"So they're actually in financial trouble right now?"
Cipher listened thoughtfully to the conversation outside the door.
"Should I go rob the rich to help the poor later? With my Trickster Demigod abilities, it shouldn't go wrong, right?"
"Besides, the system mentioned earlier that I earn Stellar Jades by influencing things. If I transfer wealth from the rich to Ember Squad, wouldn't that count as influence too?"
With that thought, Cipher silently called out to the system, but after repeating it over and over, there was still no response.
"Seems like it's just a dumb, unintelligent system," Cipher frowned, finally concluding. "But if the system won't show up, how am I supposed to draw cards?"
The moment Cipher said the words, a familiar mechanical voice rang out again.
[Current Stellar Jades: 1600 (from New Player Pack). Would you like to draw cards?]
"Huh? The system responded? Could it be because I said 'draw a card'?"
Cipher suddenly understood. It really was a mindless system, but as long as she spoke those two words, the card-drawing interface would appear.
"The newbie pack actually gave me this many Stellar Jades? Then... gimme a ten-pull right away!"
Hearing she had exactly 1,600 Stellar Jades, just enough for a ten-pull, Cipher immediately got excited.
[Confirmed. 1600 Stellar Jades consumed. Drawing cards...]
She licked her lips, eyes gleaming as she stared intently at the floating text. Even her tail shot straight up behind her, its tip trembling slightly with anticipation.
If her luck held, maybe this ten-pull would burst with golden light!
Just as she hoped, the text began to glow, but in purple.
Well... her luck wasn't that great after all.
Her eyes instantly dimmed, and her perked-up cat ears and tail drooped down in disappointment.
"Sigh... I should've known. Gacha pools never give you gold that easily."
After a frustrated sigh, Cipher turned her attention back to the results, curious about what she'd actually gotten.
[Congratulations! You received:
Packaged Dried Fish Snacks ×5 (Blue)
EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Grenades ×1 box (Purple)
Nougat Candy Balls ×2 (Blue)
SoulGlad Soda ×1 box (Blue)
Quantum Storage Device ×1 (Purple)]
"Wait... System, are you seriously telling me this is a Honkai: Star Rail-style gacha system?"
Staring at the list, Cipher felt her brain short-circuit.
She could overlook the nougat balls and SoulGlad—they at least belonged in the Star Rail universe—but what the heck were Quantum Storage and EMP grenades doing here? Was this Battlefield or Call of Duty now?
[Items have been placed into your System Inventory. You may retrieve them at any time.]
The aloof system ignored her completely, delivering that line before vanishing without another word.
"Fine. Let me check what these two purple items actually do."
Cipher mentally summoned her System Inventory, and just as expected, a UI resembling the game's backpack screen appeared before her eyes.
Unlike in the game, however, there were no separate categories. There were no slots for Light Cones, materials, quest items, or anything else. Everything she'd just drawn was dumped together in one single list.
Her eyes immediately locked onto the item labeled "Quantum Storage."
A description popped up:
[Quantum Storage] (Purple Item):
"This item originated from a certain unsearchable, unbeatable, and inescapable game next door.[1] A mouse-like operator smuggled it out via a high-risk extraction before it was altered by mysterious forces and added to this system's gacha pool."
Effect: Insert the Quantum Storage into a personal terminal to instantly transfer the terminal owner's credits into the device. The user can also deposit previously stored credits from the device into another terminal.
"Ugh… Seriously? This is just a completely nonsensical mix of random junk."
Cipher groaned at the description, then scrolled down.
And then—
Her eyes instantly turned into spinning gold coins.
"So... I can literally steal other people's money with this thing?!"
She whispered excitedly to herself.
Though she didn't know what a personal terminal was exactly, judging from what she'd overheard Ember Squad discussing earlier, credits were clearly this world's currency. Based on her sci-fi novel knowledge, she guessed a personal terminal was like a smartphone, bank card, and ID all rolled into one.
In plain terms, this item meant that if she got hold of someone's phone, she could drain their entire bank account!
What cat wouldn't be thrilled by something this amazing?
After calming her racing heart, Cipher shifted her focus to the other purple item.
[EMP Grenade] ×50 (Purple Consumable):
"Don't ask—I haven't played Call of Duty. It's just a regular electromagnetic pulse grenade."
Effect: Disables all electronic devices within a 10-meter radius temporarily and causes irreversible damage to wiring and similar components.
Cipher rolled her eyes and chose not to comment further.
Once she'd finished reviewing everything, she closed the inventory and quickly adopted the demeanor of an ordinary college student just as Ember Squad walked back in. Their discussion was apparently over.
Lou Lin was the first to approach Cipher. Smiling warmly, she extended her hand and said,
"How about joining our team? Since you've lost your memory and might not know where to go, you're welcome with us."
"Sure."
Cipher pretended to hesitate for a moment before accepting Lou Lin's offer and shaking her hand.
"If you're not willing," Lou Lin began, ready to persuade her further,
"Wait, you agreed that easily?"
Lou Lin was surprised. Was Cipher really this naive?
Now she started worrying. If Cipher was this trusting, wouldn't she get tricked by shady old men in no time? Especially since she was also incredibly cute...
At that thought, Lou Lin shivered and hurriedly opened her mouth to advise caution, but before she could speak, Cipher cut in confidently:
"I may have amnesia, but I'm still really strong!"
"And I can tell good from evil! I agreed so quickly because I know you're good people. Don't underestimate me!"
'Though even if you were bad guys, you still couldn't beat me anyway.'
With that, Cipher crossed her arms, striking a pose that clearly meant, "I'm powerful. Don't you dare look down on me!"
Though to everyone else, it just came across as overwhelmingly adorable.
The members of Ember Squad exchanged glances until Lou Lin finally snapped out of it.
She immediately wrapped Cipher in a tight hug, making the cat girl's brain momentarily blue-screen.
"Welcome, Cipher the Cat, to Ember Squad! Our squad just got one member stronger!"
[Joined Ember Squad. +100 Stellar Jades]
★ ★ ★
Footnotes:
1. The game being referred to is Escape from Tarkov.