[Deducted 5 Computation Points.] [Balance: 2 Points.]
Looking at the number on the phone screen that shrank instantly, my heart twitched violently.
That was money I exchanged my life for! Gone just like that? Exchanged for a trial card that only lasts 10 minutes?
"If you dare scam me, I'll... I'll smash this crappy phone!"
I threatened through gritted teeth (even though I knew it was useless).
[Function Loading...] [Initializing Base Visual Module... 10%... 100%.]
Buzz—
As the progress bar filled up, the phone screen flashed violently.
Immediately after, a cold sensation, accompanied by a slight stinging pain, rushed from the arm holding the phone straight to my brain, finally converging in my left eye.
The feeling was strange. It was like someone had dropped a drop of high-concentration menthol oil into my eyeball, or plugged an ice-cold data cable directly into my optic nerve. The sting brought with it an extreme sense of clarity, stimulating my eye until tears couldn't stop flowing.
"Hiss... that's quite a kick."
I closed my eyes for a few seconds until the overload-like stinging sensation faded into a faint coolness.
Then, I slowly opened my left eye.
The world had changed.
The originally dim, dilapidated lobby filled with the smell of dust instantly shed its gray appearance in my left eye's field of vision, transforming into a Cyber Space composed of countless green lines and data blocks.
This feeling was extremely disjointed. My right eye still saw the ruined state of an unfinished building, moldy wallpaper, and sawdust on the floor. But my left eye saw the Essence of the world.
All objects turned into semi-transparent wireframe models. Countless tiny data streams, like dust, floated in the air.
I turned my head to look at the wall beside me.
To the naked eye, it was just a broken wall with peeling paint exposing the concrete. But in the Code Vision, the wall turned into a complex green grid. I could clearly see the data cables flowing like blood vessels inside the wall.
And near a crack in the corner, a conspicuous red code tag was floating:
[WARNING: Texture_Error] [Integrity: 15%] [Risk: Collapse]
"So that spot is about to collapse..."
I instinctively took two steps sideways, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on my back. If I had been tired just now and leaned there to rest, I might have been buried by now, or fallen directly into the void behind the wall.
These 5 points were well spent! Just avoiding this pit was worth the ticket price!
Like a country bumpkin wearing AR glasses for the first time, I greedily observed this familiar yet strange environment.
I looked at the main door. That wooden door I had nailed up like a patchwork monster now displayed dense green lines. Those nails turned into bright green connection points, forcibly locking the door planks and the patches together.
[Object: Main_Door] [Status: Closed (Physically_Blocked)] [Security: Low]
"Physically Blocked... The system acknowledged it." Looking at that status area, the last weight in my heart finally lifted.
I turned my gaze back to the center of the lobby.
I looked at the broken crystal chandelier above. [Object: Chandelier] [Power: Disconnected]
I looked at the dried-up rat corpses on the floor (I thought they were models before). [Object: Data_Rat (Corrupted)] [Value: 0.1 Point]
"Even dead rats can be exchanged for 0.1 points?" I made a mental note. Even a mosquito's leg is meat; I'll sweep up these rats later.
Finally, my gaze landed on the dust-covered solid wood counter.
This was the largest and seemingly sturdiest piece of furniture in the entire lobby.
[Object: Front_Desk] [Material: Oak_Wood] [Hardness: 50]
Hardness 50. I looked at the fire axe in my hand; its displayed Attack Rating was D, with an Armor Penetration value of about 30. That meant this counter was a decent cover; ordinary low-level monsters wouldn't be able to penetrate it for a while.
Just as I was about to look away, my left eye suddenly caught a trace of abnormal red light.
Inside the counter, at the position of an inconspicuous drawer at the very bottom, a red lock icon was flashing.
To the naked eye, it was just ordinary wood grain, not even a handle, looking like a decorative panel. But in the Code Vision, a separate storage space was clearly hidden there.
[Hidden_Container] [Lock Level: Lv.2 Admin Required] [Status: Locked]
"Lv.2 Authority?"
I froze for a moment, then cursed, "Great-Uncle, you Old Fox!"
This was obviously something he left behind. Maybe a powerful weapon, or the private stash he saved before running away? Unfortunately, I am just a Lv.0 rookie Admin; I can't even touch it.
"Just you wait. Once I level up, I'll pry you open for sure."
I memorized the location and continued to check myself.
I raised my hand and looked at my palm. Under the Code Vision, my skin appeared pale green and semi-transparent; bones and blood vessels were clearly visible, like a precise human model.
Hovering above the back of my hand were a few lines of real-time data about myself:
User: Lin En (Admin_Temp) HP: 98/100 (Healthy) Stamina: 30/100 (Exhausted/Starving)
Stamina is only 30? No wonder I feel dizzy.
But what truly terrified me was the data in the row below.
Sanity: 72/100 Status: Decreasing... [Cause: Abyssal_Gaze]
That number 72 was flashing at a visible speed. In the few seconds I stared at it, it jumped and became 71.
"Sanity... is dropping?"
I felt my scalp go numb.
No monster was attacking me, I wasn't injured, and I was even in a relatively safe environment. But my spirit was being "devoured" by this world.
[Cause: Abyssal_Gaze]
Is it because I'm in the 404 Area? Or because I've been staring at those error codes for too long? Or is it that... just breathing in this world requires paying a price in code (Sanity)?
If so, then the time left for me isn't just about hunger and monster threats. What happens if Sanity hits zero? Do I turn into a madman? Or become a data zombie that knows only slaughter, like the one outside the door?
A strong sense of urgency choked my throat.
"I can't delay."
I glanced at the countdown in the top right corner.
[Code Vision Remaining Time: 05:30]
Only five and a half minutes left. I can't waste this cheat I bought for 5 points. I must use this final time to find resources that will let me survive.
I need food. I need to replenish stamina. I need... money.
Clutching my growling stomach and enduring the intense hunger, I cast my gaze toward the depths of the lobby—the pitch-black corridor leading to the backyard.
To the naked eye, it was as black as a monster's throat, the floor covered in thick dust, the portraits on the walls looking hideous in the shadows. But in the green vision of my left eye, behind that rusty iron door, a large patch of complex and chaotic data signals faintly shone through.
And amidst that chaos, a green arrow icon guided the way like a lighthouse:
[Area: Backyard_Dump] [Resource Level: Low ~ Medium] [Risk: Unknown]
Resources! Even if it's a garbage dump, it's a treasure trove for me right now!
And since it's called a "Dump," it implies there's "trash" thrown away by the Main God System. Maybe expired food? Broken weapons? Maybe... scrap metal that can be exchanged for Computation Points?
"I hope Great-Uncle didn't take everything usable with him..."
I took a deep breath, gripped the red fire axe tightly, and touched the hammer tucked at my waist.
"Five minutes left. Make it quick."
I said to myself, then stepped forward, rushing toward the iron door leading to the unknown.