Chapter 89-Game Descent: I Am the Sole Player
Chapter 89
[Talent: Dark Matter (SS)
Skill 1: Black Mire
Hands can release an unknown black viscous substance that corrodes targets.
Skill 2: Black Hole
Within a 50-meter diameter, can tear open a black hole of any size. Targets entering the black hole have a 99% chance of being torn apart and a 1% chance of being teleported to a random location.
Skill 3: Unlocks at Level 50
Skill 4: Unlocks at Level 90]
Bai Shan narrowed her eyes slightly. She rolled her neck, then extended a hand forward and drew a circle. A black hole materialized before her from nothing.
The black hole's edges were unstable — rotating currents emitted faint popping sounds. The dense blackness within was profoundly deep, its irresistible gravity endlessly tearing at the outside world.
Bai Shan's hair lifted. Her collar tugged toward the black hole's pull.
She walked through it. The black hole — radiating tremendous gravitational force — dissolved like foam.
Mountain shadows shrouded the path. Bai Shan continued forward. She suddenly raised her right hand — between the grasping and releasing of her five fingers, a thick, pitch-black substance like swamp matter coiled around her hand, oozing from between her fingers and dripping to the ground.
One glob of black muck landed on weeds. The lush grass visibly changed — green stems began yellowing. A gust of wind blew, and the grass snapped clean off.
This was Theodore's first skill: [Black Mire].
It seemed to be an ability that corroded life force.
Both unlocked skills of his Talent [Dark Matter] were quite interesting, Bai Shan thought.
Skill one [Black Mire] corroded life. Skill two [Black Hole] devoured life — with a 1% chance of escape for anything swallowed.
A truly dangerous Talent ability.
Besides the SS-tier Talent, Bai Shan had also obtained several high-tier items from Theodore.
[Kiss of Dionysus (A-tier)
Effect: Accelerates physical repair while eliminating pain sensation.]
[Monopoly Game (A-tier)
Effect: Let's play a round of Monopoly! You will randomly gain or lose a bit of intelligence, luck, strength, emotion, or other unexpected attributes. Limited to one game per seven days.]
[Cocoon Shell (S-tier)
Effect: Once used, the Cocoon Shell covers the entire body for 24 hours, absorbing most incoming and outgoing damage. After 24 hours, the cocoon naturally breaks and strength is enhanced by 500% for five minutes. If one forcibly breaks the cocoon within 24 hours, the body suffers backlash damage.]
[Hourglass of Time (SS-tier)
Effect: Can accelerate time within a localized area.]
These four items made Bai Shan's eyelids twitch.
She'd killed who-knew-how-many mutants in Hai City and only gotten one S-tier item [Venom Fang]. Theodore had possessed such treasures yet died so easily, letting these items fall into her hands without effort.
Body repair, random stat allocation, 24-hour damage immunity, time acceleration!
The [Hourglass of Time] in particular — capable of accelerating time — sparked intense interest in Bai Shan's eyes. It was her first time obtaining a time-related item.
Accelerate time within a localized area? Bai Shan couldn't immediately think of what scenario to use it in, but she knew full well that time-related abilities were typically extraordinary.
Indeed — killing a high-level human player was far more cost-effective than killing high-level mutants.
Especially for players like Bai Shan who possessed predatory abilities. Killing a human player not only yielded their items but also had a high probability of earning their "bow" — and thus their Talent ability.
The definition of "bow" was rather vague. Bai Shan had gradually figured out some of its nuances.
Before today, Bai Shan's understanding of Tyrant's influence had remained at the level of being a trending topic, with her identity and power under close scrutiny and coveted by others.
Theodore's appearance gave Bai Shan a sudden, tangible sense of it.
Many people in this world worshipped Tyrant fanatically, regarding her as a deity. Even someone from Theodore's privileged class — if she were willing to post on the World Channel under Tyrant's ID and rally the masses, the Omniscient Cult and the Holy Infant would become trivial. She could establish a force that swept the globe, perhaps even propping up an entirely new order.
But their fanatical worship of Tyrant didn't count as "bowing."
Otherwise, given how certain people on the World Channel fawned over Tyrant, Bai Shan would currently have at least a thousand Talent abilities.
To date, Bai Shan hadn't received a single one of their Talents.
Regarding this, Bai Shan had finally clarified one criterion for what constituted a "bow."
Third skill, [Admonition] — all who bow before the Tyrant become subjects; the Tyrant may unconditionally invoke any subject's Talent.
The "Tyrant" referenced here wasn't the codename Tyrant — it was the person behind the codename.
The other party had to submit to her as a person for [Admonition] to activate!
Anyone could be called Tyrant. She could go by Tyrant, Sage King, Bai Shan, Bai Evil... any name. These were merely words for others' convenience in referring to her.
Theodore, like those fanatical worshippers on the World Channel — what they worshipped was the overwhelming power represented by the top-ranked Tyrant. They chased an illusory symbol. Who stood behind that symbol didn't matter.
Yet Bai Shan insisted that people bow to her — the person.
Back in the underground factory, Theodore's surrounding black hole had indeed been somewhat troublesome. Its gravity would distort her attacks. But she wasn't entirely without options.
Theodore was someone who sought thrills at the edge of life and death. Bai Shan suspected he'd done his share of substances in private. His perception of death was blunted to an astonishing degree — he even enjoyed the sensation of being half-dead. Otherwise, she wouldn't have succeeded so easily.
Perhaps that was precisely why he leveled up quickly. After all, even someone like Bai Shan — who appeared indifferent and nonchalant about everything — still valued her life in the apocalypse.
She had [100% Hit Dart]. Within its range, no matter what happened, the red dart would inevitably hit its target.
Theodore might have welcomed it — grown even more excited, wishing Tyrant would use more methods on him, bringing him one step closer.
Bai Shan found that kind of fanaticism disgustingly clingy. But she only needed to exploit that fervor, open another wound on Theodore's neck — based on prior experience, she could have killed him quickly and taken his Talent ability.
But in that instant, realizing Theodore was chasing the Tyrant of his fantasies, Bai Shan's contrarian streak flared up.
Facing the risk of information exposure against the temptation of an SS-tier Talent — she walked away without care.
Theodore finally "saw" what kind of person Tyrant truly was.
Not a world-crushing Leviathan machine. But a willful, inconsistent, capricious person.
Bai Shan had given Theodore the chance to truly bow before her.
As he wished — he offered everything to her.
The SS-tier Talent was secured. Bai Shan wasn't certain whether information about her had been sent to someone else's Game Panel — the probability was quite high.
Bai Shan raised one eyebrow slightly.
Whatever. Let those people research whether Tyrant wears size 39 or 40 shoes!
For Bai Shan, Theodore was merely a brief interlude. After the interlude, she hurried to the Southwest Hydropower Station to ensure this trip's objective was achieved.
The Southwest Hydropower Station.
Inside the massive reinforced-concrete power station, machinery and cables were everywhere. Running diesel generators rumbled. An atmosphere of unease pervaded.
The Liujia Dam Converter Station had been attacked, the underground factory infiltrated by a mutant. The town chief had brought everyone to the power station to stand guard — holding this position was the only way to ensure the mission proceeded smoothly.
The portly chief couldn't help checking his watch again — an hour and a half had passed with no news.
Three Leaderboard players — one at Liujia Dam, two at the underground factory — and still no word from any of them.
He couldn't help worrying. Suddenly, he sneezed.
The power station had grown quite lively. Diesel generators and batteries had lit up the facility. The factory blazed with light in the pitch-dark gorge. People came and went, kicking up dust that had accumulated for days. Particles danced in the air, yet no one slowed their pace.
Those who'd arrived in Yijia City today included not just high-level players like Wu Xinyou, but also many former power plant workers.
These people might not have high-tier game Talents, but they possessed something even more valuable — technical expertise and knowledge, along with the courage to come here without hesitation.
The chief rubbed his nose. The air inside was stuffy. He craned his neck to look outside — through the factory's barred window, nothing but pitch blackness.
The chief's heartbeat quickened. Who knew how many mutants lurked in this area. Now that the factory was gradually resuming operations, the light and sound it produced were highly conspicuous in the darkness.
"Hey, Xiao Chen — that window over there still isn't shut."
He tapped a young man's shoulder, motioning him to go close the innermost window — set high up, embedded in the metal sheeting.
"Oh, that window seems broken. Want me to get someone to block it?" the young man replied.
The chief shook his head. "Forget it. Post extra guards. Everyone push through tonight — no more incidents."
The young man nodded emphatically in agreement. He took one person and headed to the innermost area, instructing them to watch for any disturbances.
Two people stood beneath the window. Faint moonlight streamed in, and with it, two faint voices drifted through.
"This is killing me! That monster's definitely just ahead!"
"Don't rush. We can't get too close — we need to think of a plan..."
The two beneath the window exchanged delighted looks. Those voices clearly belonged to Wu Xinyou and Theodore — had those two finally caught up?
The young man immediately reported to the chief. The chief exhaled with relief and hurried to the factory gate, preparing to personally welcome the two Leaderboard players.
However, the moment the iron gate cracked open, a voice of disbelief rose from behind the chief.
"Theodore's name has disappeared from the Leaderboard!"
"What?"
"I'm not seeing things, am I? It's really gone!"
Realizing what a disappearing name meant, the chief's face went white. He watched the gate opening and immediately shouted: "Close it! Close it!"
The guards at the gate tried to push it back shut. A thick gray tail suddenly jammed into the gap. The two doors were wedged — unable to close.
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