With alcohol dripping down his body, Alexander boldly charged into the guard room. Before the guard could react, he shouted “F**k you” and threw a punch.
About five minutes later, the police who heard the commotion arrived and detained him, locking him up in the interrogation room.
“American cops are brutal!” he muttered, holding an ice pack to his swollen right eye and cheek. He felt foolish; the only reason they hadn’t been harsher was that he reeked of alcohol, leading them to believe he was just drunk. Otherwise, he’d probably be headed straight to the hospital.
However, there was a silver lining. He received a message from the Specter Space.
"Assisted Janet and her group in retrieving Anantan's DV and initially gained their trust. Completed side task 2, rewarded 500 survival points..."
“I got beaten up like this and only got 500 survival points…”
He thought the side task would yield more, but it turned out to be just a meager amount.
If he had known, he wouldn’t have used such a stupid method. With some thought, he might have come up with a better approach.
While he was wallowing in self-pity, the door to the interrogation room swung open, and Xu Lin walked in with a sour expression.
“You idiot, did you think getting yourself arrested was fun?”
“I figured that if I didn’t know where you guys were, the best way was to make sure you knew where I was!”
Alexander spread his hands, “And this was the quickest way for you to find me.”
“Is your brain a toilet, only filled with useless paper and waste? Do you know if your method had failed, you might have been stuck in here from the first act to the last, and the penalties from Necrospace would be enough to kill you…”
“Necrospace deducts points?”
“Negative and malicious behavior in the plot can result in penalties, but it's rare…”
Carmen walked into the interrogation room.
“This wasn’t a good idea. If you got injured while assaulting a police officer, we wouldn’t be able to treat you quickly, and being unable to act in the plot is very dangerous…”
“I knew that, but I figured you two would have a way to get me out safely…”
Alexander gave a wry smile, “But I’m already hurt.”
“You call this hurt?”
Xu Lin dismissed it, reaching into his pocket to pull out a blue candy, handing it over.
“Take this; it works wonders for pain relief!”
Alexander popped the blue candy into his mouth, and the pain vanished instantly.
“Incredible!”
“You can buy 'Pain Relief Candy' from Necrospace’s free shop for 10 survival points…”
Carmen explained.
“Necrospace has many wondrous items. You can slowly explore them when you go back.”
“These items are useful but won’t help us crack the plot. They only offer basic support.”
Xu Lin led the two out, with the police in the station ignoring their presence.
“To solve the plot, strategy is crucial, or the ability to understand the narrative and find a way to survive through the death traps.”
“What are the survival rates in these plot worlds…” Alexander continued to ask.
“Necrospace doesn’t create no-win scenarios, but nine-to-one odds are common. I can tell you survival rates are low. If three to four out of your twelve rookies survive, we’d consider that a success…”
Xu Lin replied calmly, though his demeanor had softened considerably.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Newcomers are important to us. Each time there’s a script mission, Necrospace sends new people, but the death rate is too high, and there’s just not enough new blood…”
Carmen shook her head, sighing. “I’ve gone through four script missions, while Xu Lin has done three. After all these plot worlds, only the two of us have survived.”
Xu Lin said nothing more, leading them into a fast-food restaurant.
The three ordered food and sat down to talk, Xu Lin speaking quietly, “Mayor Lot Elliot is under my control, and we can use Innsmouth’s resources to our advantage. I’ve located five rookies, including you. Apart from one who died, four are currently out of contact…”
“This time, twelve people entered the script world. It’s a normal-level small plot. Though it’s set in the Cthulhu universe, as long as we’re careful, ensuring five or so return shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Don’t make it sound too easy. This is the Cthulhu world. Here, a rural wizard might summon extraterrestrial beings to destroy a city. If things go wrong, the plot difficulty could spike. On this planet, beings capable of destroying Earth’s civilization abound, so we must avoid triggering increased plot difficulty…”
Xu Lin and Carmen’s conversation was high-level, and Alexander could only occasionally interject.
“Does the difficulty of the plot world adjust, becoming more challenging?”
He frowned, thinking that if it were a game, it would be a sadistic one, with the plot automatically ramping up in difficulty—definitely an evil touch by the creators.
“That’s right. From what I know, plot worlds come in three difficulty modes: Normal, Nightmare, and the most dreadful, Hell. There’s also a rumored highest difficulty, Abyss.”
Carmen continued while eating, “I’ve experienced three normal plots and one nightmare plot, and the person who informed me about these difficulties died in that nightmare plot…”
“Enough about that. Cracking the plot is our top priority now. The first act is nearly over, and danger will increase from the second act on!”
Xu Lin continued, “Mayor Lot Elliot of Innsmouth is a complete scumbag, involved in bribery, corruption, and every vice imaginable. I used some tricks to win his trust. This town is about to hold an election, and if Lot loses, his downfall will be swift. His misdeeds will be attacked by political opponents, and he’ll likely face a long prison sentence.”
“Lot Elliot lives in constant fear, and I demonstrated some ‘miracles’ to easily gain his trust. Using his authority, I found important information…”
“The Dagon cult that once plagued the town still exists, and its leader is Lot’s political rival, Madanla of the Vite family. This person is the director of the town’s only private hospital and holds significant influence and reputation, but he’s likely a key member of the Dagon cult.”
“Though the town’s law enforcement isn’t bad, there are reports of human trafficking activity at the nearby port, which the police dismissed as a prank.”
“In reality, there have been several cases of tourist kidnappings around Arkham and Ipswich.”
“According to some records, all these incidents relate to Devil Reef…”
Alexander asked, “But the U.S. military and the Wells-Ma Foundation know so much about this place and even initiated the Kesler Plan in the past. If anything happens here, there’s no way it would go unnoticed!”
“I have no idea. Maybe it’s a parallel world. According to the original plot, Innsmouth might not even exist anymore, as the original inhabitants fled after several purges.”
Xu Lin sneered, “Never equate our derived plot worlds with the original works. The information we have must be interpreted based on current circumstances…”
“Next, let’s discuss our strategy. Alexander, since you’ve contacted Janet and her group, you’ll be the liaison. Carmen will assist you. I’ll investigate Madanla of the Vite family, who might be the BOSS we need to confront…”
“For now, we’ll use the Elliot family’s mansion as a base. Let’s regroup there and coordinate everyone’s actions…”
He crossed his arms, speaking with interest, “The main task doesn’t tie us to the narrative, which provides us with some freedom to maneuver.”
…
At 2 PM, they returned to the mayor’s house, finding the other four rookies waiting in a sitting room.
Alexander recognized a few familiar faces: a middle-aged woman, an elderly man, a student, and a white-collar middle-aged man.
“Get acquainted, folks. We’re allies now,” Xu Lin spoke coolly.
“Ahem…” The white-collar man coughed before speaking slowly, “Hello, everyone, my name is Jin Jianshu. I work as a supervisor in a financial enterprise. The situation isn’t great, but we still have a chance to save ourselves. It’s best if we communicate, share our names, introduce ourselves, and then figure out what to do next.”
Jin Jianshu was a successful middle-class man, often referred to as a “phoenix man.” He had a common background but excelled academically, using his diligence and effort to study and work in the city. Over the years, he established himself in the metropolis, steadily climbing from an ordinary employee to a department supervisor, excelling in ability and performance and mastering interpersonal skills.
In this environment, Jin Jianshu wanted to make an impression to earn points.
He thought to himself, Xu Lin seems cold and unlikely to garner much following; that middle-aged man Carmen is just a nice guy—this group is disjointed...
By nature, Jin Jianshu is calculating wherever he is, aiming to slowly establish his influence and step into the leadership role.
However, when he glanced around, he noticed everyone seemed skeptical of his suggestion. Perhaps due to the strange environment, it took some adjustment, and no one spoke up.
No choice, might as well give it another push!
The white-collar man stroked his chin as he scanned the crowd, nodding slightly at Alexander.
“You’re new here, right? I’m Jin Jianshu. May I know your name?”
Alexander pondered briefly before saying plainly, “Alexander, just graduated from college. That’s all…”
“Well then.” The middle-aged man was at a loss when Alexander folded his arms, not planning to say anything further.
He was adept at reading the room and knew Jin Jianshu’s intentions, but Xu Lin was the one in charge here. Though Xu Lin appeared aloof, only he, as the experienced one, could genuinely lead.
As for Carmen, his personality had obvious weaknesses, making it hard for him to assert authority in front of others.