Special Locations and Hidden Compartments

“Number 9, Pingfu Street…”

Reading the address, the blue-haired youth’s eyes flickered with thought as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

This was the fifth special location he had discovered in this round of the game, and the second place where he might find a special item.

The slightly disheveled room looked as if it had just been ransacked by a group of people, with chaos reaching the point of driving a perfectionist mad.

It was inevitable. The best way to hide a place’s peculiarity was not to avoid it, but to subtly guide others into believing they understood it completely.

People rarely doubt what they have seen with their own eyes. Liu Zhengxuan exploited this. Despite knowing there was something amiss, he led everyone in an exploration, successfully integrating it with the surrounding buildings.

‘Such a lack of wit in a newcomer,’ he shook his head, his tone carrying an unspoken meaning. ‘The system’s hints were so obvious…’

During their first exploration the previous day, Liu had acutely noticed the anomalies in these buildings. Such a crudely designed map template was indeed rare, making it difficult not to attract attention.

Once he noticed, he spotted the issue. The system wouldn’t create a hopeless scenario; it would leave clues in unexpected places, offering a glimmer of hope even in seemingly hopeless situations.

Survive for seven days…

Ha! More like a joke. Without food or water, surviving seven days was no different from waiting to die on the spot. Add to that unknown hunters lurking somewhere, and it became a certain death trap.

Thus, from the beginning, he had gathered these people into a team, planning to use them as supplies if necessary.

Although there were some minor setbacks along the way, they didn’t significantly impact him.

But now, he found himself in a predicament.

Any action he wanted to take would inevitably draw attention from these people, directly hindering his movements and forcing him to delay resolving the situation he discovered the previous day.

With some vague and misleading information, he had successfully convinced Xiang Ke to stay at the base, diverting the attention of the others.

Only then did he have the chance to return here.

‘Three’s items are quite useful. I wonder what surprises await here?’

Muttering to himself, Liu Zhengxuan continued his search, tapping and prodding around the room for hidden compartments.

‘Found it!’

His voice was filled with excitement, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Even with other tricks up his sleeve, who would refuse a chance to increase their odds of winning?

Talent: Qi Enhancement

Once he had pinpointed the location, he didn’t bother with any guessing games. He activated his talent and delivered a powerful punch to the floor, revealing the hidden compartment.

The bulging veins on his hand subsided. The game’s talents were scientifically sound; for a while, his hand would ache from muscle strain.

Rubbing his wrist, the blue-haired youth glimpsed the contents of the compartment, his pupils tightening in an instant.

‘So that’s how it is…’

****

Xiang Qi reached for the hem of her skirt, her expression peculiar.

She had the strange feeling that doing this would make her lose something important. With such a feeling in mind, she slowly lifted her white skirt.

Revealing her smooth, white legs and matching white underwear, Xiang Qi’s actions were undeniably alluring. Anyone watching would likely be driven to act irrationally.

Until yesterday, Xiang Qi was still a boy and clearly unaware of the temptation her actions posed.

‘Calm down, calm down…’ she instructed herself. ‘This is your own body. Back in the real world, you can look at it however you want. Later, you can gaze to your heart’s content. For now, focus on the task at hand.’

‘Xiang Qi, are you becoming a pervert toward yourself?’

It took her a while to compose herself, marveling at how potent the allure of beauty could be, even for someone as strong-willed as herself.

‘Surely, this must have been my father’s idea?’ Xiang Qi hadn’t forgotten who was responsible for her current body, and the thought made her grit her teeth in frustration. Having lived as a man for over a decade, who would want to suddenly become a woman?

But the deed was done, and complaining wouldn’t change anything. She had resigned herself to reality.

She hadn’t forgotten her purpose. Shifting her gaze downward, she noticed a white band around her right leg.

Hidden beneath her dress, Xiang Qi hadn’t felt anything unusual until she sensed something on her leg while walking.

In front of others, she couldn’t lift her skirt. Now, finally alone, she could investigate what was causing the sensation.

She picked up a fruit knife, sliding it along her inner thigh to test the band. After a moment, she shook her head and withdrew it.

‘Too large.’

Xiang Qi wasn’t particularly concerned about the band itself; she just needed a weapon for self-defense. Her dress offered no suitable hiding spots, leading her to consider the item on her leg. In movies, she often saw female characters retrieving an array of odd items from under their skirts, which seemed quite convenient. Xiang Qi believed she could do the same.

Reality, however, proved different from fiction.

‘Perhaps a different approach is needed,’ she thought, picking up a folding pocket knife and inserting it the same way.

This time, it fit perfectly. Lowering her skirt, nothing seemed amiss from the outside. She jumped slightly to test it, and the item remained securely wedged between her thigh and the band.

Excellent, her safety had improved.

Satisfied, Xiang Qi tidied up the scattered items, ensuring nothing incriminating was left behind, before pushing open the door and exiting.

Shu Xun and Gu Changqing were already waiting outside. Being polite, they didn’t question why Xiang Qi had taken so long.

Shu Xun herself had taken her time, and Gu Changqing, familiar with the habits of the female team members, didn’t suspect anything.

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.”

Xiang Qi took responsibility for her delay but didn’t elaborate on what she had been doing inside.