At that moment, Fang Linyan finally realized something: he hadn't coughed in ages! He quickly raised his hand and saw that it was much larger than before. What's more, the back of it was covered in golden-white hairs.
He froze, then stepped out of the restroom stall and went to the sink in the outer area. In the mirror, he saw a sturdy young man who was also of Chinese descent and looked quite a bit like Fang Linyan himself.
But it was obvious that this young man was in excellent health and had no illnesses at all.
"So this is the descent mode?" Fang Linyan suddenly understood. "I enter someone else's body directly? Oh, no, it's my own cloned body. But its appearance was changed so I could take someone else's place."
Fang Linyan moved his body around, and a wave of relief so intense it nearly brought him to tears washed over him. The things you lost were the things you cherished most. During the days since he'd been diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, he'd suffered terribly. Only then had he understood how precious it was to be healthy.
What's more, an indescribable joy welled up inside him. What did this mean? His body here was a clone. So, in the face of Nightmare Space, what did a mere case of late-stage lung cancer matter?
"Still, even though this is a cloned body, I'd better be careful. The prompt made it perfectly clear: if this body dies, my original body dies too!"
Once his excitement had passed, Fang Linyan warned himself silently.
Another stream of information entered Fang Linyan's mind. It was about this body of his, though there wasn't much of it. He learned only that its name was Jerry Lin, that he was twenty-three years old, and that he was poor, belonging to the lowest rung of society. He'd once worked as a mechanic, and his home seemed to be thousands of kilometers away. His reason for traveling abroad this time was tourism. That also spared Fang Linyan the trouble of interacting with acquaintances and risking exposure.
After digesting the information, Fang Linyan looked around the washroom. There was no one else inside, and the door had somehow been locked shut. He couldn't open it at all. As he wondered what was going on, the sensor-activated faucet beside him suddenly turned on and began to run.
Then a series of words appeared on the mirror opposite him, as though an invisible person had breathed on it and traced them out with a finger:
Contractor No. 72AFS, welcome to Nightmare Space. You must complete the main mission assigned to you within forty-eight hours, or you will be eliminated. Main Mission: Delayed Departure Means Death. Mission Briefing: You must successfully board American Airlines Flight 11 (from Boston Logan International Airport to Los Angeles) within forty-eight hours. If you fail, you'd better prepare your will. Mission Tip: This is only the beginning of a nightmare. Truly, entering this world was a mistake. Notice: Contractor No. 72AFS, you entered this world in descent mode and used the item: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Pardon before entering. You will therefore receive one enhancement opportunity. Choose from the following options. Because of the pardon, this enhancement draw will not affect your completion rating or be included in your personal combat assessment. A. Orc Transformation. B. Increase all basic attributes by 20%. C. Voodoo Black Magic: Blood Spider.
Faced with this sudden choice, Fang Linyan was taken aback. He immediately realized that these three options must have been abilities Fang had once possessed. (Blood Spider was a prerequisite for Severed Finger Kill.) If Fang himself were here, he would undoubtedly choose Orc Transformation.
But Fang Linyan immediately ruled it out. Why? Because he'd seen Orc Transformation before. It turned the user into an orc and maximized their physical attributes. Although powerful, it came at a steep cost and didn't last long.
Most importantly, no matter how powerful your body was, you needed the right combat skills to make use of it! A world weightlifting champion would surely be incredibly strong, but if he fought to the death against a veteran fighter in a Syrian rebel group in his forties or fifties, the veteran would have a much better chance of surviving.
So although Orc Transformation seemed like the strongest option, it wasn't the best fit for Fang Linyan.
Next, he ruled out option B. It was basically a weaker version of Orc Transformation. Fang Linyan's healthy body was already strong enough for the moment. Since he knew nothing about fighting, a boost to his physical attributes wouldn't actually improve his abilities in any fundamental way.
After eliminating two options, option C was the best choice left for Fang Linyan.
As soon as he selected C, a flood of information surged into his mind, and he learned everything about Voodoo Black Magic: Blood Spider.
Voodoo Black Magic: Blood Spider Rating: D-class Casting Requirement: Must be equipped with Voodoo-specific casting equipment: a Voodoo Doll. Casting Material: Blood / 10 MP Cooldown: 100 seconds Description: After a 2.5-second casting time, infuse blood with malevolent magic and summon a Blood Spider to attack a designated enemy. The Blood Spider is naturally camouflaged (semi-transparent) and can leap rapidly (maximum height: 50 centimeters; maximum length: 100 centimeters). Its base movement speed is equal to the caster's, and its base damage is 2 points + one-third of the caster's Spirit. When the Blood Spider attacks an enemy, it can cause paralysis or intense pain. The specific effect depends on the nature of the Voodoo Doll chosen by the caster. It is worth noting that the paralysis or pain caused by the Blood Spider is the direct effect of black magic on the soul, rather than physical harm. Therefore, once the black magic wears off, the negative effects will quickly fade, and the enemy will swiftly recover.
***
The prompt appeared again. You can earn the following milestones in this world, including its extended worlds.
Tycoon: You possess more than one hundred million dollars in liquid assets in this world. (Note: Real estate, gold, securities, and the like do not count. Liquid assets need not be in U.S. dollars, but must be in a currency exchangeable for U.S. dollars. The exchange rate will be calculated at the current rate.)
Great Minds Think Alike: Become a black-card holder at the Gold Club in Atlanta—oh, your taste has now reached the same level as Bill Gates, media mogul Ted Turner, King Gustaf of Sweden, Jordan, Rodman, Ewing, Mutombo, and the rest.
20001: To unlock this milestone, you must visit Wilt Chamberlain's grave in Pennsylvania and pay your respects with ten different flavors of Durex. This milestone won't be easy to achieve. It requires an incredible amount of stamina and money—and, of course, a strong back.
Fearless: You encounter and kill any legendary creature. (Note: Your total damage to the creature must exceed 10% of its total HP.)
Scholar (?): You visit the National Museum of the United States and successfully read and touch the Mayflower Compact.
Your Merit Points are insufficient, so you cannot view the remaining milestones.
Earning the relevant milestone unlocks its corresponding title.
Each Contractor can possess multiple titles, but can only equip one at a time. Titles come with various special effects and may also have negative effects, so equip them with care. Using titles flexibly can make your adventures easier.
Before you continue