Chapter 83: The Mysterious Hidden Door

After leaving the shelter, Feng Qi headed east without hesitation.

Along the way, the zombie and Death Worms he encountered became his punching bags, serving as outlets for his pent-up frustration. In the process, the oppressive weight on his heart eased significantly.

As he fought and moved forward, he noticed a distinct improvement in his physical abilities. His strength and agility had both taken a noticeable leap compared to before.

He had once considered doing nothing but hunting monsters in the future dreamscape to continuously enhance himself. However, after careful deliberation, he decided against this approach.

If he had an endless supply of funds to replenish his energy, it might have been viable. After all, brute strength might not solve all problems, but it could resolve most of them.

But Feng Qi lacked the resources to waste on such a method. Moreover, the benefits of this path were minimal and inefficient in addressing the many hidden dangers within history.

For example, the reason behind Mu Qing's massacre of cities couldn't be uncovered simply by enhancing his strength in a few visits to the dreamscape.

Until he secured the financial means to fuel such a strategy, Feng Qi decided to refrain from prioritizing strength enhancement.

Still, he wouldn't miss any opportunity to grow stronger.

The chilly wind howled as Feng Qi navigated the wasteland of piled bones with agility and precision.

He didn't know how long he had walked when the ruins of a city appeared on the horizon.

His pace quickened immediately, his senses alert for potential ambushes by lurking domain creatures.

Until he found Suction Cup, Feng Qi decided it was best to err on the side of caution.

Although his strength had greatly improved compared to his starting point, he still felt it was insufficient when facing domain creatures.

As he stepped into the ruined city's streets, he saw cracked roads filled with scattered debris. From the cracks, various strange plants had taken root, while the tilted, crumbling buildings on either side seemed ready to collapse at any moment, their exposed steel beams rusting in the open air.

The scene before him resembled the apocalyptic landscapes often depicted in movies.

Though the city's layout differed slightly from his memory, Feng Qi had a rough sense of direction toward the abandoned residential district. Without hesitation, he continued eastward.

With every step, he moved cautiously, hyper-aware of his surroundings.

Feng Qi wasn't afraid of death—he knew he couldn't escape Little Black's pursuit no matter what. What he feared was dying without achieving anything meaningful.

"Ding, ding! Look to your 3 o'clock. You spot a seemingly inconspicuous gray plant. Actually, it's completely inconspicuous and utterly ordinary."

Feng Qi: "…"

Though puzzled, he turned to look in the direction the narrator had indicated. His gaze settled on a small, gray plant.

The plant had feathery leaves covered in dense, soft fuzz. Just as the narrator described, it blended in with the surrounding weeds, utterly unremarkable.

He stepped closer and crouched down to examine the plant more closely.

"What's this supposed to be for?" Feng Qi asked.

"You dig up the soil and discover a bright red fruit growing from the plant's roots. Inspired, you decide to take it to Suction Cup as a snack!"

Feng Qi froze for a moment, processing the narrator's words.

"Wait, are you saying Suction Cup likes eating this?"

"Think about it—Mu Qing's ability allowed her to gain energy and rapidly heal injuries by consuming food. If Suction Cup really is a clone of Mu Qing, doesn't it make sense she could do the same? What if you can help her recover from her injuries and even give her the strength to defeat Little Black?"

As convoluted as the explanation sounded, Feng Qi understood the narrator's point.

Suction Cup's immense strength was well-documented in history.

She had single-handedly repelled the expansion of the Silver Moon domain field and even dispersed it entirely, earning her legendary status in a single battle. However, she had sustained severe injuries during that fight, and the rune crystal embedded in her left arm had shattered in the process.

At the time, residents of Star City had tried various methods to approach Suction Cup and help her heal.

But Suction Cup, ever vigilant and distrustful of humans, had never allowed anyone near her. As a result, her injuries remained unhealed to this day.

In Feng Qi's past encounters with Little Black, Suction Cup hadn't been able to fight at full strength due to her injuries.

The narrator's words gave Feng Qi an idea—one that might allow him to extend his stay in the dreamscape. If he could find food capable of helping Suction Cup heal, she might recover her full power and potentially even defeat Little Black.

If Little Black were out of the picture, Feng Qi would essentially gain unlimited time to explore the dreamscape.

Even without access to the database, he could continue hunting monsters to grow stronger.

And even if Suction Cup couldn't defeat Little Black, her enhanced strength could at least buy Feng Qi more time in the dreamscape.

"Thanks for the suggestion. It's worth a shot."

"No need to thank me. I'd never lead you astray. After all, even a tiger doesn't eat its own cubs!"

"Get lost!"

Feng Qi dug into the soil. Just as the narrator had described, a bright red fruit was nestled among the plant's roots.

As he snapped the stem to retrieve the fruit, a rich, fragrant aroma filled the air. Milky white sap trickled from the broken stem.

"Would it work on me if I ate it?" Feng Qi asked curiously.

[Yes, it could boost virility—highly effective.]

Hearing this, Feng Qi couldn't help but roll his eyes.

In the future dreamscape, he hadn't even regrown that thing, which made it clear the narrator was just being sarcastic.

Taking a deep breath of the sweet scent lingering in the air, he resumed his journey eastward.

Along the way, the narrator gave several more hints, leading Feng Qi to discover three additional spiritual plants.

In the real world, spiritual plants and minerals were rare, only appearing in areas rich with spiritual energy, like domain fields. However, in this future dreamscape, these plants seemed to grow everywhere.

During his search, Feng Qi realized the narrator seemed to have some sort of "exploration sense." The narrator could detect objects within a certain range and even assess their properties and effects.

Curious, Feng Qi asked the narrator about this ability, but as usual, the narrator ignored him.

Continuing eastward, carrying the spiritual plants became somewhat cumbersome, but Feng Qi wasn't about to abandon them. These plants were vital nutrients for Suction Cup to grow stronger—and potentially the key to extending his stay in the dreamscape.

[Maybe you need a special ability for storage.]

"What kind of ability?" Feng Qi asked, his curiosity piqued, as he struggled with the red fruit in one hand and three plants in the other.

[Prefix Title: Spatial. Once acquired, it grants a small internal storage space perfect for storing and transporting items. A must-have for every adventurer.]

"Such an ability exists? How do I get it? Which domain creature do I need to hunt?" Feng Qi asked eagerly.

[No idea. I'm just a heartless baiting machine.]

Feng Qi: ****

Realizing he'd fallen for another one of the narrator's tricks, Feng Qi rolled his eyes in frustration.

Still, if the narrator said such an ability existed, it likely did. Feng Qi suspected the narrator wasn't revealing the full details because he wasn't yet strong enough to hunt the required domain creature.

Despite the narrator's antics, Feng Qi found himself looking forward to gaining the "Spatial" ability. However, even more than that, he longed for the ability to retain unlimited memories. If he could gain such an ability, the efficiency of his time in the dreamscape would skyrocket, allowing him to begin planning for the development of psionic technology.

To Feng Qi, the domain creatures in the dreamscape were like "ability loot boxes." Killing them would grant him a prefix title and a corresponding ability tied to the creature's traits. Compared to the traditional methods of cultivation in the real world, this felt like cheating.

Engrossed in light banter with the narrator, Feng Qi crossed three city blocks and finally arrived at the location of the abandoned residential area.

From a distance, the area looked nothing like it did in his memory.

To be precise, it wasn't a residential area anymore but a hospital—and a dilapidated one at that.

The building's outer walls were crumbling, covered in moss and climbing vines. The once-bright red cross sign at the top was now tilted and dangling from rusted cables, as if it might fall at any moment.

Before stepping into the hospital ruins, Feng Qi carefully scanned the surroundings.

The butterfly effect had altered each dreamscape slightly, and there was a chance Suction Cup might not be here this time. It was best to remain cautious.

After confirming the area was safe, he stepped into the abandoned hospital.

The inside of the hospital was completely overrun with vegetation. Plants grew unchecked on the floor, walls, and even the ceiling, taking over every visible surface.

As he cautiously moved through the desolate corridors, Feng Qi's eyes darted back and forth, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

After searching fruitlessly for over ten minutes, he decided to head upstairs to continue exploring.

Just then, the narrator's voice echoed in his mind:

[Look at the 10 o'clock direction, roughly three meters away on the floor. Something seems off.]

Feng Qi didn't hesitate. He immediately approached the spot the narrator indicated and slammed his fist into the floor.

"Crack!"

The ground splintered, revealing rusted black metal beneath.

Puzzled, Feng Qi cleared away the surrounding weeds and brushed aside the rubble, uncovering a black metallic door. At its center, a small green light blinked faintly.

Realizing this could be the entrance to a subterranean shelter, Feng Qi scanned the area but found no equipment for blood-based verification.

He clenched his fist and struck the door twice, only to recoil as pain shot through his hand.

The material of the door seemed similar to the black stone slabs of the Star City Shelter, and his current strength wasn't enough to damage it.

"What's beneath here?" Feng Qi asked the narrator.

[No clue.]

Feng Qi: …

Disheartened, Feng Qi considered leaving. But just as he turned to leave, a thought struck him.

In his previous visits to the dreamscape, Suction Cup had always appeared near this area. He hadn't given it much thought then, but now, with what he'd learned about Wei Wei and Suction Cup's possible connection, a realization began to form.

If Suction Cup was indeed created using Mu Qing's genes and rune crystals by Scarlet Research Institute, then this location could be significant. Could the black door lead to a hidden Scarlet Research Institute facility—the place where Suction Cup was originally created?

"What are the chances of that being true?" Feng Qi asked.

[It's possible. But you can't verify it since you can't even open the door.]

"That's not certain. With the right weapon, there's nothing I can't break," Feng Qi declared confidently.

[Don't embarrass yourself. Even without you, Suction Cup could handle it. You're just an accessory for throwing things.]