96: Backpack

A month's time was enough for many things to settle and for many changes to occur quietly.

In Linshui City, at the Superpower Association branch, Captain Zhou Feng looked at the latest report in his hand, his brow furrowed.

The report clearly showed that over the past month, the number of confirmed, newly appeared stable spatial rifts within the city and surrounding areas had risen by three hundred percent compared to the same period last year! Although most were only small E-rank or D-rank rifts, and most of what emerged were the lowest-level exotic beasts or contaminated entities, the frequency and scope of their appearance carried an unusual implication.

The Association's manpower was already stretched thin, forcing them to rely more on peripheral members and civilian Awakened.

Among them, a former deliveryman named Zhang Deming and the mysterious "team" he belonged to performed particularly outstandingly.

They acted efficiently with clear objectives, always appearing in areas where rifts had just emerged or where the threat level was highest. They solved problems quickly with minimal cost and then vanished without a trace. It was so clean and efficient that it raised suspicions, yet no evidence could be found against them.

"A storm is coming..." Captain Zhou Feng put down the report, rubbed his temples, and muttered to himself. He had a strong premonition that Linshui City, and even the entire world, was standing on the edge of a massive transformation.

Meanwhile, at the Lu family home.

Lu Qinghe put down his high school physics textbook and pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, his face carrying a hint of exhaustion and helplessness unbefitting his age.

The gaze behind his lenses was sharp and deep, and the energy fluctuations faintly radiating from his body had surprisingly reached the threshold of B-rank!

This month, his growth rate could be described as terrifying. On one hand, it was due to the generous rewards and free attribute points from system missions; on the other hand—and most importantly—his Spirit Sensing attribute, which was as high as 30 points, allowed his understanding and control of energy to reach a staggering height.

He could learn and master many Superpower application techniques almost instantly upon seeing them.

However, the increase in strength did not bring only joy.

"The world is almost ending, so why do I still have to learn foreign languages?" He sighed and pushed the textbook aside. This was probably a common annoyance for all student Awakened; even if the sky fell, the damn courses and homework would not disappear.

What gave him even more of a headache was the current state of Linshui City. With rifts occurring frequently, he and his "Wisdom Squad" (Zhang Deming, Guan Xin, and others) had practically become firefighters, exhausted from running around.

Although the system rewards were generous and the gold coins in his personal assets had piled up to an absurd number even to him, the items in the store... He called up the system interface and looked at the store, which was full of items yet seemed "stingy" and "restricted" everywhere.

【free attribute point (Limit: 1 point every 10 days)】

【random skill book (Intermediate) (Limit: 1 book per week)】.

【specified series skill upgrade scroll (Intermediate) (Limit: 1 scroll per week)】.

The products were good, especially the free attribute points, which were definitely treasures that all players dreamed of.

But this purchase limit policy, along with the high-level item slots that were still greyed out and displayed "Insufficient Permissions" or "Function Not Unlocked," gave him a frustrating feeling of guarding a mountain of treasure with nowhere to spend it.

Moreover, he didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt that the system's style—especially this mode of "limiting you with various rules but leaving you a path to grow stronger"—was becoming more and more like his seemingly lazy but actually deep-thinking brother, Lu Guangming. This thought made him feel a bit creeped out, yet he couldn't help but want to investigate.

Just as he was preparing to accept the next automatically refreshed mission, "Clear D-rank Rift in East City," the long-absent solemn and mysterious notification sound rang in his mind, but this time, it wasn't a mission announcement—

【Ding! System maintenance and upgrade complete!】

【Main God Game System Announcement Ver. 2.0】

Dear Players:

To optimize the gaming experience and enrich interactive content, the system has completed a phased upgrade and opened the following new functions:

1. 【player backpack】 (Basic)

· Each player receives an independent 10-slot storage space.

· Daily usage limit: 10/10 times (refreshes at midnight daily).

· Note: Currently only supports storing items produced by the system or certified by the system. Living creatures and items with rule conflicts cannot be stored.

2. 【trading platform】

· Peer-to-peer trading function between players is now open.

· 【system stall】 function is now open. Players can pay a certain fee to set up a stall in the virtual market to display and sell items.

· Transaction currencies are system copper coins, silver coins, and gold coins.

3. 【world channel】

· Cross-regional communication channel 【world channel】 is now open.

· Cost per message: 1 silver coin.

· Players, please mind your language and communicate amicably.

4. 【store Expansion】

· Purchase permissions for some item-type goods have been unlocked (requires backpack function support).

· New products added: 【beginner energy recovery potion】, 【basic trauma ointment】, 【simple antidote】, and other basic supplies.

【Thank you for your support, and we wish you a pleasant game!】

This series of update notifications was like a succession of giant boulders thrown into a calm lake, setting off massive waves in the hearts of all players!

"backpack! It's the backpack!" almost every player shouted in surprise at the first moment.

Having storage space meant they could carry more supplies and store materials obtained from missions; their tactical flexibility and survival capabilities would receive a qualitative boost! Although there were only 10 access opportunities per day, it was already a revolutionary change!

The trading platform and stall function made the circulation of resources between players possible! No longer limited to the system store's terrible purchase limits, they could exchange materials, skill books, and even hire help!

The opening of the world channel allowed players scattered in different places to truly "feel" each other's existence for the first time. Although the price of speaking was expensive, this was undoubtedly a huge step forward.

Lu Qinghe's eyes suddenly lit up as he looked at these update contents. Especially the 【trading platform】 and 【Stall】 functions, which instantly made him think of a way to solve his current predicament!

He immediately opened the 【world channel】, paid the "huge sum" of 1 silver coin, and sent out the first message:

【Lord of Wisdom】: Linshui City area. Long-term purchase of various Abyss materials, exotic beast cores, and unknown rule Fragments. Selling 【beginner energy recovery potion】 and 【basic trauma ointment】 at fair prices. Also, accepting D-rank and C-rank rift clearing and abnormal event handling missions in Linshui City and surrounding areas. Efficiency guaranteed. Payment in gold coins or rare materials accepted.

After the message was sent, the channel fell into a brief silence. Apparently, other players were also stunned by this sudden "commercial advertisement" and "business solicitation."

But soon, a few tentative replies popped up:

【Immovable Bedrock】: (From Eastern Radiance Academy) Great Master! Do you really have medicine for sale? Our training consumption over here is huge!

【Dark Blade】: (From Linshui City) I have Shadow Leopard claws and Night-flight Bat wings. How are you buying them?

【Thousand Silks】: (From Eastern Radiance Academy) Wow! world channel! Is Great Master Wisdom starting an international trade business?

Looking at these replies, a smile of relief finally appeared on the corner of Lu Qinghe's mouth.

He could finally... be slightly liberated from his endless career as a firefighter. Perhaps he could form an even larger "cleaning company," or even... establish an order that truly belonged to the "players."