Chapter 93: Best Friend's Help |
Stephen had left, leaving Bai Mu to walk down the corridor alone.
He already knew the entire route by heart. Wernicke's voice crackled through the intercom, continuing to guide him while providing updates on the black phantom's progress.
'It seems that even if I haven't figured everything out, Wernicke will help a player clear the game as long as they can find the Underground Laboratory,' Bai Mu thought. 'If we're just talking about difficulty, a solo Script is definitely a bit easier than a team one.'
Bai Mu broke into a rhythmic dance as he moved down the hallway, his black trench coat swaying with every graceful step.
[You have triggered Soul of the Dancer. Current bonus Agility: 1 point.]
Over the intercom, Wernicke began urging Bai Mu to hurry. The black phantom seemed to have passed through the final valve. There were no more security doors left to slow it down, and it was approaching rapidly.
Bai Mu pushed himself to his limits. Since he couldn't be absolutely certain his theory was correct, shutting down the Life Support Pod had to remain his top priority.
[Do you wish to use the active skill: Best Friend's Help?]
[Yes / No]
[Skill activated successfully. You have summoned: Lucy in Dreams.]
A translucent spirit materialized right in front of Bai Mu.
Lucy floated in the air, wearing a white princess dress and small round-toed leather shoes, with her stuffed rabbit backpack slung over her shoulders. She looked exactly the same as she did when Bai Mu finished her Script.
She glanced around in confusion, struggling to grasp the situation until her eyes landed on Bai Mu's face. Instantly, her eyes lit up. She lunged forward and nestled perfectly into the crook of his arm.
She sat leaning against his shoulder, mirroring the exact posture from when he had carried her through the city streets. Only this time, Bai Mu couldn't feel her weight at all.
She didn't appear on the Camcorder's screen, yet Bai Mu could clearly see her with his own naked eyes.
Bai Mu noticed a new Summon interface had appeared in his vision:
[Name: Lucy in Dreams]
[Category: Summon]
[Skills: Intangibility, Materialization, Cheering On, Doodle Divination, Supermarket Shopping]
[Current Status: Invisible]
[Remaining Duration: ???]
Before Bai Mu even had time to review her skills properly, Lucy unzipped her bunny backpack, pulled out some snacks, and offered them to him.
[Lucy has shared "Pineapple Sandwich Cookie" x1, "Chocolate Cake" x1, and "Orange Soda" x1 with you.]
She looked up at him, her face beaming with a delighted smile.
As he reached out to take them, the three items instantly materialized in his inventory.
[Name: Pineapple Sandwich Cookie]
[Category: Consumable]
[Effect: Instantly restores 30% Stamina.]
[Name: Chocolate Cake]
[Category: Consumable]
[Effect: Instantly restores 30% Health and continuously restores an additional 30% Health over the next 30 seconds.]
[Name: Orange Soda]
[Category: Consumable]
[Effect: Instantly purifies Negative Statuses inflicted by Rare-grade or lower skills and items. For the next ten minutes, you gain 70% resistance against the same Negative Status if inflicted again.]
"What incredibly powerful Consumables," Bai Mu gasped in awe.
The Pineapple Sandwich Cookie and Chocolate Cake were essentially mana and health potions. The former allowed Bai Mu to cast an additional skill, while the latter provided a total of 60% Health recovery, which was almost on par with the 80% restored by a Rare First Aid Kit.
The Orange Soda went without saying—it was practically a universal antidote.
But the most crucial detail was that they were entirely free. Bai Mu didn't need to spend a single Point to purchase them.
As long as he summoned Lucy, she would happily bring these supplies straight to him.
This was a gift shared between friends, costing him absolutely nothing.
Lucy's skills were just as fascinating. Exactly as Bai Mu had anticipated, she could freely switch between Intangibility and Materialization; she could interact with physical objects or effortlessly pass right through walls.
However, she couldn't stray further than ten meters away from him, simply because she would get scared.
Currently, she was also completely invisible to everyone else. No one but Bai Mu could see her, unless they possessed something like the"
Eye of Truth" or a similar skill.
Intangibility and Materialization functioned as her passive skills, while "Cheering On," "Doodle Divination," and "Supermarket Shopping" were active skills.
"Cheering On" could randomly boost Bai Mu's base attributes, providing a bonus ranging anywhere from five to ten points.
"Doodle Divination" was an intelligence-gathering skill. Bai Mu could ask Lucy a question—for instance, where the key to a specific door was hidden—and she would draw a related doodle as a clue. However, if the question exceeded her scope of knowledge, the skill would fail.
"Supermarket Shopping" was by far the most intriguing skill to Bai Mu. He could actually send Lucy on grocery runs!
[Skill Name: Supermarket Shopping]
[Effect: You may give Lucy pocket money to run errands at the supermarket. She will negotiate the shopping list with you based on the items' quantity and weight. Once the list is finalized, she will deliver the requested goods the next time she is summoned. (Note: Pocket money must be in M Dollars cash.)]
Based on the skill description, Lucy could buy anything available in a standard supermarket. The only limitation was the carrying capacity of a little girl. Overly heavy items were definitely off the table, but she could easily fetch batteries, scissors, food, and water.
Even though he had to wait twenty-four hours to receive the items after using the skill, it was still an incredibly potent ability. Whenever he found himself lacking a specific supply, she could simply go buy it, making it extremely versatile for various situations.
The catch was that once she completed any active skill, Lucy would disappear.
Of course, judging by her lively demeanor, Lucy was far from just a mindless summon. Beyond these system-defined skills, he could also just talk to her and ask for simple favors.
She opened her mouth, trying to speak, but Bai Mu couldn't hear a sound. After chatting away for a bit and realizing he wasn't reacting, she pulled a piece of paper and a pen from her backpack and began to draw.
Her first drawing was of a bright orange sun—likely a representation of her cheerful mood.
It seemed that the gory, blood-soaked scenes surrounding them completely eluded her perception.
It made sense. Why would a little girl dream of dismembered corpses anyway?
In her eyes, the horrifying environment was likely beautified, perhaps reduced to a harmless, messy scribble of stick figures.
Bai Mu led her through a set of double doors, finally arriving at the cavernous area housing the Life Support Pod. He spotted Billy at the very bottom of the staircase, submerged inside a massive glass pod. Various instruments surrounded him, blinking with red and green lights.
The Underground Laboratory was absolutely massive, spanning at least three stories high. Right now, Bai Mu was standing at the very top level.
"Come to think of it, I wonder what would happen if I gave those Detective Glasses to Lucy," Bai Mu mused aloud. He pulled out the plastic glasses and offered them to her.
Lucy looked pleasantly surprised. She eagerly took the glasses and proudly slipped them onto her face.
Suddenly, a poof of smoke erupted around her. When it cleared, her white princess dress was gone. She had transformed into a miniature Sherlock Holmes, complete with a beret and a plaid cape, biting down on a fake plastic pipe.
[Note: Lucy is currently in Detective Mode and can perceive things that are normally hidden from sight.]
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