Damn it! Let’s smash the darkness together!
Chapter 65 - 65 51 Nothing Happening Today Entry Ceremony The Third Legend Begins

65: Chapter 51: Nothing Happening Today, Entry Ceremony, The Third Legend Begins 65: Chapter 51: Nothing Happening Today, Entry Ceremony, The Third Legend Begins With the break of dawn, Xu Shu quickly crawled out from under the bed, patted off the dust on his body, took a swig of water for a simple rinse, and while munching on a can of meat filling, he flipped open the Tai Chu Scroll.

“Three chances today, perfect.

I can verify my previous conjecture.”

“But just to be safe, I’ll activate a journey first to see if the surroundings are secure and if there are any monsters I can hunt.”

Xu Shu had already planned today’s schedule yesterday, so he did not hesitate.

After a brief rest and adjusting his physical condition to its peak, he plunged headfirst into the journey.

<><>Checking current status…<><>

<><>Check complete.<><>

<><>Today you’ve come prepared.

You walk out of your dwelling with swagger.

Along the way, you run into some civilians from the shelter, all of whom respectfully bowed their heads and greeted you as ‘sir.'<><>

<><>You’re a bit puzzled by how everyone recognizes you, but then you see a banner at the entrance: “A warm thanks to the Transcendent Sir for bringing food and safety to our shelter!”<><>

“???”

6.

Nice of them to use me like that, huh?

Xu Shu grinned, but he didn’t say anything about it.

Honestly, he felt a bit secretly pleased.

Yang Chong was pretty good at this, and he also knew restraint – he hadn’t hung up my portrait without permission.

<><>You have no objections.

You arrive at the parking lot and drive a car out of the shelter camp.

Please choose your direction: ?<><>

<><>Today, you don’t care whether it’s east or west.<><>

<><>You’ve taken a machine gun and a large amount of bullets with you.

Today you’re still out to make trouble.

You declare war on all the monsters of the Wasteland:

<><>”Ah~da da da da da da da da da da da da!

Come on!

Try to kill me!”<><>

<><>Bullets don’t cost a thing.

You drive and shoot wildly, charging into the wilderness with mockery.

Small birds and beasts on the verge of mutating with slight pollution scatter in terror.<><>

<><>Pressing the accelerator, tossing firecrackers, you speed at eighty miles per hour, feeling free and easy.

In the entire Wasteland, you’re the most dashing one!<><>

<><>You execute an S-shaped array, sweeping away all obstacles around you, forcing the monsters out of hiding.<><>

<><>All morning, you haven’t encountered a single monster but have run into three Patrol Soldiers who appear to be injured.

You excitedly ask them how they got hurt and where the monsters are.<><>

<><>They tell you there aren’t any monsters—they were injured by a gang of human traffickers.<><>

<><>”Patrol Soldiers can’t even beat human traffickers?

Useless.” You immediately ask them to take you to the scene, and they comply.<><>

<><>Upon arriving, you’re ready to ruthlessly loot the traffickers but instead find that a dozen people with guns are waiting for you.

Some are wearing Patrol Soldier uniforms others are not.<><>

<><>Oops!

You’ve been duped.

There were no Patrol Soldiers at all—they’re actually a gang of robbers.

They haven’t had business for several days, and you’re their first catch in a long time—it wasn’t easy!<><>

<><>Will you be generous enough to pay them off to let you pass?

They’re asking for a hundred thousand, just enough after you hand over the money given by the shelter.

You would still have twenty thousand left.<><>

<><>You choose: ?<><>

<><>You choose to test their entire family’s code!<><>

<><>Facing the threat of the bandit group, you immediately activate Jingwei, entering your strongest defensive state, preparing for a fight to the death with them.<><>

<><> Soon you realize it isn’t necessary since their ordinary bullets can’t even penetrate the bulletproof glass of the car windows.<><>

<><>Patrol Soldiers are after all official personnel of the Alliance; their cars are quality products from Xia Country.

Amidst the ping pong sounds and flying sparks, the glass remains unbroken.<><>

<><>You charge your car into the crowd, speeding and drifting with a Divine Dragon tail flick; you show off your driving skills and start hitting people.

This is an open field—they have nowhere to escape.<><>

<><>Nice, well done!

You finish all of them off and then get down to collect from the bodies.<><>

<><>Unfortunately, they’re as poor as church mice.

Reluctantly, you confiscate a dozen submachine guns and walk away tall.<><>

<><>You continue playing the role of the Wasteland Touring Hunter, searching for monsters, wondering if any monsters are searching for you.<><>

<><>Happy times are always fleeting.

Today, you’ve driven more than 300 kilometers, burning fuel in a loop without encountering a single monster.<><>

<><>However, you’ve established the location of another small shelter 60 kilometers to the east.

At this shelter, you inquire for the route back to the safe zone; in return, you gift them the fake Patrol Soldiers’ guns.<><>

<><>As the sunset dips, you roll down the car window, the breeze brushing against you.

Your clothes are stained with the robber’s blood, but it feels as refreshing as a spring breeze.<><>

<><>You recall the running under the sun; that was your fading youth, though you’ve just turned eighteen.<><>

<><>This journey comes to an end.

Commencing settlement…<><>

<><>Evaluation: Not only did you run around all day without accomplishing anything, but you also used a cleaver to kill a chicken?

Are you okay?

It doesn’t matter if you wasted chances from the Tai Chu Scroll.

The Tai Chu Scroll doesn’t care, it’ll just laugh it off, but what you’re wasting is your own life.

Think about doing something meaningful next time.<><>

<><>You received item: Rusted Butcher’s Knife (Common)<><>

<><>Rusted Butcher’s Knife (Common): This knife’s blade is covered in rust, it looks rotten to the core, and can hardly do anything—it even struggles to kill a chicken.

Maybe try polishing it to see if it’s steel or dirt inside.

With some luck, it might become a rust-free butcher’s knife.<><>

“…”

Great.

Finally experienced a ‘non-death ending, normal conclusion’ journey.

But this feels worse than dying once!

Xu Shu opened his eyes in the room, his mouth twitching.

He pulled the rust-smelling knife from his item bag.

After hesitating for a moment, he tried wiping it.

Click~ the knife broke, revealing its decayed interior.

“F*ck?”

Xu Shu threw the knife out the window but then thought better of it and angrily put it back into his item bag.

“If there’s a slot limit for the item bag next time, I’ll throw you out first!”

Xu Shu was furious and genuinely hadn’t expected that a journey mode like this, where nothing had been accomplished, could have such a low reward?

This was even worse than dying once!

At least in the journey, dying seemed to offer better items.

“Well, although the item rewards are poor, at least I’ve figured out the route, and this helps me make up my mind.

Let’s head back to the safe zone.

Leveling up in this wasteland is too slow and luck-dependent.”

“But that matter is something I can verify.”

Xu Shu stood up and looked at [Today’s Remaining Attempts: 2/3], falling into deep thought.

Half an hour later.

Everything was in order.

Xu Shu and Gu Pan left the camp.

She knew some of his secrets; obviously, he couldn’t let her roam free for now.

As Gu Pan got into the car, she suddenly said, “I have something to discuss with you, about what you mentioned, involving your use of my Promotion Drive.

I have thought it through.”

“What’s your decision?”

“I will report the loss of my Promotion Drive to the Supervision Bureau and apply for a replacement.

For the first reissue, they won’t push too hard on my responsibility.”

Gu Pan looked into Xu Shu’s eyes and said earnestly, “Since we’re friends now, you becoming a Transcendent and completely changing your fate—thinking about it now, I should be happy for you, instead of quibbling over it.

By that count, don’t you owe me a favor?”

“Yo, well thank you for not turning me in and having me arrested, huh?”

Gu Pan withdrew her gaze, speaking indifferently, “There’s nothing to report.

After all, your talent is not enough, so keep trying.

Non-Transcendents will find it more difficult in the future, but me?

Give me time, and I will surely surpass you.”

“Okay then,”

Xu Shu was noncommittal, thinking that she didn’t even know how to write his name.

What could she do if she reported him?

Write some imaginary number and try to arrest someone from a math textbook?

Let the Astronomy Association try to catch me through the Promotion Drive!

“But this means I still can’t expose my identity as a Transcendent in the city,” Xu Shu stroked his chin, wondering what she was aiming at.

Gu Pan leaned back, speaking with an air of ease, “Simple.

Once we enter the city, just say that you are my student.”

“Hmm?” Xu Shu raised his eyebrows slightly.

“The Supervision Bureau has regulations that in the event of a life-threatening situation, a Granter has the right to let their student use the Promotion Drive.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course.

Although your identity isn’t qualified, it doesn’t matter.

Once we get back to the city, I have my ways to settle it, and then you will sign an enrollment certificate with me.

“That way, when I go to the Supervision Bureau to apply for the replacement of the Promotion Drive, your Promotion Drive will be ‘whitewashed’, and you can continue to use it under my name legally,” Gu Pan said.

“Enrollment certificate?” Xu Shu frowned.

“Yes, each Granter also has a duty to help the alliance find more qualified talents, it’s just that the Supervision Bureau has a special department for this, so most people don’t pay attention to it.”

“I see…” Xu Shu mulled it over.

Gu Pan chuckled, “This plan is the safest and the only way to make you legal.

Surely you don’t want to become a hunted criminal by the alliance?

“So, after signing the enrollment certificate, I will be your teacher from now on, alright?

Of course, this is just the official story; once all this is settled, we won’t have any further entanglements.

“We’re friends now, and this is mutually beneficial.

You don’t have to be wary of me anymore, and I don’t have to dwell on this matter.

It’s a win-win,” Gu Pan said calmly.

Hiss…

Xu Shu thought about it.

There seemed to be some truth in her words, but something felt off.

Perhaps because Gu Pan’s demeanor had changed a bit?

Xu Shu sensed that she was colder than yesterday—had she come up with some idea last night?

Tch, a woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets, better beware of her…

“We can consider it, but let’s talk more once we’re back in the city.

You drive; head east from here for 60 kilometers, and we’ll stay at that shelter for the night.”

Xu Shu marked a location on the map.

“Tsk, so indecisive and not at all decisive~”

Gu Pan pursed her lips, swapped places with Xu Shu, and took the driver’s seat.

As she passed by, a subtle slyness flashed by her eyes, quickly concealed, transforming into a cool and calm demeanor that Xu Shu did not notice.

As the vehicle started and gradually stabilized, Xu Shu slowly closed his eyes in the back.

“Now, there’s an experiment I can verify…

When I enter the legend, does time in the outside world also change?

If a single attempt takes up 4 hours, and using all three takes up 12 hours, then do two attempts amount to 8 hours?

“Then, my position—is it relative to the ground in the original location, or can I use another reference point?

“Like if I’m in a vehicle moving at a constant speed, I enter the legend, upon return, would I have traveled forward with the vehicle for 8 hours, or would I be left behind?”

“Hehe, I look forward to finding out.

If it’s the former, then I’ll stay at that shelter tonight!

“If it’s the latter, I’ll still be staying at this shelter!”

Xu Shu’s mouth curled up.

“Tai Chu Scroll, Legendary Mode, activate!”

Woosh~

A faint mist rose, enveloping Xu Shu completely, his spirit soaring to immeasurable heights, experiencing the cosmic big bang in his mind, eventually all chaos returning to nothingness, transforming into a line of information:

[You have entered the legend—]