Chapter 35 Jiang Kexin, Substitute Puppet
Chapter 35 Jiang Kexin, Substitute Puppet
Upon hearing Zhou Zheng's words, Lin Yuanrong immediately fell silent.
He recalled how Xiao Zheng looked when he returned yesterday.
My usually cheerful teammate now suffers from insomnia night after night, and the slightest unusual sound triggers his reflexive instinct to draw his gun. Three fingers on his left hand bear permanent scars from monster bites...
"The higher-ups ordered us to find the players, not to catch them."
Zhou Zheng's voice sounded particularly heavy amidst the rain, "It is to strive for all the forces that can be gained before the real end of the world arrives, and to cope with the so-called doomsday era."
...
Su Jinjin watched Zhou Zheng and the others disappear into the rain before she finally relaxed completely.
She took the supplies out of the space again and put them back in their places in an orderly manner.
The rain outside the window continued to fall, the pattering sound making the room exceptionally quiet, and inexplicably stirring up a touch of sadness in her.
"Now is not the time for sentimentality." Su Jinjin patted her cheeks to cheer herself up. "We need to live well in reality, and we need to make the game even easier!"
Taking a deep breath, Su Jinjin opened her laptop and began typing away rapidly.
The blue light from the screen reflected on her serious face.
"While the internet is still working, I must seize the time to study!" She quickly created a folder called "Survival Guide" and began frantically downloading all sorts of materials:
Complete Guide to Firearms Use and Maintenance
Close Combat Techniques Explained (Illustrated)
The Encyclopedia of Wilderness Survival
Emergency Medicine in Practice
Simple Trap Making Method
After downloading each file, she immediately backed it up to her external hard drive and also saved a copy to her personal storage space.
His fingers flew across the keyboard, his eyes shining with focused concentration.
"Having weapons but not knowing how to use them is useless." She opened a military training video, taking notes as she watched. She also wanted to make use of the weapons she had obtained from Jing Ningyu in her own space.
"Recoil control, aiming posture, troubleshooting... you have to master all of these."
As the rain intensified, she downloaded several more guides on how to cope with torrential rain and floods.
After tidying up her computer files, Su Jinjin immediately got fully equipped and prepared to go out shopping.
She put on a plain black raincoat that she had made using the [Tailor] skill in the Parasitic Apocalypse instance. But don't let its ordinary appearance fool you; this raincoat is so powerful that it can even protect against acid rain.
However, when she arrived at the supermarket, the scene before her eyes stunned her.
An ID card scanner has been added at the supermarket entrance, and each customer must swipe their ID card to enter.
The items on the shelves were all labeled "limited purchase per person," and uniformed staff stood by the checkout counter to strictly supervise the process.
"Food is subject to rationing, and there's a limit to the number of speedboats each household can purchase..." The sales clerk mechanically repeated the regulations, while his eyes warily scanned each customer.
Su Jinjin instantly understood Zhou Zheng's purpose in recording her ID card with that strange device that morning.
"Originally, it was about observing people's purchasing records, but perhaps there are other ideas as well."
If someone wants to buy something, you can get a test and then you can't buy more.
Of course, it's possible that the authorities don't want people to hoard houses and cause unnecessary chaos.
She pretended to be an ordinary customer and only took the daily necessities that were allowed.
While queuing to pay, I overheard two housewives in front of me whispering:
"Have you heard? There was that rich kid who wanted to hoard goods and wouldn't let others buy them..."
"My nephew said that his workplace has arrested several people who used this method to increase the price of goods."
"Tsk tsk, the apocalypse hasn't even arrived yet, and people are already causing trouble..."
Su Jinjin lowered her head.
She discreetly observed the supermarket's surveillance layout out of the corner of her eye; at least three new cameras had been added, and the number of security guards had doubled.
As she left the supermarket, she noticed several unmarked black vans with dark tinted windows in the parking lot.
A man in plainclothes is holding a tablet computer and checking the list of customers coming and going.
Su Jinjin didn't buy much, so she wasn't scared.
As Su Jinjin walked to the entrance of the residential area, raindrops dripped from the brim of her raincoat, wetting her eyelashes.
I never expected to run into someone I never want to see again at the entrance of my residential compound.
A familiar, nauseating voice came from behind Su Jinjin:
"Jinjin~"
The voice was weak yet deliberately aggrieved, like poison laced with honey.
Su Jinjin froze, slowly turned around, and sure enough, she saw the face she least wanted to see.
Jiang Kexin.
Jiang Kexin held a white transparent umbrella and wore a light pink dress, looking pitiful.
But Su Jinjin was all too familiar with this disguise; the slightly drooping corners of her mouth and the reddened eyes were all carefully calculated expressions.
"Jiang Kexin," Su Jinjin said coldly, her voice icier than rain, "how dare you show your face in front of me?"
Jiang Kexin's eyes immediately filled with tears: "Jinjin, I know you're still angry with me, I'm really worried about you..."
Su Jinjin almost burst out laughing.
Seeing Su Jinjin like this,
Jiang Kexin's eyes immediately reddened, and her lips trembled slightly: "Jinjin, I know you're still angry with me, but..."
"But what?" Su Jinjin interrupted with a cold laugh, "But you accidentally slept in the same bed as my ex-boyfriend? Or you accidentally 'shared' the company task I did with a competitor?"
Rain dripped down Su Jinjin's hair, her eyes even more gloomy than the unusual downpour.
Jiang Kexin, who was once her closest friend, was someone Su Jinjin misjudged, failing to see the vicious side hidden beneath Jiang Kexin's innocent appearance.
The tactic of stabbing someone in the back is more ruthless than that of any enemy.
Jiang Kexin gritted her teeth in anger, but she couldn't let herself be angry.
She must choose someone as her substitute so that any damage she takes in the dungeon will be transferred to that person, but the conditions for using this talent are rather demanding.
Su Jinjin's eyes flashed, thinking that she and Jiang Kexin had already completely broken off their relationship.
Given Jiang Kexin's personality, she wouldn't appear in front of him again unless there was a problem.
Su Jinjin looked at Jiang Kexin and activated [Eye of Resume].
Name: Jiang Kexin
Gender: Female
[Professional Skill: Talent - Substitute Puppet (can transfer damage from oneself to a designated target): Conditions for use: voluntarily accepting items given by Jiang Kexin and keeping them with you at all times.]
Weakness: Fear of poverty
Upon seeing this, Su Jinjin suddenly realized what was going on.
Jiang Kexin also became a player, and her talent required finding a "scapegoat".
No wonder they suddenly came knocking; they probably had their eye on me, this "old acquaintance."
Jiang Kexin said with a guilty look, "I came here specifically to apologize for what I did..." and then she began to act.
Su Jinjin sneered and deliberately took a few steps back to create distance. "Don't even think about it! In the end, I should thank you, because what you stole wasn't my man, but my trouble."
Jiang Kexin: ...
Ex-boyfriend: ...
Upon hearing Su Jinjin's words, Jiang Kexin's expression twisted instantly, but she quickly regained her pitiful look.
Seeing the other person like this, Su Jinjin felt that the other person's talent should not be a substitute puppet, but rather face changing was more suitable for her.
"Jinjin, this is for you..." She took a bracelet out of her bag, "as an apology..."