Quarantine Nightmare: Rotten Fish Corpse

This was fully in line with the developmental process of early technology:

Many inventions and technological achievements were first applied to military use on the battlefield when they initially appeared;

For example, electronic computers were invented to analyze artillery trajectories, but later became indispensable devices in every household of the intelligent age.

But when it came to making money, civilian mass-market products were still the way to go. They had broad markets and low costs!

Selling cards to Card Masters meant, at most, selling a few thousand or tens of thousands. Selling them to ordinary people could mean selling hundreds of thousands or even tens of millions!

In his previous life, Lin Chen had heard a profound maxim: Science and technology were the primary productive forces.

But in this world, it ought to be changed to: Card-making technology was the primary productive force!

Unfortunately, this world's card-making standards were not yet high enough to mass-produce cards with low spiritual consumption.

Put simply, card-making technology was insufficient to drive an increase in productive forces.

Lin Chen suddenly realized that weren't God Cards made using his advanced technology?

Especially with the Divine Spirit Gathering effect, God Cards could absorb spiritual power on their own, with extremely low consumption.

That made God Cards the cards most suited for civilian use!

Moreover, many gods' authorities existed to serve the common people in the first place, such as the Kitchen God and household gods. Using them this way could hardly be considered overkill.

God Cards solved the problem of low spiritual consumption, but the problem of quantity remained unsolved. They could not currently be replicated.

He still had to rely on incense and faith. Once enough faith had accumulated, Lin Chen would consider replicating a batch of youth editions of the Door Gods for public use.

The more people who used them, the more faith would be fed back, forming a virtuous cycle!

Lin Chen felt that he had found a perfect path to wealth: benefiting people's livelihoods, earning money openly and honorably, and increasing his strength at the same time!

He still had to spread the faith!

But people's preconceptions were a mountain. Relying on words alone, he certainly could not move Mountain Moving with ease. He had to make a move and display his strength once, so the masses would understand the Door Gods' benevolence.

Lin Chen had even begun hoping that some kind of anomaly would appear in the residential complex, allowing the Door Gods to come out and subdue it. But then he thought, How could I raise bandits to bolster my own importance? He hurriedly spat several times to ward off the thought.

For some reason, Lin Chen began to smell a foul, rotten odor...

Wu Song: "Greetings, heroes! Everyone, cast a vote for my elder brother!"

Chapter 11: Quarantine Nightmare: Rotten Fish Corpse

With his spiritual power increased, Lin Chen's five senses had improved as well. His sense of smell had grown more sensitive, and he immediately caught a faint whiff of rot.

"It must be someone's food that was left out too long and spoiled. This improved sense of smell isn't entirely a good thing."

Lin Chen shook his head and stopped paying attention to it, continuing to plan for the future;

Qinghe County Exile Fighter Wu Song and Guardian Door Gods Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong—the three cards covered offense and defense.

As a Card Master, he already had the most basic offensive and defensive framework.

He also had a general direction for making money. Next, he needed to do more research and learn about this world's information;

Lin Chen opened the Card Association's official website and began reading the daily news for H City Binjiang District, where he lived:

"An anomaly of the 'Fiend-level' has appeared in Section 135 of the Binjiang Waterway, causing mass hysteria among living creatures within a one-kilometer radius along the river!

There has currently been no impact on nearby residential areas. The H City Card Association Security Bureau has already dispatched Card Masters to eliminate it.

Nearby residents are requested to keep a close watch on the Anomalous Invasion Public Opinion Warning channel;

Follow the warning notices to carry out home-based prevention and control or evacuate in an orderly manner;

If an anomaly appears, immediately call the local Patrol Team Card Masters!"

"The B-Class Dungeon Myriad Ghosts Night Parade Capital previously descended upon H City's Binjiang District. Eight Card Masters have successfully survived and brought back valuable dungeon guides;

Detailed intelligence will subsequently be posted in the Must-Read Guide for Anomalous Dungeons section. Everyone is requested to study and memorize it carefully."

"To prevent subsequent derivative contamination from the B-Class Dungeon Myriad Ghosts Night Parade Capital, residents of Binjiang District are requested to conduct daily Sanity Value self-checks for fifteen days after the dungeon;

If any abnormal fluctuations appear in your Sanity Value, please promptly call the local Control Group Card Masters to investigate anomalies.

For ordinary residents, unless necessary, please reduce the number of times you leave home during these fifteen days."

"In response to the shortage of daily necessities among residents of the Quarantine Zone;

The H City Card Master Association has added fifty SF-Type Intelligent Mechanical Scouts—Modified to transport daily necessities. Residents of the Quarantine Zone are requested to wait patiently."

Lin Chen also skimmed the news from other provinces and regions. Anomalous dungeons or anomalies had descended into the real world everywhere.

It seemed the situation in the real world was indeed far from optimistic.

Anomalies were springing up everywhere, while the Card Master Association Security Bureau rushed from one emergency to another, stretched to its limits.

They could only keep quarantining and isolating residential areas to prevent anomalous contamination from spreading.

But even after quarantining a residential area, they could not simply abandon it. The citizens still needed supplies.

This world had only card-material delivery services intended for Card Masters, with no delivery services for ordinary citizens.

As a result, the H City Card Master Association had already reassigned some Scout Cards from investigating anomalies to delivering supplies. The Card Master Association's shortage of resources was plain to see.

It was understandable. First, the human population had sharply declined, reducing the labor force and leaving too few people to fill the many jobs in the delivery industry.

Second, in an environment teeming with anomalies, ordinary people would not dare deliver food. They could not keep doing it for long;

One day, they might receive an order from an anomaly—and end up becoming the delivery themselves.

With quarantines imposed every few days and no delivery business available,

Everyone could only stockpile large quantities of food at home in advance. Problems with preservation were inevitable, so it was no wonder Lin Chen had smelled something rotten after his five senses improved.

This made Lin Chen even more determined to develop cards related to people's livelihoods in the future! To serve the people, to establish a purpose for the living, and to make money while standing tall!

But at present, he was alone and weak. First, when poor, he had to cultivate himself in solitude;

For now, he should eat.

While his instant noodles were soaking, Uncle Chen and the neighbors' chatter drifted in from the corridor again:

"The notice just came down. Our building is going back under quarantine."

"Sigh, then I won't be able to go fishing!"

"You're a professional blank-fisher. Whether you go fishing or not makes no difference."

"Hmph! I'm telling you, I just caught a huge fish weighing over thirty kilograms!"

"Seriously?!"

"Come to my place and see. I've already hung it up."

"Good! I have to see whether you've really got a fish—or whether you're bragging!"

Footsteps... the sound of a door opening...

"How is it? Is this fish big?"

"Oh my god! This fish is... way too big!"

"We have to get all the old fishing buddies over to see it tomorrow!"

Lin Chen was a little curious too, wanting to see just how big this rare giant fish was.

But making cards today had once again consumed a tremendous amount of Lin Chen's spiritual power. He went straight to sleep after eating.

The next day, when Lin Chen woke up, he again heard the noisy bustle of footsteps outside in the corridor.

"Wow! Old Chen, this fish of yours is way too big!"

"Old Chen, where did you catch such a huge fish?"

"When Old Li told me, I didn't believe him either. I thought you were bragging!"

"It really is huge... Must weigh over forty kilograms, right?"

Well now, the fishing guys had gathered.

Once a fisherman caught a big fish, he had to let everyone know. It was perfectly in keeping with the psychology of fishermen.

Putting his gossiping curiosity away, Lin Chen continued studying the card-making notes left behind by the original owner.

He still had one green material, Drowned One's Umbrella, as well as several white materials on hand.

He wanted to see whether he could piece together a formula. Making another Equipment Card or something would be good. With the pressure of Anomalous Invasion immense, converting the materials into fully formed combat-ready cards was the top priority.

But this material contained the attributes of a drowned one. What kind of character corresponded to a drowned one?

Jingwei, the divine daughter who filled the sea; the poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Miluo River; Li Bai, who was rumored to have drowned while trying to seize the moon; and others;

They were all decent card-making templates, but the spirits of cards like these seemed too soft and were unsuitable for charging head-on into battle.

After studying card-making formulas for an entire day, night fell before he knew it. Card-making truly was an extremely time-consuming and exhausting undertaking.

Since the official quarantine had been imposed, Lin Chen did not want to leave the building without authorization and invite trouble, so he went to bed early again.

But Lin Chen had a strange dream:

He dreamed that he was strolling along the riverside. The river rippled with glimmering waves, while the moonlight swayed hazily.

Neighbor Uncle Chen strode excitedly ahead of him, carrying a huge fish that was half as tall as a person.

Uncle Chen was extremely excited. Whenever he saw someone along the way, he would go over and boast, "Look at the huge fish I caught!"

Yet every passerby who saw the huge fish he had caught would freeze, their eyes fixed straight on it;

Then, as if they had lost their souls, they followed behind Uncle Chen. More and more people joined them until a long line gradually formed behind him.

The fish grew larger and larger, becoming increasingly lively. Silver-white scales gradually emerged, and its vacant fish eyes began to grow vivid as well.

The fish's scarlet pupils rolled and rolled. Then, all of a sudden, they noticed Lin Chen.

As if he had received a signal, Uncle Chen turned to look at Lin Chen: