I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 6

“You just arrived at the first layer, and you’re already thinking about going to the second?” Du Kang breathed out, asking in disbelief.

“I want to reach the bottom of the Abyss,” Li Luo answered seriously.

Du Kang was choked again, almost spitting out his drink, and retorted, “Do you know what’s at the bottom of the Abyss?”

“The gate to another world,” Li Luo blurted out.

“That’s just a lie…” Du Kang was about to deny it outright but stopped himself. “No one knows. No one who’s gone down there has ever come back.”

Li Luo still wore a serious expression.

“Fine, I’ll tell you how to get to the second layer first. See that mission counter over there?” Du Kang pointed to a busy counter in the main hall.

On the counter was a huge screen like an airport terminal, densely listing all sorts of missions.

“Complete missions there to earn points. The missions on the screen get harder from front to back, and the points get higher. One of the requirements to enter the second layer of the Abyss is to have more than 10,000 Monitoring Station Points.”

As soon as Li Luo learned the condition, she turned to leave, but Du Kang stopped her.

“There’s one more requirement: you have to possess a relic.” Du Kang glanced at the cube behind Li Luo. “You’ve already met this one. Many people get enough points but can’t meet this condition.”

Inside the cube, Mo Ling suddenly understood. No wonder Station Head Liang said Li Luo was lucky-she had already fulfilled one of the requirements for the second layer right from the start.

And the “bottom of the Abyss” they spoke of made Mo Ling very curious.

“Another world… could it be the world I came from?”

While he was thinking, the cart moved again, and Li Luo was already heading for the mission counter.

Du Kang kept chattering by her side:

“At first, pick some herb gathering or investigation missions. Just get some video data and come back, get used to how missions work.”

“Before you set out, check if you need to update your equipment, supplies, or medical kit. Of course, it all costs money, but compared to your life, it’s nothing. Remember to buy plenty of food for your Iron Cube.”

“You can also team up with others. Points will be split, but it’s safer. I have to talk to Old Liang about something, so I’ll go. Contact me if you need anything.”

Du Kang nagged like an old father. If you didn’t know better, you’d think Li Luo was his daughter.

He waved to Li Luo, then headed upstairs.

“Du Kang really is enthusiastic,” Mo Ling thought.

At the mission counter, Li Luo with her big cube attracted a lot of attention, most people casting envious glances.

When they realized Li Luo was this year’s new Hunter, their faces were even more shocked, unconsciously making way for her.

Li Luo looked up. The mission board was a riot of colors, and her electronic screen automatically connected to the system, letting her check mission details at any time.

The cart followed, and the mission board entered Mo Ling’s field of view.

[Collection Mission: Ruby Potato, ten pieces, for research use, reward: 10 Monitoring Station Points.]

[Collection Mission: Smoked Ore, twenty kilograms, for forging use, reward: 10 Monitoring Station Points.]

[Investigation Mission: Wood-boring insect outbreak in the eastern forest near the Monitoring Station, video data required, reward: 5 Monitoring Station Points.]

……

Mo Ling was stunned.

How many?

He thought he was seeing things and quickly scanned again.

No mistake-the points really were that low.

“How long would it take to save up 10,000 points?”

But while Mo Ling was dazed, the girl had already accepted a mission, and the details floated up on her screen.

Mo Ling hurried to look.

[Investigation Mission: Cause of Oscillation Beast anomaly]

[Oscillation Beast anomaly has destroyed multiple outposts, causing heavy casualties. Preliminary investigation suggests a mutated individual with a relic may have appeared. Find the cause and resolve the anomaly.]

[Recommended team size: 10+ members.]

[Reward: 1,000 Monitoring Station Points.]

[Acceptance condition: Oscillation Beast is an extremely dangerous creature; team must be equipped with offensive relics.]

……

Mo Ling was shocked.

Such fast hands!

“Why did you accept so quickly? Did you see the recommended team size? I told you to take an investigation mission, and you really picked one!”

Mo Ling wanted to rush out of the cube and question the girl, but he couldn’t.

“And what kind of investigation mission is this? Why didn’t I see it?”

Mo Ling scanned the board again and finally found the mission in the last few lines.

So that’s it-Li Luo started from the end.

The last rows of the ever-scrolling mission list were all sorts of hunting missions, almost all marked as extremely dangerous.

And Li Luo had accurately picked the investigation mission with the highest points from among them.

Now, on the mission board, Li Luo’s name was prominently displayed next to the “Investigate Oscillation Beast Anomaly” mission.

After accepting, Li Luo turned and left, not looking for any teammates. She clearly wanted all the points for herself.

Sure enough, before she even got out of the crowd, a team stopped her. The leader was a steady-looking young man.

“Hello, are you the one who accepted the Oscillation Beast anomaly investigation mission?”

Li Luo nodded.

The young man smiled. “You’re alone, right? Our team is interested in this mission too. Want to join up? We can look out for each other.”

While talking, his eyes kept sneaking glances at the cube behind Li Luo.

Mo Ling understood.

This team didn’t have a relic, so they couldn’t meet the mission requirement. They wanted to piggyback.

“No need, I can handle it myself.” Li Luo shook her head coldly.

The young man tried to persuade her again, but Li Luo simply walked around him.

The cart carrying the cube steered around the young man and left.

After leaving the mission counter, Li Luo went straight to the shop in the main hall to start shopping.

At the counter, Li Luo looked at the salesgirl and asked, “Do you have food specifically for relics?”

The salesgirl was a little scared by Li Luo’s cold gaze, her smile turning stiff.

“Yes, it’s on the second shelf to the right at the front.”

There really is such a thing?

Li Luo followed the salesgirl’s directions, and Mo Ling’s vision locked onto the spot ahead of time.

Finger cans?

Blood sugar syrup?

Hair seaweed?

Nuclear waste cola?

Pork-flavored beef jerky?

Video tape-fried instant noodles from the first ray of sunlight in the morning?

……

No!

Mo Ling had no idea why there were such bizarre foods, nor did he know what the costs of other relics were.

But he knew if he ate any of these, he’d definitely die.

He was about to think of a way to stop Li Luo, but she was already at the shelf, carefully picking things out.

Luckily, every time Li Luo tried one of these foods, she would set a portion on the cube to see how it reacted.

Finally, after unsuccessful attempts, Li Luo turned to normal food.

Sitting inside the cube, Mo Ling let out a long sigh of relief.