Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

A sense of power, pure and overwhelming, filled his consciousness, but at the same time, a violent, destructive, and insane thought that wanted to tear everything apart was constantly assaulting his reason.

This physical body itself is constantly emitting spiritual pollution.

Lin Yu guessed that it was probably obtained by killing the Ghost Dragon, so it also looked like the Ghost Dragon after transformation. However, according to the introduction, it should be possible to influence this state by sacrificing other dragons.

"My mana is being used up so quickly."

Lin Yu could clearly feel the loss of magical power within his body. At this rate, if he maintained this form for more than twenty seconds, he would feel an emptiness in his body as his magical power was being consumed too quickly.

Of course, it is definitely possible to continue, since theoretically, consuming mana can sustain it for fifty seconds. Of course, this is just theoretical, since using skills after transforming into a dragon still consumes mana.

If there is no other energy replenishment, then the health bar will be consumed.

The enormous dragon body rapidly shrank and dissipated like a phantom, and the suffocating, eerie pressure also receded.

Lin Yu returned to human form, his face slightly pale. Not only had his magical power been greatly depleted, but he had also suffered a significant mental shock.

He looked at the easily destroyed test post and the faint, lingering stench in the air.

"Hiss... This consumption, this power, it's truly terrifying." Lin Yu frowned as he looked at his hand, which had returned to normal.

The transformation did indeed greatly enhance his strength, directly elevating him to the peak of the Platinum level, and even touching the edge of the Diamond level. If enough dragon-related items were offered as sacrifices, he could probably improve even further. However, the appearance and the accompanying mental pollution made him really unlikable.

"It seems that this diamond-level skill is not a trump card that can be used casually. You either need to finish the battle quickly, or you need to prepare enough 'blue potions' or dragon essence and other supplies. You also need to be careful not to let this form affect your mind."

……

After the test, Lin Yu had a clearer understanding of his current strength.

Overall, with his two diamond-level cultivation techniques, platinum-level equipment, the diamond-level skill [Dragon Transformation], and numerous trump cards, he should be considered among the strongest in the platinum tier.

It won't be too weak anyway; it's highly likely that some ordinary platinum-level players won't be a match for it.

After the test was completed, Lin Yu left the entertainment area; it was already late.

The simulated starry sky above the residential area twinkled with a soft light.

Lin Yu took Jin Ling back to the apartment.

In the days that followed, Lin Yu entered a regular and fulfilling period of rest and recuperation.

Every day, he would have his shadow clone cultivate diligently in the Taoist study.

The main body spends several hours each day cultivating the "Molten Flame Demon Body," using the purchased [Earth Fire Crystal Core] and [Lava Essence], combined with the Heart Fire, to more intensely temper itself.

The process was indeed extremely painful; it was almost like self-torture. Each training session felt like shedding a layer of skin, but the effects were also remarkable.

His physical body became increasingly powerful, with his strength, defense, recovery ability, and resistance to various negative statuses steadily improving.

Jin Ling still spends most of her time sleeping next to the statue of Zhenjun or leisurely strolling around the apartment.

However, its strength improved very quickly. Lin Yu could feel that this little guy seemed to be getting stronger every moment. This speed of leveling up while lying down often left Lin Yu speechless and envious.

Although his situation was similar, the fatigue from cultivation would return after the shadow clone disappeared, and he would still get tired.

In his spare time, Lin Yu also keeps an eye on the [System Trading Post].

He sold the several gold-level equipment items he had previously listed, earning a considerable amount of in-game currency.

They also keep an eye on items related to "dragons," and occasionally when they come across low-level dragon materials at a reasonable price, they will buy them and offer them as a sacrifice to the dragon vein.

The sacrifice progress is slowly increasing, from 2.3% to 5.1%. Unlocking the [Bloodline Inheritance] is still a long way off, but the dragon energy reflected by the dragon vein has become slightly more concentrated.

Lin Yu tried soaking the gray seed he had bought from the trading area in spiritual spring water and even infusing it with a trace of his inner fire energy, but it didn't react at all.

He didn't know its purpose for the time being, so he put it away and planned to study it later when he had the chance.

During this period, Phantom contacted him several more times, mainly to report on the sales of the spiritual spring water.

Yes, Lin Yu re-established a trading relationship with the Heroes' Guild, mainly for convenience. Unlike the trading post, the regular market in the community doesn't automatically deliver items to the apartment after purchase; players have to deliver them themselves, which is too troublesome. It's better to leave it to someone else.

Of course, it's mostly about returning the favor. After all, the Heroes' Gathering in the Immortal Seeking World had helped them a lot, so it wouldn't hurt to let them make some money.

If Lin Yu really wanted to do it himself, he could have used his shadow clones to deliver the goods.

The spiritual spring water continues to sell well, bringing Lin Yu a stable income of game currency.

......

A peaceful and fulfilling rest period always seems to fly by.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. When the system notification appeared in Lin Yu's mind that the countdown to the next game was about to begin, he was leisurely lying on the sofa in his apartment, stroking Jin Ling's smooth feathers while browsing information about strange and unusual things through the system's trading platform.

"It's starting again." Lin Yu sat up, stretched, and his bones made a series of crisp sounds.

These seven days of relaxation were not meaningless; at least they allowed his mind to completely unwind and swept away the tension that had accumulated from the previous continuous gaming sessions.

The shadow clone's diligent cultivation in the Taoist study did not stop, allowing his cultivation to steadily improve even while he was relaxed, and his control over his own power to become increasingly refined.

Jinling seemed to sense something as well. She woke up from her dozing, flapped her wings and flew onto his shoulder, affectionately nuzzling his cheek.

[Notification: Player Lin Yu, your rest period has ended.]

[Note: You have entered the game five times. This (sixth) game is in tower defense mode.]

[Hint: Filtering tower defense worlds for you... Filtering complete. Please choose one of the following three worlds to enter:]

As the system prompted, three virtual screens appeared in front of Lin Yu, clearly listing the options for three tower defense worlds and their basic information:

1. [Mechanical Frenzy]

World setting: The core area of ​​a technologically advanced but abandoned automated factory.

Endless mechanical creations poured out of the production line, attempting to destroy all outsiders.

2. [The Plague of the Undead]

World setting: An ancient battlefield shrouded in death and shadow, where countless unwilling souls are buried beneath the earth.

Evil necromancy drives bones and rotting flesh to launch an endless invasion of the living.

3. [Zerg Invasion]

World setting: A primitive jungle planet completely occupied by an alien insectoid race.

Zerg hives covered the land, and endless Zerg units surged in like a tide, devouring all organic matter.

Lin Yu carefully reviewed the three options, his brain racing as he analyzed the pros and cons.

【Mechanical Frenzy】is definitely the first thing to be ruled out.

While his lightning and fire spells should be quite effective against mechanical units, his area-of-effect clearing capabilities are somewhat limited, aside from lightning and willow vines, when facing massive numbers of mechanical units and potential aerial and stealth threats.

Moreover, to be honest, Lin Yu didn't really want to fight against this kind of high-tech crop.

Fighting robots sounds like a lot of trouble.

As for the second one, [Undead Scourge], it's almost a scenario tailor-made for him.

The "Demon Slayer Sword" has a "Demon Extermination" attribute that provides a 100% damage bonus against undead creatures. The True Lord's divine power itself has a strong restraining effect on evil spirits, and his lightning and fire magic are extremely yang and strong, making them highly effective against undead.

The negative energy field should not have much impact on his physical body and soul, which have been tempered by the "Divine Fire Heart Sutra" and the "Molten Flame Demon Body".

The only concern is the possibility of various undead curses, but he has a pure spiritual spring, so it shouldn't be a big problem.

Thirdly, [Zerg Invasion], the Zerg swarm tactic is very troublesome and requires extremely strong sustained area-of-effect damage.

His vines can form a defensive line, and his lightning and fire spells have a good range.

Overall, Lin Yu felt it was a viable option, but it was clearly less targeted than dealing with the undead.

Without much hesitation, Lin Yu made his choice: "I choose [Undead Scourge]."

The types of monsters in this world are most compatible with his ability system, allowing him to maximize his advantages.

As for potential special threats such as curses, he believed that his own strength and trump cards were sufficient to deal with them.

[Confirm selection, world loading...]

[Loading complete! Welcome to the tower defense game – Undead Scourge.]

【Game Rules:】

1. This game has no side quests.

[2. Your apartment is now permanently located in this area and has become the core you need to protect. The apartment's durability is shared; once it reaches zero, the game is over.]

3. Monsters will launch attacks from a fixed direction at a fixed time each day (each wave lasts 24 hours in real time), and will continue to invade.

[4. After successfully repelling seven days (seven waves) of attacks, a settlement will be performed. During the settlement, you can choose to leave the game or continue to defend.]

5. The game's longest duration is ten weeks (seventy waves), with a powerful boss unit appearing on the last day of each week (wave seven).

[6. Killing monsters only grants experience points; no loot drops. Final rewards are determined based on the number of weeks spent defending the area and overall performance.]

Main Quest: Survival. The longer you hold out, the greater the rewards. (Minimum completion requirement: Hold out for one week)

A flash of white light appeared before my eyes, followed by a feeling of weightlessness.

When Lin Yu's vision cleared, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar environment.

He was standing at the door of his apartment.

The apartment seemed to be fixed in place by an invisible force. Surrounding the apartment was a desolate landscape stretching as far as the eye could see.

The sky was leaden gray, devoid of sun, moon, and stars; only a faint, cold light barely illuminated the earth.

Beneath their feet lay cracked, black earth, scattered with the pale skeletons of unknown creatures and fragments of rusted weapons.

The air was thick with a pungent stench of decay and sulfur, and the intense negative energy, like an invisible tide, was constantly eroding the surrounding life.

In the distance, the outlines of twisted, withered trees and collapsed ancient buildings can be vaguely seen. Further away, there seems to be the shadow of a majestic but dilapidated castle, which is probably the source of the undead army.

The apartment seemed to be enveloped in a golden halo.

This is the protective domain of the True Lord statue, effectively isolating the aura of death and creating a relatively "safe" area around the apartment.

However, it is only relatively safe. The True Lord statue is not so invincible or powerful in its defenses against areas too far from the apartment.

In addition, the dragon energy emanating from the dragon vein also circulated in this area, subtly resisting the negative energy, making Lin Yu feel much more comfortable.

"The environment is really harsh." Lin Yu took a deep breath, and the Divine Fire Heart Sutra in his body started to operate automatically. The heart fire pulsed in his dantian, and pure yang magic power flowed throughout his body, easily dispelling the chill and death energy that tried to invade.

The golden feathers on its shoulder shook slightly, as if it were not used to it, and let out a clear eagle cry. The peaceful aura that naturally flowed around it drove away the negative energy that approached.

He quickly checked himself and the condition of the apartment.

Everything is normal; the apartment's durability is at its maximum.

A new tower defense game interface has been added to the system panel, displaying the current wave (0/70) and the countdown to the next wave (23:59:XX).

"Use [Otherworldly Gift]".

Upon entering the game, Lin Yu immediately used his talent.

[The Otherworldly Gift has been triggered, granting you [Doraemon World: The Woodcutter's Spring (Limited to three times)].

"?"

Upon hearing the system notification, Lin Yu was taken aback. [The Woodcutter's Spring]?

What is this? Is it an apartment facility? But it says it's for one-time use only.

He did know Doraemon; it was an animated series he really loved watching when he was a kid.

It doesn't matter, I'll just take a look at the introduction.

【The Woodcutter's Spring (Limited to three times)】

Category: Props

Grade: Black #

effect:

Honesty is rewarded: Throw the item into the woodcutter's spring, and the goddess will inquire about the authenticity of the item's origin. An honest answer will earn you an upgraded version of the item.

(This item can only be used three times and will be automatically destroyed after use.)

(Upgraded items cannot be upgraded again.)

Description: Young woodcutter, did you drop this golden axe or this silver axe? —Goddess of the Spring.

"Is this... the River God?"

Upon seeing the product description, Lin Yu instantly recalled the animated characters from a domestic animated film he had watched years ago.

The Milky Way is also a river~

However, Lin Yu quickly remembered the origin of this gadget. He had indeed seen this episode in Doraemon back then, but he had forgotten it because it had been so long. Now, seeing the introduction, his vague memory became clear again.

【The Woodcutter's Spring】is a gadget that Doraemon pulls out. Its effect is simple: insert an item, and a goddess robot appears. Answering honestly will reward you with an upgraded item.

The goddess operates through a lie detector mechanism, returning upgrade items to honest individuals and punishing liars.

Unlike the River God, the Goddess will not give you the Golden Axe, Silver Axe, and Old Axe after you answer honestly. Instead, she will only give you the upgraded items, and the original items thrown into the pool cannot be recycled.

In addition, Lin Yu vaguely remembered that people could also be thrown into this thing. In the anime, Gian accidentally fell in because of his greed, but the result was quite absurd.

That is, the goddess brought out a "fat tiger" who had been "upgraded" and was now obedient, smart, and clean.

Of course, according to Lin Yu's memory of the anime, the "new Gian" that was brought out was actually fake, while the real Gian was still in the pool.

"That's interesting. So this is actually an item for upgrading things, but it can only be used three times."

Lin Yu stroked his chin. Judging from the effect, this prop was indeed a good thing, since its panel did not restrict the level of the items that could be put in.

Based on Lin Yu's understanding of his talent, this meant that items of any level could be thrown in.

In other words, this thing can even be used to upgrade legendary equipment, elevating it to the magical level.

If that's the case, then this prop is truly extraordinary.

"Want to give it a try?"

Lin Yu's eyes lit up. He happened to have a diamond-level item on hand, which was the [Dragon Transformation] skill card. He could try to upgrade it directly to the Radiant Stone level.

"Wait, if that's the case, can Black-grade items be upgraded?"

Soon, Lin Yu thought of another possibility: upgrading the True Monarch Statue.

However, Lin Yu gave up on the idea as soon as it crossed his mind.

The statue of the True Lord is still too important to him; it cannot be used for experiments lightly.

"In that case, let's save the three chances for now and use them as needed later."

Lin Yu ultimately decided against using this valuable item, as he didn't really have much need for it at the moment. He felt it would be a waste to use this precious opportunity to upgrade a diamond-level skill card.

After all, this kind of thing will always be iterated over in the future.

He hasn't reached the point where he needs to rapidly increase his strength yet. For him, who possesses the True Lord's statue, this tower defense world isn't that difficult.

After thinking it over, Lin Yu put away the items he had drawn and turned his attention to the game world.

"The first wave of attacks will begin in 24 hours." Lin Yu's gaze swept over the desolate and lifeless surroundings, his eyes sharpening.

"We can't just wait around; we have to prepare in advance."

He first focused his consciousness on the apartment to confirm that all facilities were functioning properly.

The Taoist study, the pure spiritual spring, the dragon vein, and the statue of the True Lord are all there.

He tried using the "Apartment Relocation Card," and sure enough, it displayed "During the tower defense game, the apartment location is fixed and cannot be moved."

"Just as I expected." Lin Yu was not surprised.

With a thought, he activated the [Automatic Shooting Crossbow] and [Unlimited Firepower Gatling Gun] above the apartment entrance, as well as the three gold-level defensive apartment facilities he had purchased from the trading house before the game started: [Laser Antenna], [Defensive Field], and [Ice Totem].

These three items were specially prepared by Lin Yu for the tower defense game. They are all gold-level facilities. The [Laser Antenna], as the name suggests, shoots lasers. The Defensive Stance can create a shield with 500 defense and 5000 durability to block attacks when the apartment is attacked.

The [Ice Totem] can generate an ice aura that slows down monsters around the apartment.

These are all good items. In fact, Lin Yu wanted to buy even more advanced facilities, but for some reason he couldn't find them at the trading house.

After activating the facilities, Lin Yu walked out of the apartment and began surveying the terrain.

Directly in front of the apartment, in the direction from which the undead army is most likely to attack, lies a relatively open wasteland with good visibility, suitable for ranged attacks and area-of-effect skills.

On the left and right sides there are some low earthen slopes and scattered boulders, which can serve as natural shelters or to set up auxiliary defenses.

Behind them was a grove of twisted, dead trees. Lin Yu used his Heavenly Eye to observe and found that the deathly aura in the forest was exceptionally strong. There might be undead attacking from behind, so he needed to be especially careful.

"The main attack will be launched from the front, with support defense on both flanks, and early warning and containment measures need to be set up in the rear." Lin Yu quickly formulated a basic defensive strategy.

With a thought, he first summoned the symbiotic willow vine, activating the plant life mode.

Then something unexpected happened to Lin Yu. Right beside him, a thick vine suddenly rose from the ground, and a huge, bright red flower bud grew on the vine.

Under Lin Yu's astonished gaze, the giant flower bud opened, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman with long, emerald-green hair in the center of the flower.

However, what's strange is that the woman in the flower only has her upper body, while her abdomen is fused with the flower.

"Symbiotic Flower Fairy?"

Lin Yu was stunned when he saw this familiar figure. Then he immediately remembered that this was the symbiotic flower fairy who had voluntarily followed him in the world of Life and Death Delivery.

"Owner."

The symbiotic flower fairy smiled gently and bowed respectfully to Lin Yu.

"I never expected to see you again."

Lin Yu clicked his tongue in amazement. Ever since the flower fairy voluntarily merged with the blood vine, Lin Yu had not seen it. Even when using the plant life mode, only a large number of vines appeared.

"I have to thank you, Master, for allowing me to see the light of day again."

The flower fairy's peach blossom eyes looked at Lin Yu with tender affection, making Lin Yu feel a little embarrassed.

"Well, it's great that you're out. I'll leave the defense of the apartment's perimeter to you. Soon, a large number of monsters will be attacking."

Lin Yu waved his hand, took two steps back under the heartbroken gaze of the flower fairy, and then spoke.

"Yes, Master."

The flower fairy nodded with a smirk, then waved her hand. The main vine of the flower willow vine quickly burrowed into the ground, and then countless thick vines broke through the soil, like a living green wall, spreading and intertwining two hundred meters in front of the apartment, forming a thick vine barrier about one hundred meters wide and ten meters high.

Meanwhile, more and thinner vines, like tentacles, lurk beneath the ground in front of the barrier, ready to launch entanglement and piercing attacks at any time.

Next, Lin Yu had the flower fairy split off a branch to set up hidden vine traps behind the earthen slopes and boulders on the left and right sides of the apartment, and buried a large number of warning and entanglement vines at the edge of the dead wood forest behind it.

This initial vine defense line alone is tough and aggressive enough to withstand attacks from large numbers of monsters, and enemies below the gold level would find it difficult to break through.

Afterwards, Lin Yu returned to his apartment and collected the three [Platinum-grade Dragon Essence] produced by the Dragon Vein each day.

This item contains pure energy, which can quickly restore mana and can also be used to activate the [Dragon Transformation] skill at critical moments, making it an important strategic resource.

He has already accumulated more than twenty coins.

He then checked the reserves of the Pure Spirit Spring and confirmed that they were sufficient.