[Escape Room] Invincible Contrarian System
The ten people looked at one another, and the atmosphere grew a little awkward.
A woman who looked to be in her early thirties spoke first. She wiped the grime from her face and said in a hoarse voice:
"I was still at a shelter in the Lower City last night... I woke up and found myself here. Everyone, have we... entered 'that place'?"
[Lu Zihan: They know about bizarre instances?]
[Ren Yi: They're from Pasture World. Everyone in Pasture World has experienced invasions by their predecessors, so knowledge about the bizarre was probably widespread long ago.]
"I'm afraid so," one of the young men replied. His face had an unhealthy flush, with a trace of barely concealed... excitement?
He continued, "Everyone, now that we've entered a bizarre instance, we should work together. I'll introduce myself first. My name is Lin Feng. I was clearing away mutant beast carcasses outside the city when everything blurred, and I ended up here."
"I'm Chen Fang." The woman who had spoken first cooperated and gave her name.
The others introduced themselves in turn: two cleanup crew members, a nurse, a cook, and a boy huddled in a corner, trembling.
Soon, all seven had introduced themselves, and everyone's attention turned to the three armed men.
Chen Fang ventured, "Sirs, who are you...?"
"You can call me Old Deng," replied the man in the lead, who carried a machine gun. "These two are Liu Rui and Chu He. We're from the Holy City Resource Collection Team."
He deliberately paused and surveyed the grimy faces before him. "Judging by your clothes and your condition, you're probably not from the Holy City. But it doesn't matter. Now that we're in this trial, we're all in the same boat."
He patted the light machine gun in his hands, the metallic clatter especially grating in the silent room.
"The collection team has had professional training and knows some basics about handling trials. So I expect you all to follow orders and not try to get clever."
His gaze deliberately lingered for an extra second on Lin Feng's excited face.
"I know some people see trials as 'a chance to change their fate.' But let me make this clear upfront: if anyone acts on their own and drags the team down, don't blame the weapon in my hands for showing no mercy."
Several people promptly agreed to follow Old Deng's orders and began searching Room One. But intimidated by Lu Zihan, they didn't dare approach the half of the room where he and Ren Yi were.
Ren Yi and Lu Zihan were happy to listen to them talk. After all, time was on their side.
[Ren Yi: Sounds like they're from a post-apocalyptic world? What's this "resource collection team"?]
[Lu Zihan: That's not the point, is it? What did Old Deng mean by "a chance to change their fate"? That reaction seems off, doesn't it?]
[Ren Yi: I don't get it either. What exactly did the predecessors do to this world...]
Still, a modern post-apocalyptic world? Ren Yi thought to himself, adjusting his plan.
"This won't do." Just then, Old Deng spoke up. "According to what I know, the beginning of a trial is safe. We have to use this time to find out what this trial requires as quickly as possible. You lot, go search for clues over there."
The people he pointed at, including Lin Feng and Chen Fang, glanced at the machine gun in Old Deng's hands and walked over without a word.
[Lu Zihan: Why aren't they arguing with him? In a normal story, shouldn't a few troublemakers step up and challenge him, and then Old Deng would use his gun to establish his authority?]
No one triggered the rule, leaving him a little disappointed.
[Ren Yi: Maybe there aren't many idiots left alive in a post-apocalyptic world.]
The group made their way toward the display stand where Ren Yi and Lu Zihan were. Lin Feng lagged half a step behind, and by the time he arrived, the others had already quickly chosen where to search.
With nowhere left to go, he rubbed his nose and finally walked toward Lu Zihan, the "monster sculpture."
Lin Feng carefully approached the sculpture. Seeing no sign that the monster statue was moving, he mustered his courage and reached out to touch the monster's blade.
A cold, stinging pain shot through his hand, startling him into pulling it back.
He suppressed his fear and made it halfway around the display stand. Suddenly, he noticed a card on the floor behind it. It read, [Escape. The key is in the third coffin.]
[Lu Zihan: Ban Deng’er, he's seen the clue.]
Ren Yi didn't answer. He was considering whether to use his ability now. After all, the rule only forbade him from moving, and he didn't need to make any movements to activate his ability.
Just then, Lin Feng looked up and caught sight of something white out of the corner of his eye.
It was a white jade plaque, hanging from the monster sculpture's wrist by a thin thread and cupped in its massive hand. It was completely hidden from the front.
A thought stirred in his mind. Taking advantage of the monster sculpture blocking everyone's view of him, he reached out and took it down.
Just then, a line of text suddenly flashed before his eyes.
[System bound.]
"What are you doing?" Old Deng called out, apparently noticing that Lin Feng had lingered too long.
"I found a clue!" Lin Feng hurriedly called back, stepping out of the blind spot.
Hearing this, everyone quickly gathered around Lin Feng. He backed away a few steps, ostensibly to let them get a clear look at the clue, but actually to hide his pounding heart.
Strange text kept appearing before his eyes, and for some reason, he could understand it.
[System activated]
[Hello, host. The Invincible Contrarian System is at your service]
Holding back his wild elation, Lin Feng whispered so only he could hear, "System, what can you do?"
It worked. Unseen by anyone, a wisp of Positive Emotions energy was absorbed by the white jade plaque in Lin Feng's pocket.
The system—in other words, Ren Yi—felt the use of his ability he had just expended replenish itself and immediately knew his plan had succeeded.
So he continued using his illusion ability to fill Lin Feng's vision with text.
[This system is called the Invincible Contrarian System]
[The host must play the role of a "contrarian." Getting others to argue back earns system contribution points]
[Contribution points can be exchanged for items in the system shop]
"Open the system shop," Lin Feng continued in a whisper.
Ren Yi immediately made up a shop and sent it over: an Instant Immortal Ascension Pill for 99,999 contribution points, an Invincible Heavenly Thunder Talisman for 99,998, a God-Slaying Heaven-Destroying Blade for 99,997...
In any case, Lin Feng couldn't afford them. It wasn't that his system didn't have them.
Using his perception, Ren Yi watched the corners of Lin Feng's mouth slowly rise and thought with a sigh, Why can't one unit provide Positive Emotions more than once? Look how happy this kid is. Who knows how much Positive Emotions he could provide?
Lin Feng soon realized he was utterly penniless, and his face quickly darkened. "System, is there anything cheaper?"
Ren Yi immediately brought out the "menu" he had prepared.
[Aura Concealment Talisman: Activated by thought. Select one target. As long as the target does not trigger a bizarre entity's instant-kill rule, the entity will not prioritize attacking that target. Duration: 5 minutes. Price: 1 contribution point]
[Target Transfer Talisman: Activated by thought. Select one target. The bizarre entity will prioritize attacking the selected person. Price: 1 contribution point]