Red Maze

"Exactly, everyone, post what you got. Make those guys who didn't go out green with envy."

"If you don't dare risk your lives, shut up and wait to die. Nobody's responsible for looking after you."

"Everyone, post your hauls so we can trade more easily. Did anyone bring back toilet paper?"

"I brought some. Looking to trade for food."

"Yeah, we might as well talk about that rifle I brought back."

"Yeah, we might as well talk about that batch of arms I brought back."

Lin Ye glanced through his private messages and found he couldn't communicate with survivors in other regions.

"What a shame. Otherwise, we could use group chats to communicate with all of humanity."

Lin Ye placed the four Xenomorph Eggs beside the Abyssal Egg and poured a little boiling water over the Abyssal Egg while he was at it. Li Ji had distributed these eggs among them, saying she felt they might come in useful later.

Besides the suspicious Xenomorph Eggs, Lin Ye had also brought back his share of 200 Mutation Organs and some everyday odds and ends.

Unfortunately, the supermarket hadn't had a smaller refrigerator, or Lin Ye would definitely have hauled one back.

After sorting out his haul, Lin Ye posted a picture of Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup in the group chat.

"The big shot's here!"

"Hello, boss!"

"Wow, you're eating well today, boss."

"I really want some duck blood vermicelli soup..."

"But I'm not who I used to be either. I'll match that with a can of braised pork (food image)."

"I'll match that with instant noodles (food image)."

"I'll match that with a table of stir-fried dishes (food image)."

"Shit, the big shot above already upgraded their shelter?"

"I upgraded mine too. Is it that hard?"

"+1."

"I'm going to stew some meat later. Having gas is fantastic."

"I'll take a hot shower before chatting with you guys."

"Fuck, I'm so jealous. I'm still two Mutation Organs short."

After this nighttime event, quite a few survivors had gathered the ten Mutation Organs needed to upgrade their shelters, so plenty of chefs were posting food pictures in the group chat.

Lin Ye: Hold on, everyone. I have something to say.

After a while, the group chat gradually quieted down.

Lin Ye: I've collected Mutation Cards Nos. 1-10. Once you collect them all, the system derives a unique evolution pathway based on the survivor. We can follow the pathway to absorb Psionic Energy and strengthen our bodies. The pathway is very complicated, so I drew a simplified version for you to refer to (pathway image).

Lin Ye: However, guiding Psionic Energy along the pathway to strengthen your body isn't easy. I can't help with that either.

Lin Ye: I got a batch of Mutation Organs during this event. I'll list them in the trading section shortly, ten Red Coins each. Limited stock, available until sold out.

Ten Red Coins wasn't expensive. Searching the Red Maze for two hours would net anyone at least twenty Red Coins. Lin Ye could actually have charged a high price, even doubled it, but there was no need. Two thousand Red Coins would cover his expenses for now.

"Holy shit, Mutation Organs in the trading section are already going for twenty Red Coins. Boss, you're a stand-up guy."

"Obviously. Without him, at least another two hundred thousand people in our region would've died."

"Huh? Collect all the Mutation Cards? I've only ever found Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 10. Boss, could you tell us how you collected them all?"

"Hehe, I've got Nos. 5-10. Just missing Nos. 1-4."

"Idiot. Obviously, the lower the number, the rarer it is."

"This pathway diagram is way too fucking abstract..."

"What do you know? This is called art."

"Uh, I don't want to badmouth Brother Lin, but it really is pretty abstract."

"Then go find an art student from an art academy to share their evolution pathway with you."

"Stop posting. Hurry to the trading section and grab some Mutation Organs. So many people need them now, I feel like you could earn a few Red Coins just by reselling them."

"Don't! Give me a chance! I haven't upgraded my shelter yet!"

Lin Ye quickly listed the 200 Mutation Organs in the trading section. With hundreds of thousands of people scrambling for them, all 200 sold out the moment he finished listing them.

Another 2,000 Red Coins appeared in the room. Lin Ye no longer had to worry about going to the shop without money.

[Red Coins exceed 1,000. Convert to system virtual currency?]

"Convert."

The Red Coins disappeared. Lin Ye could now trade Red Coins through the system.

After trading the Mutation Organs, Lin Ye began checking his private messages.

Many people wanted to trade with Lin Ye, but the survivors currently had almost nothing that interested him. After all, he already had the Red Blade and the CL0 Pistol. Ordinary weapons held no appeal for him.

Zhang Liang: Brother Lin, do you have a moment?

Lin Ye: Yes.

Zhang Liang: Do you have any spare Mutation Organs? The Mutual Aid Association is willing to buy them at fifteen Red Coins each, with no limit on quantity.

Lin Ye: No more.

Zhang Liang: All right. What would we need to pay to learn how to obtain each type of Mutation Card?

Lin Ye: Wait a moment.

Zhang Liang: All right.

Lin Ye: I've posted it in the group chat. You can check there.

Zhang Liang: Thank you.

Lin Ye: No need.

Zhang Liang: Do you have any spare cards from the first four numbers?

Lin Ye: No.

Zhang Liang: All right, I won't bother you any further.

Lin Ye closed his private messages, picked up the duck, lay down on the bed, and began his daily simulation.

Coming to his senses, Lin Ye found himself standing in a dark red room, wearing the familiar prison uniform. There wasn't another soul around.

[Class-D Personnel simulated: Jason]

[Simulations remaining: 10]

Fuck, why wasn't there even a loading sequence this time? Where are my teammates? Where are the supervisors?

Looking at the familiar dark red room, Lin Ye had a bad feeling.

Jason was a white man around thirty, his body covered in strong muscles. He was in very good physical condition.

After getting used to the body, Lin Ye pushed open the door and saw the familiar corridor.

Fuck, why is there a Red Maze here too? I'm screwed. I don't even have a dagger on me. A Blood Corpse would be manageable, but wouldn't I be dead for sure if I ran into a Tier 1 Creature?

Lin Ye explored several nearby rooms. They contained only trash. He found nothing useful, nor any Red Coins or Red Keys.

An hour later.

Looking at the seemingly endless corridor, Lin Ye felt a little discouraged.

He admitted he had overthought things earlier. There were no monsters here at all.

Nor were there any supplies.

There weren't even any corridors without rooms or doors that led outside.

There was nothing here.

This place was like an abandoned game map, containing nothing but maze corridors that looped endlessly like a bug.

"I'm not going to die here, am I?"

Lin Ye started to panic a little. Never mind that he only had ten simulations-even if he had ten thousand, could he really find his way out of this maze?

After all, every simulation started from the beginning. No matter how far he had gone before, it meant nothing.

"Don't panic! I managed to escape a time loop! There has to be a way out of here too!"

Lin Ye gripped his hair hard, recalling the routes he had taken. If he died along the way in this simulation, he at least had to make sure he wouldn't retrace the same routes in the next one.

Lin Ye began conserving his strength. He could no longer spare any thought for his body in the shelter. Instead, his priority had to be making sure he could leave this place within ten simulations.