Chapter 4: The Literary Mastermind
[Simulation ended. Host, please make a selection promptly.]
[Option 1: Randomly acquire three skills and proficiencies you obtained during your previous traversal.]
[Option 2: Randomly draw three items you obtained during your previous traversal.]
Zhou Ning: ...
It took him a while to come back to his senses. The traversal had felt so real that just reading about it left him with a sense of melancholy.
Reason and emotion—if given the chance to relive his life, would he still choose Maggie, his wife of forty years, or Elina, his beautiful first love?
He didn't know. Truly didn't know. Both were part of him. Maybe he'd choose the prettier one with the bigger chest.
Despite the sadness in his heart, he chose his reward faster than anyone else, opting for the first option without hesitation.
Even though he had spent a long time in the simulation as a firearms engineer and could possibly obtain a pistol with the second option, that was merely a possibility. In his current situation, gambling on the unknown would be foolish. The first option, with its guaranteed results, was clearly the safer bet. At the very least, all three skills would be ones he urgently needed.
[You chose Option 1.]
[You have gained the proficiency: Firearms Knowledge.]
[You have gained the skill: Basic Marksmanship Mastery.]
[You have gained the skill: Advanced English Proficiency.]
[Since you now possess more than one professional-level language skill, your Linguist level has increased! You have gained the skill: Body Language.]
[Body Language: Enables communication via gestures when verbal language fails. Success rate: 50%. Stamina cost: 5.]
The Linguist level-up also gave him one random attribute point and one free attribute point. The random point was assigned to Agility, increasing it from 8 to 9. After a moment of thought, Zhou Ning placed the free point into Agility as well, bringing it to a clean 10—exactly the average human level.
It felt pretty good.
He wondered—was there a way to influence the simulation process?
Now that he had the marksmanship skill, if he could just get his hands on a gun, his chances of escaping would be much higher.
Bang!
Suddenly, the door was flung open.
Zhou Ning's hair stood on end. His body tensed into high alert. Three cultists of the Cursed God entered the room.
In the real world, the sacrificial process was progressing several times faster than in the game. In just half an hour, multiple rounds of sacrifice had already taken place. The progress bar now read 30/36.
At the current pace—two people per round—Zhou Ning couldn't even guarantee that he wouldn't be chosen this time.
The chubby kid beside him was visibly shaken, his face pale as a sheet. Zhou Ning could hear his thunderous heartbeat from where he sat.
Luckily, the dread didn't last too long. The three cultists quickly took away two other people. Amid hysterical sobbing, the door slammed shut once more.
Zhou Ning: ...
Sometimes, it was this kind of suspense that was the worst—like something straight out of a Hitchcock horror film. What kind of sick joke was this?
Wait... what was that smell?
Zhou Ning frowned, taking a deep breath. A faint, foul sulfurous stench lingered in the air.
"I say... do you smell something?" The chubby boy, Alan, seemed to have noticed it too. His voice trembled as he spoke.
"Sulfur," Zhou Ning replied with a grave expression.
According to legend, evil gods lived in the underworld, where rivers of lava flowed and sulfurous mountains glowed yellow. Their arrival was always heralded by a strong scent of sulfur.
In the game's storyline, whenever a clumsy player failed to complete the mission and the cultists successfully completed the ritual, the cutscene would show a silhouette of an evil god—something that looked like a giant spider. Absolutely chilling.
That's why Zhou Ning had said the summoning had, in fact, succeeded.
Alan, being from a noble family, was naturally familiar with this legend. He took a deep breath, then burst into tears.
"I-I don't wanna die..."
"Isn't there anyone who can save me...?"
"I'll give anything... sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob..."
His wailing was absolutely lethal—not only contagious, but also delivered with a kind of operatic flair. It made your scalp crawl. Zhou Ning felt like his skull was about to be shaken loose by the onslaught of sobs beside him.
Zhou Ning: ...
Are you the reincarnation of a steam locomotive or what?!
[Sacrifice completed. Progress: 32/36.]
A wave of wild cheers erupted from outside. Clearly, the ritual was advancing successfully.
Zhou Ning couldn't wait any longer. He opened the simulator and chose to traverse once again.
[Traversal preparation initiated... 1 traversal coin deducted.]
[Matching with a parallel version of you...]
[You have auto-selected Talents 3, 5, and 7.]
[In this parallel world, you are a Doctor of Electrical Engineering with exceptional literary talent and unusually good luck—you even often win free drinks from vending machines. You're fair-minded and well-liked by all.]
[Current world exploration progress: 29.2%. When exploration reaches 66.7%, the next simulation map will be unlocked.]
[If you die during the simulation, the game ends.]
[Boarding time machine... 1%... 33%... 65%... 95%... Whoosh... Traversal complete.]
[You've arrived in London, 1894. From this moment on, the wheels of history begin to turn.]
A familiar line. The wheels of history began to turn... yet again.
[December 17, 1894 — As a Doctor of Electrical Engineering with advanced English proficiency, you had no trouble communicating with locals. You didn't do anything ambitious right away—just started washing dishes at a restaurant.]
[December 19, 1894 — Dishwashing...]
[December 20, 1894 — Still dishwashing... If dishwashing had a professional ranking system, you'd be a Dishwashing Master by now, even able to wash 3 to 4 plates simultaneously. (Happiness -1)]
[December 22, 1894 — More dishwashing... After a week, you've saved up a modest sum. (Wealth +1)]
[December 22–25 — Dishwashing... On Christmas Day, a man named George Bernard Shaw came to dine at the restaurant. Thanks to your English proficiency, your conversation flowed smoothly. With your mutual love for literature, you hit it off immediately and soon became good friends.]
[December 27, 1894 — Your friendship with Shaw progressed quickly. With his support, you quit the dishwashing job and rented a cheap apartment.]
[January 1895 — You officially began your writing career. Your literary talent shone through in your first short story, Letter from an Unknown Woman, which was published in The Times thanks to Shaw's introduction. He called it: "An astonishing masterpiece!"]
[January 10, 1895 — The story brought you considerable fame. Soon after, your second story, The Metamorphosis, was published. Your reputation quickly spread in London. (Wealth +2, Happiness +1)]
[February–May 1895 — You published six classic short stories, including The Chameleon and The Gift of the Magi. Your fame and fortune soared, and you were hailed as one of the finest short story writers of the late 19th century. (Wealth +1)]
[May–September 1895 — You began work on the novel The Magic Mountain. Upon publication, it caused a sensation in Britain. When the novel was completed, its impact spread worldwide. (Happiness +1)]
[November 1895 — With The Magic Mountain completed, a prominent critic called it "the essence of European life." (Happiness +1)]
[December 1895 — Having accumulated sufficient funds, you stayed true to your roots and assembled a team to research two-phase AC generators.]
[January 1896 — With plenty of money and manpower, what could stop you? You successfully developed the two-phase AC generator. Your invention began to spread nationwide, bringing huge profits. (Wealth +3)]
[February 1896 — People began comparing you to Leonardo da Vinci. Your novel The Magic Mountain was nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature. Your good looks, talent, and fairness made you extremely popular. You entered high society and began attending banquets. At one such event, Shaw introduced you to a young Italian noble. You drank too much and forgot his name—but it didn't matter. You thought forgetting a minor noble's name wasn't a big deal. (Achievement unlocked: Pride and Prejudice)]
[March 1896 — At another banquet, you encountered Elina again. You fell in love all over again. (Happiness +1)]
[October 1896 — Due to insufficient credentials, you didn't win the Nobel Prize. (Happiness -2)]
[April 1897 — You married Elina in a grand ceremony. Her relatives from Liverpool attended, including a tall, handsome childhood friend named Jonathan. As expected, childhood friends are no match for destined lovers.]
[May 1897 — Your second novel One Hundred Years of Solitude began serialization. A true masterpiece, it brought you even greater fame and fortune. (Wealth +2)]
[August 1897 — A killer named Jack the Ripper reappeared in London. Several prostitutes were found murdered, one incident occurring near your home. To protect yourself, you began collecting expensive firearms and knives. You selected the best ones, loaded them fully, and carried one gun with you while locking the rest away. The knives were also polished and locked up.]
[October 5, 1897 — Your novel One Hundred Years of Solitude was nominated for another Nobel Prize. But before the winner was announced, while drinking at a tavern with Shaw, you were attacked by a strange man. You fired seven or eight shots at him, but they had no effect. He ultimately overpowered you and drained your blood. You died. (Achievement unlocked: Interview with the Vampire)]
[Simulation Ended]
[Summary: Happiness: 7, Health: 0, Wealth: 6. This should've been a life of glory—with a beautiful wife, a successful career, and financial prosperity. But a sudden twist of fate revealed the world's hidden truth. Not bad. Worth noting: after your death—perhaps to honor the deceased, or maybe because your books were just that good—you were posthumously awarded the third Nobel Prize in Literature. Many consider you the greatest writer of the late 19th century. A pity your life was cut short.]
[Rating: C+ | World Exploration Progress: 49.2% | You've earned 1 traversal coin for surpassing 40% exploration. Earn another coin every additional 20%. Due to your immense influence on global literary history, you've been awarded an additional traversal coin.]
Zhou Ning: ??????
What the hell just happened to 19th-century Britain?!