44: Chapter 44 The Void Sea is a pig butchering scam

Lin Ye stared at that line of numbers, his brain running at high speed.

99.99%.

It only dropped by 0.01%, which was negligible.

For anyone else, they wouldn't even give such a fluctuation a second glance.

But who was Lin Ye?

He had survived in the Void Sea until now by being sufficiently "cautious."

He recalled the situation over the past few days.

There was no mental discomfort, no nightmares, no hallucinations, and his judgment and reaction speed were still on point.

He ruled out external psychological trauma.

That left only one shitty possibility...

pollution.

For the past few days, his body had been constantly absorbing that pollution.

Lin Ye shuddered, his gaze sweeping over the two lines of text on the light screen again.

[pollution: 0% (Physical Health Status)]

[Spirit Grid: 99.99% (Mental Health Status)]

This Spirit Grid... it couldn't be in opposition to the pollution, could it!

He stood there, stunned.

Before, he had always been puzzled; absorbing pollution could strengthen the body, but what was the price?

Now, the cards were on the table.

What he was trading for muscle was his Spirit Grid!

He pondered the two characters "Spirit Grid" repeatedly.

Spirit, Grid.

Soul, and personality.

Together, it was the integrity of a person as a "human being."

Memory, rationality, self-awareness, willpower.

A layer of cold sweat seeped out on Lin Ye's back.

If a Challenger coveted power and embraced the pollution value without any scruples.

Then the Spirit Grid would inevitably continue to drop.

Although it wasn't yet clear what kind of negative effects would occur in the process.

But he knew with his eyes closed that when a person's soul and personality were completely wiped out...

The only answer was the loss of self, becoming a walking corpse.

"A pig-butchering scam... this place really is a pig-butchering scam."

Lin Ye gritted his molars.

First, they give you some sweetness, and when you're unable to extricate yourself, you realize you can't even remember "who I am."

Want power?

Trade your life and soul for it!

"Before finding a way to recover, the growth rate of the pollution value must be kept to a minimum."

He drew a deadline in his heart.

...

Great Xia Live Stream.

The audience only saw Lin Ye squatting on the ground, staring into space for a long time, and then his expression changed.

[What's wrong? Brother Eye's expression doesn't look right!]

[Could it be that he sustained some hidden injury from the hand-to-hand fight with that Pale Species yesterday?]

[Don't scare me! You just won big yesterday, don't have anything happen to you!]

On the commentary podium, Xu Mingyuan had learned his lesson this time, holding his cup and saying nothing.

His main strategy was "if you don't speak, I won't jinx it."

Instead, Su Qinglan took the initiative to comfort them:

"Everyone, don't panic. Looking at the footage, Lin Ye's mobility hasn't been impaired."

"It's very likely he's reviewing intelligence and planning a breakout route right now!"

...

Disaster Prevention Administration, Third Research Group.

Lu Chen played the footage back three times.

Lin Ye's expression changed from calm to grave, and finally, he composed himself completely.

Lu Chen was all too familiar with this chain of micro-expressions.

"He discovered something."

"It's not an injury, nor is it an external threat."

"For him to show this kind of change in expression... it must involve some kind of hidden rule."

He turned and instructed the few newly assigned analysts behind him:

"Keep an eye on Lin Ye and record all his unusual expression nodes."

"Yes!"

...

Underground shelter.

Lin Ye shook his head, forcibly pushing the anxiety about his "Spirit Grid dropping" to the deepest part of his heart.

Complaining was useless; the most important thing now was to get out alive.

He quickly packed up his sleeping bag and equipment and shouldered his backpack again.

He held the fire axe in one hand, upside down, and walked to the iron door.

He narrowed his left eye slightly.

Eye of Destiny, activate!

His gaze pierced through the iron door, sweeping across the courtyard and ruins outside.

Most of the Pale Species that had been lured into the apartment building by the noise yesterday had returned.

A dozen or so red light spots were wandering aimlessly in and out of the courtyard.

Lin Ye noted all these positions.

"Fine, another hell-difficulty exam segment."

He tugged at the corner of his mouth and pulled out the bolt bit by bit.

"Click—clack."

An extremely faint sound of metal clashing.

He waited for five seconds; there was no movement outside.

He squeezed sideways through the door crack, hunched over as he stepped onto the stairs, and slowly poked half his head above ground level.

Great Xia Live Stream.

[Help! It's happening again! My heart really can't take it!]

[Shut up! Stop sending messages! Your typing is too loud, what if you disturb the monsters!]

[To the one above, do you have some misunderstanding about what a chat message is...]

[My mom is knocking on the door and I won't even open it, for fear of distracting Brother Eye!]

...

Lin Ye lowered his body and crept bit by bit toward the low wall on the perimeter of the courtyard.

Ten meters.

Twenty meters.

The low wall was right ahead, less than fifteen meters away.

Twelve meters.

Ten meters.

"Crack!"

A piece of weathered bluestone slab under his feet shattered, breaking into two pieces.

This sound would be insignificant in normal times, but now, it was no different from setting off a firecracker.

The three nearest Pale Species turned their heads simultaneously, their pale, dead-fish eyes locking onto Lin Ye's direction.

"Hiss—!"

"Damn it!"

Lin Ye cursed.

He couldn't pretend anymore, so he would run!

With a forceful push, he sprinted with all his might toward the low wall!

Screeches erupted behind him; the Pale Species wandering all over the courtyard were alarmed and closed in from all directions.

Five meters!

Three meters!

Almost there!

Lin Ye stepped on the wall and used the momentum to leap into the air.

He gripped the top of the wall with both hands, engaged his core, and flipped over the top!

Just as he crossed the wall, two gusts of cold wind brushed past his feet, and claws tore the fabric on the soles of his tactical boots.

Land!

Forward roll!

As he stood up, he raised his right arm, aiming the Wind-Chasing Claw at the roof of a building directly ahead.

"Bang!"

The hook shot out.

On the low wall behind him, seven or eight Pale Species had already leaped out, opening their blood-filled maws to pounce at him.

The cable pulled taut.

"Hum—!"

A powerful pulling force yanked Lin Ye off the ground, swinging him thrillingly over the heads of the monsters.

[He's taking off! Holy shit, that's awesome!]

[Attack on Brother Eye! 3D maneuver gear brought to reality!]

[Heart: Working overtime today, resigning tomorrow.]

[Mom, I'm watching a superhero livestream! No, wait, it's an Archaeology Department livestream!]

Lin Ye braced his hands on the railing and flipped onto the rooftop.

He didn't stop.

He took three running steps on the rooftop and leaped toward the next building.

While in mid-air, he shot the hook again, using the momentum to swing away.

One building, two buildings, three buildings...

The Pale Species chased from below.

They knocked over abandoned cars and climbed the exterior walls, but they could never reach the figure moving at high speed on the rooftops.

After crossing several buildings in a row, Lin Ye finally rushed onto the rooftop of the tallest building in the entire ruins.

He panted twice and stuck his head over the edge of the rooftop.

Dozens of Pale Species were frantically pouring in from the entrance on the first floor of the building.

He looked up.

The skylight was right above him.

He estimated the distance; from here to the skylight, it was about as high as a twenty-plus-story office building.

The cable of the Wind-Chasing Claw was only 100 meters long; would it be enough?

In the stairwell, dense thumping and hissing sounds could be heard.

"Forget it! I'll take a gamble."

Lin Ye didn't hesitate.

He raised his right arm high, aiming at a protruding rock on the edge of the skylight.

"Bang—!"

The hook shot out.

The spool spun frantically.

"Click!"

A metallic latching sound came from above as the three-clawed hook bit into the rock.

Lin Ye grinned.

"Not bad luck."

Behind him, the fire door was smashed open, and the first Pale Species rushed onto the rooftop.

He pressed the switch.

"Hum—!"

The cable retracted rapidly, and his whole body shot up from the ground, soaring straight toward the skylight.

The gale filled his eardrums, and the figures of those Pale Species on the rooftop rapidly shrank.

Against that figure departing so dashingly in mid-air, they could do nothing but roar in impotent rage!