Censored by the System

Feng Ling: "???"

Was it talking about her?

She was not the only one who found it strange; the Players on the Forum were equally baffled.

'※: What's going on? This isn't right, is it?'

'※: So the Hidden Boss's skill is healing teammates? It doesn't even have a party system. Where would it get teammates?'

(Annotation from Huangfu Miaomiao: Any buff-type skill from a Card is restricted by the system and can only be used on oneself and party members. It is like how a healer in a game can only restore a teammate's health and cannot possibly heal a monster.)

'※: No wonder the system freaked out. This bug couldn't be any more obvious! A Boss is designed to attack Players, yet its skill is healing. Hahaha, this is hilarious!'

'※: I'm dying. Why am I kind of happy about this? We get screwed over by the system every day. Who knew the system would have its own bad day too? Hahaha!'

'※: The Hive is a rare Card. When the system put it into the card pool, it probably never expected a human to obtain it.'

'※: Aren't you jumping to conclusions? How do you know it was a human and not another animal? There have been way too many mutated animals lately. Zone Quests keep coming one after another—we can barely kill them all.'

'※: To evolve from a Juvenile Form to a Sub-adult Form so quickly, it must be an intelligent higher life-form. There is nothing worth discussing.'

'※: Am I the only one jealous that the person above has so many Zone Quests? There haven't been any decent quests near my home in ages. I can't earn Points, so I'm getting ready to move~'

'※: Go ahead. I recommend Zones 17-22 and 26-18. Both are pretty good.'

The rest of the thread was all about Points and quests.

Feng Ling scrolled further and found these Xenomorphs rather interesting. Perhaps it was because Huangfu Miaomiao's translation was too localized, but Feng Ling actually felt that Xenomorphs did not seem much different from humans.

They liked watching drama, loved gossip, and went off-topic just as easily.

Judging from their words, they were all ordinary people in every possible sense. Yet one fact could not be changed: from the moment they logged into humans, they had become executioners with bloodstained hands.

Huangfu Miaomiao was among them as well. The little girl who had fought cancer for years vanished forever the instant Huangfu Miaomiao logged in.

Hyenas on the African savanna bit their prey until their bellies split and their entrails spilled out. Yet when facing their own kind, they could still play, frolic, and reveal a tender side.

Feng Ling's heart remained calm and unruffled as she continued reading.

In another discussion thread, the Xenomorphs gathered to analyze the Hive's weaknesses, and the debate was in full swing.

Some suggested sinking her into the sea to prevent the Hive's powerful recovery ability from keeping her alive.

Some said they should set a trap, lure her into an enclosed space, then burn her to death. Only reducing her to ash would be safe enough.

Others said they should form an Expedition Team specifically for the Hive, pointing out that the team needed at least one member skilled in using Corrosive Fungus to interfere with the Hive's recovery ability.

Feng Ling spotted one reply:

'※: The Hidden Boss is in Qingjiang City. DM me if you want detailed intel.'

Further down were some very ordinary discussions, arguments over what sort of team composition the expedition should use and the like.

Not a single person mentioned Qingjiang City, as though they had not seen that reply.

But how could they not have seen it?

Feng Ling guessed that quite a few people had already privately messaged the person who posted it.

She placed the tablet on the storage shelf and fell into thought.

Being treated as a target was extremely annoying.

She was not afraid, but it would be troublesome if too many Xenomorphs came to Qingjiang.

She was currently at a critical stage of Nest Building, and her Corruption Value had already reached 29%. Her most urgent task was to find a Maze. She truly did not want to be distracted by anything else.

What should she do?

Feng Ling rose, draped a bath towel around herself, casually grabbed a dry towel to wipe her hair, and thought as she did so.

"Little Skeleton..." she called.

Huangfu Miaomiao looked up. "Hm?"

Feng Ling asked thoughtfully, "Why do you Players kill Bosses?"

"Because Bosses give a lot of Points," Huangfu Miaomiao answered.

"Then why do you need Points?" Feng Ling asked again.

"Because..." Huangfu Miaomiao was a little stunned by the question. To her, earning Points was as natural as breathing. Did it even need a reason?

"Because if we don't have Points, we'll die..." she tried to explain. "Eating human food can only keep our bodies alive, but maintaining the logged-in state itself consumes Points. During the game, Nutrient Paste and recovery medicine also need to be bought with Points. If a character dies and logs in again, you have to pay a huge amount of Points. Not to mention drawing characters and Cards—those all require Points too..."

Feng Ling asked her, "How many Points do you have now?"

Huangfu Miaomiao paused. "4,520 Points."

Feng Ling had helped her earn quite a lot in the cave.

Feng Ling asked curiously, "Are those Points enough for you to survive?"

Huangfu Miaomiao opened her mouth, her expression complicated. "H-here, they're enough. But if I log out, they might only be enough to survive for around seven months..."

Feng Ling became even more curious. "Why? Do you also need Points to survive after logging out?"

A string of strange notes came from Huangfu Miaomiao's mouth, as if her voice had been turned into garbled text.

Oh... had she been censored by the system?

Feng Ling found it fascinating. The system was actually this intelligent—did it monitor every Player's speech in real time?

Yet Huangfu Miaomiao was completely unaware. She worked hard to babble out a whole lot, then asked Feng Ling, "You understand now, right?"

Feng Ling smiled. "Haha, no."

Huangfu Miaomiao: "..."

(T^T) Are you making fun of me again?

Feng Ling said with a smile, "In short, the driving force behind all your actions is Points. As long as a target worth more Points than the Hidden Boss appears, it can divert the Players' attention."

"I think that'll be difficult..." Huangfu Miaomiao sighed faintly. "After all, no Boss outside the Abyss has ever made a System Announcement. The system treated you so specially; without even thinking about it, anyone would know you must be worth a lot of Points."

With a swish, Feng Ling drew her Bone Blade, licked her lips, and said, "How about you try killing me right now?"

"..."

Standing beneath the showerhead, Huangfu Miaomiao felt even the water turn half as cold.

"Just kidding~" Feng Ling smiled and put away the Bone Blade.

Huangfu Miaomiao: "..."

It was not funny at all! And please put some clothes on!!!

With a grim little face, she told Feng Ling, "The system not only exposed your Card, but specifically emphasized that you have advanced from a Juvenile Form to a Sub-adult Form. It is like a limited-time discounted item in a shop—if you do not buy it now, the price will go up. So a huge number of Players will definitely come to Qingjiang to hunt you."

Feng Ling's eyes crinkled with amusement. "If I were already in a Mature Form, would they still dare come?"

Huangfu Miaomiao froze slightly at that.

...If she were a Mature Form, perhaps not so many people would set their sights on her.

Just like those twelve Abyss Bosses. Their rewards were worth as much as one hundred thousand Points, yet no Player dared to launch an expedition against them.

Because they were too strong.

"So rather than thinking of a way to stop them, it is better to think of a way to become stronger. As long as I am strong enough, the annoying flies and mosquitoes will naturally disappear."

Feng Ling smiled at Huangfu Miaomiao. "Little Skeleton, let's go find a Maze."