In Wanghai City at the end of March, it should have been the season for spring blossoms, but the weather was abnormal this year, with three consecutive days of heavy snow, only clearing up last night.
At the west gate of Wanghai University, Wu Chang shivered in the cold wind, pulled his down jacket hood tight, and walked towards the Nan Shi bus stop by the school entrance.
Snow melting is colder than snow falling; if it weren't for an interview appointment, he wouldn't have left his warm bed for anything.
In this day and age, Company bosses are all masters of time management.
To solve the two major problems—fresh graduates lacking work experience and hiring skilled workers being expensive—job postings now demand both fresh graduates and two to three years of prior experience.
The workplace is like this: the laborers just need to work day and night, while what the Boss needs to consider is much more complicated.
Beside the bus stop, several sanitation workers were sweeping away the accumulated snow. Less than a meter away from them, a pool of light red blood was slowly flowing on the Ground.
Passersby stepped over it multiple times, but no one stopped to take a look. Only Wu Chang’s Gaze paused for a moment when he glanced over, as if only he could see it.
In fact, he truly was the only one who could see it.
As he stared at the Bloodstain on the Ground, the Bloodstain flowed like a water curtain, projecting a short video clip.
On a street covered in ice and snow, a speeding sedan rushed past. Suddenly, one of its wheels slipped, and the Body lost control, crashing into the roadside. Immediately after, the screen went black amidst violent shaking.
He took out his phone and opened the local news.
“Last night at 11:15 PM, a person named Zhao was driving a motor vehicle past Nan Shi Road when the vehicle went Out of Control and was involved in an accident. One fatality and two injuries among a family of three. Police determined the cause of the accident was drunk driving.”
It matched.
Wu Chang put away his phone. After the image in the Bloodstain ended, text filled with sighs appeared.
「Irresponsible driving leads to tears for loved ones.」
These were Zhao’s Last words.
The lesson is profound, but what was he doing before?
About a month ago, Wu Chang woke up one day and began intermittently seeing such Bloodstains in his eyes.
He called these Bloodstains Grudges.
The stronger the Deceased was in life, the heavier the Grudge, and the deeper the color of the Grudge left behind.
Like the Grudge left by Zhao on the snow, its color was light red; this level would dissipate soon.
If he encountered a Big Red Grudge, or even a Deep Red Grudge, it meant the Deceased harbored extreme Resentful Energy that would not dissipate easily. Only by fulfilling the Deceased’s Obsession before death could the Grudge disappear.
Eliminating Resentful Energy was not for nothing. Just as in strange tales where saving a wronged spirit earns its gratitude, by eliminating a Deep Red Grudge, he could also gain benefits.
He once performed Salvation on a Big Red Grudge. The Master of Resentment was a basketball sports specialist. After clearing the Master of Resentment’s browser history, he "inherited" the Master of Resentment’s Physical Fitness and basketball techniques.
In just one week, he transformed from a skinny guy with no sign of training into someone with defined muscles comparable to an Internet Celebrity bodybuilder.
With this physique and his above-average looks, as long as he could endure the scrubbing, he could at least skip thirty years of detours.
Just as he was coming to terms with this, the Route 17 Bus he was waiting for pulled into the station.
The Bus operated as usual, but just as the doors were about to close, a blinding flash of red caught his attention.
A man wearing a knit cap, an old leather jacket, and carrying a black backpack boarded the Bus.
The man’s face was gaunt, his Hair greasy, and his stubble messy—the look of an ordinary, decadent middle-aged man. The few distinguishing features were the Sunglasses he wore even on a cloudy day, and his right hand, which remained tucked into his sleeve.
Others just thought the man was slovenly, but in Wu Chang’s eyes, the man carried twelve or thirteen Grudges behind him, their bloody colors staining the entire carriage red.
Among them was one Deep Red Grudge, so dark it was almost purple.
Wu Chang wrinkled his nose. Looking at the towering Blood Qi, he felt as if he could smell the Bloody scent coming from the Sunglasses man.
Not everyone can condense a Grudge after death. Twelve or thirteen Grudges imply at least nearly a hundred Human Lives behind them.
Especially that Deep Red Grudge; such heavy Resentful Energy suggests the victims suffered at least a Human Centipede-level ordeal in life, and he was likely the very last one.
Interesting. Let me see what this is all about.
His Gaze turned toward the Sunglasses man. The Deep Red Bloodstain swirled, as if a crack had opened in the Chaos of the Abyss, and a hellish scene rushed toward him.
The torsos and limbs of dozens of Human Corpses were twisted and dismembered, nailed to a Big Tree stripped of its bark, resembling branches of Flesh and Blood. Human heads were embedded among the Flesh and Blood branches, like ripe fruits hanging from the tree.
Beneath the Big Tree, the gaunt man held a short knife, using Fresh Blood as paint to inscribe complex patterns onto the tree trunk.
Judging by the figure, the knife-wielder was the Sunglasses man.
The Sunglasses man was carving with intense focus, but the next moment, a bullet shot into the back of his head from behind, exiting through his Left Eye socket.
Goo splattered onto the Ground, not looking any better than the scene on the tree.
A young man in camouflage tactical gear, holding a Silver Revolver, Appeared. He fired several follow-up shots into the Sunglasses man’s Corpse; each bullet transformed into an Explosive fireball upon impact.
The continuous Explosions blasted Deep Pits into the Ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
The Camo man holstered his gun and took out his phone to film the horrifying Flesh and Blood Big Tree. Unfortunately, he was too young; he knew to follow up the kill, but he didn't know about the 'smoke means no damage' rule.
While he was taking pictures, the Sunglasses man sprang out of the dust cloud and stabbed his short knife into the Camo man’s back. The Camo man, in a dying counterattack, severely wounded the Sunglasses man before escaping, dying before he could send out the Intelligence he witnessed.
The information he couldn't speak in life appeared in the Last words of his Grudge.
「Blood Thorn is a Veteran, possessing the ability to Regenerate, capable of ignoring Fatal Injuries. Only Severed Limbs, organ destruction, and wide-area destructive Abilities can harm him. Each time he recovers from injury, Blood Thorn loses some rationality; excessive damage might cause his Will Collapse.」
The Blood Thorn mentioned in the Last words should refer to the Sunglasses man.
Besides the ordinary Grudge Last words, similar to Zhao’s, there was also a Bloody Last words among the Grudge.
【Eliminate Blood Thorn.】
Wu Chang frowned. Eliminate Blood Thorn? Me?
Thinking carefully, it wasn't impossible.
In the Camo man’s Grudge, the dying counterattack involved shooting and severing Blood Thorn’s right hand. The injuries to the Left Eye and the right hand corresponded exactly to Blood Thorn’s Sunglasses and his right hand tucked in his sleeve.
Losing one eye meant severely impaired vision.
Losing his dominant right hand meant a significant drop in attack speed and force.
Recovering from injuries consumes rationality, which would inevitably lead to Blood Thorn’s Consciousness becoming muddled and his judgment impaired.
Simply put: heavily crippled.
In a direct fight, he stood no chance of winning, but by preemptively knowing Blood Thorn’s Weakness and attacking it fiercely, there might be a chance.
But the problem was, the risk was too high.
He would encounter Deep Red Grudges eventually; he only had one Human Life, so there was no need to take such a risk for this.
Just as he was about to pretend he hadn't seen Blood Thorn and call the police after he got off the Bus, he saw Blood Thorn pull open his backpack and grip the handle of the knife inside.
Wu Chang’s brow furrowed. Wait, buddy, that’s not the right move.
I was already prepared to pretend I didn't see you, why are you pushing your luck?
Although I am not skilled in fist fighting, I know a bit about Ball games. Don't force me into a normal Physical Fitness confrontation with you.
Unfortunately, the Sunglasses man didn't hear his silent plea. He slowly drew his short knife, preparing to stab the passenger next to him.
Wu Chang sighed and shouted loudly: "Watch out ahead!"
Blood Thorn paused his movement and instinctively looked forward.
Wu Chang quickly closed the distance within Blood Thorn’s blind spot, using Footwork that could fool a referee’s eyes—covering eight steps in two—and instantly arrived in front of Blood Thorn, thrusting out his elbow while shouting:
"Man!"
This elbow strike was unexpected, combining speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness. Just as Blood Thorn turned back, he was smashed in the face by the elbow.
Fresh Blood immediately spurted out, obscuring the Sunglasses man’s remaining single eye. A feeling of internal Weakness followed, making him feel as if he had been poisoned by Snake Venom; his whole Body went limp, and he collapsed onto the Ground.
Taking advantage of the situation, Wu Chang knocked the Sunglasses man down with one elbow, shouting "He has a knife!" while grabbing a fire extinguisher and wildly swinging it at Blood Thorn’s head.
Before the other passengers could react, Blood Thorn had entered an Infant-like sleep.
Daring to launch an Attack in broad daylight, Blood Thorn’s rationality was already depleted by his Regenerate Ability. After taking several heavy blows, his rationality completely suffered a Collapse, turning him into a living Corpse.
The Bloody Last words on Blood Thorn, along with his Resentful Energy, dissipated. Wu Chang felt his down jacket pocket grow heavier; something seemed to have appeared inside.
The reward for Salvation had arrived.
While the other passengers weren't paying attention, he reached into his pocket to feel around. The moment he touched the shape of the reward, he shuddered and snatched his hand out of the pocket as if electrocuted.
A gun!
A good item, but too hot to handle.
If this thing were discovered, his internship assignment would change to operating a sewing machine.
It couldn't be discovered, but it couldn't be thrown away either!
A Big Red Grudge gave him a near-complete transformation; this gun was something produced by a Deep Red Grudge, definitely not a Mundane Object. Moreover, this was a treasure he risked his life for; if he didn't keep it, wasn't his risk for nothing?
He had to find a place to hide it quickly.
The Bus pulled into the station. The passengers, dragging the unconscious Sunglasses man, discussed how to take him to the nearest police station.
With a serious contraband item in his pocket, Wu Chang dared not stay with them. He claimed he had something urgent, gave a few brief replies, and left.
He couldn't worry about the Interview now. He took a taxi back to Wanghai University, planning to hide the gun in his bag first before deciding on the next step.
If all else failed, he would hide the gun first and then turn himself in at a nearby police station.
But the moment he stepped through the school gate, his vision blurred, and when he came to, he found himself in an unfamiliar room.
An emotionless electronic voice sounded next to his ear.
「Welcome, Newcomer, to the Abyss Game.」
Newbies, please follow and add to your collection! Brothers, this is really important for newcomers.