Chapter 105: The Way to Break Through the Limit is to Obtain Special Rewards!
The third day was the critical moment to determine whether one could leave.
Up to this point, 109 chosen ones remained alive in this bizarre world.
Apart from those who died at major checkpoints, the rest perished because they failed to find solutions in time for certain details.
This was close to the end of the instance, and the fact that so many were still alive was unprecedented since the emergence of these bizarre instances.
Yet, even though it was still early in the morning, many chosen ones had already exhausted their [Raincoat] time.
It seemed the final moments would not be easy at all.
Since Abe Hiroshi saw other tenants being executed on the rooftop, he naturally searched the rooms of those executed tenants for unused raincoats or umbrellas.
This wasn’t particularly difficult for him.
To avoid violating the rules, he tried to stick to raincoats.
Other chosen ones who weren’t as observant had to spend a lot of time completing tasks for the tenants in exchange for the raincoats they needed.
As for some superhumans, they simply attacked other tenants directly—essentially killing monsters to loot gear.
If this had been earlier, they might have worried about retaliation and acted cautiously.
But now, on the final day, everyone was past caring—if they had to kill, they killed.
The worst off was the old monk from India. His recovery ability was strong, but after the manager left, it took him two hours of rest in his room just to barely recover enough to walk.
However, his raincoat was still intact, so while he wasted recovery time, he somehow saved his raincoat’s usage time.
The most relaxed was Zhang Yangqing. As the veteran from the Eagle Country had analyzed, he felt nothing at all.
The knocking at the front door couldn’t even be heard from the bedroom.
Besides, the bedroom door was reinforced.
The so-called whispers in the ear and mind were just a form of mental attack.
At this level, Zhang Yangqing didn’t even notice it.
If even an onmyoji could resist it, let alone the chief celestial master of Dragon Country.
Compared to the miserable experiences of other chosen ones over the past few days, Zhang Yangqing had it much better.
On the first day, he slept comfortably, woke up, and enjoyed a delicious meal from the bizarre world.
Then he slept soundly again. Aside from the bed being a bit uncomfortable, everything else was quite pleasant.
It felt like a leisurely trip, leaving him thoroughly satisfied.
If he had the time, he’d even consider staying longer to experience the local customs of the bizarre world.
If the other chosen ones knew what he was thinking, they’d probably vomit blood in frustration.
They had just survived life-and-death trials, and many were now mentally and physically exhausted.
They couldn’t wait to leave this place.
Even Miller, who came in to “farm skills,” felt like he had narrowly escaped death multiple times.
And this guy wanted to stay a few more days?
Fine, you play by yourself—don’t drag us into it. We’re scared of dying!
As for raincoats, Zhang Yangqing had plenty and didn’t have to worry about such items.
Even if he didn’t, he could easily get more!
Outside, the rain continued to pour, showing no signs of stopping.
While the chosen ones searched for clues, the tenants outside began to gossip.
“How long is this damned rain going to last? My whole house is damp.”
“You’re on the fifth floor—that’s still okay. I’m on the top floor, and the roof is leaking.”
“I checked the weather forecast yesterday. It said this rain might last another seven days.”
“Not sure what’s going on, but the cafeteria is closed at noon today. They said they’re out of ingredients and need people to help bring more in. I wonder if there’ll be food tonight.”
“Maybe we should eat out later. I know a good place.”
Miller picked up on many pieces of information and began analyzing them.
First, he filtered out the unnecessary details, then extracted useful clues from the important ones.
Based on his analysis, there were three key pieces of information:
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[The top floor is leaking, meaning tenants living there may already be “contaminated.”]
Whether or not that was true, it was best to avoid tenants from the top floor. -
[The rain won’t stop for seven days.]
This meant that if they wanted to leave today, they had to find the little boy and make him ride the rocking horse to stop the rain. -
[The cafeteria is recruiting help.]
There were two interpretations:-
It might be a hint that food was running out, urging the chosen ones to leave quickly.
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Or it might be suggesting that this was a chance to sneak into the cafeteria.
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From Miller’s perspective, the cafeteria was indeed recruiting help, and they needed people to transport ingredients.
This meant the cafeteria would be understaffed for a while.
Now might be the best time to infiltrate it.
After all, Miller didn’t know about the cafeteria’s basement. He still needed to find clues to confirm whether the supermarket or the cafeteria had one.
Today, the chosen ones had a lot to do—and they couldn’t afford mistakes.
Otherwise, if the cafeteria stopped serving food, they might not survive the night.
In a high-stakes game like this, no one would just wait to die.
While the other chosen ones sprang into action, Zhang Yangqing also prepared to leave after feeding his cat.
Knock, knock, knock!
A polite knocking sounded at the door.
Zhang Yangqing opened it to find several familiar faces.
The scar-faced man had adjusted his height to that of a normal person and personally delivered the seal.
Zhang Yangqing hadn’t been in a hurry to leave because he was waiting for them.
“Boss, we’ve brought what you asked for. Is there anything else you need?”
The scar-faced man’s attitude today was even more deferential than yesterday.
Because yesterday, he had realized something.
He suspected that Zhang Yangqing’s request for the seal might have been an excuse to kill them.
If they failed to deliver on time or didn’t bring enough, Zhang Yangqing would have had every reason to slaughter them.
And once he acted, no one could stop him.
The end result? Everything would belong to him.
But this line of thinking made Zhang Yangqing seem far more sinister than he actually was.
To a certain extent, Zhang Yangqing still adhered to some principles.
That certain extent… depended on his mood.
The reason he had summoned them was that he saw them as free labor.
“Yesterday, I helped you reclaim the landlord’s seal. You basically coasted through that round. Now, is it too much to ask you to do some work?”
Seeing the scar-faced man’s attitude, Zhang Yangqing nodded in approval.
This was the Celestial Master’s seal of approval.
Or, in other words, the scar-faced man had temporarily earned himself a “get-out-of-death-free” card.
Looking at the twenty-plus fierce ghosts standing obediently at the door, Zhang Yangqing wasn’t entirely satisfied with their fashion sense, but it didn’t matter.
“Let’s go. There are some things I’ll need your help with today.”
“Don’t say ‘help’—if you need us, we’ll provide the best service.”
The scar-faced man, sensing Zhang Yangqing’s slight “politeness,” immediately became even more humble.
Because attitudes were relative. If Zhang Yangqing spoke normally, he would respond politely.
But if Zhang Yangqing was polite, he had to lower his stance even further to avoid offending the boss.
This was the scar-faced man’s survival strategy.
It was unclear whether he had persecution complex, but he always felt like Zhang Yangqing was looking for an excuse to kill him.
So, he acted with extreme caution.
Zhang Yangqing didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the seal and tossed it into the bedroom.
Then, with his twenty-plus “entourage,” he marched out of the rental building in a grand procession.
It felt like he was back at Smiling Hospital, with a group of obedient underlings doing his bidding.
Zhang Yangqing’s first destination was the cafeteria basement.
The journey was smooth—tenants scattered at the sight of them, avoiding them like the plague.
Compared to the other chosen ones, who were exhausted and struggling, Zhang Yangqing’s approach was effortless.
This gave Dragon Country’s viewers the feeling that another easy victory was coming.
“Good grief, is this like bringing a boss to farm dungeons?”
“Damn, Celestial Master Zhang is too OP. He’s pulling off strategies I’d never even dream of.”
“Seriously, I thought the other chosen ones were impressive, but compared to Zhang, they’re still lacking.”
“Zhang always finds ways to make things unexpectedly entertaining.”
“I heard Taoists are supposed to control corpses. This kinda feels like Zhang is herding a bunch of zombies.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s a pretty accurate description.”
Many people noticed that Zhang Yangqing had a knack for bossing around supernatural beings.
No matter where he went, he always found a way to put them to work.
The most absurd part was that these ghosts obeyed him willingly—not because he threatened them.
This maximized their initiative.
They actively considered Zhang Yangqing’s needs and acted accordingly.
This was far more effective than forcing them to comply.
At the cafeteria entrance, the owner was gathering people for an expedition.
Incidentally, the tools they carried—traps, hunting nets—made it look like they were going on a hunt.
Zhang Yangqing wasn’t particularly interested in turning the black cat white.
The reason he was heading to the basement was because the rules mentioned it.
He might as well explore it to increase his completion rate, which would help with the final evaluation.
Every time Zhang Yangqing cleared an instance, all his stats increased by +6.
There was no data yet on what these stats did, but he knew more was better.
If he compared his rewards with other S-rank clearers, he’d realize that each additional S-rank added +2 to all stats.
Since these were rewards, Zhang Yangqing adopted a “while we’re here, might as well grab more” mentality, always aiming for a perfect clear.
But he wasn’t obsessive about it. If the ghosts refused to cooperate, he’d rather settle for less than full marks than compromise his principles.
You obey, we play together. You don’t, I play alone.
Here, Zhang Yangqing had a bold hypothesis—a speculation about the future.
He seemed to have already reached the so-called “max level” on Earth, but he wouldn’t claim to be the strongest.
What if there were others at max level too?
In other words, if two people’s stats were both at the limit for this plane…
Imagine a game where the level cap is 99, and the stat cap is 999.
The top players in this game, under its rules, would have stats maxed at 999 through normal means.
To go beyond that, they’d need special equipment, buffs, or rewards.
The all-stat bonuses from clearing instances could break through this limit.
One or two clears might not make a noticeable difference, but over time, the gap would widen.
If two top-tier players faced off—one with no stat boosts and the other with many—even a slight difference could be fatal in a life-or-death moment.
So, after three instances, Zhang Yangqing wasn’t impatient. After all, he was here for the rewards.
If the world wanted him to grind his stats, then grind he would. No problem.
Inside the bizarre world, Zhang Yangqing questioned the scar-faced man, who answered truthfully.
The cafeteria and the rental building belonged to different supernatural factions, so the scar-faced man didn’t know the cafeteria owner.
But from a former cafeteria worker, he’d heard there was a large basement.
Judging by the owner’s fierce demeanor, he wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
After the owner left with his team, Zhang Yangqing led his group to the cafeteria’s back door.
He knocked, and an impatient voice answered:
“Who is it? We’re closed today!”
Movement could be heard behind the peephole.
“I’ve got fresh ingredients. Wondering if you’re interested.”
Zhang Yangqing held a black plastic bag, seemingly heavy with contents.
It’s raining outside—you don’t expect me to open it here, do you?
After all, the morning’s intel had mentioned the cafeteria was short on ingredients.
Zhang Yangqing had stuffed some random junk into the bag and called it “ingredients.”
The cafeteria staff fell for it. Seeing only Zhang Yangqing, they opened the door.
At that moment, the hidden ghosts swarmed in, overpowering the six staff members guarding the back.
The scar-faced man, being a boss-level entity, made quick work of them.
Two were left to guard the door, four or five acted as lookouts outside, and the rest searched for the basement entrance.
The cafeteria was large, and having many hands made the search easier than if Zhang Yangqing did it alone.
Soon, the rat-mouthed ghost—the one who had previously stolen from Zhang Yangqing’s room—proved adept at finding hidden passages.
After all, it had some rat-like traits.
Just like that, Zhang Yangqing effortlessly reached one of this instance’s critical points.
Miller, on the other hand, had a much harder time—every step was perilous.
First, he applied for a job at the cafeteria and got hired.
Then he pretended to have stomach issues, hiding in the restroom for hours.
During that time, he observed the cafeteria through a small window.
Once he confirmed the owner had left, he sneaked out.
Admittedly, staying in the restroom for so long left him reeking.
But he had no time to care. He carefully searched the cafeteria for the basement, avoiding his “colleagues” as much as possible.
If he couldn’t avoid them, he confidently claimed he’d been assigned to guard the area, extracting information while deflecting suspicion.
Once he had the intel, he found a way into the basement.
When invited inside, Miller refused outright.
The rules had mentioned this, so there had to be a reason.
Watching Miller’s screen felt like playing a third-person stealth game—tense, thrilling, and mentally taxing.
Then there was Zhang Yangqing, bulldozing through with his squad, steamrolling everything in his path.
There wasn’t even a hint of tension.
In the basement, Zhang Yangqing found the scar-faced man equally curious.
“Is this your first time here too?”
“Yeah. The animals here are vicious. I don’t know how the cafeteria owner hunts them.”
The scar-faced man was intrigued by the place.
To his credit, the owner seemed relatively normal—the bones and pelts stored here were all from animals.
Meaning the meat the chosen ones ate yesterday was standard fare.
After some searching, they uncovered the basement’s secret.
There was a strange [drug], with instructions nearby.
If animals consumed it, they’d lose their combat ability.
This was what the chosen ones needed to turn the black cat white.
Zhang Yangqing took a packet with him.
He might not use it, but it was good to have.
If his assumptions were wrong, he’d have to sacrifice the cat.
But that was unlikely—he understood the instance’s evaluation rules well.
Still, it never hurt to be prepared.
With the drug secured, the next step was stopping the rain.
After retrieving the drug from the basement, Miller scoured the community for the child.
The heavy rain reduced visibility, making the search difficult.
There was also a potentially fatal detail: avoiding children drenched in the rain.
Those were undoubtedly ghosts—mutated ones at that.
If caught by them, forget stopping the rain—it’d be a death sentence.
As the rules stated, if encountering such a child, one must stand still and wait for someone to pull the child away.
Miller noted two crucial points:
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If meeting such a child outdoors, calculate the remaining raincoat time and leave as soon as possible—or ask someone to remove the child.
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If inside the rental building, keep the motion-sensor lights on. The rules only forbade eye contact, not making noise.
Why was Miller so cautious? Because in this instance, he was the unlucky one—every possible misfortune seemed to target him.
Yet, thanks to his sharp judgment, he advanced step by step and eventually found the child he needed.
Other chosen ones also employed their own methods—some relied on luck, others on sheer determination.
The community had many buildings, making the search tedious and complex.
It tested both observation skills and focus.
The lucky ones were enviable—while others struggled for hours, they found the child almost immediately.
Viewers from countries with less fortunate chosen ones watched in jealousy.
But when they saw how Dragon Country’s chosen one operated, they realized what true disparity looked like.
After securing the drug, Zhang Yangqing led his twenty-plus underlings back to the rental building.
He took down the portrait of the little boy, showed it to them, and said,
“This one. Find him and bring him to me. Understood?”
At his command, the scar-faced man saluted.
“Don’t worry, boss. Consider it done!”
The group scattered to search for the ghostly child.
So what if the child was a fierce ghost? So were they!
Familiar with the terrain and with numbers on their side, they’d find the boy far faster than Zhang Yangqing could alone.
All Zhang Yangqing had to do was wait at the entrance.
Viewers were stunned by this strategy.
The lucky chosen ones were already pushing it, but this guy didn’t even rely on luck—that was just unfair!
The world could only lament:
Dragon Country’s chosen one has reached the point where he doesn’t even do his own tasks—he makes NPCs do them for him!
