Chapter 2 |
Right—the vocal cords.
Shen Ge decided to test his newly acquired “Silent” trait first, curious about how it worked. With a mental command, the system prompted:
[Trait “Silent” activated.]
Then… nothing happened?
“Huh?”
He checked his stats and confirmed his Spirit was draining at 0.5% per second, but his body felt no different.
What the hell? He tried to grumble aloud—only to realize no sound came out when he opened his mouth.
“Hey? Ha?”
“…”
“Hey? Ha?”
His voice returned instantly.
Shen Ge’s eye twitched.
So the “Silent” trait just… mutes me?
How is that useful?!
Wait.
If merely being voiceless qualified the cat as a *Tier-4 Anomaly*, did that mean traits were baseline for that tier?
“Are Tier-4s just tutorial mobs? Rare and unique, but still trash?”
That wildcat had been aggressive, sure—but it died to a door. Textbook beginner enemy.
“Silent… Silent…”
A thought struck him. Reactivating the trait, he stomped his foot on the ground.
No sound.
Again.
Still nothing.
Holy shit. This is perfect for hide-and-seek!
Eyes gleaming, he grabbed two steel pipes from the construction materials littering the unfinished villa and whacked the staircase railing—
Bam-clang! Bam-clang!
He mentally drummed along, pounding the metal. Yet no matter how hard or fast he hit, the impacts stayed utterly silent.
He experimented further: walls, doors (leaving dents and holes), even his phone. Unlocking it, a paused video resumed:
“This woman, Xiao Mei…”
Subtitles rolled, but no audio played—despite the volume being at max. When he set the phone down, the narrator’s voice blared:
“—met her new boyfriend, Da Zhuang. They planned a trip to scenic Crystal Lake with friends.”
Picking it up again muted the sound.
After repeating this, he recorded himself bashing a door with a pipe, then played it back. The recording, too, was silent.
“So anything involving me is soundless. I could fire a gun without a suppressor!”
His gaze landed on the ruined door—now cratered and gouged—but since it was slated for demolition anyway, no harm done.
With the trait’s mechanics figured out, he turned to the system’s other functions.
Tasks.
As a seasoned gamer, Shen Ge knew tasks were vital for rewards.
[Crisis Mission: You are in a Tier-4 Anomaly’s lair! Lower-tier anomalies infest this area. Flee immediately!]
-
Time limit: 30 mins
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Reward: 30 system points
[Daily Mission: An Tier-8 Anomaly stirs in Rong City. While East District is safe for now, gather supplies and evacuate!]
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Reward: 50 points, random F-grade item
Both tasks felt… off, but he couldn’t pinpoint why.
*”A Tier-4’s territory…”* He glanced at the room where the black cat had appeared, then hurried outside.
[Crisis Mission completed in 57 seconds!]
[Host escaped a deadly Tier-4 nest with unmatched bravery! Double reward: 60 points.]
His points jumped from 0 to 60.
Shen Ge: “…System, if you wanna give extra points, just say so. No need for the theatrics.”
He eyed the villa—a symbol of East District’s wealth—baffled by its alleged danger. This system was weird.
Remembering the mission’s mention of “lower-tier anomalies,” he grabbed his pipe and searched room by room.
“Meow—”
“HISSS!”
At the end of the second-floor hallway, three cats—two calicos, one white—hissed at him, fur bristling.
“Why so hostile?” Stray cats in his neighborhood were never this aggressive.
He slammed the pipe against a shelf. The CLANG! sent the cats bolting to the balcony and into the bushes below.
[Host scared off three terrifying Tier-1 Anomalies despite pitiful stats! Reward: 5 points.]
Years of desk work had left Shen Ge physically underwhelming. A recent week-long illness hadn’t helped. But “pitiful stats”? Harsh.
“Who are you calling weak?!”
I’m… a spiritual specialist!
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