Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 378 - 205 Exploring the Waterway_2

Chapter 378: Chapter 205 Exploring the Waterway_2

"It’s too complicated," Shana said. "We’d better use the stepping stone method. After reaching Entrance A, we’ll consult the blueprint for Entrance B, then move on to Junction C, until finally we reach the Bounty Hunter Hall. But we’ll have to take a lot of detours." From moving in a straight line to now moving diagonally.

Lin Wu asked, "It takes us over three hours to get from the county marker to the hall. How long do you estimate this time?"

Shana replied, "About four hours."

Lin Wu expressed his doubt, "The straight-line distance from the county marker to the hall is only 7 kilometers, while the straight-line distance from here to the hall is at least 10 kilometers."

Shana explained, "Because the Left County River is a direct passageway."

Lin Wu: "The Left County River isn’t that wide."

Shana couldn’t be bothered to explain, "In my domain, you shut your mouth."

Lin Wu looked at Wai, "Your sister told you to shut up."

Shana smiled, patted Lin Wu’s shoulder, and said, "Let’s go."

Lin Wu questioned, "Are we ready?"

Shana said, "I’ve broken the route into three segments. You don’t have to remember the entire route, just the routes for each region."

On the road, Lin Wu said, "Haven’t seen Nightmare in a long time."

Shana replied, "Oh, she has died many times."

"Hm?"

Shana continued, "Seems like she’s challenging a mission, dying once every 25 hours. Resurrection takes 24 hours, which means she’s..."

"Constantly dying."

Shana confirmed, "Yes. Do you know what mission she’s undertaking?"

Lin Wu recalled for a moment, "It seems to be something like ’han xia la xie’, hamburger, shrimp hamburger? Add ramen? No, ’la xie’ is a place name, right? Searching for ’la xie’ specialty shrimp hamburger, perhaps." Maya had mentioned it, but Lin Wu didn’t care about tasks that didn’t relate to his own reward, and automatically activated his brain’s filtering system.

Although the sewer was gloomy, it was overall well-lit, thanks to the system installing small candles at regular intervals. After all, in the system’s view, if the sewer were pitch-black, few fools would venture in there. The challenge of the sewer wasn’t Night Demons, but a maze. Those who could tolerate the sewer’s smell were tough, and it was only fair to give the tough a bit of a break.

Shana said, "It feels good to go on a mission alone with you again."

Lin Wu responded, "It felt pretty good when you originally left me, too."

"Haha." Shana laughed, then explained, "I was just bored with the same old environment. After getting to a new environment, it didn’t take long for me to miss the old one. Is it just me? Or is this what it’s like for all humans?"

Lin Wu replied, "A few months ago, I read a story in a magazine. There was a boy who was very smart. He didn’t do his homework and often played with his phone in class. Even so, his grades were always among the top ten in his class. However, after reaching the ninth grade, his performance fell to mid-class level. He didn’t care. His parents were heartbroken, they reasoned with him to no avail; he had become addicted to his phone. When his parents confiscated his phone, he even resorted to threatening to end his life."

Lin Wu continued, "When the results for the high school entrance exam came out, he scored 510 points, while the minimum score for regular high schools was 530 points. At that time, he broke down, destroyed his phone, begged his parents for another chance, not wanting to attend a vocational school or technical school; he wanted to attend high school and university."

Lin Wu went on, "His parents spent a lot of money to get him into a private high school. At first, he studied very seriously. But it didn’t even last a semester before he fell back into his phone addiction. By the second semester of his sophomore year, he decided to drop out."

Lin Wu concluded, "It’s about habit, about personality; habit and personality are part of human nature. Going with human nature is very comfortable, going against human nature brings pain. But going against human nature can create more value. For example—and this isn’t the best example—I’m a bad guy, and it’s in my nature to bully you."

Shana, puzzled, asked, "Bullying me brings you joy? Oh... I got it; please, go on." Her face turned red!

Lin Wu, pretending not to notice, said, "Because the law will punish me, I must control myself, or else I’ll pay a heavy price."

Shana pondered seriously, "Should I try to change myself?"

Lin Wu answered, "No need, you’re a very good friend."

Shana asked, "Could you accept a girlfriend with a personality like mine?"

Lin Wu answered, "Women only affect the speed at which I draw my gun."

Shana said, "I’m talking hypothetically. If you had to choose a girlfriend from among the girls at the base, who would you pick? Would my personality cause me to lose points?"

Lin Wu thought seriously for a minute and said, "I’d still choose Wai." At least it obeys and doesn’t shed hair; it doesn’t require much care or thought.

Shana asked, "Are you serious?"

"Mhm."

Shana asked, "What about Little Knife?"

"Too childish," Lin Wu said. "Fun to be friends with, not fun to date."

"And Emerald Feather?"

"Mild mannered, no obvious flaws, but also no striking characteristics," Lin Wu said. "In a sea of people, why should I confine myself to the grass beside my nest?" If it weren’t for the fact that she’s a friend and acquaintance, and there was a need to marry, Emerald Feather would be a decent choice.

"What about Maya?"

Lin Wu said, "I’m responsible for being lazy, she’s responsible for being diligent, and after a while, I would feel inadequate. For example, I’m used to piling up a week’s worth of dirty clothes and then washing them all at once. She washes dirty clothes every day, leaving me nothing to wash. I get uneasy, so I try washing clothes daily, only to find it exhausting to follow someone else’s routine. She likes to exercise; I can’t be bothered. She’s ambitious; I’m content with just scraping by. We’re not a match."

"What about me?"

Lin Wu said, "You would make a very qualified girlfriend, but not a spouse. You get bored with the same daily routine. I know what you’re going to say, that it’s just a girlfriend, easy to break up. True, but what if one day you went crazy? I wouldn’t have the nerve to use and abandon you."

"Haha." Lin Wu’s answer made Shana laugh uncontrollably, and she gave Lin Wu a thumbs up: The analysis is spot on.

Lin Wu reminded, "Zombie squad."

Facing ordinary zombies, Lin Wu was somewhat powerless as bullets were considered a luxury, so Shana took up a stick. Her Gale Combo was like a blunt weapon version of swordsmanship. However, the Gale Combo related directly to agility, and since Shana’s stats had been reset to zero after dying in a dungeon, the effects of her Gale Combo were greatly reduced, never achieving the effect of crushing skulls or bones. Shana was forced to constantly retreat by the zombies, relying on Lin Wu’s Silencer to sweep through and protect herself from injury.

In the end, after Lin Wu had used 3 bullets and struck twice with Wind Stinger to take out 5 zombies, Shana managed to defeat the other 5.

Lin Wu was a bit puzzled and asked.

Shana told Lin Wu that after the dungeon ended, it had always been team actions. For instance, when encountering zombies during the exploration of Sewage No. 99, it was Little Knife and Maya who stepped up to handle them, hence her agility remained sparse.

In the end, Shana explained the main reason, "I’ve already died many times; I don’t want to waste time leveling up."

Lin Wu said, "If you don’t level up, you’ll die even more easily."

Shana said, "Even with leveling up, I’m going to die."

Lin Wu said, "Ever since the official opening of the Fortress base, only Cotton Candy and Tangtang have died, others have faced danger but survived. Why do you think you’re definitely going to die?"

"Facts speak louder than words," Shana said. "I don’t want to bother you guys with helping me learn skills every time I die. So I can understand Nightmare’s thinking. Rather than worrying about when I might die, it’s better not to fear death." Several deaths had left Shana disheartened, and being around players who were Undying made her feel the disparity even more acutely. As a result, she shifted from an active competitor for The Ring of the Fortress to someone who embraced the philosophy of enjoying life.

These were thoughts Shana had never shared with anyone before, nor had she ever expressed such emotions. She didn’t want others to be affected by her despondency, nor did she want them to console her. If one spends too much time around someone with negative emotions, even the most optimistic person can be affected. Shana’s family’s first rule of teaching: Try not to trouble others as much as possible.

Finally opening up to Lin Wu while cooperating with him again, she shared her innermost thoughts. The purpose wasn’t just to vent; she hoped to find answers. A girl who combined emotional and intellectual aspects, always had much more on her mind than she ever expressed.

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