Steam and Magic

The guest next door looked human.

She wore a Gas Mask adorned with a brass skull motif. A tattered burlap cloak concealed most of her body, making her face impossible to see.

The instant she rushed out, her gaze was sharp as a blade.

But when she caught sight of the open door behind Ji Xun, the Killing Intent in her eyes instantly vanished. Instead, she blurted out in astonishment, "You're still alive?"

Her voice was deliberately lowered, but she sounded fairly young.

She had probably recognized him, which was why she had not attacked.

"???"

Ji Xun silently grumbled to himself at her words.

He had died once already.

But this woman seemed to know him?

Ji Xun had only just transmigrated here and knew nothing. His instincts told him it was best not to speak carelessly.

In that instant of standoff, the Mechanical Arm Girl opposite him seemed to think of something. She was the first to lower the Steam Cannon in her hand, making a friendly gesture.

Seeing Ji Xun's empty clothes, she had clearly guessed something as well. Even more puzzled, she murmured again, "You spent a whole night with the Fallen Witch and you're still alive?"

"."

Ji Xun still said nothing and lowered his gun as well.

She had immediately identified the Fallen Witch in the room, so she clearly knew a great deal.

Seeing that Ji Xun remained silent, the mysterious woman pondered for a moment. As though she had thought of something, she wasted no words and got straight to the point. "Are you a Lone Hunter, or do you have a team? What I mean is, are you interested in cooperating?"

A very straightforward proposal.

Afraid that the man before her did not understand his current situation, she added, "Otherwise, in your condition, if the Fallen Witch comes looking for you tonight, you probably won't survive until tomorrow."

"What?"

Hearing that, Ji Xun rapidly considered the information hidden in her words.

Her tone was unfamiliar. They had probably only met before, and she likely did not know the original owner of this body well.

That saved him a lot of trouble.

But from the sound of it, he would not survive the night?

What was that supposed to mean?

This woman clearly possessed information he desperately needed.

After a quick turn of thought, Ji Xun kept his expression neutral and tested her with a question. "Cooperate?"

"Mm."

Seeing that he had not refused outright, the mysterious woman said frankly, "I'm interested in the materials dropped by the Fallen Witch. If you're willing to cooperate, we can hunt this B-Class Pollutant tonight. I can't guarantee success, but I'll at least do everything I can to kill it. Only by killing the monster will you have a chance of leaving this space alive."

After a pause, she added, "Of course, I'll also do my best to keep you safe."

"."

Ji Xun understood that this meant killing monsters for loot.

This Alternate Dimension really did seem like some kind of game dungeon.

He wanted to probe for more information, but he knew too little about this world and had no idea where to begin asking in the short term.

The Mechanical Arm Girl, however, clearly had a sharp mind.

She keenly caught Ji Xun's momentary hesitation. Thinking that he did not trust her, she said in an odd tone, "I don't know how you survived last night. But surely you don't think the Fallen Witch is just going to let you go?"

"."

Ji Xun still did not speak, but his mind recalled the naked corpse lying inside.

Even getting close would expose one to radiation pollution. It was a monster he could not comprehend.

And this person before him was so well-equipped, yet she did not sound confident about killing it. That only confirmed his previous judgment: he probably could not handle it either.

Still, her words could not necessarily be trusted completely.

Ji Xun fell into brief thought.

Was there really anything to hesitate over?

If an ordinary person had been targeted by a B-Class Calamity, would they not immediately agree when someone offered help?

Seeing his hesitant expression, the Mechanical Arm Girl clearly came to some conclusion of her own. Could this guy really have no clear understanding of how terrifying the Fallen Witch is?

Thinking of something, she asked in surprise, "Don't tell me you came in directly without buying any intelligence?"

Her gaze made it seem as though she were looking at a reckless idiot charging to his death.

"."

Ji Xun had been worrying over how to draw information out of her. With her words, he simply went along with the assumption.

He followed up, "You mean the Fallen Witch will come looking for me again?"

Hearing that, the mysterious woman wore an exasperated expression beneath her mask, as though she had expected exactly this.

After pondering briefly, she explained, "Then you should have seen the Revelation. It's a Mental Type B-Class Calamity that can lock onto human souls. You spent a whole night with it, so no matter where you hide in this space, it can find you."

"."

Ji Xun's eyelids twitched slightly.

So the Revelation was not something only he could see, but a rule of this world.

He understood that much. He had been "marked" by the monster.

And he immediately understood why this woman wanted to cooperate. It was clearly not because she valued Ji Xun's combat ability. She wanted to make use of the monster's marking ability and needed a "bait."

Yet hearing that, Ji Xun's last reservations vanished instead.

After all, they did not know each other. No one would help him for no reason. Even if she was using him, he did not take it to heart in the slightest.

A partnership based on an exchange of value was more stable instead.

After considering it for a moment, he voiced the question in his heart. "Can we kill it now? I mean—"

He had wanted to say that the monster was still dormant and did not appear capable of attacking, so it should be easy to kill.

But she cut him off before he could finish.

With an expression that said she had known this guy understood nothing, the Mechanical Arm Girl rejected the idea. "If B-Class Calamities were so easy to kill, so many people would not have died in this Alternate Dimension. Leaving aside whether you can damage its body, even if you can, no matter how you kill it, it will revive completely unharmed at night. People have tried that more than once. And anyone who approaches its body will be left with a Hate Mark. Once night falls, anyone marked is doomed to die."

Oh.

That plan really would not work.

He had only been asking.

Ji Xun raised a brow. "Doomed to die?"

"That's right!"

The Mechanical Arm Girl's tone was certain. "As far as I know, there have been no exceptions."

"If you don't believe me, you can go fire a couple shots at it. You're already marked anyway."

As she spoke, she studied Ji Xun again. Clearly surprised that he had not died, she added, "I'm very curious. How did you survive last night?"

"."

Ji Xun had no intention of explaining that the original owner had already died, nor could he explain why he himself was still alive.

But in this situation, he had no choice at all.

Though he did not fully believe everything this woman had said, he could basically confirm a few things.

First, the monster inside was indeed extremely troublesome. At the very least, he could not deal with it himself.

Second, she was covered in excellent equipment. If she wanted to kill him, there was no need to say so much. Could she not simply tie him up and use him as bait? Or perhaps she needed his cooperation for him to serve as bait.

But no matter what, at least until the Fallen Witch was killed, he still had value to her.

As long as he had value, he was not in danger for the time being.

Ji Xun knew nothing about this world, and he happened to need a source of information right now.

He did not hesitate. "I agree to cooperate."

Then he added, "But before that, can you share some information? I mean, about this space."

"Sure!"

Hearing that, the Mechanical Arm Girl visibly relaxed.

The last thing she wanted was to run into an idiot who had no idea what was going on.

With bait, hunting that Calamity would be much more convenient for her.

As she spoke, she gestured toward Room 2013, which she had just exited. "But there are still twelve hours until nightfall, and I have some preparations to make. If you want to live until tonight, you can stay in the room. Or, if you aren't afraid of encountering monsters, you can follow me. But I can't guarantee your safety."

Ji Xun decisively said, "I'll go with you."

Clearly, following her was safer.