Warm yellow light spilled across the living room.
Lu Xiu stood in the center of the room and slowly closed her eyes...
The moment her vision fell into darkness, 【Visual Mental Image】 silently activated.
A mental image of her living room quickly appeared in her mind, except that the entire room and every inorganic object within it had transformed into semi-transparent three-dimensional models composed of lines.
As her Mental Strength spread outward, even the living room walls became translucent outlines.
Lu Xiu could see the thickness of the walls, the intricate pipes and electrical wiring running through them, and even perceive the deep vertical space of the elevator shaft.
She felt as though she were suspended in the void, looking down over the entire apartment building.
With all obstructions stripped away, every living presence became immediately visible.
She saw the apartment next door, where an adult was sitting half-reclined on what appeared to be a sofa, one arm slightly raised, their fingers making small swiping motions as though they were browsing their System panel.
At that person's feet was a small, agile life signal.
The little creature was curled up, occasionally lifting its forepaws to rub its head.
It was a cat washing its face.
She saw downstairs, where two elderly people lay close together. Their heartbeats and breathing were steady, apparently taking an afternoon nap.
She saw upstairs, where someone paced back and forth, their path forming irregular broken lines, as though they were worried about something.
And beyond that.
She could even perceive the area outside the residential complex...
In short, under the effect of the skill, the jungle of reinforced concrete had been stripped of its hard shell, leaving behind nothing but the purest pulses of life.
And Lu Xiu stood at the very center of this star map of living beings.
No obstacles.
No blind spots.
As long as she closed her eyes, she could confirm exactly what was around her...
Of course, this only applied to organisms with sufficiently strong life fluctuations. Things like cockroaches and mice didn't seem to count.
"Pretty impressive."
Lu Xiu opened her eyes.
As light returned to her vision, the strange image disappeared along with it.
Even so, Lu Xiu could still clearly remember the state of every living creature within a twenty-seven-meter radius...
As well as their current positions.
If she were trying to arrest someone, Lu Xiu felt she could practically lead a team through the door herself.
However...
Having to keep her eyes closed all the time was inconvenient and difficult to get used to.
Could she trigger the skill by closing her eyes briefly, then immediately opening them again?
Lu Xiu rested a hand against her rounded chin, looking thoughtful, then decided to try.
She closed her eyes.
Then immediately opened them again.
It took slightly longer than a normal blink, but the skill still activated.
That strange mental image flashed into existence once more, and Lu Xiu again confirmed the position and condition of every living creature around her.
As it turned out.
It really worked.
That drastically improved the practicality of the skill...
Though she would still need some practice before she could use it as naturally as moving her own limbs.
Lu Xiu nodded in satisfaction and decided to practice over the next few days.
As for her other skill, 【Atypical Courage】, Lu Xiu had absolutely no intention of testing it right now...
After all, she couldn't exactly activate the skill for no reason and start punching the wall, could she?
Better not.
This was a rental apartment.
If she damaged anything, she'd have to pay for it...
In comparison.
Lu Xiu was far more interested in another reward she'd received from clearing the 【Resident Evil】 dungeon.
She summoned the System panel, opened the virtual inventory that every player possessed by default, and found the item she'd obtained not long ago.
【Item Name: First Aid Med】
【Rating: S】
【Type: Consumable】
【Usage: External】
【Effect Description: Apply this product directly to the surface of a wound to rapidly eliminate abnormal infections and promote cellular regeneration. It has extremely powerful therapeutic effects on lacerations, puncture wounds, and deep cuts.】
【Special Effect: If a limb is severed, ensure that the severed limb remains intact and that no more than thirty minutes have passed. Apply this product to both severed surfaces and press them together. The flesh will rapidly proliferate and regenerate, forcibly completing reattachment. Even an arm severed by a chainsaw can be restored to its original condition and move freely, provided it is reattached in time.】
【Remarks: You may not understand how it works, but your wound will... and don't ask. It just works.】
Aside from that.
There was also a handgun.
【Equipment Name: MPM Handgun】
【Rating: D】
There wasn't much to say about this one.
It was simply an ordinary handgun with no special effects.
Its firepower was average, and it didn't feel particularly good to use.
Still, in an era where the restrictions on using modern firearms were becoming increasingly severe, it could at least be considered a decent weapon for self-defense.
...Probably.
It just looked like complete trash compared to the First Aid Med.
Because this item, born from a game, seemed even more powerful in reality than it had been in the game itself.
After all, in the game, the protagonist Ethan could only use the First Aid Med to reattach his hand because he'd already been infected...
But in reality, there was no such prerequisite.
This should be an extremely valuable consumable for soldiers fighting on the front lines.
Though Lu Xiu didn't know whether the First Aid Med obtained by ordinary players through a normal clear would differ from hers, or how many bottles they could receive.
Still.
It felt like the dungeon had gained yet another selling point...
Lu Xiu's confidence rose considerably.
Without wasting any more time, she summoned the System panel in one breath and found the application portal for the 【Architect Special Fund】 established by the authorities.
This was one of the conveniences brought about by the world's digitalization...
At the current stage, digitalization had generally made the world worse.
But it would be unfair to say that it had brought no benefits at all.
One of those benefits was that everyone possessed a panel they could summon at any time—the System menu.
And many sections of the System menu were publicly accessible.
Just as some people posted advertisements through System pages, the authorities had also developed numerous functions within it, similar to the WeChat mini-programs from Lu Xiu's previous life.
The application portal for the 【Architect Special Fund】 could be found directly inside the System menu.
Because it was integrated with the System itself, the authorities didn't have to worry about fraudulent information, and the amount of material applicants needed to submit was minimal.
Among everything required.
The most important basic information regarding the dungeon was filled in automatically by the System.
For example:
【Dungeon Name: Resident Evil】
【Dungeon Rating: S】
【Dungeon Type: Horror / Survival / Puzzle】
And so, in less than five minutes.
Lu Xiu had already finished filling out the application.
Submit.
Done.
Lu Xiu closed the System menu in front of her and stretched vigorously, her full, proud curves immediately becoming obvious.
Now.
All she had to do was wait for the loan to be approved and for the dungeon to officially go online.
***
At the same time.
In the imperial capital, Chenjing.
National Strategic Dungeon and Abnormal Space Affairs Coordination Bureau.
Dungeon Resource Management Bureau.
"So boring."
Su Miao yawned and listlessly stirred the cheap instant coffee in her cup.
Ever since the world became digitized, her job as a low-ranking government clerk had become incredibly bizarre.
Despite living in such a surreal era, she still had to clock in and sit at a desk every day just like people had before.
"Stop complaining. At least we don't have to go to the front lines, and we don't have to struggle through System dungeons."
Lin Xiao, sitting at the desk beside her, browsed the System forum without even lifting her head.
"We even receive a fixed amount of Survival Points every month. What's there to complain about? Who knows how many people envy us. Do you seriously want to enter a dungeon that badly?"
"I know... but honestly, I kind of do want to try my luck in one."
Su Miao sighed as she stared at the semi-transparent forum page floating before her.
"Mostly because this job is way too boring. Gathering intelligence from forums and processing loan applications for private dungeons...
"Forget the first one. That's basically searching for a needle in a haystack.
"But the second one is even more ridiculous. I barely see a few decent applications in an entire week.
"The reputation of private dungeons has already been completely ruined. Those production teams that made their fortunes early on destroyed the entire industry's reputation. The moment ordinary people hear the words 'private dungeon,' they assume it's a scam.
"Most private dungeons can't even earn back their Rule Stabilization Fee. Once we approve a loan, it basically becomes bad debt.
"I don't even know what the point of this department is anymore..."
"Huh? You really want to enter a dungeon?"
Lin Xiao finally looked up, visibly surprised.
"Also, wasn't there a B-rank private dungeon recently? I heard it was supposed to be pretty good. Didn't the military and several Raid Teams show interest in it? It still failed to recover its costs?"
"No."
Su Miao shook her head.
"After the Raid Team cleared it, their evaluation was terrible...
"They said it was just a clumsy imitation of a System dungeon, and the rewards were mediocre.
"If you think about it, that's actually normal.
"The Dungeon Architect profession has an absurdly high hidden threshold. Most people can't even properly use Visual Mental Image, much less construct an entire dungeon.
"So all they can do is imitate System dungeons and produce crude copies.
"The ratings may look acceptable, but because they're essentially plagiarized, both the overall quality and the rewards are terrible."
***
"Is that so..."
Lin Xiao was about to continue asking questions.
But just then, a rapid series of high-frequency notification sounds rang out.
It was the highest-priority alert Su Miao had set for herself.
"Stop daydreaming. Dungeons aren't that easy to clear."
Lin Xiao could only abandon the conversation. She patted Su Miao on the shoulder and picked up her cup.
"Look, you've got work. Someone else is applying for the Architect Special Fund. Maybe it's another B-rank private dungeon. Go take a look."
"How likely do you think that is?"
Su Miao rolled her eyes.
"I've been working here for this long, and I've only handled two private dungeons that reached B-rank."
Then she added:
"And even if it is B-rank, so what? The Raid Teams aren't interested anymore."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao joked:
"What if it's A-rank?"
Su Miao shot back irritably:
"Why don't you just say S-rank while you're at it? Keep dreaming!"
Lin Xiao smiled without replying.
Because she also thought she'd made a pretty funny joke...
Su Miao shook her head.
Complaints aside, she still pulled the floating System interface toward herself and prepared to process the loan application.
She opened the application form.
Su Miao lowered her gaze and casually began verifying the dungeon's basic information out of habit.
Dungeon name: Resident Evil.
Rule Stabilization Fee: 3000 Survival Points.
Type: Horror / Survival / Puzzle.
Rating: S...
Hmm.
Looks approvable...
Wait.
Su Miao, who had been mindlessly going through the routine procedure, suddenly froze.
What the hell is S?!
She looked back up in disbelief and checked the dungeon information on the application form again.
***
She hadn't misread it.
It really said:
Dungeon Rating: S!
Su Miao stared fixedly at the rating column, her face filled with disbelief, her pupils contracting almost to pinpoints.
BANG!
The next instant.
She shot to her feet so violently that the chair behind her toppled over.
Lin Xiao jumped in fright and nearly dropped her cup.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Did you seriously get another B-rank private dungeon?"
"No...
"S-rank..."
Su Miao stared blankly at the System page, her voice trembling as though she were talking in her sleep.
"What S?"
Lin Xiao frowned.
"Someone cleared a dungeon and received an S rating? That's pretty impressive. Which big shot from a Raid Team was it?"
"No, it's not a clearance rating..."
Su Miao's voice suddenly rose, cracking slightly.
"It's the dungeon!
"An S-rank private dungeon just submitted a loan application!"
"HUH??!!"
Lin Xiao froze for a moment.
Then she also sprang up from her workstation.
What the hell is S?!