[Code Vision Remaining Time: 00:30]
Thirty seconds left.
I rushed to the silver metal box half-buried in the ruins.
It looked quite high-tech; the surface was still smooth, but the lock area was severely deformed and covered in a thick layer of green rust.
"Open up!"
I didn't have time to study lock-picking skills. I jammed the blade of the fire axe into the gap of the box lid, braced my foot against the box, clenched my teeth, and pried upward with all my might.
Creak—Pop!
With a crisp sound, the rusty lock flew off. The lid popped open, revealing the carbonized shock-absorbing foam inside.
[Code Vision Remaining Time: 00:05]
The last five seconds. My left eye stung frantically, and my vision began to flicker.
I saw a few broken glass bottles lying in the box; the liquid inside had long dried up, leaving only a layer of disgusting black grime. But in the corner, there was a faint, unstable purple glow.
I reached out and grabbed it.
[Time's Up.] [Code Vision Deactivated.]
Buzz—
Like a power outage, that green world filled with data lines vanished instantly.
My left eye plunged into brief darkness, then slowly returned to normal vision. There were no more data tags in front of me, only the real wasteland filled with dust and trash.
But I was indeed holding something.
I raised my hand and, by the dim skylight, saw my only loot clearly.
It was a thumb-sized, crude glass vial corked with a stopper and sealed with wax (though the wax was cracked). The vial contained half a bottle of cloudy, eerie purple liquid.
Tiny bubbles were still rising in the liquid; it looked like some kind of fermenting chemical waste.
A weathered parchment label was pasted on the bottle, the writing on it blurred and unclear.
I took out my phone and opened the camera's [Item Appraisal] function (this is a built-in basic feature, no charge required).
The scanning beam swept across the bottle.
Beep!
[Item: Low-Level Stamina Potion (Prototype/Defective)] [Origin: Magic Continent · Goblin Alchemy Workshop] [Ingredients: Slime Condensate, Stimulant, Vigor Grass, Trace Radioactive Water.] [Effect: Rapidly restores stamina, significantly relieves hunger, temporarily boosts Strength and Agility.] [Status: Severely Expired (Shelf Life: Late Third Era, expired by approx. 3000 years).] [Side Effect Warning: Drinking carries a high probability of diarrhea, visual color aberration, and mental hyperactivity.] [Special Warning: Contains trace hair removal ingredients (Goblins believe being bald is more aerodynamic).]
"..."
Looking at this long list of descriptions, my hand trembled slightly.
Expired for three thousand years. Contains trace radiation. And... hair removal ingredients?!
"Are goblins serious about their aesthetics? Bald heads are aerodynamic?"
I touched my thick black hair, feeling ten thousand alpacas galloping through my heart.
This isn't a potion; this is clearly a mixture of poison and hair removal cream!
Growl—
Just as I was hesitating whether to throw away this "biological weapon," my stomach issued a solemn protest.
That burning hunger struck again, more violent than before. My limbs began to feel weak, and my vision even started to double.
Hypoglycemia. Combined with the intense exercise and mental exhaustion just now, my body had reached its limit.
If I didn't drink it, I might not even have the strength to walk back to the hotel. I'd only be able to lie in this trash heap, waiting to be gnawed into a skeleton by those mechanical rats tonight.
"I can't just drink it... what if I drop dead on the spot?"
I forced myself to calm down. As a rigorous tester, when facing an unknown Bug (potion), I must perform a Unit Test first.
My gaze searched around and quickly locked onto a mechanical rat peeking out not far away.
It was a palm-sized little thing with rust on its back and a spring for a tail.
"Sorry, Mickey."
I picked up a stone, aimed, and threw!
Bang!
The stone landed precisely next to the rat, startling it. Just as it wanted to run, I had already pounced, pinning it firmly to the ground with the flat side of the fire axe.
Squeak! Squeak!
It let out sharp electronic sounds, its four legs kicking wildly.
I carefully pulled out the cork of the potion vial. A pungent smell, like strong menthol balm mixed with smelly socks and a bit of rotten egg, rushed out, nearly sending me to the afterlife on the spot.
"Ugh... this smell is absolutely something else."
Holding my breath, I tilted the bottle and carefully dripped a drop of purple liquid near the rat's mouth.
The moment the drop touched the rat's mouth (or intake port), it seemed to drill inside as if it were alive.
One second. Two seconds.
SCREECH—!!!
The struggling rat suddenly let out a shrill scream.
It violently flipped over the axe pressing on it (Strength skyrocketed!), and then began to spin frantically in circles.
Its eyes turned from dull red to blinding purple. Like a motor, it sprinted, jumped, and crashed into iron plates in the trash heap at a speed the naked eye couldn't track, making loud Clang Clang Clang sounds.
[Observation Result: Stamina significantly increased, in a state of extreme hyperactivity.]
"Effect isn't bad..."
Just as I was about to praise it, I shut my mouth the next second.
That sprinting rat suddenly stopped, trembling violently all over.
Immediately after, the thick layer of metal rust and fiber-like hair covering its back began to fall off in clumps.
Like a dandelion blown apart by the wind.
Less than three seconds. This originally dusty gray rat turned into a... completely bald, shiny stainless steel rat.
It glistened under the static sky, so smooth that even a fly couldn't land on it.
"..."
I subconsciously covered the top of my head.
This is called "trace" hair removal ingredients?! This is practically industrial-strength herbicide!
The bald rat seemed to realize its change too. It touched its shiny head, let out a grief-stricken squeak, and burrowed into the ruins, disappearing.
Standing messy in the wind, I looked at the potion in my hand, falling into the biggest dilemma of my life.
Drink? Or not drink?
If I drink, I live, but I might become strong and bald. If I don't drink, I keep my hair, but I'll starve to death here.
Growl—
The severe pain from my stomach made the decision for me.
"Damn it, if I lose my hair I can wear a wig, but if I lose my life, it's really Game Over!"
"Besides... I'm young, my hair follicles are strong, I'm not afraid!"
Hypnotizing myself, I raised the bottle.
"Here's to this damn trash world!"
I pinched my nose, tilted my head back, and downed that half-bottle of sour purple liquid in one go.
Gulp.
The liquid slid down my throat. The first sensation was cold, bone-chillingly cold, like swallowing a chunk of ice. Then came the heat, like swallowing a ball of fire. Finally, a stench rushed straight to the top of my skull.
"Ugh—Cough cough cough!"
Clutching my neck, I almost threw up.
But the next second, a massive, violent heatwave exploded from my stomach, like an atomic bomb detonating inside my body.
That weakness, hunger, and exhaustion were washed away without a trace by this heatwave in an instant.
My heart began to pound: Thump! Thump! Thump! My blood flow accelerated, and my skin all over turned red and hot.
An indescribable sense of power filled my limbs. I felt like I could punch a bull to death right now, or run around this trash mountain for a whole day.
[High-energy substance intake detected.] [Stamina Restoration: 100%.] [Status Gained: Goblin's Rage (Duration: 1 Hour).] [Side Effect Triggered: Hair Follicle Damage Rate +1% (Performing Hair Resilience Check... Check Passed. Hairline temporarily preserved).]
Seeing the words "Check Passed," I almost cried. Thank you, Great-Uncle! Thank you, genetics!
I clenched my fists, feeling the energy that was about to overflow from my body.
"Good!"
I grabbed the fire axe from the ground; it felt as light as a straw.
"Since I have the strength, I can't be idle."
I looked at the "trash" all around me. That rat just now was worth 0.5 points. There was so much scrap metal, broken swords, and junk here.
"Now, I am Porter Lynn."
I grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, my eyes burning with flames of excitement.
"All the trash here is mine!"