Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

After the contract was fully inscribed, Mudara knelt in Li Zheng's mind before him and sincerely performed the highest salute of the Destroyer Clan: "Your subordinate Mudara greets Your Majesty!"

"...?" Li Zheng looked at the complete contract pattern in his hand, then at Mudala's current state, and instantly sensed that something was wrong.

The terminal's plan to use this contract to bring the wilderness people into the outer city is going to fall through; such a contract can't fool anyone!

"You should go back now." Li Zheng waved his hand, signaling Mudala to leave his mind.

Perhaps it was because Mudala had just formed a contract that her mental energy had been tainted by Li Zheng's aura, which is why she was able to withdraw her mental energy so easily this time.

At this moment, the markings on her waist and abdomen were fading and eventually disappeared completely, leaving only smooth skin.

As she said before, the contract of the Destroyer Clan is unique, and it can only be used once, whether placed forwards or backwards.

She picked up her clothes from the ground and dressed them neatly. Then she stood respectfully to the side, completely treating herself as Li Zheng's servant, even more respectful than when Miriel first joined Li Zheng.

Li Zheng spared a sliver of his attention to say to her, "You should remain the same as before. Don't treat yourself like a slave or a servant. What I said before still stands. If you want to leave after entering the outer city, I will let you go immediately."

Mudala suddenly knelt down, trembling with fear: "Your Majesty, I have no disloyal intentions, please rescind your order!"

Li Zheng frowned deeply. The effect of this contract was somewhat heaven-defying, managing to brainwash Mudala into being completely loyal to him in such a short time.

He opened his mouth, but in the end he only said, "Forget it, you can get up first. Let me study it carefully, and maybe I can unlock part of the power of the contract."

Li Zheng had no interest in taking in slaves. If he were to keep Mudala simply because she was a beautiful woman, that would be too immoral.

If he wants a loyal and beautiful follower, he might as well release Fukada Yui.

The combat dolls are obedient, pleasing to the eye, and perfectly match Li Zheng's own aesthetic sense. Why would he need to go against his conscience and find these foreign races?
"In the end, it's all the fault of the terminal team, and I'm the one who has to clean up the mess." Li Zheng thought to himself, annoyed, "What a load of crap!"

He refocused his attention on his mind, slightly shifting his mental focus, and sent the part of the contract pattern he was sitting on into the dark realm.

The moment the contract pattern entered the Dark Realm, Mudala's expression shifted slightly, and his eyes regained their sparkle.

She glanced at Li Zheng furtively, remaining outwardly calm, but inwardly she was in turmoil: "The contract between my clans is so domineering! I was caught off guard and brainwashed!"

Li Zheng's attention was entirely focused on the Dark Realm, so he was unaware of what was happening outside and did not notice any changes in Mudala.

"Although I don't know why I suddenly broke free from that obsessive state, this is an opportunity!"

"If I kill him now, the contract will automatically be dissolved!"

Mudala clenched his fist, then relaxed it the next second: "But...why can't I feel any hostility towards him?"

Inexplicably, she sensed something about Li Zheng that was drawing her in, captivating her completely.

"Damn it, even though I've broken free from the demonic state, things are still not looking good!"

Looking at Li Zheng's profile, Miriel felt her heart pounding. Whenever she tried to forcefully harbor hostility towards Li Zheng and kill him, she would be overwhelmed by inexplicable emotions within her.

Li Zheng sat under the Bodhi tree, carefully examining the patterns in his hand, immersing himself in them with his spiritual power, and feeling the strange fluctuations emanating from the patterns.

This fluctuation is connected to Mudala's spiritual body. Once the contract pattern is damaged, causing the fluctuation to become unbalanced, it will instantly affect Mudala himself and cause him harm.

He studied it for a while but didn't gain any further insights, so he could only return from the Dark Realm. Then, he asked Old Pu in his mind if he had any more information he could provide.

As expected, Old Pu detected some more information during this time and showed it to Li Zheng. [Slave contracts, also called loyalty contracts, were originally used by a clan to protect their loved ones, ensuring the sincerity and purity of their feelings.]

The stronger the dominant party's mental power, the more loyal and unable to resist the contracted party will be.

Later, the Destroyer Clan, with their ulterior motives, used it to control others, and the loyalty contract gradually turned into a slave contract.

Because the members of the Destroyer Clan were all warlike, attempting to control others with this method often involved a fierce battle, hence it was renamed the 'Defeated Contract'.

"A defeated contract..." Li Zheng withdrew his mental energy and sighed, "It's nothing but a self-deceiving excuse used to glorify the cruel act of enslaving others."

After reading the information provided by Lao Pu, Li Zheng said, "Nothing has been found yet, wait for me... Huh?"

He turned his head and found that Mudala had changed a bit again. He was no longer as rigid as before, but had become more lively.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Mudala wanted to revert to his delirious state, but seeing that Li Zheng had noticed, he could only nod: "Yes, the power of the contract has been suppressed quite a bit, enough for me to maintain my self-awareness."

It seems to be the effect of the Dark Realm.

Li Zheng immediately understood the reason. The Dark Realm and the outside world are two completely different worlds and should not be connected to each other. Therefore, after Li Zheng transferred the contract to the Dark Realm, the effect was naturally isolated.

However, because the Lampholder's Mark opened a portal to the Dark Realm in his mind, the power of the contract has not completely lost its effect, and Mudala will certainly still be subject to constraints.

Old Pu's subsequent hint proved this point.

Congratulations! You've stumbled upon a way to limit the effects of contracts. Now you'll have a devoted fangirl instead of a single-minded assassin willing to die for you.

Friendly reminder: You can take this opportunity to make some rather outrageous requests of her, such as... asking her to solve a math problem like 3x3x3=?!

As usual, Li Zheng ignored the latter part of Lao Pu's sentence and only read the first half, which made him feel much more relaxed.

He's been really busy lately and doesn't want to add another urgent problem to his list.

The Dark Realm's help in weakening the contract's effect was a huge help.

Although the problem wasn't completely solved, it at least gave Li Zheng some breathing room.

"Since everything is fine, let's go."

Li Zheng took out the inscription card and contacted the terminal to inform Mudala of the contract he had offered.

The terminal replied: "Very good. From here on out, I'll trouble you to go all the way and break the contract. Whether the outer city and the wilderness can take the first step towards friendship depends on you!"

He then handed the teleportation disk to Li Zheng: "Oh, by the way, to make it easier for you to study, I've adjusted the destination of this teleportation disk for you. You'll be returning to Block 375 together."

They called Miriel and the others at the door, and the group activated the teleportation disks simultaneously. After a short recharge, the four of them disappeared from the wooden house.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to end the ape-man's life, so he wouldn't lie there and die of thirst.

They had only been gone for less than half an hour when three mushroom clouds appeared in the area, leaving the once neatly arranged flowers and plants in a state of utter devastation.

Three Fire Apes emerged from the mushroom cloud and stood before their kin, who had become a living dead... no, a completely dead man. Their faces were filled with rage, and they bared their teeth, letting out a mournful and furious roar.