Attribute conversion

Zhang Ming had no idea that a mirage was broadcasting his every move.

He was excitedly studying his cheat!

[Physique: 15/21]-the first number, "15," should be his current value.

The "21" after it was the theoretical maximum he could reach when fully rested.

As for [Mind: 9/20], that was even easier to understand. His mental state really was frighteningly bad. The stress of an unfamiliar environment, worries about the future, threats to his survival-all those troubles had nearly crushed him.

But now...

His Mental Value had risen to 10!

His Mental Value had risen to 11!

The number kept climbing, only stopping when it reached 18.

[Mind: 18/20] (You suddenly feel incredibly happy, grinning like an idiot.)

Zhang Ming froze for a moment, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He more or less understood why his “Mental Value” had shot up.

He had suddenly gained a cheat. It would have been strange if his spirits hadn't gone through the roof!

But that damned heaven had dumped him in this godforsaken place, leaving him unsure where his next meal would come from.

He had parents to care for, and a younger sister still in high school. He was still an aging virgin who hadn't fulfilled humanity's grand mission of producing offspring. He hadn't even had this week's Crazy Thursday meal deal yet. He'd done well at work this year, and his boss had promised him a raise...

"If only I hadn't come to Hawaii on vacation! I could've used this cheat to reach the pinnacle of life!"

Zhang Ming wore a sour expression, feeling that life was far too hard on him.

Damned heaven had played a joke on him that he couldn't laugh at.

Wait, his Mental Value had dropped by 17 points!

It had dropped to 16!

[Mind: 16/20] (You suddenly feel dissatisfied with your current life and become somewhat dejected.)

Zhang Ming hurriedly stopped his wandering thoughts and took several deep breaths.

He pondered for a moment.

The "attribute panel" had very simple uses.

The first was allocating points to make himself stronger.

As for where attribute points came from...

He had no idea. There were no instructions whatsoever.

"Maybe doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a ten-kilometer run every day would earn me attribute points."

The second function was attribute transfer. The panel had four attributes in total-[Physique], [Perception], [Mind], and [Lifespan]-which could be redistributed at any time.

That was quite a powerful ability.

Zhang Ming thought of a Dota hero, Morphling, who could convert agility into strength and vice versa.

Now he had become a "Morphling" himself, able to shift between four attributes.

At present, the only attribute he could substantially reduce should be [Lifespan].

His lifespan of 88 was probably only theoretical. It didn't account for whether his plane crashed or a monster carried him off the very next second. In any case, he could live to 88 at most, unless some accident killed him first.

After a moment's consideration, he directly deducted 30 points from [Lifespan] and transferred them to [Physique].

"A strong enough body is the foundation of survival."

Then he transferred another 10 points of lifespan to [Mind].

Struggling to survive in this uninhabited place, Zhang Ming worried he might suffer a mental breakdown even with a cheat.

Finally, he allocated another 10 points to [Perception], improving his hearing and eyesight.

His lifespan was now [24/38], leaving him only fourteen years to live. He didn't dare redistribute any more recklessly.

Although he could squeeze it down to [24/25] if he pushed things to the limit, wouldn't he die on the spot if a serious illness shaved a little off his lifespan?

Once he finished allocating the points, a faint warmth burst from his heart and seeped into every inch of his muscles. It was a strange, wondrous sensation, as though magma were crawling through his muscles and blood vessels.

By his estimate, converting one attribute point took about ten seconds. It wasn't instantaneous.

After 500 seconds, [Physique: 40/51] (You've converted your attributes and become a bit more badass.)

[Perception: 29/30] (You're fairly normal now.)

[Mind: 26/30] (You feel a mixture of joy and worry, extreme amazement, and extreme hunger.)

[Lifespan: 24/38] (You've become a short-lived wretch.)

[Total attributes: 149] (You've sacrificed your lifespan through some unorthodox method, making yourself less of a weakling!)

Zhang Ming clenched his fists, feeling how light his body had become. An unprecedented sense of strength surged through him, and he gave a little jump.

If he had a basketball, perhaps he could easily dunk with that kind of vertical leap?

Then intense hunger surged through him.

He was starving, as though he hadn't eaten for three days and nights. Dizzy and lightheaded, Zhang Ming felt he could eat an entire cow.

He pulled out the bag of snacks he had just collected and thought miserably, But the food I have on hand is only enough for a snail!

The Special Affairs Processing Department.

Li Xianfeng sat in his office, studying the mysterious mirage that had just appeared. Even just half an hour of footage yielded a considerable amount of information.

All the mirages showed only the survivors' daytime activities. There was no way to see what they did at night.

"I wonder whether this young man will make it through his first night safely..." Li Xianfeng sighed softly.

The phone rang.

A voice came over the phone. "Captain, we've located Zhang Ming's parents. They're fairly emotionally stable. The flight insurance claim is being processed, and the payout should arrive in the next few days."

Li Xianfeng nodded. Since the disaster had already happened, paying out the compensation first was the right thing to do, whether the man was dead or alive.

"Mm. Tell them to keep this secret. They shouldn't spread the news that their family member is trapped in a Mysterious Zone."

"Appeal to their feelings and explain the situation reasonably, too. Make sure they understand how difficult it is for us to mount a rescue. If there were even the slightest chance, we'd send people in to save him."

"His parents are fairly reasonable, so that shouldn't be a problem." The voice on the phone continued, "Our request has been approved by the higher-ups. We're authorized to use broadcast satellites to transmit signals into the various Mysterious Zones. We'll be allotted roughly one to two hours each day. What kind of content should we broadcast?"

Li Xianfeng fell silent for a moment, then discussed it with his colleagues in the office.

Apart from Zhang Ming, who was surviving alone on a deserted island, there were also some Chinese nationals in the other scenes,

or people of Chinese descent. They needed more information, too.

What should they broadcast?

Messages of concern from friends and family? An endless stream of encouragement?

Of course not. They had to make these people understand that they were facing harsh conditions, that rescue from the outside would be extremely difficult, and that they had to save themselves!

They had to find ways to survive longer!

They needed to learn the basics of wilderness survival, as well as... the changes taking place across the world.

Li Xianfeng said, "Giving them enough knowledge, keeping them in a healthy frame of mind, and maintaining their fighting spirit-that's the key to survival."

"I'll take responsibility for the broadcast content."