Abyss Box

Lin Ye sighed. He felt that if he closed that eerie box, this simulation should end, but he could not close it.

The box was already three-quarters open. Did those two before me open it?

No, the box must have been opened and triggered the anomalies, which was why we were sent here.

Closing the box requires some kind of energy. What about opening it? Does that require some kind of energy too?

Could those two Class-D Personnel before me, the Captain, and the others have passively supplied the energy to open the box?

Then could I easily close the box if I went in first?

Soon, the prisoner transport stopped in front of the villa again.

Without wasting words, Lin Ye stepped forward of his own accord and let a team member put the helmet on him.

No one objected. After all, this was a suicide mission. No one would refuse to let Lin Ye go to his death first.

With the helmet on, Lin Ye strode into the villa, only to see a figure hanging upside down in the center of the hall the moment he entered.

The figure opened its eyes, its blood-red pupils glowing faintly in the darkness.

The moment he saw the figure, Lin Ye's body began breaking down into small chunks. These chunks then twisted around their centers, turned, and joined together, finally assembling into a brand-new object.

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz...

[Simulations remaining: 6]

Lin Ye stared blankly into empty space. He had not actually felt any pain, but a sense of distortion that transcended his nervous system lingered in his body, leaving him unable to move even a finger for a while.

Fortunately, the sense of distortion soon faded, and only then could Lin Ye think normally.

I can't go in first. The first person in is certain to die.

I'll have to try going in second. If that doesn't work either...

The prisoner transport stopped in front of the villa. This time, Lin Ye waited until Number One entered the villa before stepping forward and asking to go in second.

Again, no one stopped him from entering the villa. Lin Ye put on the helmet with practiced ease and waited for the Captain's order.

A few minutes later, the Captain ordered Lin Ye to enter the villa. Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Ye strode inside.

This time, that shadow was no longer in the center of the first-floor hall. Lin Ye did not look around aimlessly and charged straight toward the stairs to the second floor.

On the second floor, the black box sat on the coffee table as before, but its lid was less than a quarter of the way open.

So opening the box really does consume lives. Those ghostly things must have come out of it.

Lin Ye wasted no time. He rushed to the coffee table and tried to close the box.

"Wait! What are you doing?"

The Captain's voice came through his earpiece.

It might really have been the Captain's voice, or it might not. Either way, Lin Ye ignored it.

If he failed again this time, he might have to choose a more drastic approach.

The lid was still ice-cold. Although his "heat" was not being consumed as quickly as last time, Lin Ye still gradually lost all sensation in his body. Worse, something seemed to be approaching from behind.

There was no sound, nor any change in his other senses. He could simply feel it.

Lin Ye's body began splitting apart and twisting. Fortunately, he could barely feel his body anymore, which allowed him to just manage to push the lid shut.

The instant the lid closed, all sensation vanished. Lin Ye collapsed to the floor as well and, staring at the pitch-black ceiling, lost consciousness completely.

[Simulation ended]

[Simulations remaining: 6]

[Obtained 6 random items that appeared in this event]

[Obtained Abyss Box use authorization ×1]

[Obtained title: Savior]

Lin Ye climbed out of bed in the Shelter. He felt no discomfort, but the sight of what was in the room left him utterly unsettled.

It was an orange specimen of a reassembled human body, hanging upside down. Mounted on the wall like a mural, the specimen displayed itself to Lin Ye without any concealment.

"Holy shit!!! You could fucking follow me here?!"

Cold sweat broke out across Lin Ye's back in fright. It was like waking from a nightmare only to see the monster from that nightmare in the real world.

But Lin Ye soon realized that this should be an item the simulator had rewarded him with.

Apart from the "mural," the other five items were all laid out on the floor: a fully loaded pistol, a basic food and drink pack, a basic medical kit, a complete military combat uniform, and a dagger.

The pistol was a model Lin Ye had never seen before, with ten rounds inside.

The food and drink pack contained five Energy Bars and two cans of energy drink. There were no ingredient lists on them, so Lin Ye had no idea what they were made from.

The medical kit contained three metal syringes labeled "Emergency," "Treatment," and "Lifesaving," respectively. There was also a roll of bandages, a bottle of anti-inflammatory medicine, and a bottle of painkillers.

The combat uniform fit well and was not particularly heavy. Lin Ye could move freely after putting it on.

The dagger was just an ordinary dagger, though its quality seemed good.

Lin Ye opened the system panel and found two notifications inside: one for the Abyss Box use authorization, and one for the title he had just obtained.

[Savior]

[Your actions saved an area. Word of your deeds has spread within the organization.]

[Note: Unlock more titles, and your treatment as Class-D Personnel will also improve.]

"Huh? Better treatment? Can't I get promoted to Class-C Personnel instead?"

Lin Ye was speechless. He would rather do work that was not particularly challenging.

[Abyss Box use authorization]

[Allows you to open the Abyss Box once at no cost and obtain one item from within.]

[Note: Dangerous item. Do not open carelessly.]

"This... isn't going to give me a monster, is it?"

After some thought, Lin Ye decided to use the Abyss Box anyway. The system information stated that the Shelter was absolutely safe. His innate ability came from the system, so whatever came out of this box should be unable to break the system's rules.

That absolute safety would only last seven days, so it was best to use the Abyss Box now.

Lin Ye selected the option to open the Abyss Box directly through the system.

A pitch-black box appeared in the center of the Shelter, looking exactly like the one in the simulation.

The Abyss Box opened automatically. A vast number of bizarrely shaped things poured out of it, filling the entire Shelter.

[Dangerous information detected in the Shelter. Rendering harmless...]

[Processing complete. Please make your selection as soon as possible.]

Lin Ye was stunned. The instant the Abyss Box opened, he felt as though he had died countless times in all sorts of ways. All manner of bizarrely shaped things filled the Shelter.

Fortunately, he had the system's protection. Otherwise, he would already have been done for.

After the system's processing, Lin Ye's Shelter now resembled the basement from some movie, crammed with all sorts of eerie, grotesque objects.

A gleaming white bottle made of an unknown material, toy animals covered in unidentified hair, a penguin with one moving eye, a hanging picture whose contents could not be made out...

Even Lin Ye's body was covered with butterfly-like creatures. Their aqua-blue wings trembled slightly, as though they might spread them and take flight at any moment.