2. -

What... is this supposed to be?

Li Nuo sat on the train seat, still wearing the clothes he had on when he died. He glanced around, deliberately paying attention to the scenery outside the window; the rapidly passing mountain valleys were indistinct and blurred. The warm golden light of the setting sun spilled into the carriage, and the air seemed to ripple with strange, tiny creatures, compelling him to hold his breath instinctively.

He turned his head to find his cane but suddenly furrowed his brows. His body, which had suffered from years of illness and injury, now felt light and full of strength.

“My hands and feet…”

Li Nuo waved his arms and tried to stand up. “My bones aren’t soft anymore, my muscles have strength. Cough—!”

“There’s no metallic taste in my throat, the lung infection symptoms are gone.”

“The bleeding under my skin has disappeared too.”

“My vision is clearer, my hearing sharper, and my body feels completely healthy—are all my illnesses really gone?”

“…So I’m here completely free of disease.”

Usually, when someone chronically ill suddenly recovers, they might feel excited, panicked, or joyful. But Li Nuo felt nothing. Now was not the time to be happy.

Calm and expressionless, he shuffled to the far end of the carriage, nearly stumbling twice due to unfamiliar muscle control. The door connecting the carriages was firmly locked. The train gradually slowed down.

[Approaching station]

At the system’s prompt, one side door opened, and the train came to a stop. The scenery outside froze on an empty, deserted platform.

[Player, please disembark]

Li Nuo glanced back instinctively, then stepped off the train onto the vacant platform.

[Personal panel unlocked. Whisper “panel” to open. Please try opening.]

[Do not move before completing the operation.]

“What if I just don’t complete it? Would that trigger some hidden content?”

Li Nuo pondered this, but after twenty minutes, his legs ached.

A translucent blue matte panel appeared before his eyes.

[Initial stats assigned based on the deceased’s pre-mortem information]

[Li Nuo: Level 1]

[Strength: 2 (muscle power and destructive force)]

[Reflex: 3 (sensory feedback speed and coordination)]

[Spritual Energy: 2 (control over magic or similar, mental strength, blue)]

[Constitution: 1 (muscle and body coordination, endurance)]

[Insight: 4 (observation and learning ability)]

[Medical: - (healing skills, recovery speed, vitality)]

Li Nuo fell into thought.

Medical? Is that a joke?

At the top appeared a red exclamation mark—clearly important, but possibly dangerous to open.

Deciding to trust the system’s sincerity for once, Li Nuo whispered to open it. A long wall of tiny text popped up—terrible for nearsighted eyes.

[All values reflect only your basic abilities.]

[Average adult male and female stats range from 2 to 3. Considering special groups—such as those with intellectual disabilities or congenital diseases—some attributes may fall below human minimums, thus values below zero are represented by “-.” Notably, this setting has rarely been used.]

I’m breaking the human lower limit, huh...

Li Nuo chose to selectively ignore that and continued reading.

[Special Status: Critical Condition (not yet activated)]

[Status granted only to absolute “Kings” with a certain “Domain Talent.”]

[Feature 1: Obtaining items and skills involves over 26% chance of “low health” trait.]

Even the cheat code is half-broken?

Li Nuo was amused but realized this barely qualified as a cheat code.

[Other features available for query after newcomer screening.]

...

[Teleporting to arrival point. Ten-second countdown.]

[10, 9, 8, 7, 1]

Bang!

A ringing sound filled his ears.

“Didn’t you say ten seconds?!”

When Li Nuo opened his eyes, the surroundings had changed.

He now found himself in a dimly lit room, roughly a square space of fifty square meters. A weakly glowing yellow bulb hung from the ceiling. In the faint light, he could see there was no furniture or decoration—completely empty, with plain white walls and no windows.

A perfect place for murder, hiding bodies, kidnapping, or torturing enemies.

Four others were present, but no one spoke. All eyes, including Li Nuo’s, were fixed on one person.

He was a young man, roughly the same age as Li Nuo, with medium-length hair hanging over the nape, parted slightly on one side. His face gave off the vibe of a weak bookworm. Not particularly noticeable, except...

His pants were rolled down to his ankles, exposing his entire lower body.

“Ah!!!!!!” The only young woman among them screamed sharply, covering her eyes.

Amidst her piercing scream, the young man calmly pulled up his pants, pinched the bridge of his nose, and said in a slow, relaxed tone, “Sorry, I forgot to pull up my pants when I got off the train—my bad. Hope you can forgive my lapse.”

Yet, sometimes such characters can actually lighten the mood. Whether you regard him as a pervert, exhibitionist, weirdo, or a late-stage delinquent, his appearance did ease the tense atmosphere slightly.

Once the oddball fastened his belt, silence fell. The five of them stood in a pentagram-like formation, no one spoke, the oppressive stillness thick in the air.

Each person studied the others, waiting for someone to speak first.

Li Nuo fixed his gaze on the bespectacled man.

He looked skinny and weak—someone who could probably be knocked out with a brick.

Then he looked at the bald, burly man.

In contrast to the bespectacled man, the bald giant was about 1.9 meters tall, weighed over 220 jin (about 110 kg), and looked very strong.

His short-sleeved shirt hinted at rippling muscles, his square jaw and thick neck muscles, combined with his bare scalp, all told a clear story.

This guy could probably kill you with a single slap.

Judging by the moss-like patch on his scalp, he must have shaved it after going bald.

Next was the oddball—nothing much to say, probably a few screws loose.

Finally, the flustered young woman. Though she looked delicate, one should never underestimate the hidden strength behind a woman. Sometimes women are more reliable and enduring than men—after all, in this world, there’s no such thing as a weary ox, only those who are worked to death...

“Hey, big bro... are you the narrator?” The bespectacled man looked at Li Nuo with a slightly pained expression.

Li Nuo said nothing, retreating to the wall and standing silently with arms crossed.

The bald man crossed his muscular arms, looking impatient. “Damn... two crazy people.”

The bespectacled man cleared his throat and raised his voice. “Does anyone here know if they entered this place after death? Were you on the train?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah…”

“Hmph.”

“…”

Seeing that everyone except Li Nuo had responded, the bespectacled man spoke solemnly: “When I got off, I heard this is a team mission script. It’s pointless to speculate where this place is with so little information. Let’s focus on the team first.” He straightened up and said, “I’m Zhao Wen.”

As he spoke, his finger moved slightly—a minor detail Li Nuo noticed, suggesting Zhao Wen wasn’t using his real name.

The young woman said: “I… I’m Ma Sihan.”

The bald man said: “Li Jiangdong.”

Then, clockwise, the oddball spoke: “Frieza.”

Silence filled the room...

All eyes then turned to Li Nuo.

He hesitated. Given the many uncertainties, it was safer to use an alias. Although reluctant to admit it, he shared the oddball’s idea.

Li Nuo looked up calmly and said, “If I don’t want to say my real name, can I give you a code name?”

The bespectacled man replied, “Anything that’s easy to call is fine.”

Li Nuo: “Then call me Li Huowang.”

Zhao Wen: “Why not just say you’re a lunatic?”

“No offense.” Li Nuo’s eyes shifted as he stared blankly. “Ah... forget it. Let’s just say I drank the elixir of immortality and transformed into a magical girl from the Land of Light, the Headless Knight—Edward Atreus Livia, butcher of Dandelion.”

Zhao Wen: “You’ve got quite the range of interests…”

Li Nuo: “I can tell yours isn’t narrow either.”

“Are you two doing stand-up?” Li Jiangdong approached, grabbed Li Nuo by the collar, and glared. “Cut the crap.”

Li Nuo smiled and waved him off. “Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. Feeling any less tense?”

Hearing this, Li Jiangdong relaxed a bit. Li Nuo’s diversion had indeed eased the oppressive atmosphere.

Li Jiangdong released his grip and, saving face, said, “From now on, keep quiet and don’t cause trouble.”

“Got it.” Li Nuo agreed readily, his gaze passing over Li Jiangdong to the wall behind him, where a crack stretched from ceiling to floor.

[Mission script activated: Escape the Abandoned House]

[Hint 1: There are two password notes here. Obtaining either one will open the door at the corridor’s end for exit.]

[Hint 2: There is a monster here. Do not provoke it unless you absolutely have to.]

[Hint 3: Theoretically, everyone can pass. Theoretically, it’s impossible for all to succeed.]

[Start now. Leave the room within one minute and enter the corridor to officially begin the mission.]

[Bad ending: Death (you’re dead anyway).]

[Mission reward: Newcomer screening bonus items.]

[Hidden reward: ???]

[Mission worldview: Present.]

[Remaining time: 1 hour.]

The system’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears.

Before anyone could react, the creaking sound of the door opening broke the silence...