Few would complain about this.
After three months of wandering the wilderness, everyone had realized that the sense of security that came from gathering with their fellow race members far outweighed the comfort of a soft bed.
Chen Jiang nodded calmly, about to say something, when a notification suddenly sounded in his ear.
[Congratulations, Player Chen Jiang, for successfully triggering the first stage of the achievement "Alien Collector."]
[Reward: One two-star life-type resource item.]
[Achievement Name: Alien Collector]
[Trigger Conditions: Kill 20 players of different races, kill 50 players of different races, kill 96 players of different races.]
[Completion Status: Stage 1 unlocked.]
Chen Jiang was slightly surprised by the notification. Had he really killed 20 players of different races? How could he not remember?
So far, he seemed to have only killed players from the mechanical race, elf race, ape-man race, and insect race. Perhaps there were a few others he hadn't remembered, but even counting those, it couldn't possibly add up to 20 different races.
He quickly realized what had happened.
When he destroyed the mechanical race city earlier, there must have been players from other alien races present. He simply hadn't noticed because he had turned off kill notifications.
He had disabled kill notifications long ago.
Otherwise, the constant alerts from tens or hundreds of thousands of kills would have driven him mad.
Just then—
[Ding! Congratulations, Player Chen Jiang, for successfully triggering the first-stage reward of the achievement 'Alien Collector.']
[Reward: One two-star life item.]
[Bloodstained Silk Gloves.]
"Another piece of the Gentleman's Set, I see?"
Chen Jiang stared at the newly acquired item with a slightly strange expression. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was unconsciously assembling the entire Gentleman's Set.
[Item Name: Bloodstained Silk Gloves]
[Item Star: Two-star item]
[Item Details: These bloodstained silk gloves are pure white and impervious to dust. Exceptionally soft and lightweight, they feel almost nonexistent against the skin.]
[Item Effect: When you place your hand on someone's forehead, you will heal all curable injuries on their body. This ability can only be used once every 24 hours.]
[You can heal others, but you cannot heal yourself.]
[A Gentleman is never injured; he only has two options: life or death.]
[Item Restriction: The effect only activates when the item is worn.]
[Item Set: This is one piece of a seven-part set. Collecting four or seven pieces of the set will grant additional set effects.]
[Item Description: Once you complete the Gentleman's Set, you will become like a god untainted by the world's filth, gazing down upon this dirty world. Yet even gods can be defiled, just like the indelible bloodstains on the Gentleman's Set.]
[Set Pieces: Bloodstained White Shirt, Bloodstained Hard Felt Hat, Bloodstained Gentleman's Cane, Bloodstained Suit Pants, Bloodstained Silk Gloves (5/7)]
[Can heal injuries.]
A flicker of understanding flashed in Chen Jiang's eyes. He nodded slightly, acknowledging it as a decent effect—certainly better than his current set effect.
He had already collected four pieces of the Gentleman's Set, triggering the four-piece set effect.
The set effect, however, was essentially useless.
The healing effect of the silk gloves could partially compensate for their team's current lack of healing capabilities, though they might not need it for now, as they hadn't sustained any injuries yet.
Standing in place, Chen Jiang opened the fusion point shop and scanned the options before purchasing a three-star item he had already selected.
Price: 380,000 fusion points.
Not cheap.
"Scar Dog, this is for you," he said, casually tossing the item to Scar Dog. It was undeniably a perfect fit for him.
"Oh?" Scar Dog's eyes flashed with excitement as he grinned. "Let me see."
The last three-star item Brother Jiang had given him, the Time Anchor, had been exactly what he wanted. He wondered what this one would be.
[Item Name]: Simple Camera
[Item Star]: Three-Star Item
[Item Effect]: Functions like a regular Polaroid camera, allowing you to take photos and instantly develop them.
Additionally, you can take a "Source Photo." If the object in the Source Photo is destroyed, the photo can be used to activate Time Reversal, restoring the object to its original state as depicted in the Source Photo.
[Item Restriction]: The Source Photo can only be taken twice within a 24-hour period. After being taken, the Source Photo cannot be stored long-term and will automatically disappear after 24 hours.
If a Lifeform is present in the Source Photo, Time Reversal will not affect the Lifeform's memories or any other aspects of its existence.
Only one Lifeform can appear in a single Source Photo.
If the item's owner dies, the Source Photo containing their image will automatically activate, reviving them.
When taking a Source Photo, the focal length is fixed, and the distance between the subject and the camera cannot exceed 100 meters.
Item Description: Perhaps you didn't know the full name of the Simple Camera—"Simply Fucking Ridiculous Camera."
"Whoa!"
A flicker of shock flashed through Scar Dog's eyes. "Brother Jiang," he exclaimed in disbelief, "this item is insane! The effect is way too powerful! The human race's innate abilities are nothing compared to this!"
The item effect sounded complex, but it could be summarized in a single sentence:
Every 24 hours, it can revive two individuals, with no usage restrictions or limits on the number of uses.
"Isn't this far superior to that human racial innate ability, Phoenix Nirvana?"
"The human racial innate ability only allows for one resurrection. Once used, it becomes completely useless."
"But this item allows for resurrection every 24 hours!"
"It's not expensive, not much at all," Chen Jiang said, shaking his head. Curious, he added, "Let's try it out and see if it works."
"Hmm..." Scar Dog pondered for a moment, then turned to Li Hao. "How about I take a Source Photo of you first, then have Brother Jiang blast you with a cannon to see if you resurrect?"
"..."
Li Hao remained expressionless for a moment before replying, "First, I haven't offended any of you. Second—"
"Alright, no need to say more," Scar Dog interrupted, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. "Using you for the experiment is indeed inappropriate. If something were to happen to you, the consequences would be severe. Let's use that large rock over there instead."
Without further hesitation, Scar Dog immediately raised his Simple Camera and snapped a Source Photo of the distant boulder.
"Hmm, perfect."
Looking at the "Source Photo" he held in his hand—a snapshot taken casually for an experiment—Scar Dog couldn't help but sigh softly. "Even a random shot taken for an experiment can capture the perfect golden ratio."
"The innate abilities of people truly vary."
"On Blue Star, how many people must regret that I never became a private photographer?"
Chen Jiang wasted no time. He set down his steel sword, aimed the Steel Sword Autonomous Rotating Turret at the nearby boulder, and immediately fired.
Boom!
When the dust settled, the massive boulder that had stood moments before was gone, leaving only a crater in its place. The rock had been pulverized into dust and scattered into the air.
Scar Dog cautiously crumpled the "Source Photo" in his hand. Instantly, the photo transformed into a beam of white light that shot toward the crater.
Then—
An astonishing sight unfolded!
The white light began to reconstruct itself rapidly. Within seconds, the massive boulder reappeared in the distance, along with the surrounding wilderness beneath it.
However, the wilderness hadn't been fully reconstructed.
At a glance, all that could be seen was a large pit containing a small island, and atop the island sat a massive boulder.
This wasn't due to any flaw in the process, but rather because Scar Dog had only framed the boulder and a small patch of wilderness beneath it when he took the Source Photo.
The pit's actual extent far exceeded the area captured in Scar Dog's Source Photo.
"What a pity," Scar Dog lamented. "The focal length and shooting distance were fixed when I took the Source Photo. Otherwise, I could have pointed it at the sun and captured the entire sun in the frame!"
"Wait a minute—"
His expression suddenly turned peculiar as he fell into deep thought. After a moment, he spoke, "Brother Jiang, this item can use Time Reversal to restore destroyed objects within the Source Photo to their original state, right?"
"Yeah, what's up?" Chen Jiang glanced casually at Scar Dog. "You've already used your racial innate ability and don't have any decent self-defense items. This should help you stay alive."
"Since both your Source Photos capture yourself, you can effectively revive twice a day."
This item was unique in the Fusion Shop, and he had purchased it.
In fact, he wasn't the only one who could afford it. Feng Jiutian could have bought it too!
The fusion point shop offered numerous life-saving items.
With 5 million fusion points at his disposal, Feng Jiutian should have been able to acquire a substantial number of such items. Yet, he hadn't purchased a single one.
The fusion point shop didn't reveal which player had bought which item, but many of the more expensive items had been swept clean. If things went as expected...
It seemed that Feng Jiutian had spent all 5 million fusion points on items and transferred them out before Chen Jiang arrived.
The exact details remained unclear, as this was merely speculation.
"If that's the case," Scar Dog said, his face lighting up with excitement, "does Time Reversal work on items too, Brother Jiang? Imagine this: we could pile up a million one-star items in an open space, take a Source Photo of them first..."
"Then we can use these items for enhancement. Once we're done, a single Time Reversal will bring back all one million one-star items, right?"
"Isn't that basically like doubling down in a poker game?"
"..."
Chen Jiang's expression turned slightly odd, and he remained silent. He had to admit, Scar Dog's idea seemed plausible. If it really worked, it would be an epic-level boost for him!
He could embark on this enhancement journey at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people!
"We should try it. If it works as you say, this item will have been worth every penny."
If it actually worked, it wouldn't just be worth the money—it would be a goddamn jackpot!
For the moment, he forgot about buying Scar Dog a racial innate ability token. First, they needed to test whether the item could be used this way.
(End of the Chapter)
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