Chapter 107: We Once Struggled Too (Humbly Seeking First Subscription! 8,000 Words)
“You...” Li Chou stepped forward, about to speak, but Colin stopped him.
“I’ll ask. These matters... asking questions can be dangerous,” Colin whispered.
Because this involved the system, caution was paramount.
Hearing this, Li Chou nervously shut his mouth. He knew Colin wasn’t trying to scare him.
Some people in the chat channel liked to dig into the mysteries behind the system...
But after probing for a while, they suddenly stopped communicating.
No one knew if they had fallen victim to dangers lurking within the mist or encountered something else entirely.
Within some survivor alliances that had banded together, certain messages claimed these individuals vanished without a trace.
Yet no one revealed the exact circumstances.
The mist was terrifying...
But the system was no less so...
And compared to the mist, the system’s threats were more immediate and insidious. The most desperate truth was that they currently could not break free from it.
Even if there were an option to leave the system, they could not take it, for without the system’s functions, they wouldn’t survive long.
At this moment, Colin felt an indescribable suffocation.
“Come down, what are you standing there for? This place stinks...”
At the manhole entrance, Russell half emerged, calling out.
This time, Colin didn’t hesitate. He sent the servant down first; after confirming no issues, Li Chou followed, then Colin, Shana, and the others...
As they fully entered, the entire family burial ground seemed to fall utterly silent.
At the same time, upon entering the fifth-level underground fortress, Colin and his group felt as though they had stepped into another world.
Descending the stairs step by step,
What unfolded before Colin was a massive underground space structured in multi-layered circular rings, resembling a vast subterranean mall.
They had emerged onto the uppermost level.
At the center of the ceiling hung an artificial sun, radiating a gentle light that illuminated the entire space.
Looking down from the stainless steel railing, the fifth-level fortress comprised three floors, with an open-air plaza at the bottom.
This was the fifth-level underground fortress...
Colin couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath.
The air was surprisingly clear.
The only downside was the overwhelming quiet...
In this expansive space, they saw no other person.
“This must be more than ten thousand square meters, right?”
Colin scanned the vast underground area; it certainly exceeded ten thousand square meters.
Moreover, Colin and the others noticeably felt the disappearance of a constant mental influence from the outside world.
Li Chou’s perception of this was especially acute.
Russell snorted proudly.
“One floor is just over ten thousand square meters, totaling over thirty thousand. At the bottom is another level—that’s the true ‘underground fortress,’ but it’s only about three thousand square meters in total.
“Here, even a lord-level mutant cannot break through.”
“Excellent, it’s all mine now,” Colin nodded.
Russell’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
Just then, Colin and his group suddenly heard rapid footsteps approaching, as if someone was rushing their way.
Seeing Colin and the others readying explosives and firearms, Russell quickly said, “Don’t get excited, they’re my subordinates.”
No surprise, three female figures charged forward.
Unsurprisingly, these women were all beautiful—some tall, some petite, others exuding mature feminine charm...
And...
[You know, they are not survivors but characters summoned through the system.]
Colin, seeing this prompt, edged slightly closer to Russell.
If anything seemed off, he would detain them immediately.
Because...
In his understanding, the system could only summon servants...
These three women were obviously not servants!
Three special character summoning cards!
Colin himself only had one!
He was well aware of how formidable Shana was and how terrifying her physical capabilities were!
“Don’t worry, they’re just ordinary summoned characters, not freaks created by special talent summoning cards...” Russell explained with a smile. “Since you can gauge a person’s strength, you should be able to tell the difference...”
Indeed...
Colin nodded. The special talent channel seemed separate from the system...
Freaks...
Shana glanced at him displeased, disliking that word.
“Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just that special talent summoning cards are truly... special...” Russell’s scalp tingled; he seemed worried something might happen. “I’ll explain more about that later...”
He glanced at the inscriptions on their arms and then withdrew his gaze.
Then, under the impassive watch of Colin and the others, Russell rubbed his lower back secretly and was embraced and kissed affectionately by the three beautiful women.
“What happened to your face...?”
“I fell, it’s nothing.”
“Ah, then take your medicine quickly...”
Seeing their concerned faces, Russell’s mood improved considerably. “You’re the best... you wouldn’t betray me.”
“Who would betray you?”
“...Little White, sigh, it doesn’t recognize me anymore.”
“How could it? You treated it so well...”
“...Never mind, it’s all tears.”
...
“Boss, I want to cut him down...” Li Chou’s eyes fixed on Russell, whispering sourly beside Colin.
Why the hell didn’t their system summon people like these?
He wanted pretty ladies too!
“Let’s talk later...” Colin sighed, looking at Russell. “I don’t think you’re here just to show off, right?”
“Sorry, we just parted an hour ago. I’m so excited. Follow me. You guys go prepare some food for the guests...”
Russell led Colin and the others to a spacious balcony where a large round table and a dozen chairs awaited.
Colin and the group took their seats in turn, with servants guarding nearby.
Once seated, Colin immediately asked:
“Start from the very beginning. Also, where are your scrolls and synthesis table...?”
When Colin had searched Russell’s backpack earlier, he hadn’t found these items but had forgotten to ask.
“...We don’t have those.”
Russell shook his head. “Our ‘social,’ ‘trade,’ ‘team-up’ and other functions can be summoned from the mind but are currently unusable...”
“From the mind...” Colin muttered.
No doubt, if these functions were in the mind...
They would be much faster.
Wait, a team-up function?
“You have a ‘team-up’?”
Li Chou exclaimed.
“You don’t?”
Colin and the other survivors all shook their heads.
Russell was surprised too.
He had thought the only difference at the start was the scrolls and synthesis table, but it seemed the gap was much wider...
“Tell me every detail from the beginning, every function...” Colin said sternly.
Russell didn’t answer immediately. He pondered, recalling how to fully reply.
After two or three minutes, his voice came.
“About half a year ago, we were inexplicably transported here. At first, some warnings appeared in our minds, telling us this was the hardest survival...
“The warnings told us how to light a lantern, go out hunting mutants. I remember I first joined a chat and opened a newbie pack...
“The newbie pack had a recovery card, a bottle of water, some food, two warrior summoning cards, and a refined steel axe...
“...Wait, let me interrupt.”
Li Chou couldn’t believe it.
“You got a recovery card on day one? Warriors? And you were told how to light a lamp?”
“Aren’t we all the same? The lighting method was in the warnings. Didn’t you read carefully?”
“No, we didn’t have any of that. We only had one bread, no water, two servants. The lighting method was sent out by Boss Colin despite sanctions...”
“Ah, that’s harsh...”
Russell was stunned. That was brutal.
But then he realized something. Sanctions?
“How many days have you been here?”
“Four days...”
“Four days? There shouldn’t be sanctions until at least a month later...”
Russell said incredulously. From observing Colin’s group, he guessed they had explored at least ten days.
Four days would not yield any skills.
And sanctions should appear after at least a month.
“We...” Li Chou was about to say his countdown seemed off but stopped seeing Colin’s gesture.
Colin looked at him and said solemnly, “Continue.”
He wanted to see how big the gap was on day one.
“Ah, I forgot to mention. On the first day, there was a check-in feature. Daily check-in gave a set of red and blue pills and food packs. Later there were many good things, but only if you survived...”
Everyone’s expression twitched.
Damn, a check-in feature?
Everyone has a ‘golden finger’?
But you have to survive first?
That meant survival wasn’t guaranteed just by having supplies?
“I think what I just said was the starting material on day one. Then neighbors knocked, and we explored together...”
“Neighbors?” Colin asked. “Were you all together?”
“No, we were thirty randomly grouped within about a thousand meters. Elderly, children, and pregnant women got special care, all illnesses disappeared, and they had the most supply support. Four hundred gathered in one area...”
“Elderly and children?” Colin was too tired to consider group arrangements.
“Yes, you don’t have that?”
Colin and the others shook their heads again; the oldest was forty, all physically fit.
“Keep going,” Colin urged.
“Alright,” Russell continued. “Our group took lanterns, dozens of us did the stingy daily task...”
Hearing ‘stingy,’ Colin’s group finally found some common ground, but quickly dismissed it.
Russell complained, “Tsk, that task was stingy: ten loaves of bread no dog would eat and one bottle of water. Who would do it?”
Seeing Colin’s pale faces, he added, “I get why you’d do it, survival’s survival, but ten breads and a bottle of water aren’t much...”
“We only had one sour, hard black bread and no water,” Colin said silently.
“Alright...”
“Keep talking, don’t mind it...”
“Then we explored outward following the map...”
A map?
“Then we found low-health monsters...”
Health bars?
“Later we took some trigger tasks, damn hard. We fought a pointed-hat knight and almost died...”
Dozens fighting one and nearly being killed?
Wait...
“You dared do trigger tasks on day one? Weren’t you afraid of lord-level mutants?” Colin asked again.
“Why not? It wasn’t hard. What does that have to do with lord-level mutants?”
[You realize they wouldn’t encounter lord-level mutants at this point...]
Colin felt a disconnect listening to them. Was the previous generation really survivors, not tourists?
Listening to Russell’s account,
Colin roughly pieced together the former system:
On day one, they had a 45-day countdown, team-up system, map, health bars, personal panels, detailed task explanations...
The tasks even warned which attributes were suitable for exploration...
There was a check-in feature too...
Stay home and check in on day three to get a buff potion...
On day fifteen, everyone got a random skill...
Their system functions were all embedded, so no scrolls or synthesis tables...
And their synthesis list wasn’t hidden...
Their talent recruitment?
One dollar for three servants!
Not only that, they had many options: summon warriors, mages, generals, priestesses, rangers, assassins...
Whereas Colin’s group could only summon servants.
And prices had gone up—three dollars each, no choice...
Their survival seemed like...
“Why does it feel like we’re the only ones really surviving, and you’re just playing a game?” Li Chou couldn’t hold back.
This wasn’t a matter of being stepchildren...
“Ignore him, keep talking,” Colin sighed.
With these advantages, these ‘wastes’ managed to kill a lord-level mutant on day fifteen, earning rewards Colin wouldn’t even dare imagine...
Bundles of recovery cards, a full treasure map, a floating island construction card...
“You had such good conditions and only defeated a lord-level mutant on day fifteen?” Li Chou couldn’t help it again.
“You don’t understand. Lord-level mutants are terrifying beyond imagination. Don’t think killing those fallen nobles makes you strong...”
“We killed a lord-level mutant on day two.”
“Ha,”
Russell laughed at Li Chou. “My friend, that’s not how you brag (system translation). Are you confusing some large mutants with lord-levels? I’ve seen your cannons; shooting it is like tickling...
“And frankly, staring a lord-level mutant down with all stats below five means instant death. You can’t even look at it, how do you fight?
“At your strength, encountering one is death; running is hard too.”
Li Chou was about to speak when Colin cut in first, “We did kill a lord-level mutant on day two...”
Before Russell could respond, Colin added some features of lord-level mutants.
“That... indeed was a lord-level mutant...”
Russell was now incredulous.
He noticed the blood burning in their lanterns was earned by themselves, not from Lan Ling...
He didn’t know that when Colin saw that woman, she carried nothing valuable.
“How did you manage to kill a lord-level mutant on day two with your start? Even the weakest can’t do that...”
“Are you cheating?”
Li Chou quickly denied, “No, no one cheats. We fought with our own efforts.
“Besides, I think maybe you’re using a mod; otherwise, how do you have so many resources?”
“Exactly, so few of us are left alive. Maybe I’m the last Gondor man...”
Russell was in good spirits, not angry.
He hadn’t chatted like this in a long time.
“Gondor men?”
“Our civilization goes by ‘Gondor,’ we call ourselves Gondor men. Keep going, it gets less pleasant...”
As Russell continued his personal story, the mood darkened.
With countdown progress, the system began malfunctioning, the map constantly led them into deadly areas.
Team-up, health bars, task instructions, talent recruitment—all started glitching...
Even the Gondor civilization itself started fracturing...
“I feel the late-stage civilization split was abnormal, but sadly I don’t know why...” Russell said gloomily.
Finally, before the countdown ended, some used a treasure map to open a portal to this area and hid here...
Something happened then that made them ignore the fallen nobles...
Now only he, a single Gondor survivor, remained alive.
“Why haven’t we found traces of you despite all your activity?” Colin asked, puzzled.
“Don’t know. The mist world is huge; we’ve only explored about 37%. Maybe you’re on the other side...”
Russell leaned back. “Maybe all our traces were erased, after all, we’re failures. We never found signs of the ‘previous generation’ either...”
As their talk continued, Colin and Li Chou realized...
The late-stage system seemed closer to what they now faced...
Russell’s generation had only backpacks and daily check-in medicines and food left; everything else was gone.
The conversation wound down, but Colin still had many questions...
Just then, Russell suddenly said, “Mr. Colin, could you come with me alone? I have some things to ask you.”
“...Okay.” Colin glanced at him.
With just a thought, he could kill Russell through the “Knight’s Oath Shield” contract...
Russell couldn’t subjectively harm him...
With this assurance, Colin agreed but prepared thoroughly.
He searched Russell’s entire body, even under fingernails, tied him tightly like a rice dumpling, and added several barrels of explosives to the ropes.
“You’re too cautious. We’ve been talking for hours,” Russell smiled wryly, reassuring his three subordinates.
“Sorry.”
Colin wasn’t embarrassed. “I can’t afford accidents here. Many are waiting for good news in my territory.”
He never relaxed vigilance toward this ‘previous generation.’
“Understood,” Russell nodded.
As Colin dragged him about thirty meters away from the crowd, Russell’s carefree expression faded.
“What do you want to ask?”
Colin asked bluntly.
Russell’s face grew serious, cautiously glancing at Shana, who was staring intently at them, then said:
“Forgive my boldness... I want to ask about the female priest summoned by your ‘special talent summoning card.’ Has her wish been fulfilled? Is her loyalty truly 100%?”
“Tell me why you ask, and I’ll answer accordingly.”
Colin wasn’t surprised by this question.
He had noted the system’s prompts and Russell’s constant vigilance toward Shana.
Russell was used to Colin’s wariness. He didn’t answer immediately, thinking how best to explain.
After a few seconds, he leaned against the railing like a caterpillar, glanced at the scab on Colin’s arm:
“...If I’m not mistaken, you’ve encountered it, right? That thing that summons shadow lives...”
“Slender ghost? The guiding curse?” Colin didn’t expect to hear about it here.
He had named both.
“Uh, that works too, but we call it the ‘group exercise curse’...”
“You mean it’s connected to Shana?” Colin frowned, studying Russell’s immobile face.
“Yes and no... Four months ago, we had several special talent summoning characters...
“One had 95% loyalty, and among those who escaped, nine died by his hand...
“The biggest killer was not the countdown but that special talent card...
“All summoned by special talent cards risk collapse into such entities...
“Shana might become a slender ghost?”
Colin’s breath caught; the prompt nearly overwhelmed him.
The news was too horrifying to believe.
That ‘slender shadow’ was once a special talent summoning card character gone rogue?
“Heh, I know it’s hard to believe, but I can tell you the ‘slender ghost’ is a level three ‘shadow sorcerer’ who collapsed into a curse...”
“Haven’t you noticed? System-summoned characters are absolutely loyal, but non-system ones only have loyalty rates? Oh, forgot you only summon servants, sorry...”
“Did you also notice that curse doesn’t fit this world?”
“Actually, we basically collapsed before even encountering the countdown. I don’t know what dangers appear after the countdown because we lost contact and scattered...
“In the last days, anomalies increased, death rates soared. The main cause of heavy casualties was the special talent summoning cards...
“Around day thirty, low-loyalty special talents began collapsing into disasters requiring costly sealing...
“If a region had a level four special talent, the entire area and adjacent ones became death zones...
“The scariest was a top ten lord who plundered hundreds of special talents, some level five...
“A level five special talent card holder could face multiple lord-level mutants without losing...
“The first to collapse were 70% loyalty characters; combined with others, nearly a hundred regions turned into forbidden zones...
“You can’t imagine such scenes...
“It’s hopeless, only escape remains...
“Only those special talent cards with fulfilled wishes and 100% loyalty won’t collapse, so I ask you this...
Russell wanted to clap but realized he was tied up, shrugged helplessly.
Damn, he glared at Li Chou. How the hell did he tie him so tightly?
How does a grown man get tied up so expertly?
After listening, Colin looked at him for a full minute, then said slowly:
“Shana is safe.”
Phew... Russell relaxed.
That meant the priestess’s wish was fulfilled and she wouldn’t collapse into a terrible disaster.
“If fulfilling wishes prevents collapse, why don’t you fulfill theirs? It shouldn’t be hard,” Colin recalled...
Shana just helped save someone, and her wish was done...
“Heh, it’s not hard if you know their wishes. The system was broken then and didn’t reveal their wishes... How could you help?”
Russell said helplessly.
Those wishes were likely the greatest despair of the dying, suppressed instinctively and unspeakable. Repeated trauma increased collapse risk...
“The key is some wishes are simple, others you can’t tell—only guess...”
“Dying moments?” Colin glanced at Shana, who blinked at him, asking if she should help.
Colin shook his head slightly.
Had she died once already?
“This is our guess combining their wishes. Not necessarily at death but perhaps at their most desperate, they became a... card...”
“Wait,” Colin recalled something. “You said there were several special talent summoning cards here? What happened to them?”
“Dead.”
Russell said bluntly.
“After great cost, we found and expelled it from our territory...
“Initially, if it split a ‘disguise,’ it would summon countless shadow lives to attack, but from your inscriptions, it now needs more than half the population to summon...
“Much easier than before...
“Anyway, we had four special talent characters, all level three, three at 100% loyalty, one at 95%...
“Only fulfilled wishes reach 100% loyalty; otherwise, never...
“We didn’t kill the shadow sorcerer before collapse, hoping that 95% was safe...
“We paid dearly. Originally, over ten lords should have remained...
“But we don’t hate him; the collapse isn’t their will.”
Dodged another bullet...
Colin’s mood was complicated, but an even more nerve-wracking question emerged...
How many special talents had been summoned now?
His head began to ache.
Special talent cards, in a sense...
If loyalty isn’t absolute, it means absolute disloyalty.
“If wishes can’t be fulfilled, how do you deal with them?” Colin asked.
“Before collapse, use all means to raise loyalty, use all resources to upgrade...
“Then explain everything, make them understand, then kill them.
“Level two or higher special talents yield mysterious items upon death; the stronger they are, the better the item, the higher the loyalty, the fewer side effects...
“That’s the best method we found...”
“Already at that level?” Colin sighed.
Russell smiled helplessly.
“If you don’t want to end up like me, the last survivor.”
He turned his neck and looked toward the bottom plaza.
Colin followed his gaze and noticed something he hadn’t before.
Hundreds of black tombstones stood neatly.
As he examined them, Colin cross-referenced the data and confirmed...
This was no falsehood.
Worse than being deceived...
In the somber atmosphere, Colin couldn’t help but ask with restrained anger:
“What is the system’s purpose in all this? Just for amusement?”
“Don’t know. Maybe surviving the countdown will reveal it. I’ve said all I can. You still have a long time. Be careful...”
Russell thought of Colin’s abilities and mysterious items, staring at the graves, seemingly lost in thought.
“If you avoid everything, maybe you’ll get to face whatever comes after the countdown. I’ll also see for myself...
“See what end our civilization never reached.”
“...Our countdown has only three days left...” Colin suddenly said.
“Three days? That’s quite a lot... cough cough,” Russell turned, bewildered and shocked. “Three days?”
“Yes.” Colin explained their situation.
“Your start is too...”
Russell was at a loss for words.
No wonder these people got excited over ‘trash’...
No wonder their eyes looked like they wanted to devour him.
This wasn’t just a tragedy.
Yet with such a start, they achieved what the Gondor civilization couldn’t...
Killing a lord-level mutant on day two.
Maybe miracles do exist?
At that moment, after integrating all the information in his mind and feeling confident, Colin said, mixing curiosity and caution:
“I feel your help is a bit too thorough...”
Basically, Russell had said all he could, hinted at what he couldn’t.
During some dangerous parts, Colin noticed Russell’s face go pale, clutching his chest...
Like he was about to have a heart attack.
“Is that so...” Russell smiled, his gray eyes calm, a rare tranquility.
“I do have some requests. I want to ask a small favor. If you help, I’ll assist you even more...
“Speak. I’ll see what I can do.”
“If one day I die accidentally, if I’m the last Gondor man you see, if you survive, please remember...
“There was once a civilization called ‘Gondor’ that lived, struggled, and resisted on this land...
“Though we failed and were wiped out, if someone remembers us, maybe we’ll be reborn in full force...
“To continue... even if only a name.”
After a moment of silence, Colin nodded slowly:
“I’ll remember.”
...
PS: That’s it for the extreme... If there are mistakes, leave a message, I’ll fix them...
Yeah, feels like a lot of plot holes filled, and this chapter sets the main tone...
Thanks to all subscribers...
Thanks to “Smoky Rain and Ink Rain,” “One Man’s Blood Letter for More SuSu Stories,” “Sleepy Zhu Xiaorui,” “Heaven’s Way Ancestor” for the rewards...
Thanks to all for the monthly and recommendation votes...