Chapter 15: Endless War
I quickly clicked on the map page. Sure enough, a new map had appeared below the original one. The previously cleared map was now grayed out and could no longer be selected.
The new map had a pretty cool name: Endless War.
[Endless War]: The price of time travel is 5 Time Travel Coins.
The price had increased fivefold! Zhou Ning, who had just been feeling flush with his 12 Time Travel Coins, suddenly felt his stomach drop.
Damn! Isn't this inflation a little too fast?
Zhou Ning recalled playing a tower defense mini-game with the same name, so his first impression was that this would be a fantasy-style map. However, knowing the simulator's eccentric nature, he figured it could just as easily be modern warfare. He had no idea what to expect.
He clicked on the new lottery feature and found the rules were quite simple. A single draw cost one Time Travel Coin, while a ten-pull cost nine. The current prize pool contained items from the "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" world he had just completed.
Free Draws: 3
Zhou Ning was speechless.
Isn't this the exact same setup as a pay-to-win mobile game?
As someone cursed with bad luck since childhood—he'd never even won a "try again" on a bottle cap—Zhou Ning had zero interest in lotteries.
But he made an exception for anything free.
He clicked the draw button without hesitation, and a notification popped up.
[You have obtained a rare item: Browning M1906 pocket pistol, with some .25 ACP caliber bullets.]
Again!
[You have obtained a rare item: Colt M1908 pistol, with some .25 ACP caliber bullets.]
Zhou Ning paused, walked to the bathroom with a grim expression, and splashed some water on his face.
Continue!
[You have obtained a rare item: Webley Scott Bulldog Revolver, with some .45 ACP caliber bullets.]
Zhou Ning stared blankly.
This is incredibly bad luck! Counting the two guns already in his inventory, he now had five! How was one person supposed to wield that many? Did the game think he was Doctor Octopus?
Cursing his luck, he pulled out his pocket watch. It was just past two in the morning—the night was still young. Having just tasted the power of Hamon, Zhou Ning wasn't the least bit sleepy. He found a few pieces of black bread in his room, ate them, and lay down on his bed. Staring at the new, unopened map, he felt an itch he couldn't ignore.
How about one more run?
Ultimately, his gaming addiction won out. He selected the new map, Endless War, and entered.
[Preparing to travel through time... Time Travel Coins -5]
[Please select the time travel mode...]
[1. Direct Travel]
[2. Use Parallel World Template]
Wow, even the travel mode has been upgraded?
Curious, Zhou Ning selected the second option. Three cards appeared before him.
The first card depicted him in a black suit and sunglasses, his expression cold and ruthless.
Personality: Cold-blooded and cruel.
Talents: [Precision Shooting] (Blue) and [Bullet Time] (Orange).
Skills: Firearms Mastery (Expert) and Combat Mastery (Expert).
Title: The Extreme Evildoer Zhou Ning.
Price: 15 Time Travel Coins.
The second card showed him in a purple suit with clown makeup, his expression erratic and unpredictable.
Personality: Unstable and unpredictable.
Talents: [Criminal Genius] (Purple), [Demolition Genius] (Purple), [Gun Master] (Purple), and [Dyslexia] (Gray Negative Talent).
Skills: Intimidation and Blackmail (Master), Explosives Manufacturing (Expert), and Negotiation (Expert).
Title: Crazy Clown Zhou Ning.
Price: 25 Time Travel Coins.
The third card pictured him in a black suit, sitting calmly and confidently at a gambling table with a chocolate bar in his hand.
Personality: Proud, confident, and unhurried.
Talents: [Gambler] (Red) and [Winning Blow] (Purple).
Skills: Gambling (God-Tier) and Firearms Mastery (Entry-Level).
Title: Supreme Gambling God Zhou Ning.
Price: A shocking 100 Time Travel Coins!
After reading the descriptions, Zhou Ning immediately understood the steep prices. These templates not only helped you clear the map more easily, but they also gave you a chance to draw the template's skills and talents upon completion.
It was an incredibly tempting offer. Any one of these character cards would be a massive upgrade.
Below the cards was a refresh timer: 23:59:59. Clearly, the three options would be replaced when the timer ran out.
He desperately wanted one, but a glance at his remaining balance of 7 Time Travel Coins quickly extinguished that desire. He couldn't afford a single one.
[You chose travel mode 1.]
[Please select three of the following ten talents as your starting conditions.]
1. Mystery (Blue): No one knows who you are. Your name and your origins are all a mystery.
[2. Vampire Physique (Purple): Your physical abilities far surpass those of humans, and you are immortal, but you will be destroyed by sunlight.]
[3. Wastewood Flow (Green): This is my legendary life. Don't bully the poor young, don't bully the poor middle-aged, and don't bully the poor old.]
4. Interspecies Love (White): You're not a fan of furries, but they are. You're naturally attractive to furry creatures.
[5. Faceless (Green): You are born without a face but are immune to all mind and spiritual magic.]
6. Super Gambler (Purple): You possess a unique talent and intuition for gambling. When you make a bet, your luck is greatly improved.
7. Sweet Lover (White): You love desserts, almost to the point of being unable to live without sugar.
8. Easygoing (Blue): Your communication skills are excellent, and you can quickly become friends with anyone.
9. Business Genius (Blue): You are very talented in business, enough to accumulate starting capital.
[10. Soul Transmigration (Blue): You have chosen to travel via soul transmigration, opening up countless possibilities.]
[Please select!]
Compared to his last run, these options were much worse, and many of them were bizarre.
The [Vampire Physique] from the last clear was now in the talent pool. It looked powerful, but the fatal weakness to sunlight was a huge gamble. Without knowing the map's plot, he could die the moment he spawned, wasting 5 Time Travel Coins.
Option 10, [Soul Transmigration], was similarly unstable. It was better to choose reliable positive talents like 6 and 8.
After a moment of hesitation, he chose 6, 8, and 9.
[You chose Talent 6, Talent 8, and Talent 9.]
[Your current talents are: Super Gambler, Easygoing, Business Genius, and the permanent talent Tony Stark.]
[Match successful. In this parallel world, you are a playboy, a social expert, a genius in scientific research and business, and a consummate gambler.]
[The simulation will end upon your death.]
[Readying the time machine… 1%… 33%… 65%… 95%… Whoosh… Travel complete.]
You traveled to New York City, 2006. From this moment on, the wheel of history began to turn.
New York in 2006? What kind of map is this? Call of Duty?
July 1, 2006: You found yourself alone on the streets of New York City. After striking up a few conversations, you learned you were in Flushing, a neighborhood populated primarily by Asian immigrants. With your good looks and social graces, you used a few simple dice tricks to make a small fortune.
July 2, 2006: You were held at gunpoint by several thugs. But they were no match for you. You turned the tables on them, relieving them of $900 in cash.
July 3rd–12th, 2006: You made a tidy profit by placing bets in over a dozen small casinos. After building a small nest egg, you wisely decided to stop while you were ahead. As a gambler, you understood the fine line between winning and ruin; unchecked greed only led to poverty and desperation. For a gambler, not knowing when to walk away was a death sentence. (Family Status +2)
July 13, 2006: You rented an apartment in Flushing and settled in. As you began to learn about this world, you made a shocking discovery. Stark Industries was real. The most prominent landmark in Manhattan wasn't the Empire State Building from your old world, but the 1,138-foot-tall Stark Tower.
Zhou Ning was a little stunned. The truth was obvious now. This second map was the Marvel universe.