14: Chapter 14 The Masked Worm

[ 00 : 04 : 39 ]

[ 00 : 04 : 38 ]

[ 00 ... ]

"Where is it, where is it..."

At this moment, the anxiety on Chu Hong's face was completely genuine.

He found the third-floor room corresponding to the icon.

Room 310.

With a bang, he kicked the door open directly, and then, before the zombie inside could even roar, the source blade in his hand had already swept past with a red arc.

He quickly began searching inside the room.

Searchable containers: [Refrigerator], [Computer Case], [Express Box], [Clothing Pocket]...

Chu Hong was practically numb.

None of them were high-value containers!

Seeing that only three minutes remained, he hurriedly rushed down to the second floor.

Room 210!

"Bang!"

When the door of Room 210 was kicked open, Chu Hong rushed inside. Finding no zombies, he immediately began to search.

[ 00 : 02 : 37 ]

[ 00 : 02 : 36 ]

Running from the Staff Dormitory to the Southwest Helipad took at least 30 seconds, and he had to reserve 10 seconds for evacuation... Sweat beaded slightly on Chu Hong's forehead; there were less than two minutes left.

"Could the big safe be on the first floor?"

His expression turned ugly, and his gaze suddenly shifted to underneath the bed in the room.

Bending down quickly, a safe embedded beneath the bed frame appeared before him, its outer wrapping matching the wood color of the bed identically.

Joy appeared on his face as he hurriedly moved closer to try the password.

It is worth mentioning that in places like Source Energy Middle School, besides teaching common sense regarding secret realms and the cataclysmic Blue Star as well as monster knowledge, they also taught methods such as combat, searching, and evacuation.

Cracking passwords was a mandatory annual exam topic in the searching course.

Chu Hong controlled his breathing. Fortunately, his perception, strengthened by the exotic beast serum (codename: swan song), was more than two or three times sharper than before.

With the clicking sounds of mechanical parts moving, sound after sound flashed past.

A mechanical sound different from the previous ones made Chu Hong's hands suddenly pause.

The first digit of the password was out!

There were still three more digits after that...

"Click, click..."

The final time for the Investigation operation was still counting down, accompanied by sounds by his ears that required complete concentration to listen to.

"Click!"

As Chu Hong gave the safety switch a fierce pull,

the safe was immediately opened.

The search black box appeared.

2 × 2!

Chu Hong quickly threw out the plasma pack from his chest rig, freeing up the corresponding space.

The search rotated, rotated, and continued to rotate...

But Chu Hong's toes couldn't help trembling with anxiety.

[ 00 : 00 : 58 ]

[ 00 : 00 : 57 ]

...

[Ding!]

A red light lit up. Chu Hong only had time to clearly see an egg-like ellipsoidal object before storing it directly into his chest rig without time to think.

Then,

he leaped directly out of the second-floor window.

"Boom!"

Landing, rolling, he picked up the mountaineering backpack he had thrown on the ground earlier.

He ran for his life in the direction of the extraction point.

"Ahhhhh!"

Chu Hong roared in his heart, activating the source energy within his body, and pushed his speed to the limit at this moment.

Sweeping past the parking lot, he flashed by like a blurred afterimage.

Finally, just as the countdown had only about 15 seconds left,

Chu Hong rushed into the helicopter's cockpit.

[ 10 , 9 , 8 , 7... ]

The countdown began.

The roar of the propellers once again alarmed the big boss of the Exotic Beast Research Laboratory.

"Roar..."

[Investigation Area: Cliffside Epidemic Hospital (Normal)]

[Successful Evacuation]

[Extraction Point: West District Helipad]

[Harvest Value of This Operation: 6.8 Million Source Energy Points]

Special Service Department.

When Chu Hong returned, he was still panting slightly. However, upon seeing the total value of this harvest, an expression of excitement couldn't help but appear on his face.

He clicked open the harvest summary interface.

[exotic beast serum (codename: swan song)] Value: 5 Million Source Energy Points.

This was Chu Hong's biggest harvest upon entering the map this time.

Although it was used directly within the map, this did not affect the Special Service Department from counting this exotic beast serum into the harvest of this round.

Then,

Chu Hong also saw what he had opened from the big safe at the very last moment.

[Masked Worm] Value: 1.2 Million Source Energy Points.

His eyes flashed. The bright red [brain domain reading device] he obtained earliest was only worth 800,000, yet an egg called Masked Worm was actually worth 1.2 million source energy points.

Placed in the outside world, wouldn't it be worth at least 3 million source energy points?

He hurriedly clicked on the information of this item.

[Item Name]: Masked Worm

[Item Grade]: Red

[Type]: Source Energy Substance

[Weight]: 0.2 kg

[Backpack Grid Capacity Occupied]: 2 × 2

[Item Description]: Descended alongside the exotic beast, but was left behind at the exotic beast capture point. It was acquired by an employee of the Cliffside Epidemic Hospital who planned to sell it quietly. Feed it enough blood, and it will recognize you as its master, providing you with optimal concealment and shelter. Note: Those with trypophobia should use with caution.

Chu Hong took the item out.

As soon as it started in his hand, the corners of Chu Hong's eyes twitched fiercely, and his face immediately revealed a deep look of disgust and revulsion. You couldn't blame him; it was simply... too disgusting.

On a football-sized ellipsoidal egg body, there was a ferocious and terrifying human smiling face. However, densely packed, sticky worms were currently attached to this egg.

Now that the item appeared in Chu Hong's hands, those worms were still vividly twisting.

"Holy shit..."

Chu Hong's scalp went numb; he almost dropped this thing directly onto the ground.

"Feed blood to this thing?"

Forcibly enduring his disgust, Chu Hong looked at the "providing optimal concealment and shelter" description on the item panel. Hesitating for a moment, he finally placed the item on the ground, then pulled out his source blade and slashed his hand.

Fresh blood dripped and fell from Chu Hong's palm, landing on that disgusting egg body.

Afterwards, an even more terrifying scene followed closely behind.

Those worms that were originally attached and twisting all suddenly raised their bodies densely, just like baby birds hearing their mother bird return from foraging. As Chu Hong's blood dripped onto the egg body, they began to twist and scramble anxiously and excitedly...

Chu Hong: "..."

He had already made up his mind in his heart.

If the effect of this bright red item fell short of expectations, even if he got this thing again in the future, he would just sell it as goods.

Just leaving it in the Warehouse made him feel sick to look at...

...

"Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!"

"Brother Hong! Brother Hong, are you home?"

Fatty Wang Suming knocked on the door. With a click, the door was opened by Chu Hong.

Wang Suming was instantly startled by Chu Hong's appearance.

"Holy shit, Brother Hong, you, what did you do... Why is your face so pale?"

Chu Hong twitched the corners of his mouth. After hearing this question, his lifeless eyes were filled with resentment.

"It's nothing. Why did you come to my place..."

Wang Suming looked worriedly at Chu Hong, who was abnormally weak all over, as if he had just undergone major surgery and suffered a heavy blow to his vitality.

"No way, Brother Hong, you didn't forget, did you? Today is the day to go to school to fill out applications for Source Energy University. Didn't you say you wanted to participate in the assessment? What, did you give up?"

Chu Hong was stunned, and then slapped his forehead.

Damn it, he had been busy dealing with secret realms the past two days and actually forgot about this serious matter.

The worry on Wang Suming's face grew even thicker. Hesitating for a moment, he whispered, "Brother Hong, actually I've thought about it. Your unranked [Investigation] skill isn't completely useless. I've heard that many auction houses and Pioneers shops recruit people like you who can appraise item information. How about..."

He still felt that Chu Hong was just acting tough. However, after seeing the other party shake his head decisively,

he stopped his topic as well.

The two of them walked toward the school while

chatting about matters related to applying for Source Energy University.

"Brother Hong, which university are you planning to apply to? I haven't decided yet. Two days ago, when I went back and told my dad I wanted to take the assessment, they didn't want me to participate, thinking I wouldn't be able to pass and might even lose my life."

"Fatty, which is the best Source Energy University?" Chu Hong interrupted Wang Suming's somewhat worried self-talk and suddenly asked.

"Ah? The best one? That's definitely Longming Sacred Academy!"

Mentioning this topic, Wang Suming was obviously much more excited.

"Ever since the cataclysm, hundreds of Source Energy Universities of all sizes have emerged across our Huaxia, cultivating countless top-tier Pioneers. But when it comes to the strongest, it is undoubtedly Longming Sacred Academy."

"The Three Saints of Longming for hundreds of years, never letting evil beasts cross our national gates! Damn, if our Huangshan Base City could have someone admitted to Longming Sacred Academy, the entire base city would be excited and boiling with joy!"

Hearing this, the corners of Chu Hong's mouth hooked up slightly.

He looked at the excited fatty Wang Suming.

"Alright then, let's take the exam for Longming University!"

"What?!"