Game Room Invitation

After putting away the blueprint, Lin Ye did not rush to leave the room. Instead, he closed the door and began absorbing psionic energy to strengthen his body.

Partway through the cycle, Lin Ye suddenly felt an unusual hunger. Only after drinking several bottles of Nutrient Solution did he recover.

This was probably the proper use of Nutrient Solution: supplying his body with the material foundation it needed during strengthening, rather than providing psionic energy.

Half an hour later, Lin Ye completed his second cycle of the day.

There was still over an hour before the event ended. Taking all his supplies, Lin Ye continued exploring the maze through the red double doors opposite.

Afterward, Lin Ye opened several more locked rooms, but they all contained treasure chests filled with various foods.

With the countdown almost over, Lin Ye opened one last locked room. Unfortunately, there was another mahogany treasure chest inside.

"I wonder what's in it this time. No rice, one bag will last me ages. No fresh food either. Canned food would be best, though junk food with a long shelf life would be nice too..."

Full of anticipation, Lin Ye opened the treasure chest, only to find a single garishly colored slip of paper that looked anything but serious.

"...That works too. At least it won't take up space."

He put away the slip of paper. The countdown ended, and Lin Ye was teleported back to the Shelter.

When he returned to the Shelter, the duck had not disappeared yet. Unfortunately, there was no more Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup to eat.

Lin Ye sorted and put away the various foods, then listed the mutation organs for sale at 10 Red Coins each before inspecting his haul from the event.

First were several psionic energy items with unknown functions.

[Sacrificial Dagger]

[Plunge the dagger into a heart to offer a sacrifice to a god]

[Note: a ritual implement. If you lack a thorough understanding of such rituals, use with caution]

Lin Ye: ?

What the hell is this? Am I supposed to stab someone else or myself?

Tossing the dagger into a corner to gather dust, Lin Ye inspected the next item.

[Black Ceremonial Robe]

[An entry-level psionic energy item mass-produced by the Ring Organization. Can release basic Psionic Energy Protection]

[Note: damaged beyond worthwhile repair]

[Psionic Energy Pistol]

[An entry-level psionic energy item mass-produced by the Ring Organization. Can fire bullets imbued with psionic energy]

[Note: the bullets are worth more than the gun]

And what the hell is the Ring Organization? Seems pretty pathetic.

Lin Ye did not know whether the other person had been a member of the Ring Organization or had simply bought its products. If it was the former, the Ring Organization probably was not much to speak of either.

Considering the ring-shaped mark on the corpse, Lin Ye thought the former was more likely.

The pistol was decent enough, with eight rounds still inside. The robe was useless, so Lin Ye casually tossed it onto the pile of miscellaneous items.

Next came his biggest gain from the event: an unknown blueprint.

[Low-grade Concentrated Nutrient Solution Extractor Blueprint]

[Required materials: Tier 1 Mutation Organ (0/10), Tier 2 Mutation Organ (0/10), Tier 3 Mutation Organ (0/10)]

[Note: the essence is in the concentrate. This works far better than a juicer]

???

Utterly baffled, Lin Ye used the blueprint. He would not even encounter any tier-3 mutated creatures anytime soon, let alone gather all the materials.

Last was the garishly colored slip of paper.

[Game Room Invitation]

[Use the invitation inside the Shelter to teleport the survivor to the Game Room]

[Note: the Game Room is a safe zone. Please choose your preferred form of entertainment]

Game Room?

Lin Ye did not rush to use the invitation. He planned to try it after tomorrow's simulation ended. If there was enough psionic energy there, he would not need to absorb it during the nighttime events.

After dealing with his loot, Lin Ye made himself a lavish dinner, then opened the group chat to browse while eating.

(784264/1000000)

"Any big shots here found a Shelter tier-up blueprint? Paying top price."

"Don't tell me not a single person found a blueprint?"

"Found one, my ass. It's all food."

"I opened four treasure chests today, all food. Anyone got it worse than me?"

"Damn, was Boss Lin right? What are those of us without blueprints supposed to do? Wait to die?"

"I have one. Make an offer."

"Great! I thought Shelter tier-up blueprints were gone for good!"

"Man, you're so lucky to have found a blueprint."

"Lucky, my ass. The treasure chests were all food. I risked my life killing a Tier-1 Mutated Creature in the hall, then used a special key to open a door and found this in an item room. I thought it was some awesome blueprint, but when I got back, I found out it was this crappy thing. Make your offers. I'm not trading it for anything less than something good."

"Well, damn. Thought you had god-tier luck, but turns out you're cursed."

"Are you sure that's bad luck? Plenty of people still don't have blueprints. That blueprint could save a life."

"What kind of good stuff do you think survivors who've been hiding in their Shelters all this time could have?"

"This is a big shot who can beat a Tier 1 Creature. Show some respect."

"Wait, you've already upgraded your Shelter, right? Since it's a spare blueprint, just sell it cheap. You could save someone's life!"

"Sorry, already sold. No need to send me any more private messages. The buyer offered a price I couldn't refuse. I'm very satisfied."

"Huh? It's sold already?"

"Must be that resources guy. He started buying blueprints as soon as the event ended."

"Impressive."

"Then what are those of us without blueprints supposed to do?"

"Wait to die. What else?"

Lin Ye: The system won't leave you with no way out. I think you probably have a good chance of finding blueprints in item rooms. You could also try opening more treasure chests. A low chance doesn't mean no chance. Of course, this is just my guess.

"The big shot's here."

"Brother Lin's right."

"Had dinner yet, Brother Lin?"

Lin Ye: But Tier-1 Mutated Creatures are very strong. If you don't have a talent for combat, you'd better not try it (food photo).

Lin Ye: I'm also buying special room keys. I can trade supplies such as Mutation Cards, Nutrient Solution, and Red Keys.

"What a spread, though the presentation's so-so. You made it yourself, right?"

"Sigh, even a big shot's been reduced to cooking for himself. I cook for myself too. Suddenly I feel like I'm doing pretty well."

"But it looks pretty appetizing."

"Need a cook, boss? Free of charge."

"Five-star hotel chef here. Leave it to me!"

Lin Ye: No need, but do you know how to deal with fresh food? I got too much food to finish anytime soon.

"Make salted meat and pickled vegetables."

"Would frying it make it keep longer?"

"I'm wondering what to do too. I got dozens of pounds of fresh meat."

"Wait, did you guys not see the big shot buying special room keys? I have a key, but I don't even dare go into the corridor."

After discussing how to make salted meat with the group for a while, Lin Ye finished his forty-minute meal, then left the group chat and opened his private messages to start trading for special room keys.