Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Snow Mountain Town 9—Communication by Shouting, Transport by Walking, Warmth by Shivering

On her way back to the Safehouse, Jiang Qibai stopped by a few shops to complete her daily quest.

After her Mutated Shadow Ghost employee was sacrificed, she had captured a regular Shadow Ghost to take its place.

Thanks to the increase in her Attribute Points, the new employee was captured with full HP, but its stats were far inferior to the Mutated Shadow Ghost’s.

[ Shadow Ghost** Life: 10/10 Strength: 3 Defense: 2 Agility: 5 **Spirit: 0 ]

Mutated Shadow Ghosts were rare encounters, so she’d have to make do for now. The Blank Employee Badge had a one-day cooldown on its monster-capture ability, meaning she only had one chance per day to swap employees.

If she wasn’t on a mission, Jiang Qibai planned to avoid killing the next Mutated Shadow Ghost she encountered. Instead, she would capture it in the badge, saving it for their upcoming trip to gather fuel and supplies.

Releasing her regular Shadow Ghost employee, Jiang Qibai spent some time killing the five Shadow Ghosts nearby to complete her daily quest. She then took the opportunity to scavenge for supplies in the cleared-out shops.

She entered a gift shop. The shelves were stocked with local handicrafts—fridge magnets, crystal bracelets, scrolls depicting the snow-capped mountains, and more. These delicate items, now ignored by all, were left to gather dust on the shelves. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Jiang Qibai picked up a few canvas bags, a shell-encrusted hand mirror, a small salt lamp, and several ceramic plates.

None of these were essentials. In fact, they’d just take up precious space in her already cramped safehouse. But even in a world like this, one needed a few things to brighten their life.

A recurring motif appeared on all these handicrafts: a robed woman with a calm, resolute expression. She wore a crystal crown and held a golden sword.

A single statue of the figure featured a descriptive plaque.

This is the Snow Mountain Goddess, the guardian deity of the town, it read. She symbolizes purity, wisdom, and the strength of protection. Her translucent crystal crown marks her as the incarnation of ice and snow, while the golden sword she wields represents the courage to shatter the bitter cold and bring hope.

Jiang Qibai wasn’t particularly interested in the lore. She gave the text a cursory glance before continuing her search for useful items on the shelves.

Just then, a heavy thud echoed from the doorway.

A Shadow Ghost had leaped from a height—a fall so steep it had clearly broken one of its legs. Despite the injury, it dragged its mangled body forward, limping toward a specific destination. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

The sound echoed again and again. Jiang Qibai looked out in shock. From the rooms lining both sides of the street, countless Shadow Ghosts were smashing through windows and leaping down, completely ignoring the weakening effects of the sunlight as they ran wildly down the road.

Jiang Qibai turned to look at her own Shadow Ghost employee and found it growing restless too. Unfortunately, Shadow Ghosts lacked reason and couldn’t tell her what was happening.

The scene before her looked like a massive battle royale. Were the Shadow Ghosts trying to escape something? A wave of unease washed over Jiang Qibai. She abandoned her plan to keep searching for supplies and prepared to return to her safehouse as quickly as possible.

She waited until the Shadow Ghosts on this street had mostly cleared out before leaving the shop and running toward her safehouse.

The commotion also alerted nearby players.

No one knew what was happening, but the general consensus was clear: Run for your life.

Jiang Qibai watched as a middle-aged woman on a skateboard vanished stylishly at the end of the street. A bicycle zoomed past, the young rider pedaling so fast the pedals were a blur. There was even an old man with graying hair riding a heavy motorcycle. With the roar of the engine, he sped away, leaving a dozen or so Shadow Ghosts choking on his exhaust fumes. They only gave up after failing to keep up.

Jiang Qibai’s pace slowed further, until even the limping Shadow Ghost had passed her. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

[ You have unlocked the achievement: [Primitive Life]. Communication by shouting, transportation by walking, and warmth by shivering. Reward: Agility +1, Life +1 ]

Finally, the system is willing to give me some Life points?

The boost to her Agility made things a little easier, but only a little.

Estimating the distance to the Safehouse, Jiang Qibai decided she couldn’t keep running like this. She needed to rest and conserve her strength for emergencies.

As the streetscape became more familiar, she recognized where she was.

This was the street where she had met Suisui An and Hugo.

The Shadow Ghosts here had been cleared out by them not long ago, making it safer than other areas. Jiang Qibai turned a corner and slowed her pace here.

She gasped for air, struggling to steady her breathing. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

After taking a couple of steps, she noticed the eerie hotel looked different from before. The tempered glass of the main entrance was shattered into a web of cracks. The floor tiles were splintered from some heavy impact, and the stark white walls were marred by several shocking bloodstains. The ground was littered with scraps of leather and paper.

Someone went inside?!

Just as she was about to find a shop to hide in, the people from the hotel emerged.

Six people emerged, Hugo and Suisui An among them. Every one of them was battered and bruised. One person was injured particularly badly, carried out on someone’s back. His face was ashen, leaving a long, winding trail of blood behind him.

Suisui An’s expression shifted. “They’re here already! The Shadow Ghosts from other areas have arrived!”

A female Player named Xingshan shoved a box from her arms into Hugo’s hands. “Take this and go, now!”

Hugo glanced at the unconscious Player. “Fried Tomato is—”

Xingshan shoved the box into his chest and gave him a hard push. “Go!” Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

Hugo didn’t hesitate any longer. His figure vanished like a wraith, reappearing dozens of meters away. At that moment, Shadow Ghosts were already swarming the streets. They had just been about to close in on the hotel when they all abruptly pivoted, turning to chase after Hugo.

Jiang Qibai watched the scene unfold from her hiding spot, thinking, So the Shadow Ghosts aren’t trying to avoid something—they’re being drawn to it.

What could possibly be in that box to cause such a massive Shadow Ghost riot?

Meanwhile, Suisui An noticed her companion’s HP was critical. She pulled out a healing item to treat him, but his health was still dropping at an alarming rate.

“I’ll take Fried Tomato back. I have a medical pod at my place,” Xingshan said, his voice urgent.

“No, the wound won’t close. He won’t make it,” Suisui An’s voice trembled. “Damn it, we’re out of healing items.”

Xingshan immediately turned to the other two players who had remained silent.

The two players froze for a moment before stammering, “Our healing skills are on cooldown.” “Me too.” Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

“What about healing items?” Xingshan asked. “I’ll buy them at double the market price.”

One of the players shrugged. “I’m a Healer. I don’t have a habit of hoarding items.”

The other player pulled out an item. “This is all I have.”

Xingshan took it and saw it could only restore ten health points.

Seeing Xingshan’s displeased expression, the two players forced themselves to speak. “The monsters are all dead, Boss Xingshan. Let’s settle the final payment, as agreed.”

Xingshan remained silent. He paid the agreed reward and sent extra Points to the Healer who had produced the item.

Suisui An pressed her hand against her companion’s wound to stop the bleeding, but blood kept seeping through her fingers. She looked up, her voice desperate. “Don’t let them leave!”

Xingshan gave a subtle look, and the two Healers vanished into the distance. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

One of them muttered, “Even in the apocalypse, there are still medical disputes. If we don’t have heals, we don’t have heals. Complaining won’t make them appear.”

Xingshan crouched down to check on his companion and said to Suisui An, “I have a Life-Saving Item, but the side effects are a bit much.”

This time, it was Suisui An’s turn to hesitate. “If we use that, Fried Tomato will be a cripple in this Dungeon.”

“Still better than being dead,” Xingshan countered, already pulling the item out.

“Wait,” Suisui An suddenly said. “There’s a Player nearby.”

She seemed to have pinpointed the other person’s location. Standing up, she hurriedly said, “Wait a moment. Let me see if I can trade for a Healing Item from that Player.”

Jiang Qibai was still debating whether to seize the opportunity to leave while Hugo was drawing away all the Shadow Ghosts. Suddenly, she saw Suisui An walking straight toward the shop where she was hiding.

She didn’t know the woman’s intentions and knew she couldn’t hide. She silently shifted into a defensive stance. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

“It’s you?” Suisui An paused, surprised to see her. A look of disappointment immediately crossed her face. Healing Items were precious and in high demand, yet extremely difficult to obtain. The least likely person to have one would be a novice.

Wait, a novice?

Her expression suddenly brightened with hope. “You’re a newcomer. Have you used your Novice Medical Kit yet?”

Before Jiang Qibai could even answer, Suisui An threw out an offer. “My companion is injured. Give me your Novice Medical Kit, and I’ll trade you a Shield Item with a much higher market value.”

The Novice Medical Kit was listed in the Mall for only 20 Points because it was a beginner’s perk, not because its actual value was only 20 Points.

Many new players, unable to earn Points in the early game, often sold their Novice Medical Kits just to pay off their housing loans. Suisui An desperately hoped Jiang Qibai hadn’t done the same.

As it turned out, Jiang Qibai had indeed kept her Novice Medical Kit. She glanced at the items Suisui An had offered and proactively started bargaining. “I have a Healing Skill. Can I use that for the trade? Also, besides the items, I’d like you to help me capture a Mutated Shadow Ghost.”

“You’re a Healer?” Suisui An hadn’t expected the new player she’d run into on the street to be a rare Healer class. She readily agreed to Jiang Qibai’s additional condition—capturing a Mutated Shadow Ghost was nothing to her. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

With the deal struck, Jiang Qibai walked straight to Suisui An’s injured teammate.

[ Player: Fried Tomato Status: Excessive Blood Loss ]

Jiang Qibai used [ Blessing Therapy ] on Fried Tomato.

As teammates, Xingshan and Suisui An could see Fried Tomato’s HP bar surge upward, stopping just short of being completely full.

Fried Tomato’s wound was tricky—it refused to heal properly, causing his HP to keep ticking down. Still, he’d recovered enough to make it back to the Safehouse for treatment.

Without a word, Xingshan hoisted Fried Tomato onto his back. “I’m taking him now. DM me if anything comes up.”

Suisui An nodded. She still had to settle her debt with Jiang Qibai.

She pulled out an item. Original translation by Lhaozi, read at lhaozitranslation.com

[ Deep Blue Shield Rank: C Description: Grants the user a maximum Shield Value of 20. When the shield is not at full capacity, it regenerates 2 points per hour. Note: Deep Blue Heavy Industries—Your Guardian in the Void. ]

Jiang Qibai silently stowed the Deep Blue Shield away.

Suisui An’s Talent seemed to involve detecting nearby monsters and players. She still owed Jiang Qibai a Mutated Shadow Ghost, but after checking, she told her with a hint of awkwardness, “All the Shadow Ghosts nearby have followed Hugo. I’m afraid I can’t find a Mutated Shadow Ghost today, so I can’t help you with your daily quest.”

She had assumed Jiang Qibai had made this request because she couldn’t defeat the Mutated Shadow Ghost herself, making it impossible to complete the daily quest.

Jiang Qibai briefly explained that it wasn’t a quest and didn’t have to be done today. The two agreed to meet here again tomorrow morning to settle the remaining balance.