The AI paused for a few seconds and then asked, "I will not use my authority to do anything for the players, nor will I use my authority to make any impact on the superconducting world."
“Then let me ask you a different question,” Qing Chen said. “From your perspective, if I want to quickly gain points, which multiverse world should I go to?”
The AI responded: "Number 136, even without a certain level of strength, can still clear the game... Would you like to change your appearance?"
“Change it,” Qingchen said, pinching the face again and choosing the white appearance from the first time.
"Change spawn point?"
“Change it to number 16,” Qingchen said.
The white light faded, and FFF was already waiting there.
The other person handed him a baseball cap and a mask, and led him onto the underground light rail to quickly leave the underground city.
On the light rail, no one recognized Qingchen because he was wearing a hat and a mask.
Sitting on the light rail, Qing Chen had a chubby-faced FFF to his left, a mummy pharaoh holding a golden scepter to his right, and two steampunk cyborgs carrying muskets opposite him...
This was probably the most bizarre and outlandish light rail ride Qingchen had ever taken.
FFF said in a low voice, "Boss, the lightsabers sold for over six million this time. I bought you a gene potion that's two levels higher. We've spent almost all the money, but we still have over four hundred thousand left. It has no cooldown period and takes effect immediately after use."
Qing Chen shook his head: "Don't use the gene serum yet. Take me to the entrance of the 136th multiverse first. I need to go there."
FFF paused for a moment: "Number 136 is very unpopular. Many people who are trying to climb the rankings will choose to avoid that number."
"It's alright, I'll take a look first," Qingchen said.
The two of them took the light rail for over an hour before arriving at a quaint suburban villa.
Vines covered the villa's exterior walls, devoid of branches and leaves; the black vines intertwined outside the villa, looking as if gripped by the devil's claws.
Crows flew by in the distance, landing on the withered trees outside the villa, staring blankly at FFF and Qingchen.
This is the most common scene in haunted house movies.
Qing Chen casually asked, "Is there a reward for clearing the level?"
FFF said, "Um... Boss, it's better if you don't think about clearing the game for now. Out of the 365 multiverses, only 61 have been cleared so far. Although the rewards for clearing the game are generous, there are also dangers, such as the risk of deleting your account and having to start over... So most people will exit through the node portal once they reach certain nodes."
"Oh," Qing Chen nodded, "It's alright, I'm still a newbie, I'm not afraid. How do I get in?"
FFF pulled out a key to the multiverse: "Just open the villa's door; the keys are all universal. Actually, the doors to the multiverse are hidden in various corners. Initially, only about 30 were discovered, but it was through continuous excavation over the past few hundred years that the 365 multiverses we have today were formed. Some say that the Superconducting World may have 3,000 entrances to the multiverse; we just haven't discovered them yet."
FFF continued, "For example, the 10th multiverse is hidden behind a manhole cover in the dungeon. You need to lift the cover, jump into the sewer, close the cover, and insert the key from the inside. When you push the manhole cover open, what you see is not the ground, but the Elf Forest."
“That’s quite interesting,” Qingchen said with a smile.
After the light rail entered the suburbs, the number of people on the train gradually decreased, leaving only about thirty people, all of whom sounded like young people.
FFF explained: "Instance number 136 is an escape room. Because it's too difficult and has too many levels, people aren't very interested in it. It's mainly for young white players who like to come here to explore. Anyway, there's an exit point every ten levels, so it's just like an amusement park where you can relax and have fun. The probability of dying isn't high."
"Aren't Black and Asian people coming?" Qingchen asked.
"Black people and Asians are busy making a living, they don't have time for entertainment."
Qing Chen asked, "What's the highest record for how many levels you've cleared?"
FFF flipped through his notes: "Level 66, and the rule is that after level 88, you get an extra 10 progress points for each level you clear, only valid for the first clear. Clearing all levels will give you a job change reward, the same for all multiverses."
At this moment, Qingchen felt that the AI had no good intentions in sending him to Multiverse 136. His greatest advantage in the Superconducting World was actually his combat ability.
But then the other party suddenly told me about a multiverse where I couldn't use any combat abilities, and could only use my intellect...
Isn't this just blatantly sabotaging themselves?
However, this AI, which only engages in minor pranks, doesn't seem to have any ill intentions.
Those truly cunning old foxes are all smiles that hide daggers. They're incredibly kind to you at first, their words as sweet as honey, but then they suddenly stab you in the back.
Qing Chen joined the queue with the others, each consuming a key to enter the deserted villa. FFF asked in a low voice, "Boss, should I go in with you?"
“Let’s farm some points together,” Qingchen replied.
After opening the villa with the key, the layout inside had completely changed. The people who had come in earlier were gone, seemingly reassigned to other levels. In the room where Qingchen and FFF were, only 8 people remained.
Everyone looked around and saw several bloody handprints on the wall, and someone had written a sentence in blood: "If you can't find a way out in 15 minutes, your souls will stay here with me forever."
Qingchen walked around the room. There was another door with a four-digit combination lock. It seemed that he would have to find a clue to the combination to get out.
The remaining six players have different appearances: two mummies, two raccoons, and two normal humans. Judging from their conversation, they seem to be three couples.
The girls huddled in their boyfriends' arms out of fear.
On the other side, the boys were still quietly comforting the girl, while Qingchen had already entered the password into the lock: 6, 3, 1, 7.
Click, the door opened.
Qingchen and FFF plunged into the next level without looking back...
Everyone stayed where they were...
FFF followed Qingchen in shock: "Boss, how did you know the password? This level doesn't seem to be in the walkthrough. It's said that the 136th multiverse is composed of 333 levels made up of 66,666 levels, and everyone passes them in a slightly different order."
“It’s very simple,” Qing Chen said calmly. “After entering, arrange them clockwise. The first thing related to numbers is the six pairs of shoes in the shoe cabinet, then the three pieces of clothing on the coat rack, a washbasin, and seven tulips. Actually, escape rooms aren’t that difficult. You just need to summarize and organize all the information inside.”
FFF was stunned for a moment. He thought to himself, "So escape rooms are this simple?"
Qingchen said, "There are three principles for escape rooms. The first principle is to simplify your thinking. The way a 10-year-old thinks is the most suitable for solving escape room problems. The second principle is not to let go of any useful information. The third principle is to subvert your past perceptions. You see a key on the table. In conventional perception, a key is used to open a door, but in an escape room, it may very well be a tool used to pry open a mechanism. Therefore, breaking your perceptions is the most crucial point."
FFF seemed thoughtful. It sounded quite simple; he might even be able to beat it himself.
Upon reaching the second level, they were faced with a square tin shack with 81 floor tiles on the floor. The door was right opposite them, and it seemed that they had to step on the correct tiles to pass through.
If you step on the wrong floor, you'll fall immediately.
There's also an electronic clock on the opposite door frame, counting down 30 seconds.
Next to the clock, there is a nine-digit addition and subtraction problem that requires 81 consecutive additions and subtractions. This means that everyone must complete the addition and subtraction of a nine-digit number within 30 seconds without relying on any tools. The resulting number is the number of the square to step on.
FFF was stunned for a long time, thinking to himself, "This has nothing to do with clues!"
One boy said, "How come I encountered this in the second level? How is it possible to calculate 81 additions and subtractions of a nine-digit number in 30 seconds? This is so unlucky. This is one of the hardest levels."
However, before he could finish speaking, Qing Chen said, "Follow me and dance."
The next moment, Qing Chen leaped up in the room, jumping over each floorboard without hesitation, finally reaching the exit and unlocking the door...
Everyone was stunned. Only 15 seconds had passed, and you figured it out in 15 seconds?!
Qingchen said, "236586314, jump in this order, quick."
...
One hour later.
Someone in the city was casually flipping through the leaderboards. His finger was idly scrolling across the LCD screen. He had already scrolled away from the records of the 136th multiverse, but suddenly scrolled back.
"Huh?" he asked the person next to him, "Am I mistaken? Wasn't the record for Multiverse 136 supposed to be level 66? How did it suddenly become level 71?"
“It’s level 66, that’s right. I stopped at level 20,” the person next to me said.
"Someone's already reached level 71! And I checked the time, it's only been 62 minutes! The speedrun timer is still running, which means they're still in there!" the man said. "Record holders... Holy crap, eight people? Eight people have reached level 71 at the same time?!"
It's worth noting that the standard team size for the 136th Multiverse instance is 8 people, meaning that the opposing team hasn't lost a single member by this point.
"The person who cleared the level first has already started receiving points rewards. Let me see who it is... J? Why does that name sound so familiar?" the man wondered.
"J? Isn't that the 'White Light' who just appeared? He's been all over the place these past few days!" the girl said. "Let me take a look... That's right, FFF is in the speedrun challenge team too. This FFF is the one who helps J sell autographs! Holy crap, J is back in action, going to challenge Multiverse 136!"
In the short time it took to speak, the record for clearing the game jumped from 71 to 72!
You can only pass one level in less than a minute on average. This isn't an escape room game, it's more like you're just taking a walk!
The news spread quickly online, and countless people turned on their personal LCD screens to watch their progress records being refreshed time and time again.
In less than 100 minutes, the record for clearing the game had already reached level 121.
Of the 365 multiverses, only about sixty have been cleared so far, which shows that clearing a multiverse is an extremely difficult task.
At any time, it is an extraordinary thing if someone can conquer a multiverse.
In the world of superconductivity, almost everyone who was idle began to witness all of this.
Everyone watched silently: "Wait, we're already at level 162, and the speed hasn't stopped... Wait, J's score has already entered the top 10,000 for the month!"
The superconducting world has tens of millions of people, and being able to enter the top 10,000 is already famous enough. If a new face appears on this list, it may even be reported by the media.
Even the AI probably didn't expect that its casual remark would lead Qing Chen to a shortcut to racking up points!
Just then, someone suddenly said, "Stop, stop! It's been 10 minutes, and the progress hasn't changed! Is he stuck?"
Chapter 799, Changing the Landscape of the Superconducting World!
All the viewers who were watching the speedrun were puzzled: why did it stop?
Keep in mind that the speedrun challenge timer hasn't stopped yet, which means the opponent is still inside!
Stumped?
Finally, a locked room has stumped this white supremacist?!
Thankfully, otherwise, wouldn't this "white light" have continued to skyrocket in points?
Xiao Hei said that the top ten on the leaderboard have a chance to gain enlightenment, but he didn't mention that entering the top 10,000 also has its benefits.
Once you enter the top 10,000, the store will make gene potions of grade D and below available to players. There is a limit to one purchase, and you can resell them for 100,000 superconducting coins, which is equivalent to 50,000 yuan in the real world.
Now, Qing Chen, with a blank slate, squeezed into the top 10,000 in a single day. If he continues to clear levels, wouldn't he be in the top 1,000 in a single day?
No, the most important thing is that he actually brought 7 people, including FFF, into the top 10,000!
Fortunately... he finally stopped.
...
...
At this moment, Qing Chen stood in an untimed secret room, turned around and looked at the three couples behind him, and said slowly, "Follow me to level 162, that's about it. Everyone, do you want to continue? That will cost extra."
Who would have thought that, just as millions were waiting to see him complete his feat, he stopped not because the escape room was too difficult, but because he wanted to collect his money...
What's stopping Qing Chen from advancing isn't the difficulty of the levels, but the difficulty of paying for them...