I'm Trapped in the Block

"You just got to the 1st Floor. Why are you already thinking about going to the 2nd?" Du Kang asked in disbelief, his breath puffing out in the air.

"I want to go to the Bottom of the Abyss," Li Luo answered seriously.

Du Kang choked, nearly sputtering. "Do you even know what’s at the Bottom of the Abyss?" he shot back.

"A gate to another world," Li Luo blurted out.

"That’s just a story..." Du Kang started to deny it outright, but then stopped himself. "No one knows. The people who go down there never come back."

Li Luo’s expression remained serious.

"Forget it. First, I’ll tell you how to get to the 2nd Floor. See that mission counter over there?" Du Kang pointed to a bustling counter in the hall.

Above the counter was a huge screen, like one in an airport departure lounge, densely packed with various missions.

"Go there and complete missions to earn points. The missions on the screen get progressively harder, and the points awarded get higher. Earning over 10,000 station points is one of the requirements to go to the 2nd Floor of the Abyss."

Hearing the requirements, Li Luo turned to leave, but Du Kang stopped her.

"There’s one more requirement: you have to possess a relic." Du Kang glanced at the Block behind Li Luo. "You’ve already met that one. A lot of people get the points, but can’t meet this requirement."

Inside the Block, it dawned on Mo Ling. ’No wonder Station Chief Liang said Li Luo was lucky. She met one of the requirements for the 2nd Floor right at the very beginning.’

The Bottom of the Abyss they mentioned also greatly interested Mo Ling, because they said it was a gate to another world.

’Another world... could it be my old one?’ Mo Ling grew excited. ’If we get to the Bottom of the Abyss, does that mean I can go home?’

While he was lost in thought, the small cart started moving again. Li Luo was already heading toward the mission counter.

Du Kang followed beside her, still rattling off advice:

"To start, pick some of the easier missions, like gathering herbs or simple investigations. Just get the required footage and come back. You need to get used to how the missions work first."

"Before you set out, go over there and check if you need to update any of your equipment, supplies, or medical gear. It all costs money, of course, but that’s nothing compared to your life. Remember to buy plenty of food for that iron block of yours."

"You can also team up with others. The points will be split, but it’ll be safer. I have some business with Liang, so I’m leaving now. Contact me if anything comes up."

Du Kang rattled on like a doting father. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought Li Luo was his daughter.

After saying his piece, he waved at Li Luo and headed for the second floor.

’That Du Kang is really helpful,’ Mo Ling mused.

In front of the mission counter, Li Luo and her large Block attracted a lot of attention. Most of the looks she got were full of envy.

When they recognized her as one of this year’s new Hunters, they couldn’t hide their shock and subconsciously cleared a path for her.

Li Luo looked up. The mission board was a riot of color, and the electronic screen in her hand had automatically connected to the system, allowing her to tap to see mission details at any time.

The cart followed her forward, and the mission board came into Mo Ling’s view.

[Gathering Mission: Ten Red Ruby Potatoes for research use. Reward: 10 station points.]

[Gathering Mission: Twenty kilograms of smoked ore for forging. Reward: 10 station points.]

[Investigation Mission: Investigate the woodworm infestation in the forest east of the station. Footage required. Reward: 5 station points.]

...

Mo Ling was stunned.

’How many?’

He almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and quickly scanned the board again.

’Yep, the points really are that low.’

’How long would it take to save up 10,000 points this way?’

While Mo Ling was still in a daze, Li Luo had already accepted a mission, and its details began to appear on her electronic screen.

Mo Ling quickly took a look.

[Investigation Mission: Cause of the Vibrating Beasts’ Abnormal Activity]

[The Vibrating Beasts’ abnormal activity has destroyed multiple outposts, causing heavy casualties. Preliminary investigations suggest a large mutant carrying a relic may have appeared. Find the cause and resolve the situation.]

[Recommended Party: Squad of 10 or more.]

[Reward: 1,000 station points.]

[Requirement: Vibrating Beasts are extremely dangerous creatures. The squad must be equipped with a lethal relic.]

...

Mo Ling was shocked.

’Those were some fast fingers!’

’How did she accept it so fast? Didn’t she see the recommended party size? He told her to take an investigation mission, so she really went and took an *investigation* mission?!’

Right then, Mo Ling wanted to burst out of the Block and demand answers from her, but he couldn’t.

’And what kind of "investigation mission" is this anyway? How come I didn’t see it?’

Mo Ling started scanning the mission board again and finally found the investigation mission in the last few rows of the list.

’Holy crap. So she was looking from the bottom of the list up.’

The last few rows of the constantly scrolling list were filled with all sorts of hunting missions, nearly every one of them marked "Extremely Dangerous."

And amidst this sea of hunting missions, Li Luo had accurately found the one investigation mission with the most points.

Now, on the mission board, Li Luo’s full name was starkly displayed right next to the mission to investigate the Vibrating Beasts’ abnormal activity.

After accepting the mission, Li Luo turned and left without looking for teammates. It seemed she wanted to keep all the points for herself.

As expected, she was stopped by a team before she could even squeeze through the crowd. The leader was a composed-looking young man.

"Hello. You’re the one who accepted the Vibrating Beast investigation mission, right?"

Li Luo nodded.

The young man smiled widely. "Looks like you’re on your own, huh? Our team is also interested in this mission. Want to do it together? We can watch each other’s backs."

Although he was talking to Li Luo, the young man’s eyes kept secretly glancing at the metal block behind her.

Mo Ling immediately understood.

’This team doesn’t have a relic, so they can’t meet the mission requirements. They’re trying to piggyback on ours.’

"No, thank you. I can handle it myself," Li Luo said coolly, shaking her head.

The young man wanted to try and persuade her again, but Li Luo simply walked around him.

The small cart carrying the metal block rolled toward the young man, swerved in an arc right in front of him, and then followed Li Luo away.

After leaving the mission counter, Li Luo went straight to the shop in the hall and started shopping.

At the counter, Li Luo looked at the salesclerk and asked, "Do you have any food made specifically for relics?"

The salesclerk was a bit intimidated by Li Luo’s cold stare, and her practiced smile stiffened.

"Yes, we do. Go up ahead, take a right, and you’ll see it on the second shelf."

’They really have stuff like that?’

Li Luo walked in the direction the salesclerk indicated, while Mo Ling’s vision had already locked onto the spot.

’Canned Fingers?’

’Blood Sugar Syrup?’

’Seaweed-Style Hair?’

’Nuclear Wastewater Cola?’

’Beef Jerky (Made from Pork)?’

’Deep-Fried Instant Noodles Made from Videotape Reels of the First Morning Sunbeam?’

...

’NO!’

’I have no idea why such bizarre foods exist, and I don’t know what kind of costs other relics have... But I know for sure that if I eat any of that stuff, I’ll die.’

Just as he was trying to figure out a way to stop Li Luo, she had already walked up to the shelf and was seriously considering her options.

Fortunately, whenever Li Luo picked out an item, she would place it on the Block to check its reaction.

Finally, after trying a few with no success, Li Luo headed toward the normal food section.

Sitting inside the Block, Mo Ling let out a long sigh of relief.