Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 284 The Matrix's First Large-Scale Event (Two Chapters Combined)

Under Luo Aimang's worried gaze, Li Zheng held a tablet and kept operating it, selecting the materials he needed.

He quickly handed the tablet back, saying with some regret, "It's a pity you came too early. If you had come a couple of days later, I could have exchanged more items."

Luo Aimang was covered in cold sweat. He checked the quantities and inventory that Li Zheng had selected and found that no items had been sold out this time. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

No one can understand how afraid Romain Rolland, with his reclusive nature, is of going out.

"Wait a moment, I'll use remote transfer to send the stuff over to you." Luo Aimang put away the tablet, his two thickest tentacles drawing wavy patterns around him, like a shaman performing a ritual.

Li Zheng wasn't in a hurry and waited for Luo Aimang to take his time.

He exchanged almost all of the blood materials this time, using up all the bronze blood he had accumulated over the past few days, and planned to put out more silver-level potions to sell on the day of the auction.

In addition, Li Zheng also took out all the gold-level fire-type items that had mutated from the Flame Flower, a total of twenty-seven fruits, and exchanged them for only one platinum-level lightning-type item.

Li Zheng was initially worried that the price would be rejected by Luo Aimang.

Now it seems that Romain has no objections at all, probably because the price he offered was a bit too high.

In his final trading opportunity, Li Zheng traded some skeletal materials for a laser converter and a beam convergence device to create a laser repair device.

Soon, the exchanged items were transferred and piled up in front of Li Zheng.

After Li Zheng finished counting the items, Luo Aimang took his leave: "The transaction is complete. I'll be going now. I look forward to the day I meet you in the outer city."

Before the words were even finished, the illusory figure and the pile of materials that Li Zheng had released for the transaction all disappeared.

Li Zheng pondered Luo Aimang's last words, feeling that the dead octopus had a hint of gnashing his teeth in them.

"I don't think I provoked it, right? Why does it seem like it holds a grudge against me?" Li Zheng couldn't figure it out and put the matter out of his mind.

After the deal with Roemang, Li Zheng had a lot more things to do.

They decided to pause the exploration and release the capsule dwelling.

Upon entering, Li Zheng's first action was to check on the growth of the Arctic Ibaraki.

It will be ready to collect in four minutes.

However, the temperature inside the petri dish was a bit too high, and growth has stopped.

They used ice to attach the material and cool it down, while "Faceless" went to the composting room and brought back a bottle of culture medium to pour into it.

After closing the lid, Li Zheng took out the blueprints for the laser repair device, confirmed that all the materials were available, and selected to begin production.

The hand-crafting equipment was a bit slow, so Li Zheng took the opportunity to go to the potion-making station and put in the last bottle of silver potion and several bottles of gold potion for which he had already collected the materials to make.

During the potion production, the laser repair device was also completed. After finding an open space to put it down, Li Zheng began to study how to use the device.

First, the damaged power core that had been obtained earlier was taken out and placed inside. The device quickly read the parameters of the power core and showed the damaged parts that needed to be repaired.

However, even with this equipment, Li Zheng was still unable to carry out the repair work.

It's not that it can't be repaired, but rather that he's missing a material called "radium."

The "radium element" in the matrix is ​​not the same as the radioactive element on Earth, but rather a material similar to a "welding rod".

"It's always something I'm missing, it's so annoying." Li was searching in the trading hall when he unexpectedly discovered that someone was selling this kind of material.

There is only one player selling "radium element", but the price is a bit outrageous, requiring ten platinum-level gene development items.

Clearly, this is another typical player who doesn't know what the item is for, but is afraid of selling it at a loss, so they randomly set a high price.

Li Zheng clicked on the properties of "radium element" to view the description, which showed that it was a material with a very "wide range" of uses, not only for repair devices, but also for the medical field.

“That explains it.” Li Zheng stroked his chin. “The more useful something is, the higher its price; that’s common sense. Besides, this person probably did a search when listing the item and knew that he was the only player selling radium.”

"Even if it's based on the principle that scarcity increases value, it's not hard to understand why they would ask for an outrageously high price." Li Zheng tried to contact the player, but the system prompted him that the other party did not accept messages from strangers.

Helpless, Li Zheng searched for the person's name again, hoping to buy some other items to bypass the private chat restrictions.

As it turned out, the player named "Wu Hao" only had "Radium Element" listed under his name, so Li Zheng had to give up.

"Forget it, let's leave it for now." Li Zheng had no other choice at the moment and could only wait until he obtained "radium element" to study the repair device.

Li Zheng tossed the repair device into a corner to gather dust, then went back and picked up the potion he had already made, drinking it all.

As several doses of gold-grade potions were poured into his stomach, the feeling of a significant boost from breaking through the physical level washed over him. It seemed as if inexhaustible power was accumulating within him, ready to be released.

"It's much stronger than the Silver Limit Physique." Li Zheng clenched his fist, savoring the experience of the breakthrough.

He could feel that although his strength was not as great as that of the exoskeleton armor, it was quite close.

"It won't be long before I have to replace even the exoskeleton armor. I might as well put it up for auction and sell it."

Even after stretching his limbs, the urge to vent was still strong, so Li Zheng simply took out his sheathed sword, found an open space outside his residence, and began practicing his swordsmanship.

After practicing at high intensity for more than an hour without stopping, Li Zheng finally felt satisfied and broke out in a sweat.

Looking at the time, it was almost noon, lunchtime.

After preparing the ingredients and setting the menu for today's dishes on the stove, Li Zheng took a shower.

Just as I finished showering, the dish was ready to be served.

After delivering Zhan Zhouzhou's portion, Li Zheng sat down at the door with Xiao Ying to eat.

It was just past noon.

The terminal has issued a new announcement after a long hiatus:

[Attention all players! Starting today, the first large-scale event will be held within the Matrix, lasting for seven days.]

The event is titled "Hunting Mutant Creatures."

[Event Details: Kill the "mutated creatures" of unknown origin within the matrix.]

There are forty-three mutated creatures in total. They are powerful and extremely dangerous. Players are advised to form teams to participate in the event. (Team size is limited to five players.)

The player team that kills the most "mutated creatures" during the event will receive a generous reward from the terminal.

Rewards include, but are not limited to: Superior-grade finished weapons, Superior-grade blueprints, and Superior-grade materials.

[All players who wish to participate in the event can register in the regional channel. Registration deadline: five minutes.]

Players who successfully register will receive a special teleportation device to travel to the "mutated creatures" and hunt them down.

[Note: Each use of the special teleportation device consumes one daily exploration opportunity.]

……

The announcement was looped three times in the world chat to ensure all players could see it before it stopped.

Every time an announcement is made, the world channel erupts in noise.

Today was no exception. After the announcement, many players used megaphones to discuss the new features of the game on the terminal.

"A large-scale event, isn't this just like a world boss?"

"I feel like the Matrix world is becoming more and more like a game. Will there be player-versus-player (PvP) events in the future?"

"The events are all out, when will the daily and weekly dungeons be updated?"

"I have to say, the terminal really went all out this time. The winner can actually get a super-level item!"

"Transcendent level! My best equipment right now is only gold. Could someone please explain how many tiers higher transcendent items are than gold?"

"Gold is followed by platinum and diamonds, and only above diamonds is the extraordinary."

"Third tier?! Then I won't participate. I'm afraid I might survive to participate, but not to win!"

"Fortune favors the bold, and I'm determined to take this extraordinary reward!"

"I'm a 49-year-old comrade, and all I want to know is when I'll be moved out next? I can't take it anymore. Every time it takes 48 hours before I have to move to the next room."

"With your strength, the strongest enemy you'd face would be Black Iron or Bronze level, right? Wouldn't you just be slaughtering them indiscriminately?"

"Exactly! The monsters in the Black Iron and Bronze realms are mostly ordinary animals like lions, wolves, tigers, and leopards. You can kill them with any gun you pick up. I really don't understand why anyone would hide and not dare to explore?"

……

Li Zheng chewed on a piece of braised pork, watching the lively scene on the world channel, and sighed with emotion.

If I hadn't obtained the treasure chest system on my very first day, I'd probably be stuck in the same boat as those 49-year-old players, slowly grinding away...

Actually, in the first two days, some kind-hearted players shared some rough guides in the world chat.

At that time, most players' first dangerous room was filled with wild dogs and cats, which could be dealt with with a little effort.

However, most people are used to a pampered life in the city, and there are many who are unarmed and can't even beat a stray dog.

In particular, some timid people may experience post-traumatic stress disorder when faced with danger, standing still in a panic, not knowing what to do, and eventually being bitten in the throat by wild dogs and dying.

Some people, with their throats bitten open and on the verge of death, cried out for help on the world channel, which frightened many people.

That period was extremely chaotic, and many people who could have survived died tragically because their mental state was affected by various interferences.

But even though half a month has passed since the game started, there are still people who are hiding and dare not explore freely.

This was something Li Zheng hadn't expected.

However, these people are already of legal age and can be safely removed once the terminal is activated, so it is understandable that they do not want to take risks.

Compared to these people, those players who are only 48 years old are the ones who are truly embarrassed...

"A mutated creature?" Li Zheng read the announcement twice more and had some guesses in his mind.

If his guess is correct, this event will be far beyond the capabilities of ordinary players.

After thinking for a moment, he sent a private message to Xiao Siyuan after registering: "Tell all players in 879 who are ranked below 50 not to rush into the hunt after registering."

Xiao Siyuan quickly sent a message asking, "Do you have any relevant information?"

“It’s not certain yet,” Li Zheng said seriously, “but it’s probably pretty close. If the so-called mutated creatures refer to those guys… I almost died there yesterday.”

Upon receiving this message, Xiao Siyuan didn't dare to delay and immediately forwarded Li Zheng's message in the 879 regional channel, calming down the players who were caught up in the excitement of the reward.

"Let's discuss this in the group." Xiao Siyuan forwarded the message, asking Li Zheng to share the details with everyone in the group.

The registration period was short, but the players were quick to register.

Li Zheng truthfully recounted his encounter with Shenwei in the group, stunning everyone in the group.

Ye Yuan was somewhat incredulous: "Radiation...Radiation Island has such a powerful monster? Even Old Li couldn't handle it?"

Chu Xiao's focus was more on logic: "They should also be considered players, right? Why is the terminal asking us to hunt them down?"

Ye Kai also raised a question: "The key question is, if we kill them, will we be flagged as red names?"

Zhan Zhouzhou said, "Li Zheng probably doesn't know the answers to these questions either."

“I really don’t know the terminal’s intentions,” Li Zheng replied in the group. “But I can make an irresponsible guess: the existence of players on Radiation Island has obviously disrupted the game balance. If they are allowed to explore freely, the basic difficulty is there, and the chance of them coming into contact with high-level items is also higher. Once they get items like those from Star Pirates, it would be a catastrophe for ordinary players.”

After her eyes were healed, Lin Fengjiao was also invited by Xiao Siyuan to join the group. She was the one who had been truly persecuted by the members of Radiation Island and had the most say in this matter: "It's hard for people who haven't had contact with them to imagine how crazy they are. At the time, I was afraid of causing a conflict, so I kept my distance from that person. I didn't expect him to suddenly attack and turn into a monster that ate me."

Beside Xiao Siyuan, Lin Fengjiao seemed to recall those painful scenes again, her delicate body trembling incessantly.

Old Xiao gently comforted her, saying, "If Li Zheng's guess is correct, I will ask them to take you to this event, so that you will have the opportunity to take revenge yourself!"

Although the person who caused Lin Fengjiao's current tragic state is dead, the members of Fukushima Island can be considered his accomplices, so it's not wrong to call it revenge.

"It's not just Radiation Island." Xiao Siyuan's gaze drifted into the distance, unfocused. "There are also the culprits who caused this situation; we must make them all pay the price!"

Strictly speaking, the people of Radon Island can also be considered "victims".

Before they became like this, they were just ordinary citizens of the Muddy Country.

The problem originated within the Nip-Hung Electric Company, leading to a leak at the nuclear power plant and contamination of the entire Radiation Island.

Those people even took the opportunity to conduct extensive research on nuclear radiation under the guise of "treatment," which led to the birth of nuclear radiation mutants.

This research process is absolutely inhumane, and even extremely cruel.

It was during this research process that the mutants on Radiation Island developed a twisted mindset and began to hate ordinary humans.

But that doesn’t mean they are innocent.

Ultimately, the perpetrators of Lin Fengjiao's crimes were also the people of Fudao, who were themselves victims. At least from Lin Fengjiao's perspective, the people of Fudao were not innocent.

The family that controls the entire power system of Nihong Kingdom is the "Banquan Family" that Li Zheng had previously come into contact with!
"Don't worry, everything will pass." Xiao Siyuan patted Lin Fengjiao's delicate shoulder.

“Yes!” Lin Fengjiao nodded firmly.

……

Li Zheng suggested in the group chat, "Let's form a vanguard team and verify whether my conjecture is true."

Whether it was to avenge Lin Fengjiao or for the final reward of the event, Li Zheng wanted to get the highest number of kills.

Therefore, this team must be of exceptional quality.

For this event, to facilitate the counting of kills, once the team members are finalized, they cannot be changed.

Therefore, Li Zheng will definitely choose the strongest members of the group to participate in the event with him.

However, the awkward thing is that one of the only two top experts in the group has been unwell these past two days, and Li Zheng is a little conflicted about whether to bring her along.

(End of this chapter)