"You must remember this! I will make your conscience suffer forever!"
That was a memory with Lu Shi as the main protagonist. In a very short time, he watched a man and a woman go from being deeply in love to killing each other.
"So he's a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family." Lu Shi said softly after reading it.
In modern terms, it's the story of a man from a humble background who marries a wealthy and beautiful woman, then cheats on her, and is eventually threatened by his wife, leading him to lose control and kill her.
At this moment, the ghost that had previously sought him out came knocking on his door again.
The little girl's head was gone again. She stood pitifully in front of Lu Shi, her tone heartbreaking:
"Big brother, are you really a bad person? Why did you kill someone! Big brother, are you the same kind of person as the uncle who killed me?"
The woman who had lost her child also yelled at him, "You're in cahoots with them! You bunch of scum, you should all die! If you have any conscience at all, pay with your lives!"
More and more ghosts came, recounting their painful experiences while pointing their fingers at Lu Shi.
"You ruthless monster, die!"
"Look, he's even laughing. He's the devil!"
"You, you are the embodiment of Satan! Someone like you doesn't deserve to live!"
"How can you face the parents who gave you life and raised you? Do you even deserve to be called a human being? Do you have any conscience left?"
Lu Shi stood in the center of them. Every word these ghosts uttered sounded so familiar. For a moment, Lu Shi even thought that he had become the Demon Lord again, and was being watched by the world.
He was indeed laughing, laughing at the indelible stain he always carried on his reputation.
But this time, Lu Shi really didn't want to die like this.
He raised his eyes, placed his finger to his lips, and slowly traced an elegant curve at the corners of his mouth:
"I don't care."
He knew very well that if he truly wanted to save the ghosts here, it would be pointless to atone for his sins by committing suicide.
This is nothing but a trap.
He was now increasingly curious about what secrets were hidden in the laboratory on the top floor.
Every step he took felt like walking through a swamp.
Every time he got closer to the exit, the ghost accompanying him would let out painful howls, thus stimulating Lu Shi's nerves.
Lu Shi thought that if he hadn't been through so much, he might already be trapped here.
In the end, the ghosts could only watch Lu Shi's back as he gradually disappeared into the distance.
The moment I stepped out of the corridor, the ever-present sense of oppression and discomfort vanished once again.
"Cough cough." Lu Shi exhaled a breath of stale air. Sure enough, even with his abilities sealed, those mental attacks had caused considerable damage to his body.
But once he got out, Lu Shi looked around and realized that he had actually walked to the prison gate.
"It's over so quickly?" Lu Shi was somewhat unsatisfied. If he were to voice his inner thoughts, he wondered how many viewers would curse him out.
After all, they were almost driven to despair just watching Lu Shi's live streams.
Even though Lu Shi had already walked out of the corridor, the viewers in the live stream were still discussing it.
"I take back what I said before, this streamer is likely to achieve great things. Those who know, know; in this game, the lower your skill level, the better you survive."
"Is there something wrong with the streamer's actions? Or is this 'saintly' really planning to risk her life to spread her teachings?"
"Hehe, this streamer keeps calling himself 'this one' and is so ruthless. I really suggest that if there are police in the game, pay attention to this person. He's obviously an antisocial personality!"
While the comments were still arguing, Lu Shi was only one step away from clearing the level.
He could leave the prison by pushing open the front door.
However, to his right was a lit stairwell that led to the laboratory on the top floor.
"Congratulations to the streamer for clearing the newbie dungeon. Rewards are being calculated..."
Before Lu Shi could make a choice, that voice-over appeared again.
"Can I go up and take a look?" Lu Shi looked at the bright stairwell, which looked too much like a trap, tempting him to jump in.
Driven by curiosity, Lu Shi really wanted to go and see. Moreover, he also wanted to give the ghosts in the corridor a way out.
The voice-over ignored Lu Shi and quickly gave him his reward:
"Dungeon exploration progress: 90%; Special achievement: 1 (Taming the Plague Dog), final rating: A! Receive an A-level newcomer gift pack!"
This result was immediately magnified and displayed at the top of the live stream, prompting many viewers to express their envy.
"This is an A? It doesn't seem that hard!"
"Yeah, digging tunnels is obviously more tiring, and we might get bitten by rats, but we only got a C rating!"
"Damn, this streamer is so lucky! An A-level newbie gift pack should contain top-tier items, right?"
Lu Shi raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised that the exploration level wasn't full.
The voice-over continued, "During the live stream, we received a total of 11,000 popularity points from gifts, and the highest number of viewers was 3,255!"
This time, even Red Spider was stunned. Since Plague Prison is a newbie dungeon, the number of viewers was not high. Most people still prefer to watch expert players clear dungeons.
As for gifts, it's even harder for a new streamer. Red Spider remembers that when he cleared his first dungeon, he only received 300 popularity points worth of gifts. Lu Shi's ability to receive so many gifts is due to his unique gameplay.
This newcomer is extraordinary! Red Spider frowned. With such excellent results, it seems the gem she has her eye on can no longer be kept hidden.
"Since the streamer's section is the Newcomer Hall, the popularity value will be converted into 1100 points according to the ratio, and a new feature, the Points Mall, will be launched!"
"Congratulations to the streamer for reaching the top spot in the Newcomer Hall during the live stream! A Bronze Treasure Chest will be awarded to you!"
These words were all unfamiliar to Lu Shi, but fortunately the voice-over explained them in words he could understand.
As Lu Shi prepared to open the box, the voice-over changed to a sinister tone:
"Dear streamer Lu Shi, your strong desire has been detected. The hidden dungeon, 'The Secret of the Plague Prison,' is now officially open for you!"
The crowd in the newbie lobby began to disperse. Some were preparing to watch the remaining newbies who were still escaping, some were planning to return to the real world, and others were going to watch their favorite streamers.
Even Red Spider quietly left, preparing to ambush Lu Shi as he emerged from the dungeon.
Suddenly, someone pointed at the small TV screen on the ground and shouted, "This newbie, he, he didn't come out, he went back into the dungeon!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Shi's small television disappeared.
There are only two possibilities: either he was instantly killed as soon as he entered the dungeon, or he switched to a different lobby.
A boy chewing bubble gum blew a huge bubble, and suddenly the bubble burst.
Wait, why is the streamer he just followed already in a dungeon? Even the donkeys in the production team aren't this diligent!
Chapter 7
☪ His Gift
"Welcome to the solo instance 'Secrets of the Plague Prison'!"
"Dungeon Difficulty: B-rank! The streamer has been assigned to the Silver Hall, so don't miss it, fans!"
When the audience realized that Lu Shi had disappeared, his brain was struck by a beam of light, and he entered a brief coma.
When he woke up again, Lu Shi found himself standing at the familiar stairwell.
In front of Lu Shi, there was also a virtual panel floating in mid-air.
He can view his attributes, use the shop function, and see the real-time comments in the live stream through the panel.
"If the streamer has low blood pressure, we highly recommend turning on the live chat!"
Lu Shi wasn't in a hurry to advance through the dungeon. He clearly remembered that the newbie dungeon he had just entered had no difficulty level.
However, this hidden dungeon has a B-rank instance. He specifically inquired with the voice-over, the mysterious entity that calls itself the auxiliary system:
"The official dungeon has five difficulty levels: S, A, B, C, and F. The difficulty is dynamic; any choice the streamer makes may change the dungeon's difficulty!"
Lu Shi remained silent, leaning against the stairwell. If he hadn't wanted to explore the secrets of the prison, he wouldn't have been able to trigger this hidden instance.
Lu Shi then quickly opened his personal attributes and was amazed by the numbers.
The fact that someone's cultivation level could be materialized made Lu Shi curious about what kind of extraordinary being created this whole thing.
He also sensed that he and the unseen viewers (the bullet comments) were not from the same era. In other words, this person even had the ability to travel through time.
In the cultivation world, this is already on par with a true god who has shattered the void.
Terrifying!
Lu Shi once again focused his attention on his numerical values:
Stamina: 70/100 (When it reaches zero, the streamer will die completely);
Strength: ? ? (Revised 65)
Spirit: ? ? (Revised 90)
Speed: ? ? (120 after correction)
Critical value: 1 (San value 99);
Lu Shi understands these three attributes quite well: Strength refers to melee combat, Spirit should be linked to magic, and Speed is exactly what it sounds like. Those question marks likely represent his state after his abilities are unsealed.
"System, what is the critical value?"
The auxiliary system immediately replied to Lu Shi: "In the dungeon, ferocious monsters, oppressive environment, and contaminated items can all impact the streamer's ability to withstand attacks. Each streamer's Sanity value is 100. When it falls below the critical value, their mind will immediately collapse, turning them into a mindless monster."
"But dear streamer, don't worry. The threshold value is 1, which means that the probability of you crashing is extremely low."
The system suddenly changed its tone, becoming both eerie and excited: "Perhaps, streamer, you're no different from a monster!"
Lu Shi wasn't scared by the system's little tricks at all. He also understood the San value; it was quite an interesting expression.
After reviewing the attributes, Lu Shi didn't rush to browse the shop; instead, he first opened his rewards.
The A-level newcomer gift pack was still virtual. With a flick of his finger, the square box suddenly sprouted a mouth and burst into laughter until it exploded on the spot.
Then a black card that stood upright in the air and kept spinning appeared in front of Lu Shi.
"Congratulations, streamer! You've won the top reward—a character card!"
Before Lu Shi could ask, the system began its sinister introduction: "In order to let all the streamers experience the fun of the dungeon, my great lord has bestowed upon you a gift."