The concrete ground was cold and wet, rough and hard, feeling pitted to the touch.
Drip!
A drop of water fell onto her face. Cyan slowly opened her eyes, her silver-white pupils bloodshot.
"Zhang! Cheng! Fu!"
Cyan spat out her enemy's name syllable by syllable through gritted teeth. Though she hadn't recovered all of her memories, she knew from the scattered fragments that the survivor who had brushed past her in the Survival Town was her nemesis.
"What a twist of..."
Cyan laughed lowly, suppressing the joy in her heart as she recalled the despair of that time. She couldn't wait to find Zhang Chengfu, the man who had killed her, and take her revenge. She looked at her current reflection in the rain puddles on the ground.
Her fiery red hair was streaked with blue, green, white, and coffee brown. In truth, this was the natural color of her hair, not something dyed later. Combined with her silver-white eyes and these black clothes, she might be mistaken for someone cosplaying a character from an anime or game.
The Survival Space had charged another 10 Survival Points for her clothes. How greedy.
My current identity in the real world is an undocumented person...
Just then, Cyan received a notification from the Survival Brand.
[Warning: Do not reveal the abilities gained from the Survival Space in the real world. If the existence of the Survival Space is discovered by others, you will face the consequences!]
[Warning: After receiving a reminder from the Survival Brand, you must enter the Survival Space within 10 minutes to conduct a survival game!]
[Detected Survivor No. 11766 has no proof of existence in this world. Spend 300 Survival Points to perform an Identity Disguise?]
"Oh?"
Cyan's eyes lit up at the message. She hadn't expected the Survival Space to be so humane as to consider her current predicament. She immediately performed the identity disguise.
After spending 300 points, the space above her head distorted. A black package fell out, hitting her head with a thud. Opening the package, she found an ID card, a household registration book, and a series of other documents. There was even a passport for international travel; the thick stack was enough for her to go to any country.
There was also a bank card with a password written on it in what looked like very neat machine print.
After memorizing the password, Cyan lightly wiped her finger across it. The text, which looked like it was written with a carbon pen, was erased.
Leaving the deserted alley, Cyan walked toward the nearest clothing store. She urgently needed to change her clothes.
"Hey there! What can I get for you, handsome?"
The female shop owner, wearing heavy makeup, thought to herself the moment she saw Cyan that a cosplayer had arrived, and one wearing silver contact lenses at that.
"How much for this set?"
Cyan picked out a grey tracksuit and a British-style plaid newsboy cap.
"Alipay or WeChat?"
"Can I swipe a card?"
Cyan took out the bank card.
"Of course."
The owner briskly produced a POS machine.
After the payment was finished, Cyan looked at the rain outside, which showed no signs of letting up. Her current mood was like that gloomy, dark sky, barely suppressing the urge to rush to the university to find Zhang Chengfu for revenge.
It isn't time yet...
Cyan soothed herself internally. Now that she knew Zhang Chengfu's identity, seeking revenge would be easy. She was in the shadows while he was in the light; there would be plenty of opportunities.
She reached up to press down her hat and walked out. The killing intent she unconsciously radiated made the shop owner feel a sudden cold wind pass by, like being stared down by a fierce beast. The owner had only felt this way once before at a wildlife park when a tiger had locked eyes with her.
Even sitting inside a sightseeing bus, that tiger's cruel and wild gaze had made her legs go weak.
Half an hour later, wearing sunglasses, Cyan arrived at a bank ATM to check the balance on the card.
A flash of surprise crossed her eyes. According to the prices mentioned by veterans earlier, 100 Survival Points could buy 50 grams of gold. After subtracting the identity disguise, should 300 points really result in this much money?
Is the Survival Space actually this generous?
She withdrew 9,000 yuan in installments. Stowing away the thick stack of cash, Cyan left the ATM.
She bought a phone and a SIM card at a mobile shop, then a laptop at a computer store; she didn't care about the specs as long as it worked.
Cyan found a hotel to stay in. Connecting to the hotel Wi-Fi, she searched for information regarding the Ripple Technique. After watching the first and second parts of JOJO, she realized the various uses of this versatile skill.
Cyan sat on the bed with the laptop on her lap, maintaining the special Ripple breathing method. She slowly allowed her subconscious breathing to change, completely replacing normal breathing with the Ripple technique. This way, she could cultivate the Ripple Technique twenty-four hours a day without interruption.
If Cyan were a normal human, she certainly couldn't have achieved this in such a short time. However, she had long ceased to be human. Even though her current body was humanoid, her DNA was worlds apart from humanity. It could be said she was a peacock mantis shrimp in human form, possessing human organs.
She was a special existence created by the Survival Space using peacock mantis shrimp DNA!
Dio needed a Stone Mask to reject his humanity, but Cyan had become non-human passively without doing anything at all.
Cyan's hands flew across the keyboard. She designed a plan for Zhang Chengfu to make him disappear without a trace. If she confronted him head-on, she would definitely be the one at a disadvantage.
Zhang Chengfu was a veteran who had survived an unknown number of games. Cyan wouldn't be stupid enough to just charge his front door; she would assume his strength was at its maximum to gauge his true power.
"Hmm? Jia Fortes?"
Cyan saw a piece of gossip news and lingered on it for a moment, seeing a somewhat familiar silhouette in the photo.
On a bright, sunny morning, she arrived at Huaiqin Garden, a wealthy residential area in Qingnan City.
Cyan fixed her gaze on Building B7, the 18th floor.
As the flagship floor of Huaiqin Garden, the apartments on the 18th floor were nearly 10,000 yuan more expensive per square meter than the mid-to-high floors. At such a height, not only was the view expansive, providing a panoramic look at the surroundings, but one could even see the beautiful night scenery. Even the fountain at the front of the complex, which lit up with colorful lights at night, was clearly visible.
The view was beautiful, but the price was even more so. Apartment 1801 on the 18th floor was the home of Professor Zhang Chengfu.
Taking advantage of the time Zhang Chengfu went to the university for work, Cyan slipped into his home. She stealthily installed a camera into a wooden crack beneath the sofa. She also placed one in the bedroom, tucked under a plush toy on a cabinet; the fluffy fur perfectly hid the miniature camera.
Through her observations, she saw that there was a lot of beer in Zhang Chengfu's home, and many expensive red wines in the cabinet under the TV.
Cyan didn't know if Zhang Chengfu was an alcoholic. She figured a university professor wouldn't have such a bad habit, especially since he was a veteran in the Survival Space.
A week later, in the hotel, Cyan plugged the memory card into her phone and opened the video captured by the miniature camera.
Watching the naked man and woman rolling on the bed in the video, Cyan watched from beginning to end with a cold expression. She swapped the memory card, sped up the playback, and looked thoughtful.
Mixing red wine with beer... is it that good?
Cyan watched Zhang Chengfu happily drinking a mixture of red wine and beer, a trace of confusion in her eyes.
After many days of surveillance, Cyan had mastered Zhang Chengfu's habits. She planned to make her move, but before that, she needed a few things—things that would allow the weak to overcome the strong.
Qingnan City First People's Hospital.
The surveillance cameras malfunctioned for one minute before returning to normal. The duty doctor, exhausted late at night, didn't notice the glitch at all.
Black Mouse: Boss, let's collaborate again if there's a chance!
Little Mantis: We'll see. I'll find you next time. Thanks to you, the doctors didn't find me.
Black Mouse: Boss, I'll just say one more thing. What's the deal with having me hack the hospital cameras?
Little Mantis: A surprise! [Cake icon]
Black Mouse: I see! Let's work together more in the future!
After the chat ended, Cyan logged out of QQ.
There was no other way. She didn't know any psychiatric patients; if she did, she would have asked for a few pills rather than going to the trouble of stealing from the hospital. Ordinary pharmacies didn't allow the sale of such potent sedatives.
In the hotel, Cyan sat on the bed looking at the dozen or so pills in her hand. She took one and popped it into her mouth.
Ten minutes later, she took another.
Another ten minutes, and she took a third.
Only after three pills did Cyan feel a hint of sleepiness. Looking at the remaining medicine, she already had a plan in mind.