Chapter 13: Procuring Essentials
Five minutes later, two crisp metallic clashes rang out. Two sword-wielders fell to the ground, their eyes filled with unwillingness and despair.
Immediately after, four sword-wielders appeared simultaneously from four directions, moving faster and attacking more fiercely.
Yet Su Hao remained fearless. His movements were like the wind, his swordplay like rain. Within eight minutes, all four had fallen to his blade.
Then, eight sword-wielders surged forward like a tide, their momentum overwhelming, as if intent on drowning Su Hao in this vast desert.
Su Hao took a deep breath, concentrating all his strength into the sword’s tip. Each swing seemed to tear through the air, producing a deafening roar.
Ten minutes later, the eight had fallen as well. Su Hao felt a powerful force surge into his body, as if applauding his victory.
After three rounds of battle and absorption, Su Hao’s strength had reached an unprecedented fullness.
However, when faced with sixteen sword-wielders attacking simultaneously, he truly felt the pressure and difficulty of combat.
These sword-wielders were reckless and fearless; their attacks came like a relentless rainstorm, assailing him from all sides.
Though Su Hao fought with all his might, he could not withstand such a fierce onslaught.
After killing five enemies, a sword light cut through his skin, blood staining his battle robe.
Gritting his teeth, he pressed on and took down two more enemies, but by then he was utterly exhausted.
A lethal sword light pierced his heart. Pain surged through him, and he lost consciousness.
When he awoke, he was already outside the entrance of the combat chamber.
Though death in the combat was virtual, the pain of a pierced heart felt so real that Su Hao gasped sharply.
He glanced at his wealth value and found it almost depleted.
Recalling the previous battles and expenditures, regret crept in.
He knew he needed to prepare adequately for the next mission, stocking up on food, water, and medicines.
As for equipment, it seemed he would have to forgo it for the time being.
Su Hao silently vowed that next time he entered the combat chamber, he would become stronger and make everyone know his name—Su Hao!
Su Hao walked through the Contracted Traders’ Marketplace of the Universal Environmental Protection Agency, where numerous contractors set up stalls to trade.
With his universal currency in hand, he intended to purchase equipment and medicines he deemed essential. He noticed his storage space had expanded from one cubic meter to two.
Now, it was mostly empty aside from some necessary food, drinking water, spare clothes, and a few bottles of medicine.
He looked at the rows of stalls before him, each piled high with peculiar and comprehensive goods.
There were weapons, armor, accessories, restorative potions, healing medicines, and even strange therapeutic tools and instruments.
Among them were various scrolls, dazzling and countless.
Su Hao approached a stall and examined it. It sold many restorative potions and recovery items.
He noticed some items resembling food: bread, steamed buns, meat sandwiches, fried dough sticks.
He asked the middle-aged contractor, “How much are the bread, buns, meat sandwiches, and fried dough sticks?”
The vendor smiled and pointed to his sign.
Su Hao followed his finger to read: [The Complete Guide to Nutritional Therapy].
“These are all restorative medicines,” the man explained. “Though their shapes resemble bread, buns, meat sandwiches, and fried dough sticks, each has unique benefits. If you’re interested, you can touch them to learn more.”
Su Hao lightly touched the bread with his fingertip, careful not to dirty it. Immediately, an item description appeared in his mind:
[Item Name: Bread of Life.
Quality: Common.
Description: Eating this slowly restores 20% of health within ten minutes.
Usage Range: Health below 1000 points.
Origin: Universal Environmental Protection Agency Servants.
Brand: The Complete Guide to Nutritional Therapy.
Item Rating: 5.
Suggested Price: 200 universal currency.]
Su Hao understood—it was a restorative item; eating bread could heal and restore health.
He then touched the fried dough stick, and the description appeared:
[Item Name: Life’s Boost.
Quality: Common.
Description: Eating this restores 50% health within three minutes at a moderate recovery speed, providing substantial healing.
Usage Range: Health 100 to 2000 points.
Origin: Universal Environmental Protection Agency Servants.
Brand: The Complete Guide to Nutritional Therapy.
Item Rating: 8.
Suggested Price: 800 universal currency.]
Next, Su Hao touched the steamed bun, and the info showed:
[Item Name: Mana Bun.
Quality: Common.
Description: Consuming this slowly restores mana at a rate of 5 points per second, up to 300 points.
Usage Range: Mana between 300 and 3000 points. This bun can be consumed repeatedly with cumulative effects and no limits, provided you don’t overeat.
Origin: Universal Environmental Protection Agency Servants.
Brand: The Complete Guide to Nutritional Therapy.
Item Rating: 5.
Suggested Price: 600 universal currency.]
He then examined the meat sandwich, another mana restoration item:
[Item Name: Mana Meat.
Quality: Common.
Description: Eating this restores 600 mana points within five seconds. It can be consumed repeatedly with cumulative effects and no limit until the mana cap is reached. This is a medicine, not food; excessive consumption is discouraged to avoid waste.
Usage Range: Mana 600 to 5000 points.
Origin: Universal Environmental Protection Agency Servants.
Brand: The Complete Guide to Nutritional Therapy.
Item Rating: 8.
Suggested Price: 2000 universal currency.]
Su Hao felt these were all excellent items, but his universal currency was too limited.
“Boss, I’ll take two of each of these four items. Can you give me a discount? How much will it cost?”
The middle-aged man thought for a moment and said, “To attract business, I’ll offer you a discount of 600 universal currency. Eight items for 5000 universal currency. This is the lowest price.”
Su Hao handed over 5000 universal currency and packed the eight medicines the vendor prepared.
He then spent 6706 universal currency replenishing food, water, and some essentials for outdoor living before returning to his private room.
Standing in the center, a bitter feeling welled up inside him.
The rate at which his universal currency disappeared far exceeded his expectations, slipping through his fingers like flowing water, leaving only an empty wallet and a restless heart.
He glanced down at his remaining balance—a pitiful 108 universal currency—mocking his helplessness. He recalled his earlier extravagance, a wild fantasy now replaced by stark poverty.
He shook his head helplessly, just as he prepared to sit and rest, the system’s prompt sounded cold and merciless, like an unyielding verdict:
[Standby Cleaner Su Hao, your stay at the Environmental Protection Agency has expired. Please prepare to return to the real world.]
[Warning: Remember, in the real world, do not reveal the existence of the Universal Environmental Protection Agency in any form. Violations will be judged according to severity, ranging from warnings to immediate eradication. Returning to the real world. Transmission commencing.]
Su Hao’s heart tightened sharply. He realized immediate action was necessary. Scanning the room, he quickly found the body compression device in a corner.
This device could restore his body to its state before entering the Environmental Protection Agency, preventing panic and suspicion among his family upon his return.
He hurried to the device, took a deep breath, and began operating it from memory.
His body gradually shrank; muscles, bones, and organs all seemingly compressed back to their original size by an invisible force.
A strong pressure overwhelmed him, but his heart was filled with resolve and determination.
Just as his body was about to fully compress, he seemed to hear a call from the real world—a warm and familiar sensation stirring an inexplicable emotion within him.
He knew he was about to return to that world filled with familial love and friendship. Though it lacked the glory and excitement of the Universal Environmental Protection Agency, it held emotions and ties he could never sever.
With a slight vibration, Su Hao’s body finished compressing.
He closed his eyes, awaiting the start of transmission.
In that moment, he seemed to pass through a tunnel of time and space, traveling from the cold Environmental Protection Agency back to the warm real world.
A strange light flashed before his eyes, followed by a dizzying sensation, as if an invisible force swept him into another dimension.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the real world—but his body was in a peculiar state.
Only his head, neck, and torso appeared somewhat swollen, while his limbs seemed bound by some force, not yet fully grown.
He had replaced his proxy body, lying on a hospital bed, his gaze hazy as he looked around.
Suddenly, he noticed a strange yet beautiful woman standing by the bedside, her hands tracing mysterious patterns in the air, as if performing qigong healing on him.
This was his private tutor, Iris.
Su Hao’s parents stood nearby, eyes wide with nervous attention, watching his transformation.
They saw their child’s eyes gradually regain vitality, the masses shrinking slowly, and the limbs growing steadily.
This miraculous change filled them with both astonishment and joy.
As Su Hao withdrew from that bizarre world and returned to reality, he had replaced the proxy lying on the hospital bed—where that proxy had gone, no one knew.
In the instant of return, Su Hao felt his complete body, compressing his limbs with mana to restrain their constant urge to restore themselves.