Chapter 94
Chapter 94
The car drove into the mist.
As they moved away from Binjiang District, the System’s notification chimed.
[Congratulations, Chosen One Jiang Li, on securing a suitable adoptive family and successfully escaping the Orphanage!]
[The plot related to “Clear Spring Hotel” has been triggered. Chosen One, please be prepared.]
[Your clearance rating for this Instance is: S Rank. Now drawing the clearance rewards.]
Three cards with skulls on their backs floated before Jiang Li’s eyes.
Beside the cards, a line of fluorescent text appeared:
“This reward pool includes SSS Rank, S Rank, and A Rank items. Chosen One, please choose carefully.”
Jiang Li observed the floating cards but didn’t rush to pick one.
The current System was biased toward the Aberrations.
Given the System’s track record, it had previously found excuses to withhold rewards even after she achieved an SSS Rank clearance.
Now that it was letting her choose a reward, it was highly likely to pull some underhanded tricks again.
In other words, no matter which card she chose, as long as the System claimed it was A Rank, it would become A Rank even if it wasn’t.
She had to find a way…
Jiang Li’s index finger unconsciously tapped against the seat twice.
After a second of thought, she took out the paper and pen she had been carrying throughout the Orphanage Instance.
Shielding the paper with her left hand, she quickly wrote down an answer with her right.
“I’ve made my choice,” Jiang Li told the System. “You can reveal the cards now.”
Jiang Li didn’t show her answer.
However, everyone in the Live Streaming Room was breaking into a cold sweat for her.
Everyone could see that Jiang Li had come up with this countermeasure because she was afraid the System would cheat.
But Jiang Li had overlooked one thing just now…
She had forgotten to hide the strokes of her pen as she wrote the number!
Although her left hand blocked the final answer, the way the end of her pen moved to form the number “3” was far too obvious!
The experts watching the broadcast all felt their hearts sink.
“The System is so cunning; it must have seen Jiang Li’s answer. It’ll probably swap the third card to the A Rank reward.”
“Sigh… we can’t blame her. Jiang Li has already done her best.”
“Yeah, everyone makes mistakes sometimes, especially considering the high-intensity pressure Jiang Li is under.”
“It’s fine. Even if she only gets an A Rank reward, it’s better than getting nothing like last time!”
“…”
The experts comforted one another, making excuses for Jiang Li’s oversight.
Only one senior figure in a wheelchair, Elder Fan, slammed the table in anger, looking at Jiang Li with disappointment.
“This Chosen One looks sharp, but she dropped the ball at the critical moment!! It’s not just her own fate she’s carrying; it’s the fate of all Huaguo!!”
Xia Guofeng looked at Elder Fan and put in a good word for Jiang Li. “Now, Elder Fan, you can’t put it like that. After all, with these small details, the spectator sees more than the player. If it were us, we might not have done any better than Jiang Li. Don’t you all agree?”
“That’s true.”
“Exactly, exactly…”
The others chimed in, agreeing with Xia Guofeng’s point of view.
Elder Fan gave a huff, looking thoroughly displeased.
The atmosphere turned awkward, so everyone shut their mouths and turned back to the live broadcast.
Inside the Live Streaming Room.
The System let out a sinister, low chuckle.
It had certainly noticed that “small detail” Jiang Li had overlooked!
Jiang Li had chosen “3”!
On the screen, Jiang Li stared intently at the three cards before her.
The cards flipped over one by one from left to right.
The System announced the results:
[The first card: Item Grade, S Rank.]
[The second card: Item Grade, SSS Rank!]
Seeing this, Jiang Li already wore an expression of disappointment.
Sensing her low spirits, the System suddenly burst into a fit of wild, manic laughter.
That raspy, triumphant laughter was thick with mockery.
The System smugly flipped over the third card and announced the final result.
[The third card: Item Grade… A Rank!!! Congratulations, Chosen One Jiang Li!]
Upon hearing the result, Jiang Li suddenly lowered her head.
The scene remained silent for two seconds before she finally looked up.
Seeing the mist in Jiang Li’s eyes, it appeared she had been driven to tears by the System’s antics.
The System was gloating, overcome with a surge of ecstasy.
Its eerie laughter echoed throughout the entire Live Streaming Room.
Just as the System was laughing in its moment of triumph, Jiang Li flipped over her answer with a face full of regret.
The slip of paper unfolded, and a large number “2” burst into view.
Caught completely off guard, the System’s mocking laughter… stopped abruptly.
“What a pity. I really had high hopes for Card 3, but I didn’t expect it to be A Rank.”
Jiang Li shook her head, her tone thick with lamentation.
“Sigh… fortunately, I chose 2. I suppose I’ll have to reluctantly accept this SSS Rank item.”
Jiang Li’s tone placed heavy emphasis on the words “SSS Rank.”
The System looked at Jiang Li’s paper. The number “3” had been written with an extra stroke halfway through-it wasn’t a “3” at all, it was a “2”!
The System suddenly realized the truth.
In this situation, it had been played by Jiang Li!
The System was fuming.
Jiang Li, however, was extremely satisfied.
This damned System had tricked her last time and tried to play clever in front of her again.
In the end, it was a case of “the clever person being a victim of their own ingenuity,” and the System had effectively slapped its own face.
Jiang Li had planned this from the start.
She had intentionally mimicked the strokes of a “3,” but in reality, after forming the shape of a “2,” her pen tip had already left the paper.
Based on Jiang Li’s assessment of the System, it was so cunning that it would definitely observe the movement of her pen to deduce that she was choosing Card 3.
Then, the System would inevitably swap Card 3 for an A Rank reward.
Therefore, the Card 2 that Jiang Li actually wrote down would result in either an S Rank or an SSS Rank reward.
If she got an S Rank, it would match the reward she deserved for an S Rank clearance.
If she got an SSS Rank, it was pure profit!
Either way, it was a win-win for Jiang Li.
And this time, Jiang Li’s luck was good; she had drawn the SSS Rank.
Seeing Jiang Li’s answer, the System finally ceased its laughter with a string of grumbled curses.
It spoke with great reluctance:
[Congratulations to Chosen One Jiang Li for obtaining an SSS Rank item.]
The experts watching the live stream saw the number “2” on Jiang Li’s paper and burst into laughter, slapping their thighs.
“Hahaha! …She really didn’t disappoint me!!”
Elder Fan, who had previously harbored quite a bit of resentment toward Jiang Li, pursed his lips and fell silent at that moment.
Xia Guofeng walked up to Elder Fan with his head held high, patting the older man on the shoulder.
“How about it, Elder Fan? What did I just say? I told you Jiang Li would pull through. Do you believe it now?!”
Elder Fan was so stifled he couldn’t say a single word.
“…”
In the Live Streaming Room, the System’s voice continued to ring out.
[The SSS Rank item for this round is: Mist-Treading Lantern.]
As soon as the words fell, the functions of the Mist-Treading Lantern were implanted into Jiang Li’s brain.
The primary function of the Mist-Treading Lantern was to disperse fog.
Areas outside the main scope of the Instance were entirely shrouded in mist.
With this lantern, Jiang Li could walk through the mist.
However, the Mist-Treading Lantern had a time limit; it could only be used for two hours at a time.
If more than two hours passed and Jiang Li had not returned to the central area of the Instance, the Mist-Treading Lantern would lose its effect.
Humans trapped in the mist were fragile and vulnerable.
Because they could see nothing, there was a constant risk of violating rules, leading to an extremely high mortality rate.
Being trapped in the mist was practically synonymous with death.
At this moment.
The System continued to read through the procedures in an annoyed tone:
[Family member ‘Dai Chunli,’ bound during the previous Instance, has regained a heartbeat and will temporarily survive.]
[Current bound target changed to: Jiang Lianlian.]