Volume One, Chapter 18: A Stone Thrown into the Public Latrine Stirs the People's Ire
No wonder her area had the most players. In such an extremely dangerous place, only someone who appeared truly selfless could earn trust. But the premise was that this selfless person couldn’t be weak.
Not far away, Li Chuan spotted three familiar faces. They were the unlucky trio he had seen gang up on the giant lizard and whom he had ultimately opened the treasure chest for. The leader’s name seemed to be Xu Fengyun. Around the three of them, more than a dozen players were gathered.
Besides these two relatively organized groups, most other players were scattered and standing apart.
“Hey? Where did that monster in the white mist go just now?” It wasn’t only Li Chuan who was curious; the chat channel was buzzing with discussions about where the monster had disappeared to.
Forget it, time was running short. It was best to find some more fertile soil for the little green plant.
Li Chuan looked down at the barren black soil beneath his feet.
“Severely water-deficient, barren black soil.”
“This ground definitely won’t do!”
He silently moved deeper into the area.
...
“Don’t come any closer! If you step any further, I won’t hold back!”
No sooner had Li Chuan taken a dozen steps than a man clad in gray leather armor, armed with a bow and arrow, shouted at him. The man stood before a “Three-Headed Vine,” frowning and alert.
[Su Kang (One-Eyed Ding): Human]
[Level 8, Archer, Weakness Marked]
Li Chuan frowned and stopped.
“Am I blocking your way here?”
There was at least twenty meters between him and Su Kang.
The young archer gripped his longbow nervously.
“Your plant spirit can’t be planted here! You murdering fiend, stay away from me!”
His words instantly drew agreement from everyone nearby.
“Yeah! The ‘Green Cold-Blooded’ title! He’s killed at least ten of his own kind. If he stays here, how can we possibly rest easy?”
“Right! Get lost!”
“If you come any closer, you won’t have a good outcome!”
Li Chuan understood now—it was those three green words floating above his head causing all this trouble.
“First, I only kill to protect myself! Second, I have no interest in this patch of ground under your feet!”
“Nonsense! Even if you want it, we have to agree first.”
“Back off. Get lost, now.”
...
Li Chuan snorted coldly and strode away from that area.
“Damn it! So irritating. Finally out of single-player mode, and instead of feeling the warmth of a group, I get the cold shoulder of exclusion.”
Right! He hadn’t checked the upgraded attributes of the Cold-Blooded title yet.
[Cold-Blooded (Title): Green]
[This title cannot be removed or hidden, automatically equipped. When the number of players killed exceeds 100, this title will be upgraded.]
[When the wearer of the Cold-Blooded title is killed, the probability of dropping equipped and backpack items increases by 20% (excluding bound items).]
...
[All attributes +5]
[Evaluation: Lost in the thrill of killing, unable to extricate oneself!]
“All attributes plus five!? That strong? They’re tempting me to kill.”
“Kid! You’re not welcome here either!”
...
“Leave this place, or don’t blame us for teaming up against you.”
...
Li Chuan gritted his teeth.
“Bastards!”
He finally understood—he was like a stone dropped into a public restroom, stirring up the anger of the masses.
That gray-white mist barrier enclosed only a few hundred square meters. Apart from the entrance and the area near the white mist barrier, there was hardly any other usable ground left.
The green title hovering overhead had brought him unexpected trouble.
At the same time, the time limit on the photosynthesis pod was drawing ever closer.
Could it be that he had to plant the little green one in that barren soil by the entrance?
No!
He wanted to see what this white mist barrier really was—why it scared everyone away.
Li Chuan adjusted his glasses and squinted at the white mist barrier.
[System Barrier, Time until removal: 26 minutes.]
System barrier?
So it was just a barrier that would open when the mission time ended.
What ignorant, cowardly fools!
Li Chuan raised his head and marched boldly toward the mist barrier.
The soil there was better. There was no reason to squeeze in with this bunch of people, all shouting that they didn’t trust him, not knowing that he didn’t trust them either.
“Hey!”
A cold female voice called out to him.
Li Chuan turned around.
It was the cold and aloof woman named Gao Han.
“There was white mist just sprayed inside. It’s not safe.”
Someone nearby expressed dissatisfaction.
“Boss, why are you stopping him? He’s a murderer. If he dies, we’ll all feel safer.”
“Yeah, boss, this place is already dangerous enough. Having a killer lurking nearby just makes it worse.”
Gao Han’s expression remained icy.
“We’re all grasshoppers on the same boat. Although he’s wrong for killing, we should give people a chance to reform!”
Li Chuan silently watched the tall woman.
“First, I’m not ‘hey.’ Second, can I plant right beside you?”
Gao Han shook her head firmly.
“No. I’m responsible for the safety of those around me. You can plant your spirit back at the entrance.”
Li Chuan rolled his eyes.
“No, don’t pretend to be some saint.”
Someone in the crowd snapped back.
...
“Who do you think you’re talking to? The beautiful boss is kindly warning you there’s danger.”
“Yeah, the killer’s really ungrateful.”
“Let him go die in that dangerous place, then.”
Among the disdainful voices of the players, Li Chuan slowly approached the white mist barrier.
Fifty meters, forty meters, thirty meters.
At just thirty meters from the barrier, Li Chuan stopped.
He looked back. He was already thirty or forty meters away from the group of ‘righteous warriors.’ At that distance, even shouting wouldn’t be clearly heard.
“Damn it, I’m staying here—no one’s going to bark at me like a dog, right?”
Looking down at the ground beneath his feet:
[Nutrient-rich brown soil, but still lacking moisture.]
This whole area seemed parched.
Under the watchful eyes of many, Li Chuan took out his photosynthesis pod and transferred the Miracle Tree inside it.
Whoosh!
The vibrant green Miracle Tree dropped onto the soil, quickly plunging its massive roots into the earth.
A pleased look appeared on Li Chuan’s face.
His spirit plant seemed to have grown taller.
The Miracle Tree was now over three meters tall. The two flower buds on the tree had grown a bit larger, and the thickest vine looked stronger and more robust.
“Hm, looks like those twelve hours of evolution serum weren’t wasted.”
[Miracle Tree: Orange (Juvenile Stage) (Growth Type)]
[Level: 2/100]
[Experience: 40/200]
[A mighty being extinct in the Titan Realm, endowed with exceptional intelligence and great destructive power.]
[Miracle Seeds: 3/3 (Not yet activated)]
[Evaluation: Legend says the Miracle Tree only grows where miracles occur.]
Only leveled up once?
Li Chuan seemed to realize something.
He hurriedly took another photosynthesis pod from his backpack.
When he first entered the white area, he had been forced to kill eight people, seven of whom dropped their own photosynthesis pods.
[Temporary Photosynthesis Pod: Purple]
[Already used, containing an unclaimed green plant spirit.]
[Open it?]
“Open!”
Li Chuan chose to open it and immediately tossed it to the other side of the little green one.
He couldn’t leave it unopened. If he didn’t open it soon, when the twelve hours passed, it would open automatically, causing seven plant spirits to appear at once. Li Chuan feared little green wouldn’t be able to handle that.
A plant spirit resembling a pine tree appeared beside the little green one.
Swish!
Before Li Chuan could say anything, little green’s powerful vine had already swung over!