Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 494 Beginner
"News from the Lava Mountains: Kunlun and Jiutian have joined forces to take down the boss in the desert oasis. Aren't you going to check it out?" Zhan Zhouzhou asked Li Zheng as he approached. "Maybe we can even take the opportunity to kill another boss?"

The information she mentioned was seen by Li Zheng in the legion channel; it was something Li Chun and his group had noticed while listening to discussions among people from other legions.

"What catches your eyes?"

Li Zheng watched as Miriel skillfully tossed the wok by the stove, and said without turning his head, "You need to know that some things are not as simple as they seem on the surface."

“I just went to the Lava Mountains. Li Chun and the others are a bit far from the others. How carefully would those people have to be in their discussions to be overheard by them?”

"You mean, someone wants to use you to sabotage the current operations of Kunlun and Jiutian?" Zhan Zhouzhou understood immediately. "Should I send Li Chun and the others to investigate that legion?"

Those who are allowed into the Lava Mountains by Kunlun are not outwardly hostile to players from the Dragon Kingdom.

But judging from this incident, Kunlun made a mistake.

Someone with ulterior motives wanted to sow discord between Li Zheng and his two families.

"There's no need. We won't find anything fishy. They can easily use the excuse that they were just chatting casually and had no intention of provoking me to cause trouble." Li Zheng shook his head and said, "These kinds of things are inherently difficult to prove, so why bother?"

"Besides, people who only dare to use such clumsy methods will never amount to anything, so we don't need to pay attention to them."

“Okay. Then…” Zhan Zhouzhou thought Li Zheng’s words made sense, nodded and changed the subject, asking, “Do you think Kunlun Jiutian’s operation this time will succeed? Although I have never faced those two bosses directly, even you had to die together to kill them head-on, which means that the bosses’ strength has reached the king level, right?”

"It's definitely King-level."

Li Zheng did not deny this statement; a (pseudo) king-level player is still a king-level player, having crossed the threshold of that rank.

"They're not as strong as you think. If you're willing to go all out, you can actually kill them on the front lines."

The so-called "going all out" here means having enough "cannon fodder" to buy time for Zhan Zhouzhou, allowing her to unleash her full potential without any worries.

"By the way, could you go to Li Chun's place and tell her that the breastplate I asked her to sew for me is ready for me? Could you go and get it for me?"

"Breastplate?"

“Yes, she will understand what you’re talking about.” Li Zheng didn’t explain further. He had already learned about the properties of the empty treasure chest that Li Chun possessed through the Eye of Preys, and he also knew that the other party had put the high-energy core into that empty treasure chest.

"it is good."

Seeing that Li Zheng didn't want to say more, Zhan Zhouzhou naturally didn't ask any further questions and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute." Li Zheng called out to her, looked up at the sky, and seemed to be thinking about something.

Finally, he shook his head and said, "Never mind, it's okay, you go ahead."

Li Zheng wasn't sure how many live stream cameras were still focused on him, so there were many things he didn't dare to say openly.

"Hmm." Zhan Zhouzhou entered the portal and returned to the starting point's exclusive transit space, heading towards the Lava Mountains.

After Zhan Zhouzhou left, Li Zheng pondered for a moment, and once again used his privilege to intercept a seafood dish that a member of Qidian had just prepared. He carried the plate to a corner of the beach and found the golden octopus wearing an academic gown.

Luo Aimang lay on a beach chair, under a huge and luxurious parasol, on a small table laden with various fruits and drinks. Two tentacles held a refreshing magazine, making pink heart-shaped bubbles pop up above his head as he looked at it, occasionally letting out a few lewd and suppressed laughs.

"Why are you here again?" Luo Aimang sensed someone approaching, instantly hid the magazine behind his back, switched to a gentlemanly demeanor, and looked at Li Zheng with obvious disdain.

In Luo Aimang's mind, doing business with Li Zheng wouldn't result in a loss, but it would definitely disgust him.

Every cell in his body was resisting contact with Li Zheng.

"Why can't I come? You're a businessman, and I'm a customer. Isn't it only natural for a customer to seek out a businessman?" Li Zheng said, holding a plate, his expression equally unfriendly.

Every time Luo Aimang saw him, he acted as if he had seen a ghost. Li Zheng couldn't figure out what he had done to offend Luo Aimang, except for shooting him the first time they met, that made him hate him so much.

Since the other party wasn't giving him a friendly look, Li Zheng figured there was no need to try and win them over, so he decided to just give them the cold shoulder instead...

"There are six merchants in this event. Why are you coming to me instead of looking for others?" Luo Aimang's face twitched slightly, revealing a hint of emotion.

It smells so good~
The aroma was coming from that plate; it had a very strong cheese flavor!
Romain unconsciously licked his lips, his eyes involuntarily glancing towards the plate, hiding his gaze and not daring to look openly.

Li Zheng sat down with his plate in hand, and said irritably, "If you weren't the closest to me, and if this place weren't the cleanest, do you think I'd want to come looking for you?"

In fact, the reason why Li Zheng was willing to come to Luo Aimang was mainly because, although Luo Aimang was known as a 'black market merchant,' he was actually the purest of all the merchants Li Zheng had ever met.

They belong to the type that truly prioritizes business above all else.

Other merchants were far more unscrupulous than Roemang, especially that wandering merchant, whose prices were definitely much higher than the actual value of the items he offered!
"So, what kind of trouble are you trying to cause this time?" Luo Aimang looked up from the plate, his face wary. "As I said before, I can only sell fishing-related items during the event. The old material-for-materials exchange system won't be available again until the event ends."

Luo Aimang felt it necessary to make his position clear beforehand, lest Li Zheng try to play dirty tricks on him later.

“You’re overthinking things…” Li Zheng said speechlessly, placing the plate in his hand on the table next to Luo Aimang and inviting him in a friendly manner, “Come and try some of our race’s cooking.”

"Your race?"

Despite his intense desire for the seafood dish, Roemon remained cautious: "Don't think I didn't see it; this was all cooked by that little succubus."

"And why would you be so kind as to invite me to try some delicious food?"

Romain feigned indifference, seemingly genuinely uninterested in the dish.

Unfortunately, his constant swallowing gave him away.

Li Zheng found it somewhat amusing, but did not point out Luo Aimang's feigned modesty. Instead, he explained his purpose in coming: "I came here mainly because I have some questions that I would like to ask you to help answer."

"What's your question?" Luo Aimang turned to stare at Li Zheng.

Li Zheng looked around but didn't say anything.

Luo Aimang understood immediately, waved his tentacle gently, and said, "Alright, speak freely. Those streamers outside can no longer lock onto you."

Li Zheng sensed that when Luo Aimang casually waved his hand, an invisible barrier appeared around them, preventing not only the outside broadcasters from locking onto them, but also isolating the sound from the Endless Ocean area in both directions.

"I want to know the real purpose behind the terminal organizing this fishing competition!"

"The real purpose?" Luo Aimang looked at Li Zheng with amusement. "Don't you already know? To train the coordination between the legions."

"That's it?"

"That's it!" "But...why?" Li Zheng asked, puzzled. "At first, the terminal told us to act as individuals, so why did they suddenly create a legion?"

"Because some crises cannot be solved by individual heroism."

Luo Aimang didn't say much, only saying, "There are some things that are beyond your current capabilities. Go and explore them for yourself when you reach the outer city."

“I know you still have many questions in your mind, but unfortunately, I can’t tell you everything, because you will definitely find an opportunity to spread the news. Knowing some secrets too early may not be a good thing for your race.”

"Moreover, the rules within the matrix also dictate that certain things cannot be said aloud. Don't expect to be able to spread certain information after you go to the outer city and come back; it's useless."

Luo Aimang seemed to recall something, his expression becoming much more melancholy. He sighed, "Strive to become stronger. Only by constantly improving your strength can you possibly control your own destiny in the future, and even control the destiny of your race."

"Never repeat our mistakes. It's not a pleasant feeling to be a loser."

As he spoke, he waved his tentacle: "Go ahead, I've already told you everything I can. You can't get any more information from me."

Seeing Luo Aimang's expression, Li Zheng knew he couldn't get any more information from him, but he still asked somewhat unwillingly, "I've frequently heard about this so-called 'crisis' from you guys before. What exactly is this 'crisis'? Can't you tell me anything?"

"cannot!"

Luo Aimang shook his head firmly: "I can only tell you that if you cannot overcome the impending crisis, then those who remain outside, and even your planet, will be doomed!"

"I understand."

Hearing this, Li Zheng nodded, squatted down, drew a pattern on the sand, and asked, "Is this the crisis you were talking about?"

Luo Aimang glanced at it, then his expression suddenly changed. He jumped off the beach chair and frantically wiped away the pattern, demanding of Li Zheng, "How did you know?"

He was certain that no veteran player in the Matrix could leave behind any relevant information by any means.

As a new player in this season, why did Li Zheng know the truth in advance?

"wrong!"

Luo Aimang suddenly realized: "You knew all this, yet you weren't affected?"

Not only were they not affected, but they were even able to depict the pattern under the supervision of the terminal?

This would have been absolutely impossible in the past.

Luo Aimang opened his mouth to try to tell the truth, but found that no matter how hard he tried, it was in vain. The limitations of the terminal were still affecting him, and he could not say any information related to the pattern.

Even just one word!

He wildly waved his tentacles, grabbed Li Zheng by the collar, and asked with a ferocious expression, "Where did you get this pattern from? Tell me!"

As authorized merchants, they also have a task: to eliminate all information related to the patterns in the matrix.

If someone finds out in advance, they are obligated to eliminate them. If a player knows about it, that player will be added to the elimination list and must be eliminated before the other party spreads the information.

There was once a race of players who learned everything before entering the outer city, and were eventually slaughtered, their ability to speak was even stripped away by the terminal, leaving them only to eke out a living hiding in mechanical bodies.

Even so, the impact could not be completely erased.

Li Zheng did not expect that the sketch he made would arouse such strong emotions in Luo Aimang. He said with a serious face, "This is what I saw with my own eyes before I was captured by the terminal into the matrix."

"impossible!"

Romain Rolland said decisively, "Anyone else could see this, except... um!~"

His words were interrupted, and Romain was struck as if by a heavy blow, spitting out golden-red blood.

Li Zheng was sprayed with blood by Luo Aimang, but he calmly raised his hand to wipe it away: "It seems that before entering the outer city, I learned some information that I shouldn't have known."

"Shut up!"

Luo Aimang's face was pale and his breath was weak.

In his haste, he revealed some secrets, and although he didn't disclose them completely, the terminal still punished him.

If Li Zheng continues speaking, Luo Aimang might die here today.

After a short wait, the expected command did not arrive. Relieved, Roemang solemnly said, "Remember! You must never tell anyone what this symbol represents! Otherwise, your entire race will face a purge!"

Luo Aimang was not stupid. In a short time, he figured out why Li Zheng and the person who revealed the pattern to Li Zheng were not affected.

Knowing only a pattern is not a problem in itself.

However, if, upon learning of the pattern, one also subjectively understands the essence it represents, then the terminal will take notice and issue a task to eliminate it.

Li Zheng pushed aside the tentacles gripping his collar from Luo Aimang and asked, "Even now, am I still not entitled to know the truth?"

“It’s not that I’m not qualified, it’s that I don’t have the strength.” Luo Aimang lay back on the beach chair, looking extremely weak. “You probably think you’ve reached the level of a king, that your strength is already extraordinary.”

"It's undeniable that most non-players in the outer city aren't as strong as you are now."

"But you should know that compared to the outer city, the matrix is ​​actually only at the beginner level."

"Whether you are Iron or Godlike, in the eyes of veteran players, you are just an ant."

"Because from Black Iron to Godhood, there seem to be more than ten levels, but in the outer city they are all uniformly classified as 'beginner'."

"Remember this: before your strength reaches the quasi-plane level, never try to find out what that pattern represents."

Upon hearing this, Li Zheng's expression shifted slightly: "As long as we don't understand the nature of this thing, we won't be affected?"

“That’s right, so you must control your curiosity and not pry into the nature of this thing!” Luo Aimang said seriously, “This is for your own good.”

"I have a question."

Li Zheng thought for a moment and asked, "As long as I don't know the true nature of this thing, even if I face it with my own eyes, will nothing happen?"

(End of this chapter)