Bullet Time

Though things had suddenly gone wrong, Fang Linyan had at least planned ahead and prepared an escape route. As he ran, he sucked in deep breaths and pressed his right index finger hard against the spot between his eyebrows. At last, he felt a little better.

There was a fork ahead. Thirty meters down the left path, there was a motorcycle.

That had been Fang Linyan's first choice for getting away, but right now he was basically in drunk mode plus severe-headache mode. He couldn't even drive a car without rear-ending someone in minutes, let alone ride a motorcycle. So, with no other choice, he went with his second escape plan: turn right, go a hundred meters, and enter the subway station.

Before entering the station, Fang Linyan glanced back. He could already hear the piercing alarm sounding from the memorial hall!

He took a deep breath, frowned, and held his forehead as he hurried down into the subway. Then he quickly boarded the next train, which carried him roaring off into the distance.

Half an hour later, Fang Linyan emerged from the subway station, his face deathly pale. After taking a couple of deep breaths, he ducked into a convenience store, poured a bottle of chilled mineral water over his head, then grabbed a bottle of vodka from beside him and gulped it down.

The cold water pouring over his head immediately subdued the burning pain. The liquor numbed his nerves, dulling the agony, and he soon felt much better. He found a cheap roadside motel, set an alarm, and stumbled inside. Then he collapsed onto the bed and slipped straight into a semi-conscious state.

When the alarm woke Fang Linyan, he checked the time. He felt a little better, but his eyes were still bloodshot and his head throbbed unbearably. He was like an office worker who'd stayed up until the early hours working while suffering from a fever and cold. So he gulped down a few more mouthfuls of liquor, set the alarm again, and fell asleep under the numbing effects of the alcohol.

After sleeping for more than ten hours, Fang Linyan woke again. He felt much better now. His headache had faded from excruciating pain to a dull, lingering ache, like a bad cold. When he checked, his MP had nearly returned to normal.

After gulping down a cup of hot coffee, Fang Linyan checked the time and quickly booked himself a flight to Boston. Then he called a cab and hurried to the airport. He'd been a little apprehensive going through security, but it seemed the trouble at the memorial hall hadn't affected him, so he boarded without incident.

Once the plane took off, Fang Linyan put on his eye mask and leaned back comfortably in his seat. He let out a satisfied sigh, then began tallying up what he'd gained from the fight. He soon discovered the source of his headache.

It turned out that the "Talent" section of his personal attributes, which had previously been marked as ???, now displayed a series of descriptions.

A-rank Talent: Bullet Time

Description: For an instant, the brain's potential is unleashed to an astonishing degree, bringing it into a state of intense, focused activity. Time seems to slow dramatically, but the body's movements also slow in tandem. Your calculation and reaction abilities will increase accordingly.

Activating this talent immediately consumes half of your current MP. For every second afterward, it burns 10% of your maximum MP. If you don't have enough MP to burn while in this state, your mind will suffer damage, temporarily reducing your Spirit by 1 point per second. If the mental trauma becomes too severe—more than five points—you may even suffer permanent damage.

Once Bullet Time is activated, you cannot use items that restore Spirit or equip gear. It can only be activated once every half hour.

Only then did Fang Linyan remember the strange heat radiating from the Black Old-Fashioned Phone he'd been carrying when he activated his talent. He immediately pulled it out and was stunned. Its surface was covered in several cracks, as though it had been smashed hard, and it looked ready to fall apart at any moment.

That wasn't all. The light on the Black Old-Fashioned Phone's screen had grown very dim, and its battery was down to just 5%. It looked like it might shut down at any moment.

Seeing this, Fang Linyan had an inkling of what had happened. Perhaps the phone had sensed that he was in grave danger and helped him by triggering his talent—but it had paid a heavy price for doing so.

He sighed and shook his head. Then he noticed another notification:

"You successfully touched and read the Mayflower Compact. You completed the milestone: Scholar."

"You received the title: Scholar."

"Your MP has increased by 20 points."

"This title can evolve. In certain worlds, you may trigger a related evolution quest."

"You can equip only one title at a time. Switching titles incurs a five-minute cooldown."

Fang Linyan paused, then equipped it without hesitation.

Since he was traveling first class, a flight attendant with a sweet smile brought him a meal. The main course was spaghetti with meat sauce and pea soup. The food was nothing special, but the apple pie that came with it whetted Fang Linyan's appetite. It was steaming hot and sweet with a tangy flavor, and he ate three pieces in a row.

Once he was full, Fang Linyan ordered a glass of Moscato sparkling wine. He felt that being slightly tipsy would help him recover from the mental trauma he'd suffered. He got up to use the restroom, collected himself, and rubbed his hands together. Then he prepared to open the Bloody Key dropped by the blonde woman, Contractor 91UK3.

This wasn't new to him. Contractor 91UK3 was the second Contractor he'd killed, and Fang Linyan already understood the basics. It was essentially like a lottery, so he couldn't help feeling both eager and nervous.

Would you like to summon the Bloody Treasure Chest of Contractor 91UK3? Yes/No?

The metal chest began to open slowly. Inside, a glaring crimson light made it impossible to see what was there. Fang Linyan's mind immediately received a series of notifications:

You opened the Bloody Treasure Chest. You may choose one of the following options as your spoils of war.

1. Obtain 50% of the potential points and common points the deceased had remaining at the time of death.

2. Randomly obtain three items from the deceased's storage space.

3. You have a 33% chance to obtain a scroll for one of the deceased's abilities. The ability will be randomly selected from among all the abilities the deceased had mastered, including but not limited to basic abilities, advanced basic abilities, and talent abilities. The scroll can be learned by anyone. The ability's level after learning will be half its original level.